Politics in 2020 involves a sea of disinformation from far-right wing Republicans, most of the talking points supplied by Donald Trump and his Russian handlers.
Conservative organizations like FOX News and Newsmax offer fantasy accounts of conspiracy theories and outright lies as they promote Trump’s aspirations to be dictator.at the expense of the very principles of the Constitution.
At Trump’s begging these far-right propaganda machines even go so far as to try to validate the Qanon doctrine that Democrats lead by Hillary Clinton are running a worldwide child sex trafficking empire (out of a Pizza parlor) which allows them to feed on the blood of babies and that Donald Trump alone is willing to fight them. It is always astounding to see how gullible some people can be.
Most Americans are smart enough not to believe in the Qanon theories, but not all disinformation is that blatant. Sometimes these far-right story spinners do a pretty believable job. In this sea of disinformation, how do we people in general public know what to believe?
I pride myself on being fairly informed in U.S. politics, but as the terrane is always shifting it takes effort to stay up to date. My go-to source for understanding the day’s top stories is political historian Heather Cox Richardson. Professor Richardson teaches American history at both the undergraduate and the graduate level at Boston College.
Since the beginning of the Trump-Ukraine scandal of 2019, Professor Richardson has published what she calls “Letters from an American”.
Each evening, Professor Richardson breaks down the most critical political happenings of the day. She does so from a historian’s point of view – free of bias of party politics. How Professor Richardson writes today, is how the history books will reflect today’s news in the future.
Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election by both the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. He lost the popular vote by over 7 million votes. He lost the Electoral College vote by a landslide as well (only 232 for Trump to Joe Biden’s decisive 306).
Yet Trump refuses to join America in the land of reality and concede his defeat at the hands of a candidate who was simply more popular than him. Throwing the largest scale pity party ever mounted in world politics, Trump filed countless frivolous lawsuits claiming widespread voter fraud – not only losing all of them, but many times also being chastised by the ruling justices for wasting their time.
At the end of the work week, the Supreme Court handed down a decision that they will not hear a ridiculous case Texas filed asking that the high court throw out the voting results of Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. Trump was banking that the justices he installed on the Supreme Court would choose loyalty to him personally over loyalty to their oath to serve the Unites States of America.
As a result of Trump being unable to cheat his way to a second term, Trump supporters are screaming cries to secede from the United States and form their own country under Emperor Trump. I have heard firsthand as far-right activists call for a Civil War as gleefully as if they were saying they wanted to go to see their favorite band in concert.
In her letter on the subject of this consortium of hate, Professor Richardson offers comparison of our current political climate to the growing division between the North and the South in the years leading up to the historic Civil War that began in 1861.
Following the election of Abraham Lincoln to President, unhappy Southerners quickly took their states out of the Union and installed their own government. This led to the Civil War that lasted from April 12, 1861 to May 9, 1965.
Professor Richardson draws a line in the comparison though. She points out that because of modern media, the American public has been able to witness the lawless and destructive theatrics of Trump and his Republican enablers in Congress.
Trump supporters are a minority in this country. But they are a very vocal minority. And, they have shown that racism is alive and well in the U.S., which is a form of hate I will never understand.
So, we are back to our original question. When you have a very vocal minority like Trump’s Nazi, Proud Boys, and Qanon followers screaming lies and conspiracy theories at the top of their lungs, how do you know what to believe?
The solution is pretty easy. Find trusted, impartial sources like Professor Heather Cox Richardson and then form your own opinions.
To follow Professor Richardson on Facebook visit:
https://www.facebook.com/heathercoxrichardson
Be good to each other, and also to yourself.
Peace. Love. Trust.
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