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There is a lot in this article, and all of it is fantastic and essential. The discussion of previous presidential impeachments and near-impeachments is nuanced and informed--esp. regarding Andrew Johnson. This needs to be read and re-read. theatlantic.com/amp/article/58…
A key point Applebaum makes here is that we've come to see impeachment as a crisis rather than the resolution of one. Because of the way the GOP weaponized impeachment against Clinton, we see it now as a partisan tactic rather than a constitutional fail-safe measure 
One of the many things this article made me think about, then, is the myriad of ways in which the Republican party has fundamentally damaged the very functions of constitutional government. The GOP and its propaganda machine have been subverting constitutional order for decades.
We've seen a lot of questions about just how much our system relies upon the maintenance of norms. But we need to be asking if our system can survive with the continuing existence of the Republican party as currently constituted and led. Because the evidence suggests it cannot.
