SACRAMENTO — The first Trump administration was fairly restrained, as it included plenty of old-school Republican adults in key positions. They kept the QAnon types and other crazies at bay. But the January 6 riots and Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election gave a preview of tawdry things to come. His second term doesn’t even try to conceal that it’s based on the “Idiocracy” screenplay.

It’s easy to get dispirited by America’s political death spiral given that the MAGA faithful remain devoted to their leader no matter what new evidence emerges. They accuse critics — even those making calm, policy-oriented critiques — of suffering from a medical condition ( Trump Derangement Syndrome ). I’m more inclined to believe adherence to Trump’s grievance-based movement is a conditi

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