The GOP appears to be backing off from its threat to stage a coup. But the damage has been done. And Lindsay Graham might have just gotten away with a felony, just one month after violating another law.

The GOP is testing the media and Democrats. They want to know how far they can run with this. The further they can go with this, the more likely they will stage a real coup in the future. Think back and reflect on the recent history of the GOP. With each cycle, they have become more crazy and more evil. From Goldwater to Nixon to Reagan to Newt to Bush 43 and now Trump. That's why people like Joe Scarborough talks about Newt Gingrich like he was just a sensible politician who wanted to cut the deficit. Joe will insist to the end that the GOP was being 'noble' and 'sincere' in 1994. Never mind they wanted to kill Social Security and Medicare, as well as repeal Title VII (the Civil Rights Act and Affirmative Action), Title VIII (the Voting Rights Act), Title IX and Title X.

Incredibly, the Republicans of the recent past don't seem so nuts today, because the party is becoming more and more nuts. That's why some Democrats speak kindly of the worst president we ever had -Bush 43. And that's why, 10 years from now, some talking heads on MSNBC will say that Trump wasn't so bad, given who will be president in 2030. Something worse is coming. Since Goldwater, something worse is always coming.