The skies over post-America continue to darken

None of the following is going to brighten your day.

Then again, think about the significance of your day juxtaposed against the fate of Western civilization.

Scott Johnson at Power Line gives us a bracing look into how the next couple of years are likely to unfold:

Putting to one side the merits of what would be an utterly dispiriting contest, does anyone in his right mind seriously think that Donald Trump stands a reasonable chance of beating the Democratic nominee in a general election? I don’t, and I think Trump will take the Republican majorities in Congress down with him, not to mention the Supreme Court, of course. Trump seems to me the worst and most destructive candidate remaining in what has turned into a weak field.

Ben Shapiro at Townhall says that, in the absence of noble, refined, virtuous masculinity, the variety embodied by the likes of Squirrel-Hair fills the vacuum:

This is the natural effect of the unmanning of American politics.

Obama told Americans for years on end that they were racist, sexist, bigoted homophobes who just didn't understand that our brash, confident attitude alienated people all around the world and led to terrorism against us. Hillary Clinton is running for president on the basis of her X chromosomes; America, she says, needs a female president. Bernie Sanders says that our unchecked aggressive instincts have ill-served us; we need a kinder, gentler America.

Meanwhile, the Republicans have self-castrated. Senator Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., spent years telling conservatives that Obama couldn't be stopped, and that attempts to stop him would be uncivil and counterproductive. Former Speaker of the House John Boehner did the same. So, too, has new Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. George W. Bush ran on the basis of "compassionate" conservatism, implying that traditional conservatism was too musky for metrosexual America. Marco Rubio's brand of politics relies on a feelings-first approach; Rubio said last week, "If a significant percentage of the American family believes that they are being treated differently than everyone else, we have a problem. And we have to address it as a society and as a country." This is pure Obama, Republican-style. 

Trump, however, doesn't bother with the niceties. He's a big, swinging set of political testicles. He says, just like a good mafia boss would, that he'll take care of all of your problems.

There is a culprit to be identified in what has happened:

Normally, the masculinity gap in American politics could be filled by an upstanding man -- a man, yes, but one tied to values, a man who uses the aggressive instinct in pursuit of defending the innocent and punishing the guilty. But the feminist movement has made such men obsolete. Men were simply too dangerous; it was safer to emasculate them. Now men are expected to be betas; the only alphas left are toxic alphas willing to break every taboo and violate every standard. 

There's still a space for masculinity in American politics. But thanks to the vacuum of decent men, indecent men rise. Men like Donald Trump. 

And consider that his slavish devotees will eat this kind of rhetoric up:

TRUMP: I’ve met much tougher people than Ted Cruz, he’s like a little baby compared to some of the people I have to deal with. He’s like a little baby. Soft, weak, little baby by comparison. But for lying, he’s the best I’ve ever seen.

And this:

“I’m very proud of this record. Wouldn’t this be good to have for the U.S.? Every person’s that attacked me has gone down.” 

If it's not all over for this grand 240-year experiment, somebody please tell us how.