Congratulations, Republicans! This is the America you've created. Enjoy the ride.

To say that the GOP Presidential primary process has contributed to the coarsening of our public discourse isn’t exactly breaking news. It would be easy to blame that on Donald Trump and his political narcissism and cheap hucksterism. That’s not inaccurate, but it’s only part of the picture. Trump’s rise comes in large part because of the way the GOP has conducted its business over the past 36 years. The election of Ronald Reagan in 1980 led to a Republican Party far more concerned with its own self-aggrandizement and lust for power than in doing what as best for the country. Cynical calculation replaced a willingness to help move America forward. Arrogance, self-righteousness, and self-superiority replaced any willingness to work with Democrats to get things done. Compromise came to be equated with capitulation.

What Trump did was seize the moment, capitalizing on the divisions created by years of Republican efforts to keep Americans scared, angry, and stupid. Republicans focused less on uniting America than in dividing and conquering. The Donald merely seized the moment created by years of Republican pandering to racists, sexists, misogynists, and zealots.

Republicans made their bed. They seemed shocked that they’re now facing the reality of having to take their repose in it. They have only themselves to blame.

Historian Ken Burns: Trump’s America is a ‘retrograde moment’ — white guilt ‘metastasizes into darkness’: “Retrograde?” Definitely. “White guilt?” Not so much. Probably more “White supremacism” and “White entitlement.”

Donald Trump Poses an Unprecedented Threat to American Democracy: If you see parallels to Benito Mussolini in Trump’s campaign, then yes, there’s absolutely a threat extant.

Florida cop threatens to jail newspaper columnist for ‘trespassing’ at public Trump rally: When the press is no longer allowed to do their job, and when that suppression of a free press is aided by law enforcement, can that be viewed as anything but the threat of creeping fascism?

Sarah Palin slams ‘punk-ass little thuggery stuff’ from anti-Trump protesters: When the “punk ass little thugs” begin accusing those who dare voice their dissent of exactly the sort of thing they’re doing, it’s not freedom that’s on the agenda.

Trump’s not Hitler, he’s Mussolini: How GOP anti-intellectualism created a modern fascist movement in America: Republicans have never been about fomenting democracy. Now that self-interest has been turned on its head to be used against them. The GOP’s created a candidate willing to rip a few pages from Mussolini’s playbook in order to seize power…and they have only themselves to blame.

Trump militia forms to ‘forcefully protect’ rally goers against ‘far-left agitators’: Because when you want to assure your path to power, the first thing you’re going to want to do is silence dissent…if necessary, by force.