Thank you for the reply: because we can go back even further to Hunter S Thompson with Fear and Loathing on the campaign trail 72, where he makes the same observation about every election cycle being “the big one”.

It’s just that I do think the GOP has gotten more extreme in many ways, and the right wing media sphere is a major part of that. At least in my experience over the last few decades. Looking back at what the John Birch folks said back then, it’s a lot more mainstream. Just some of the demographic groups targeted are different

As for the elections: it’s going to be interesting, since you’re absolutely correct…the right showed up to vote, and enough of the Democrats stayed at home that the GOP might take that as a sign they don’t need to ratfuck so much. I’m just not as confident that the anti democratic sentiment isn’t just rhetoric meant for political theatre. Hopefully I’m wrong, but the mainstream right seems to be trending toward authoritarian more than libertarian these days.

Do you think the GOP - and trump’s camp specifically - have gotten more or less extreme/vengeful in the last four years? After the 2020 loss, have they gotten more or less friendly toward the norms of a democratic system of government?