I lied, to a pollster. Asked the iconic “right track/wrong track” question, I said America is on the right track. Because my truthful answer would redound against the Biden administration — thereby speeding us further down the wrong track.
Which we’ve been on since November 8, 2016. I’d hoped Biden’s election would turn us around, but that’s proven just a brief detour. It’s not Biden’s fault. He’s done plenty trying to get us back on track. Criticism in that regard is just mindlessly partisan.
Look, while he’s racked up what are some remarkable achievements, I’m no great fan. The Afghan pullout was a shameful blunder. His handling of the border is feckless; I feel he’s broken a personal promise to me concerning refugees. Yet I still strongly support him, because the alternative is unthinkable.
A majority of voters do believe we’re on the wrong track, but for different reasons. Many of those negativists are Trump cultists who swallow his absurdities about Democrats imposing socialist tyranny, promoting crime, and otherwise deliberately destroying America. (Wouldn’t they have done it by now?) Nevertheless, even sensible people have understandable reasons for dissatisfaction with the state of things. Like inflation of course.
But even if you think Democrats are doing a lousy job, is it plausible that Republicans will do better? Of course they have no plan to cure inflation. Worse yet is their scare campaign about crime — while they themselves hypocritically block any gun regulation, a huge cause of our epidemic of gun crime.
Yet many voters do trust Republicans more on issues like crime and inflation. When in fact those are just Republican camouflage, misdirection. Exploited as a means to an end. What it’s really all about for them is getting power for the sake of their white nationalism.
Say what you will about Democrat policies, that party consists of sincere people working in good faith to address our problems. Republicans have proven their bad faith, dishonest to the core. Democrats believe in democracy; Republicans do not. These things are fundamental, superseding concerns of the moment like inflation or crime.
It’s all exemplified by the big lie of a “stolen” 2020 election, which most Republicans continue to push, and the violent attempt to overthrow that election, which they refuse to accept happened at the behest of their Dear Leader. While actively working toward a repeat in 2024.
Take Arizona GOP Gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake. Denouncing the 2020 election result as “fraudulent, corrupt, crooked” is a centerpiece of her campaign. Never mind her party commissioning a huge audit of the Arizona ballots, which not only confirmed Biden’s win, but found his vote was undercounted. Yet Lake says as governor she would have refused to certify the result — and will refuse to certify the 2024 result if she doesn’t agree with it. A slew of other GOP candidates across the country are like that.
Does this scare your pants off? How can Republicans be trusted on anything?
I’ve studied politics for a lifetime. What I’d thought I understood was blown up in 2016. Yet still I really expected Republicans would pay an electoral price for January 6 (like after Watergate). Especially after the House Committee’s damning revelations. Wrong again. I was too optimistic, insufficiently cynical. Republicans are not punished — if anything, rewarded. Our electorate, as a whole, is supinely complacent about the attempted putsch — and the coming one.
This is why America is speeding down the wrong track.
