What Is Even Happening?

[Content Note: Bigotry.]

On the day Hillary Clinton was making history, Donald Trump was making a pee-pee joke. Which is part of the reason why the Republican Party is in utter disarray, with some Republicans actually un-endorsing Trump (as though they only just became aware that the man whose opening salvo in his candidacy was "Mexicans are rapists" is a racist nightmare) and others desperately trying to defend their support of him with the faintest of praise, like Newt Gingrich offering "Trump is learning, a gifted amateur."

It's truly something to behold. I mean, get a load of Arizona Senator Jeff Flake—yes, this Jeff Flake—on Trump:

Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona says there is "some mixture of fear and loathing" of Donald Trump among his Senate colleagues.

Flake, who has said he will not vote for his party's presumptive nominee, criticized Trump for appealing to what he called white "identity politics."

Trump is so toxic he's got Jeff freaking Flake sounding like an intersectional feminist.

Flake also noted "there's not a lot of enthusiasm" for Trump in the Senate Republican caucus. (How about fully eleventy millions stories on that enthusiasm gap, media?) And added: "To have somebody from the party of Lincoln play with the identity politics that he's been playing with, basically saying that if you are descendant of Mexican heritage that you're disqualified to sit in judgment with someone who might disagree with your positions. It's just wrong. It's just wrong."

Now, let's be perfectly clear: It's not like the Republican Party objects to racism, misogyny, and sundry other bigotries. Upholding privilege is the centerpiece of their platform. This isn't newfound decency, but familiar opportunism.

Still. That's how egregious Trump's bigotry really is. After decades of running on a platform that trades on fearmongering, scapegoating, and dogwhistling, Trump has gone so far beyond their already highly objectionable bigotry that many of them wouldn't take a selfie with him for ten wishes from the bootstraps fairy.

And it's only going to get worse. Because I guarantee you that Team Clinton didn't blow their oppo load in the first days of the general election. Trump University is only the beginning.