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These ahistorical fictions--that Trump is outside of politics, that movement conservatism is blameless in his ascent, or unconnected to it--condemn us to making the same mistakes.
Both liberals and conservatives have perverse investments in the idea that Trump is some kind of aberration. Liberals want to protect their polite fictions about the inherent nobility of American institutions, conservatives want to shield their own movement from accountability.
Each perspective is dangerous because it refuses to grapple with the root causes of Trump's depredations. Everything from a conservative movement that doubled down on its bigotries, to government institutions too poorly insulated from the whims of bad actors.
By acting as if Trump somehow came from another dimension, as if his appeal (however limited) isn't intimately tied to deep historical trends in American public life, is an almost childish attempt to deny responsibility for the last two years.
