If there was ever a point of agreement between supporters of President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris during the 2024 election cycle, it was on this item: The contest’s stakes were impossibly high.  An Echelon Insights survey conducted on the eve of Election Day found that 78% of soon-to-be Trump voters and 82% of soon-to-be Harris voters believed that they faced “an existential decision for the country,” and that it would be “irreparably harmed if the wrong candidate wins.” Of course, the refrain that this is the most important election of our lifetimes is a familiar one to Americans. It’s been insisted upon every four years since time immemorial.  But what if, this time, both sides were right to be so fearful of the other? Consider only the events of the last few months. The final days of 2025 saw renewed attention on a massive scandal perfectly calibrated to bolster the Republican and tarnish the Democratic brand. In Minnesota, culprits mostly of Somali descent had defrauded taxpayers out of billions by setting up fake daycare, meal distribution, autism therapy centers, and numerous other fronts.  Lawfare victim Donald Trump, left, in his Aug. 24, 2023, mug shot from Fulton County, Georgia; Trump’s own lawfare targets (clockwise from top left) former U.S. National Security adviser John Bolton; New York Attorney General Letitia James; Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell; and former FBI director James Comey. (Associated...