I'm going to take an unpopular opinion here. Trump isn't the enemy.

[VOX]

65. Trump/Bannon & Co. have brought a formidable weapon to the fight.

One that goes way beyond earlier left v. right, Republican v. Democratic politics. And that is the insistence upon a different reality altogether. The "alt-reality" of the right is manufactured, and yet they invoke it at every turn.

Trump's unholy team have dragged the entire machinery downwards into nihilistic depths by bringing the very reality of the United States and its laws into question on a daily basis. This has widened the chasm between left and right to an extraordinary degree. They have cannily exploited the existing right-wing media advantage (a dedicated 24/7 cable "news" network and the usual hate-radio gasbags) by having them pump out the lies that spin Trump as a wonderful, God-fearing family man and great American who's done absolutely nothing wrong; but is nevertheless being unfairly persecuted by the liberal mainstream media.

I don't think Trump is a mere distraction; he is the whining, whacked-out figurehead of the right, and while a lot of Republicans may not like him, they nevertheless line up behind him. (Note to Democrats: please consider this degree of party solidarity amongst yourselves.) While he's not very bright, he is a rabid attack dog who, even if found to be a complete Russian tool, will vehemently deny it, as will his lieutenants. Just pass it off as a witch hunt. Trump may figure, "What are they gonna do, send SWAT teams to the White House? They can't touch me." It's as if America has been taken over by organized crime.

Proof of Trump & Co.'s effectiveness is in the flabbergasting fact that the U.S. suffered a coordinated, hostile attack by Putin and sympathizers during the primaries and general election with direct intent to disrupt the process, divide the left against itself, and to influence the outcome, and no one has addressed this, except Rachel Maddow and a handful of others. The White House, senate and congress (for the most part) just continue on sowing discord, hate and misdirected anger.