As I listen to the mountain of compelling evidence about President Trump’s attempted coupe, I hear the same complaint repeatedly from friends:
Even in the face of undeniable evidence, Republican voters and politicians continue to deny facts. They refuse to admit that Trump was, and is, a threat to Democracy.
The presumption that Truth and Democracy are unifying principles in America is false.
The fact is this:
Millions of Americans could give a flying-fuck about truth or Democracy.
If Trump supporters had a choice between living in a Democracy or living in a system where “their guy” runs the show (regardless of whether he was duly elected), they’d choose the latter. Every. Single. Time.
For the rest of us, it’s time to stop thinking that Republicans will experience a “come to Jesus” moment as it relates to democracy and truth. It’s not going to happen. There won’t be a tipping point or epiphany where millions suddenly realize Donald Trump lied.
There are two reasons this won’t happen:
1: For most Trump supporters, truth and democracy matter less than their vision for America and what they feel in their gut.
2: Trump’s lies have spread and metastasized as an “alternative truth” in the collective minds of millions of Americans.
Historically, the phrase “The truth will come out” implies that truth cannot be suppressed forever. Eventually, it is revealed. In the past, when truth was revealed, there was some sort of backlash against the lies and liars who tried to suppress it. Those days are gone.
In America, truth has become inconsequential. Today, when the truth is revealed and that truth conflicts with what millions of Trump supporters want to believe or what they feel in their gut, they simply deny the truth.
So, what’s the consequence of truth becoming inconsequential? Disorder and conflict. And that’s where America is heading, sadly.
Republican voters were fed a constant diet of lies from when Donald Trump became the leader of the Republican party.
There were lies from Trump and his surrogates.
There were lies from Fox News.
There were lies from conspiracy-based websites and groups like QAnon.
A constant diet of lies is not unlike a constant diet of junk food. If you eat nothing but junk for years, your body turns to shit. Likewise, if you consume nothing but lies yearly, your mind becomes damaged and malleable mush.
Honestly, it’s difficult not to get angry at Trump supporters who constantly spout nonsense entirely refutable by facts. But getting angry at them is like getting angry at a 10-year-old who still believes in Santa Claus.
From the time that 10-year-old child was old enough to comprehend language, they were fed the Big Santa Claus lie — most likely by someone they trust.
Trump supporters (like that 10-year-old child) were lied to for years by a person (or a website or cable television network) that they trusted implicitly. As a result, millions of Americans refuse to believe the truth, and a boatload of truth-denying anti-democratic politicians seek public office.
American Democracy is teetering on edge. Will you fight for it?
bendingtheneedle 