A mere 400 days to go, but I sense things are changing. Is it possible we’ll get rid of Trump, and get even more right wing? Yes it is – let me ‘splain how.

I hate to keep beating this damned ‘Germany in the 30’s’ drum, but it really is on point as a roadmap for things to come in the current age. So I’ll tell this as a fable and maybe you’ll see the parallels.

Once upon a time there was an elected Chancellor of Germany whose name was Franz von Papen. His was an old, aristocratic family, and he ruled Germany by decree..essentially, he started the notion of dictatorship at a time when Germans were looking for a strong hand. But poor Franz wasn’t very popular with members of the Reichstag (the legislature) so President Paul Von Hindenberg – another aristocrat – decided to replace him with a military guy named Kurt Von Schleicher.

Von Schleicher still continued the rule of dictatorship, and actually lasted more than a year. But Von Papen was mad that he’d been thrown out, and was good buddies with Von Hindenberg. So Franzie came up with the brilliant notion of replacing Von Schleicher with Hitler, thinking Hitler was an idiot and he – Franz Von Papen – would be the power behind the throne. Genius, huh? He convinced Von Hindenburg that Schleicher was bad for the country, and poof! Von Schleicher out; Hitler in. So Hitler took over the Chancellorship; soon after Von Hindenburg was kind enough to die, so Hitler took over the presidency too. And what was one of the first things he did after taking over? He had Von Schleicher, a brilliant military man, killed in The Night of the Long Knives, as it came to be known. And he got away with it! Nobody wanted to mess with Adolph after that.

So it’s entirely possible we have a repeat of this sort of scenario..the Dems will impeach Trump with enough dirt that will allow at least 20 Republican Senators to see the light and vote to convict. But who will take his place? Why, docile Mike Pence. But is he really all that docile, or is this playing into that religiouso’s fascist plans, in cahoots with McConnell? I’d argue it is, and then we’ll see the real right wing of the party emerge. We don’t need no stinkin’ elections. Do we?