Loved the Krugman piece
I've found myself thinking similar thoughts...and have in fact also taken some refuge in classical history in order to avoid having to deal with the news (in my case, Oswyn Murray's Early Greece).
In these opening days of the Trump era, we're witness to the odd sight of conservatives tossing tradition in the dust bin--to be replaced by whatever the hell Trump says. If he chooses to burn our institutions right out from under our feet, his followers will happily cheer him every step of the way.