Rachel Maddow

An immediate de-escalation in their state.

And yes, that is too little.

And yes, that is too late.

But it is way more than they were willing to do before.

So take it, bank it, and build on it.

We even saw some of the old graybeards of U.S.

politics rouse from their retirement pastimes and diversions to say something.

President Barack Obama and President Bill Clinton each issuing pretty stirring statements condemning Trump's attack on Minneapolis and praising the strong, peaceful protests of the people there in response.

And, you know, we are conditioned to be bored and underwhelmed by anything done in Congress.

And honestly, you know, by Congress, by candidates, by brand name politicians, by even state elected leaders, we are conditioned to expect that the actions of anyone in politics who is not currently the president are just, you know, not very powerful actions.

They're just not very important.

But we are conditioned to believe that in a way that is not actually keeping faith with who we're supposed to be as a country.

Because what we inherited from the founding fathers of this country is a democracy that was explicitly and purposefully designed to be decentralized and divided and responsive to the people.

And when the people push in a concerted way, what we are seeing is that the country is working the way it's supposed to.

The levers of power are moving.

There is a political response, a small-D democratic response.

And yes, that means the president's poll numbers sink further into the bedrock, including on immigration, which he really at one point wanted to be his signature issue.

And he is now running from it.

But the other forces of political gravity start to work on him as well.

He may not want to be subject to democratic force, but he is.