A bit like Lord Voldemort there is a temptation not to mention the name of “you know who” now that he is no longer in office. However he continues to tease his followers with the proposals about setting up a Patriot Party.

If he were to do this it will be interesting to see who wants to join. Hard line supporters like The Proud Boys have recently decried “you know who” as “A Total Failure”. I guess his brave leadership from the Oval Office and the quick disavowal of the violence when legal jeopardy threatened him personally probably alienated quite a few of the extreme right insurgents.

They will have noticed a flood of pardons emanating from the White House but probably felt let down when there were none for them.

Maybe there are others, less extreme, who never signed up to insurrection but think “you know who” was doing a great job and it would be good if he could come back. They might well be keen to sign up to a new party. If they do however they may also be well advised to check the small print of the membership T’s&C’s.

Much like the money raised for the legal battle to prevent the stealing of the vote it is likely that the vast bulk ($250m) of the cash will go into a black hole that reappears somehow in the pocket of “you know who”.

Like his University, the new Party for Patriots will probably deliver the same quality product which resulted in a $25m settlement when students claimed they had been duped by claims about what the University would provide.

Mitch McConnell must be watching all this closely in his assessment of whether action to support the impeachment would lance the boil which “you know who” has become on the fundament of the Republican Party. If he fails to move then a new party may be formed which attracts voters away from the GOP, causing a split that would make presidential success in 2024 tantamount to impossible.

As more and more comes out about those who attacked the Capitol, it is quite possible a substantial amount of support will drain away from “you know who” and those GOP members that supported him.

There is a saying that you should never wrestle with a pig because you both get dirty but the pig likes it. Along similar lines you should never get too close to a pig either because the smell lingers. The Republicans don’t seem to have appreciated this.