Call me naive, but I'm not really worried about the near-term. There will likely be more unrest, mostly at government buildings, but a rabble of extremists can't overthrow the most powerful government in the world on their own. The real danger was when they had lawmakers and the president on their side, but the president is about to be out and many of the lawmakers seem to be souring on this movement (including - crucially - Mitch McConnell, an influential figure in the party).
Now, what I am concerned about is the mid-to-long-term. Deepening economic inequality remains a serious problem for people on both the left and the right - I would argue it's the root cause of the unrest we're witnessing - and it shows no signs of slowing down. And I haven't seen the incoming administration provide any real plan to solve it. Also, the extremist circles won't suddenly disappear just because they stop being placated. They may end up voting en force in the midterms and/or the next presidential election. Trump has talked about starting a "news" network in the meantime which could keep the base stoked. He could then run again in 2024- or, possibly worse, a younger and smarter version of him who could actually capitalize on the seeds that he's planted.
But I think we now have at least a couple years of relative stability ahead. Maybe that time should be used to prepare. I know I'll be renewing my passport.
Don't ignore Mike Pence. When the chips were down, he counted the votes as the states approved them. If he had gone along with Trump's fiction, this could have gotten really crazy. I think Pence was at least as crucial as McConnell.
It's crazy to make a hero out of someone that just did his elected job and obviously admitting that 1+1=2. In fact he is complicit for not whisteblowing all the crazy stuff apparently Trump told him to do or saw.
Now, what I am concerned about is the mid-to-long-term. Deepening economic inequality remains a serious problem for people on both the left and the right - I would argue it's the root cause of the unrest we're witnessing - and it shows no signs of slowing down. And I haven't seen the incoming administration provide any real plan to solve it. Also, the extremist circles won't suddenly disappear just because they stop being placated. They may end up voting en force in the midterms and/or the next presidential election. Trump has talked about starting a "news" network in the meantime which could keep the base stoked. He could then run again in 2024- or, possibly worse, a younger and smarter version of him who could actually capitalize on the seeds that he's planted.
But I think we now have at least a couple years of relative stability ahead. Maybe that time should be used to prepare. I know I'll be renewing my passport.