I wish I were an optimist

I could imagine the Trump era as "a learning moment" when citizens learn how our government is supposed to work, what checks and balances mean, and so on, this because of the chaos that follows a large disregard for these very principles by the man in office. But no, a more likely alternative, moving into more severe autocracy, seems likely unless spineless Republicans and supporters look in the mirror and realize how badly they've been duped.