American democracy is hurtling toward an apocalyptic showdown about legitimacy

The Republican Party has become an anti-system party. The results are terrifying.

Americans will have to reevaluate their beliefs.
(Image credit: Blend Images / Alamy Stock Photo)

Many Americans are justifiably nervous that the know-nothing pathological narcissist at the top of the Republican ticket might actually win the presidency. Still, while this could indeed happen, it remains unlikely.

Perhaps the bigger fear, for both Democrats and plenty of Republicans, ought to be that the Republican Party will continue its long-durée drift off the ideological map and into uncharted territory long after Donald Trump goes down to defeat in November. Because in a two-party system, there is no question that at some point power will be returned to the GOP, even if the party can no longer be trusted to wield it responsibly in the public interest.

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David Faris

David Faris is an associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics. He is a frequent contributor to Informed Comment, and his work has appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times, The Christian Science Monitor, and Indy Week.