@Alex -- I'm not blaming you (plural) for the situation... much. You're pretty much like the proverbial frogs in the kettle; as the heat is slowly turned up, it's very hard to tell when to jump.
You know, if I wasn't such a complacent, pig-headed American, I'd almost think I'd been insulted there
....... But, thinly-veiled insults aside, you seem to be implying that the only way to fix a bad situation is to leave, like the proverbial frog leaping from the pot before his hind quarters (erm... I mean his "principles") are singed beyond repair. I must say that unless you are swimming around in the pot yourself, that is a hard call to make.
I have lived abroad, as have members of my family. I consider myself open-minded and accepting of differing opinions, faiths, lifestyle choices, etc. and, though it might not always seem as such from the way we're portrayed in the media, there are MANY Americans who feel the same. We folks are, in effect, true Americans who believe and wholeheartedly support the notion of a Melting Pot. However, we are labeled in our own country as "liberals" and "heathens" who lack the ethics/morality to govern ourselves and others around us.
Now the problem is that I do love this country, even if I do not love (or respect) its leaders. So, do I forsake control of the country to those who stand to do it even MORE harm, or do I stay and fight (vote) for what I believe in? Call it an idealistic stance, but when it comes down to it, it is this idealism that just might cause a shift the other way. Our country hasn't always been this way. We could be better in the future, if given the chance.
In my view, a Rubicon was crossed when the right of habeas corpus was abolished. Your chief executive now has the power to imprison anyone at his discretion for any amount of time. The fact that he does not (yet?) exercise this power to an extent where you're likely to run into it personally is of secondary importance.
Agreed, though I still don't believe he has crossed this imaginary Rubicon of which you speak. If your implied comparison is Caesar (achieving the role of Dictator), we still have a working Senate and a House, one or both of which might be Democratic by tomorrow.
And, believe me, if both parts of Congress flip Democratic, it will be Caesar in the pot and not us helpless frogs....