None of the hate and bigotry, the meanness and self-centeredness, that has become a prominent aspect of our society, our body politic since Trump ascended to the presidency was created by Trump. These feelings and tendencies have always existed across a broader section of our society than we would care to admit.
But until Trump, these feelings were held down by the vast majority of people because such feelings were not approved by society, or better put, by society's leaders - neither those on the left or on the right. Even before the term "politically correct" was coined, voicing such feelings was not done, except among friends. Only those on the fringes of society voiced such feelings openly and freely.
Thus our society with its laws and public presence had the facade of a body politic, of people who agreed to disagree, of a social contract. Even an underlying racism was held down in most parts of the country. And that facade was strong enough to withstand the pressures of events, even riots.
But that has all changed. Trump has opened the proverbial Pandora's box. And all the venomous feelings that had been held down were given fresh air to breathe and permission to let themselves be heard.
Trump as President, as this country's leader elected by basically half of the people, saw that his route to power and control was to give voice to these long-denied feelings. It doesn't matter where Trump stood on these issues as a person. He knew that by harnessing the energy of these pent-up feelings that he would have the undying loyalty of his base and thus the support to be the autocrat that he was.
Trump was defeated in the 2020 Presidential election by a good, decent man, who good, decent people rallied behind. But the fact that half of the people again voted for Trump is not just a consistent sign of our divided politic (the popular vote in most presidential elections in recent times has been very close), but it shows that half the people were more attracted to than repelled by his venom.
And the actions of Republican elected officials in both state legislatures and Congress show the power that he still wields due to the continuing undying loyalty of not just his base but the majority of the Republican Party. A just released, well-respected, Monmouth University poll found that 65% of Republicans believe that Biden won because of voter fraud.
I wrote more than 15 years ago that the new radical Republicans have become masters of the Big Lie, and like Joe McCarthy they had no shame. That perspective within the Party has morphed into a monster that is out of control, that knows no bounds.
Last December I wrote a post, "Where Do We Go from Here?" and stated, "Even if Trump ends up in jail, convicted of tax fraud or whatever, it won't make a difference to his minions. Indeed, they will just think he was unjustly convicted; a victim of the very establishment that he fought against." There is nothing one can do in the short term to disabuse people of their faith in Trump.
In world history, leaders who held such sway over their people, such as Hitler or Mussolini, only fell from power because they lost a war. Even after that, many people continued to revere them as leaders.
I fear that once Pandora's box is opened there is nothing that anyone can do, beyond hopefully the passage of time, that will return us to a civil society, where we believe that we are all true Americans, where we all agree to disagree, where we support the integrity of our democratic institutions, and where we let the majority rule. Until such time, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
