I often think this way myself and there’s a very good chance that you’re right. I often make the mistake of assuming that people are capable of learning from their mistakes. But, by that same token, the Overton Window moves left as well. We have gay marriage. We’re legalizing weed. Trans rights are even a thing now. Though the police state is becoming stronger, the culture has already moved past Donald Trump, and that’s arguably more important.
There was a pretty strong backlash to Bush/Cheney, but it was delayed because of 9/11. Unfortunately, Obama ceded a lot of ground by ratifying his predecessor’s policies, and refusing to prosecute people who participated in torture—and now we’re seeing why it was stupid to allow those precedents to stand.
It may take a shock on the scale of Watergate (adjusted for inflation) to pave the way for reform, but Trump seems uniquely equipped to provide it. I agree with you about the trend line, but we shouldn’t take for granted that it’s going to extend into the future indefinitely—after a certain point, it may trigger something. History has a way of surprising you.
