On August 9, 1974, Gerald R. Ford, upon assuming the presidency after Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace, told the nation: “Our long national nightmare is over.” Fifty years later, another impending nightmare darkens the skies of America. It may make Nixon’s transgressions seem quaint.
On election night, I was at Howard University awaiting the arrival of Vice President Kamala Harris, along with a throng of her enthusiastic supporters. We were there to see the ascension of the first…

