The first Trump indictment

As after gun massacres, I find myself with no deep thoughts. This New York move is likely only the first of several efforts to subject Donald Trump to ordinary criminal liability. We know he's a crook. If he's as provably guilty as he seems, let's hope the system brings him to heel.

The thing that I try to remember about Donald Trump is that all his crimes, including many for which he will never be charged for various good reasons, were motivated primarily by his desire to win and hold power without respect for the inconvenience of free elections. Oh sure, some have been intermingled with sheer greed -- like buddying up to Russia during the 2016 election for both assistance and perhaps the chance to brand a Moscow hotel or conning his acolytes to contribute to a non-existent legal fund after losing the 2020 election.

But all of Trump's crimes -- from obstructing and subverting the Mueller investigation, to this porn star payoff, to soliciting dirt on Joe Biden from Ukraine, to inciting the January 6 mob insurrection, to enabling the conspiracy to empower fake electors to change the 2020 election results, and even to stealing secret documents that belong to the government and people -- all Trump's crimes are at root about claiming power and holding onto power without the informed consent of the governed.

As with the guns, let's hope the people say, "Enough."