Reading Arkady Ostrovsky's excellent book The Invention of Russia: From Gorbachev;s Freedom to Putin's War.

As it turns out, it not only does an excellent job of explaining the threat posed to the West by Putin, but also tells a lot about how the US is following the same path towards corrupt autocracy (and not just the obvious link of Putin's intervention in our election).

For example, consider this on the Yeltsin-era media oligrchs:

"They lacked the most important attribute of an elite-a sense of responsibility for, and historic consciousness of, their own country."

This is an apt description not only of our own media elites, but of elected Republicans, who almost without exception have surrendered to Trumpism. Or for that matter the generally well-off  promoters of the Bernie Cult with its fantasy of Revolution.

We are in deep trouble, beyond one man's obvious unfitness for office.