I try hard to understand other points of view. On many complex topics, I can respect a viewpoint quite different from mine, even if I feel strongly that it is wrong or misguided. There are several examples I can cite.
On economic issues, I can understand and respect the fiscally conservative perspective that is hyper-critical of government programs, entitlements, tax increases, universal health care, government-paid university education and other things that progressives support. I can also understand the conservative view that the free market must be unhampered even if rampant income and wealth equality prevail.
I can also sympathize with the conservative anxiety over the evolution of sexuality and the uneasiness with gay marriage and gender issues. The rapid change in these areas is unsettling for many people.
I can even understand why a fearful public embraces the second amendment, opposes all gun control and then arms itself, though I think it is crystal clear that our love affair with guns is a road to perdition.
I get that conservative Christians feel belittled and disrespected, and they are horrified by the rapid decline in national church attendance and membership.
But what I cannot understand and will not try to rationalize, are the lies that a large portion of the Republican party have embraced in recent years.
The first lie is that the January 6th riot at the capitol was instigated by the FBI or other deep state players. The second is that the 2020 election was stolen. The third lie is that people who tried to violently change the election results and attacked the capitol are patriots rather than criminals. The fourth lie is that scientists and medical professionals have conspired with pharmaceutical companies and the government to push dangerous vaccines and to exaggerate the danger of COVID and other viruses. The fifth is that human-caused climate change is some sort of woke religious cause that is conspiring to derail human progress. The sixth is that Donald Trump has somehow been horribly wronged and that his promise of vengeance if he is reelected is justified.
These are not political or economic platform differences. These are outlandish, dangerous lies that threaten the very soul of our country.
It has been said that political partisanship is a drug. Combined with an unrelenting stream of social media posts and videos it is not surprising that conspiracy theories and blatant mistruths have found fertile ground in the conservative mind. If one wishes to fully enroll in the program, the lies become litmus tests for membership.
Moderate, traditional conservatives who do not believe these lies should think long and hard about what their 2024 vote can unleash or prevent. Can an angry mob and a narcissistic authoritarian who embrace such incredible lies be trusted with the future of this nation? Certainly not.
