In retrospect, Bush v Gore was the beginning of the end of American democracy.

That fateful judicial decision made a mockery of the electoral process, enabled 9/11, Iraq, torture, John Yoo etc – normalizing and entrenching Republican right wing, theocratic extremism.

It vindicated their theory of political control, which is state violence in the service of oligarchs ("the haves and the have-mores, my base" as W quipped), enforced by judicial rule and police militarization.

Barack Obama could not or would not stench the bleeding. He should have sued the Bush people. That was politically impossible.

Anyways, Trump is but an aftershock of Bush v Gore, its bitter reapings.