So it turns out Trump doesn't need a Reichstag fire at all.

[thucythucy]

21. I agree

and draw some reassurance from the fact that democratic institutions in the US have far deeper roots than those of Weimar.

On the other hand, prior to the Third Reich Germany had a fairly progressive history. Even under the Kaiser, the Social Democrats were the largest party in the Reichstag. There were hundreds of daily newspapers serving a highly literate population. Germany was the first nation to institute Social Security (about forty years before the US) and other social safety net features. And Weimar, as brief a time as it had, was at the forefront of women's rights and labor rights. The LGBT scene in Berlin was legendary.

Yes, the analogy between the US and Weimar is a stretch--thankfully. Still, it's disheartening to see how quickly Trump has been able to erode and erase so much of the best in this nation.