I think it's the opposite of apathy. Republicans, as a rule, are perfectly fine with corruption and abuse of power that benefits them. From representatives, down to the random voter in Alabama that lives on welfare and complains about socialism. It's less apathy and more some kind of political nihilism.
Your conclusion is still accurate, though. I don't see the whole country banding together to set things right when half of them don't see anything wrong.
Exactly this. As someone who grew up in a rural Missouri town that, in 2020, brought out Confederate flags and mimed lynchings at a 15-person Black Lives Matter protest, I know very well that there are a lot of people in this country that want this kind of stuff. Their entire conception of politics is the wielding of power to hurt those that they think deserve it.
Liberals that grew up in Blue suburbs of coastal cities often are comically unaware of just how unfamiliar they are with huge swaths of the country. While there aren't a crazy huge amount of truly fanatical conservatives, those that do exist are extremely loud and extremely politically active. If they're not opposed, they win.
The people that need to vote & protest really don't understand their potential power. Like the countless workers who won't/can't strike for better $$ & conditions.
The entire idea that the law is made by a judge interpreting the text rather than the intent when writing it is such bs. If a law is a problem, rewrite it, that's why they're called legislators!