(CNN) American democracy -- under a relentless, multi-front assault from pro-Donald Trump Republicans -- is about to show whether it is strong enough to save itself. Such a premise would have been considered absurd through much of history. But since Trump left office after destroying the tradition of peaceful transfers of power in a failed attempt to steal the 2020 election, it has become clear that his insurrectionism was only the first battle in a longer political war as his allies tout ridiculous fantasies about returning him to power to applause and online acclaim. The mechanisms of American institutions that...