Well, here we go again. Trump has begun his campaign in style. He dines with antisemites and Holocaust deniers. His action is attacked only by those who wish to run against him (and not all of them). This is a rerun of his first campaign.

Remember what Lindsay Graham called him?  Rand Paul and Marco Rubio?  And then when he showed that he could rile up the base of the Republican Party with his words, they fell silent or became his cheerleaders for the next four years. In the spirit of Yogi Berra, “this is de ja vu all over again.”

The Republican Party that we all knew is gone. It has been replaced by a party that caters to conspiracy theorists and white supremacists.  Like the Whigs, who dissolved over slavery in the 1850’s, the Republican Party of Ronald Reagan and George Bush no longer exists.

Trump continues to strike fear into the hearts of many Republican office holders because he has successfully added to the ranks of Republican voters bigots who will make the difference in a primary.

These people also love Trump because he reinforces their grievances against the government and people who are different from them. He assures them that he knows the system is rigged because he used it when he was a businessman.

Finally, he will make life hell for “my Kevin” as he refers to McCarthy, the probable next Speaker.  I can’t wait to see him telling Republicans in the House not to support things that McCarthy may want. You know it is only a matter of time.

So please wake me up if there is a real denunciation of Trump from active officeholders in red states who are not running for President. I think I have a long sleep ahead of me.