There's this idea that the guys behind Project 2025 are the Spectre of conservatism, a crack team of evil visionaries blessed with the intellect and fortitude to shake the foundations of democracy. this despite the fact that the entire world watched everyone with a little intelligence or skill get sidelined by loyalists.

There's also this idea that the Republican Party is hell-bent on serving Trump's ends, rather than being hell-bent on their own survival. Trump tried to overthrow the government - it didn't work - his voters wish it did - let's move on. The through-line of everything written about the Republican Party under Trump is they're a bunch of feckless yes-men who wring their hands in private and rubber-stamp everything Dear Leader says. There's a simple reason for that; they want to keep their jobs.

Nobody has written any articles about how much better Trump's team is this time around. It's all been about how they're more subservient. And nobody has written any articles about how Trump has broadened his appeal and is more willing to work with his own party. It's all been about his enemies list. So there should be some introspection about what, exactly, the various and sundry feckless Republicans get out of a second Trump term. Who's the heir apparent? JD Vance? Vance was chosen for the exact same reason as Pence - he's a lickspittle supplicant bereft of charisma who won't outshine Trump. Don Jr? Puhleeze. DeSantis? We watched how that went. What else you got? Who's the more-charismatic demagogue that will step into Trump's shoes?

Because he's already coming apart at the seams. there's this idea that they'll 25A his ass and do whatever they want through Vance and allow me to say with no quaver in my voice that Reagan was absolutely coming apart in his second term and nobody thought to prop up George Bush. As a reminder, here's the electoral map from '84:

I think it will absolutely get to "mass deportations." I guess what sets me apart is I expect it to be an unpopular clusterfuck. I am absolutely at a loss as to why this is a minority opinion.