Published: 5/24/2021 8:00:25 AM
It seemed funny at first when following then President Trump’s inauguration there was a squabble concerning whether he or former President Obama had the larger crowd. Kellyanne Conway resolved the dispute by declaring that the Trump Administration used an alternate of facts. What I thought was a clever comment at that time, however, has become the uncomfortable reality of America existing in a dual universe. Former President Trump and his Republican allies claim that the 2020 election was stolen and that he remains president. This has become the “big lie” as all 50 state governments, more than 60 state and federal judges, even the Supreme Court have failed to find evidence of fraud.
Republican leaders and the millions who comprise their “base” still deny this. Let’s take a moment and put a face on this all powerful “base.” Lifted from their mask of “just one among many” we find Christian Evangelicals, anti-immigration people, Libertarians, armed militia groups such as the Proud Boys and the KKK, gun advocates like the NRA, anti-abortion movements and white supremacists. They are linked by their desire to force all Americans into their universe, to live according to their agenda. You know, I can respect some of those who are focused on a single issue, but I resent them all for their attempted use of force through an alternate universe of lies. Ben Franklin was serious — we have a republic, but only if we can keep it.
Charlie Stepanek
Concord