Expect violent eruptions. But don't panic.

You probably missed this. I did when James Comey's oped came out. But with Trump romping as expected in Iowa and trying to intimidate E. Jean Carroll (no chance!) and the legal system, it's easy to fear that the Donald and his merry band of fascist cranks are on the rise again. Perhaps their violent assaults are unstoppable?

The former head of the FBI, fired by Trump for insufficient servility, makes the case that fear of Trump-inspired violence is overblown. His argument is strong; I've rendered some key points in bold.

Jan. 6, 2021, was a terrible day, but it was at bottom a security failure. For reasons I still don’t understand, our government didn’t properly assess and prepare for a threat that was moving at the speed of a daytime stroll, broadcast in advance. A mob managed to take a building that sits atop an easily defended hill because it was not properly secured, despite the heroic actions of an understaffed police force. Yes, there were sophisticated actors in the crowd that day, especially the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, who operated with seditious intent in organized teams. But, in the overwhelming main, the offenders of Jan. 6 were morons who bought Trump’s lies. They must be held accountable — every last one of them — but they shouldn’t be the monster under our national bed.

That accountability should comfort us. The Justice Department’s prosecution of more than 1,200 Jan. 6 defendants has sent a shock wave of deterrence at those who might otherwise be tempted to take a day off work to literally fight for Trump. They now know it will cost them dearly and most of them have no interest in paying that price, despite his generous offers of pardon. These aren’t jihadis looking to blow themselves up for some reward in paradise. These are mostly people with day jobs who feel a sense of grievance stoked by the amoral demagogue now running for president again. They might vote for him — those who are not yet felons — but they’re not looking to die for him, or even go to jail for him. They weren’t there when he was arraigned in New York or Georgia or Florida or D.C. They aren’t coming. Sometimes, even idiots aren’t fools.

The rule of law must be vindicated regardless of the threat, which is why public servants at all levels around the country are soldiering on despite the torrent of individual abuse. Terrorists, gangsters and drug lords have long been held accountable in this country even when their organizations posed a serious risk of violence aimed at those who operate our legal system. Fortunately, that’s not what we face today. Trump and his legions are not coming for us. The rule of law is finally coming for him.

My sense -- I could be terribly wrong, but I doubt it -- is that Comey is correct. Trump is a terrible threat to the country because of his almost uncanny to ability to spew the poisoned vitriol that is corroding his broken person into our body politic. He will inspire more violence. Some of it will be bad; a few people, vulnerable people, will be harmed. 

This has always been a violent society with surprisingly violent politics. Texas governor Greg Abbott is literally having migrants and women with nonviable pregnancies killed. Upholding the rule of law and democracy will require bravery from many citizens: jurors, election workers, canvassers, minor office holders, even a few big shots. But we can reject Trumpist venom within the framework of this very imperfect democracy.

Recent off-year and local elections show this. We're winning in improbable places: on Tuesday Democrats flipped a Florida legislative district; Dems elected mayors in Colorado Springs and Jacksonville which were once GOP bastions; and prevailing everywhere voters think the underlying issue is access to abortion -- Kansas, Wisconsin, Virginia, Ohio. These aren't flukes. The voters are not dumb, more tired than anything else.

The Republican presidential run-up is a fizzle. The challengers have no pop with voters. Trump can claim to have won Iowa by a h-u-g-e margin -- but that margin came among a minuscule electorate, barely half as large as Republicans turned out in 2016. They'll say the weak turnout was the weather. We'll see.

Yes, many Democrats aren't enthused either. We would have been glad to turn to another generation of leaders. But there was no way to get there. It will take diligent work to win this November and give this creaky old democracy a chance to right itself. But we can do it; there's nothing in events that says all is lost and much that says we can make a better future. 

Panic at this moment is unnecessary.