Imagine reading this 10 years ago in the Washington Post: “A conviction and a decisive defeat at the ballot box might force Trump from the political scene and cause the Republican Party to move in a different direction, although in an era of close elections, the prospect of 2024 producing a blowout in either direction remains doubtful — and even that would not necessarily cleanse the system.” “A conviction and a decisive defeat at the ballot box might” force Trump out of politics? And maybe it would cause the Republican party to sober up? If that doesn’t do it, what would? Violence, I guess. Great.