There are many different ways to view the Trump impeachment process, but perhaps the most important, if least recognized one is to view it as a part of struggle to preserve American democracy from destruction at the hands of predatory individuals utterly lacking in conscience.
Paul Rosenberg has written a must read article that makes sense of Trump’s angry narcissistic fog, the Republican Party’s capture by Trump ideologues, and why Trump’s core supporters are willing to accept authoritarianism over democracy. Read on here.
disorderedworld 
Excellent article.
‘Looking on from Europe, the absence of mass public demonstrations against Trump are a worrying sign’.
Unfortunately in the UK we can’t talk. We’re not out of the woods here by a long stretch. We have Johnson, a highly narcissistic, mask-wearing, charismatic, lying, manipulative and entitled individual. An ex-target (ex-girlfriend) has described Johnson as a loner who dislikes parties and is overcome by deep depression. In other words it’s all an act and he’s just another ‘spellbinder’ – but not quite as openly pathological as Trump. Hence why Trump and Johnson get on so well together, ditto Farage, another ‘spellbinder’.
It looks as if the UK is about 10 -15 years behind the USA cycle of hysteria (polarization / paralysis in the USA 2001 with Bush – polarisation / paralysis in the UK, 2016).
The financial crisis was certainly a kick in the teeth, but it was simply a symptom of deeper trends, particularly growing inequality. These deeper trends were visible to Lobaczewski by 1984, when he wrote the following:
‘At the same time, America, especially the U.S.A., has reached a nadir for the first time in its short history. Grey-haired Europeans living in the U.S. today are struck by the similarity between these phenomena and the ones dominating Europe at the times of their youth. The emotionalism dominating individual, collective and political life, as well as the subconscious selection and substitution of data in reasoning, are impoverishing the development of a psychological world view and leading to individual and national egotism.’
Dr. Peter Turchin has an excellent website (PeterTurchin (dot) com) where he describes how he and his team are analysing historical data in order to see patterns. He predicts a crisis in the USA in 2020, if I remember rightly. He’s written several books. His version of the cycle of hysteria is ‘Cycles of well-being/low inequality – immiseration/high inequality’, page 27 of ‘The History of the Near Future What history tells us about our Age of Discord’, a pdf that can be found online. He hasn’t yet figured out that individual and group pathology plays a role.
Thank you for your message Richard. I am actually based in Dublin, Ireland so I have been following the painful Brexit process closely. I really fear for the UK if the Conservatives are returned with a clear majority later this month. The impact of Brexit and four years of Johnson as Prime Minister will make an already atrocious situation much, much worse I fear.
I love the line you quoted of the role of a prevailing zeitgeist in “impoverishing the development of a psychological world view and leading to individual and national egotism.” It is so accurate and points to how deep changes are needed. Trump and Brexit are symptoms of much deeper problems.