What it is, is exactly clear.
(With apologies to Stephen Stills)
When Trump unleashed a fairly mild (in comparison) version of Nazi Stormtroopers on protestors so he could hold up a Bible, it made headlines. Apparently, he learned his lesson. So long as you start the process somewhere other than D.C. or New York, the media will little notice nor long remember what you have done. Stormtroopers are patrolling the streets of Portland, arresting and detaining people totally at random. It is an action unprecedented in the history of this nation. It is not just a little like the Gestapo. It’s a lot like the Gestapo. But, being as it was started in Portland, Oregon, and it was done by Trump, who has done lots of outrageous things, it’s immediately the new normal, and while it is somewhere buried deep in the bowels of today’s papers, it’s simply not worthy of front page coverage.
Maybe they’ll cover it more intensely when he orders his storm troopers into America’s cities on Election Day to make sure only the right votes are counted.