We have a problem here, and neither problems nor sanity is served by avoidance. And it’s not as simple as trying to wait out, or even remove the man from his position of power. It’s already too late for that. Damage has been done. Fundamental questions have been raised, and put to us, and we need to answer those challenges as well.

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It has been a presupposition that democracy is the American way of government and the best model. It has been a presupposition that there is a real difference between a true statement and a false assertion, and that public debate can be — and should be — determined partly by understanding and caring about the difference. Trump has challenged not only these precepts but also our easy reliance on them. This is the real damage that Trump is doing, and this is the real challenge that sane people are flinching from.

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Is it possible that our beliefs and norms are nothing but a tissue of cosmetics that can be torn away? Is it possible that we will face a moment when we start calculating our own personal safety and advantage in a post-truth, post-democratic nation? Sorry to say, we are at that moment now. Trump or no Trump, things like democracy, truth and rule of law will not endure if people no longer believe in them or believe in them insufficiently.

It’s not enough to recoil. It’s time to start over and decide what your values really are, whether democracy as a system really does mean anything to you, how important the truth really is to you, and what you are going to do about it all.