what's next?

With Michael Flynn's guilty plea, some say that impeachment is now more likely. Though the odds are long, this seems about right.

Let's assume that Mueller's investigation either leads to impeachment or sinks Trump's 2020 campaign. What's next?

Who is next from might be President Pence, right? We should shudder at that thought, too. It's true that the absence of Trump in the White House would be a good thing for the country. However, we can't forget that run-of-the-mill Republicanism is dangerous in its own banality.

The first time I started paying attention to politics was during George W. Bush's presidency. At the time, I was mostly against things: against the Iraq the Patriot Act, against stem cell research prohibitions, etc. I didn't have a coherent political vision for the future that I wanted. (To be fair to myself, I was young.) I saw the same thing happen with people who were against Obama.

Now, I worry that we are so strongly identified with being against Trump that we're losing out on an opportunity to politic by clear contrasts. It's not that we shouldn't vehemently oppose the bad ideas and behavior of the Trump era. It's that it's not enough. Asking ourselves "What's next?" is good for the country. It's also good politics.

So, what's next?