Malcolm Gladwell offered some fascinating insights recently on how unprecedented election results can lead to an unprecedented backlash. Speaking to CNN's Fareed Zakaria, Gladwell wondered if the election of the first black president in the United States for two straight terms led to the phenomena that is Donald Trump. He threw some light on the travail suffered by Julia Gillard, Australia's first female prime minister (2010 – 2013) after she won the election. In his words, Gillard endured the most, "extraordinary, devastating, unbelievable level of misogynistic vitriol that the country had ever seen." It was so bad that Australians grew collectively embarrassed when some of the videos appeared in international news reports. They suddenly got a good look at themselves in those moments and grew embarrassed. Gladwell went on to say that he worries something similar could result if Hillary Clinton's wins the election next month.Which bring us to Donald Trump and his unprecedented effect.Regardless of who wins the upcoming election, things will likely be more broken in America than they are at present. People can blame the politicians all they want, but as of now, millions and millions of American citizens are exhibiting behaviour once deemed beyond the pale: misogyny, racism, Islamophobia, predatory actions, and, at times, violence. In other words, at a time when the United States and the world are required to come together to solve unprecedented problems – climate change, refugees, poverty, terrorism, gender inequality, democratic decline – hatred has made a remarkable comeback, infesting even the public dialogue and poisoning the public space. How did things get to this place?Scottish-American actor, Alan Cumming, has a theory and it's troubling. In attempting to explain the current Trump phenomenon, he asserts that sometimes politics, and extremist politicians, give people permission to behave in ways they otherwise are too ashamed to acknowledge publicly. Reflecting Gladwell's observation, he notes:"A lot of racism we are witnessing right now is due to the fact that a certain part of the population has been furious that we've had a black president for the last eight years. And it's only now coming out because someone – Donald Trump – is giving them a voice and giving them a chance to express opinions that otherwise they would otherwise have been ashamed to harbour, and I think they should be ashamed."Trump isn't the sole reason for this wicked turn. The Republicans began setting the stage long before the billionaire announced his candidacy. In practice, they have lived out Gladwell's observation for over a decade due to their overriding disdain for Obama and his presidency. Gone are the days when Republicans demonstrated their opposition by presenting new ideas and furthering them by reaching compromises with their Democratic opponents across the aisle. It wasn't always pretty, but it was workable. Now the party's approach has been to blow up governance and personally despise their opposition. Personal vengeance has replaced principled stands. For years they tolerated opinions in their ranks that called Obama a Muslim, Hillary Clinton a murderer and repeated that pattern in countless state and congressional contests. And they despise the media.For over a year the Republican Party tolerated Donald Trump's candidacy because, well, they kind of agreed with him. They tolerated the Tea Party, too, but that focused group never carried the national appeal Trump acquired. They liked the idea of a wall, an immigration ban, a war on the media, and above all, they smiled smugly as Trump tore into the Democrats with a fervor that mirrored their own animosities. Of course, some of it was too extreme and they said so publicly, but there was no doubt that anger against Democrats and Washington was being stirred. The fact Trump had been friends with a lot of those Democratic "insiders" in times previous was inconsequential because he was giving it so good to them now – so much so that 13 million people got on the Trump bandwagon.Then came the vanity, the overt racism, the video, the scorched earth policies, and now the Republican leadership wants to take their product back and trade it for something a little more … moderate. But with only a few weeks left until the election, they feel undone. The many in the Republican Party who still hold to decency, respect, moderation, and collaboration, now wonder what kind of party will emerge when all this unprecedented verbal anarchy is over.The people are angry, and soon enough Donald Trump will become the political version of the Burning Man. His legions will gather around at the end and watch him burn into the night. And a night it will be. Rebuilding not only the Republican Party but a workable politics could take decades. All that anger will find other outlets when this thing is over. The dogs of war have been unleashed and it remains to be seen if all those truly dedicated and respectful Republicans can survive the outcome of a force they tolerated and help to create through their own animosities.Glen Pearson was a career professional firefighter and is a former Member of Parliament from southwestern Ontario.  He and his wife adopted three children from South Sudan and reside in London, Ontario.  He has been the co-director of the London Food Bank for 29 years.  He writes regularly for the London Free Press and also shares his views on a blog entitled “The Parallel Parliament“.   Follow him on twitter @GlenPearson.