Continuing with my Trump/West Virginia theme, I highly recommend an excellent analysis at Talking Points Memo by David Kurtz:

Trump Is Doing To The GOP What He Wants To Do To America

From that analysis:

But the truth is that Trump’s consolidation of the GOP as a far-right party is already accomplished. He did that in his first term. What we’re witnessing now is his conversion of it from a political party into a tool of his personal political power. He wants it to be obedient to him, to serve him, to vanquish his enemies internal and external, to be an extension of himself. I’m not sure we’ve seen before the complete absorption of a major U.S. political party into a cult of its leader’s personality.

Kurtz’s conclusion is chilling:

Trump’s plan is to hitch this cult of personality to the powers of the office of the presidency and run roughshod over the rule of law and any person or thing that stands in his way, including the co-equal branches of government, the states, and our allies abroad. The fact that he’s doing it first to his ostensible allies in the GOP should be a bright red flashing light of what is to come.

Kurtz’s analysis is spot-on. Here in West Virginia, the morphing of the Republican Party into the Trump Party began early in Trump’s presidency and with the recent acquiescence of Senator Capito, it is now complete. Trump followers now rule the Party, and their grip will only strengthen if/when Trump sycophants like Riley Moore, Patrick Morrisey, and Mike Stuart take on even more important duties early next year.

Again, West Virginia is ahead of the curve. I think that these are scary times for our democracy.