The thing is Trump isn't an aberration. He's the logical next step of the southern strategy. He's revealed that for Republicans and their base, it was never about democracy. It is about upholding white supremacy at any cost. The entire GOP is eagerly moving to authoritarianism.
Republicans stealing a Supreme Court seat is just the beginning. What's to stop them from, when in Congressional power, never holding a vote for a liberal judge ever again? Nothing.
Here's a future scenario. Republicans decide never to hold a vote for a liberal justice again. By threats or other means, Republican minorities in bigger liberal states create new states "Northern New York," "Inland California" to create permanent GOP Senate majorities.
This new permanent GOP Senate and permanent conservative Supreme Court insulates Republicans from demographic changes. They can essentially strip civil rights and reverse prior court decisions at will. End game? Apartheid state where shrinking white minority rules forever.
The Republican base and its governing politicians have proven they don't care about laws, norms, institutions, civility, responsibility. They will uphold white supremacy at every opportunity. They will move into open authoritarianism and claim it is actually liberals doing it.
There is no "return to normal." Republican base wants authoritarianism. They'd willingly live in a dictatorship if they could get what they wanted socially. Trump is just the beginning, his heirs will be much, much worse.
Which means this isn't just some quirk in history. This is a fundamental moment in US politics and the future existence of the American state is at risk. The internal social conflict created by authoritarian white nationalism could literally destroy the American state.
There are two likely outcomes. 1. The left wins demographically and the conservative right eventually submits, leading to multicultural democracy. 2. The authoritarian white minority wins and we have south african apartheid, massive internal strife, maybe even balkanization.
People are really discounting the idea that this moment isn't an anomaly. That it is the logical transition of white conservatives desperate to hold onto white supremacy in a country w massive demographic changes. And that the authoritarianism and law breaking will get way worse
