Folks, American democracy will likely not end with a Reichstag fire. It will not end with a military coup. It will end with a transformation of our political culture to transfer more and more power to the president and the ruling party at the expense of everyone else.

Our traditions, our laws, our processes, will be chipped away at. Court appointments will be politicized. Government will be shut down if the president doesn't get his way. Senate approval for appointees will no longer be sought as "acting" secretaries take power.

Obstruction of justice will be seen as the norm. Using the presidency as a personal piggy bank will be accepted. Ethics laws will be ignored. Nepotism will reign. Executive orders and the assertion of "emergency powers" will replace legislation.