This is not about Donald Trump. It’s not even about the sad souls seduced by him.
The insurrectionists who stormed the Capitol to prevent the peaceful transfer of power were primarily guilty of being gullible. They fell for the fraud. They did not do the defrauding. Many have been held accountable for their actions. Most of the ones who fooled them have not. Yet.
I refer to Republican Party leaders who cashed in their moral courage to ride a demagogue’s coattails to power. I used to believe people had to be taught to hate. Donald taught us you only have to invite people to hate. Let them know it’s OK. Normal. Join the gang. Have some fun.
Who would you like to hate? It doesn’t have to be a race, religion, or immigration status. People really want to hate “elites.” Who are elites? Anyone who knows more than they do. People want to feel like they know more science than scientists.
What better leader could they have than one who tells them what they want to hear? That injecting bleach might cure Covid. Forget evidence. Forget knowledge. Too time consuming. Too boring. Just do as Donald does. Just “feel” you’re right. Personally, I’d rather lose with honesty than win with lies.
True conservatives value character, civility and intelligence. Trump-pets reward arrogance, anger and self-delusion.
If you embrace Donald, you embrace his lies and self-delusions. You become what he is: a fraud. In the end, you will be a mere follower of a pathetic, narcissistic bully. I would rather be dead than that.
If you’re a silent conservative who still respects the Constitution, democracy, and the rule of law, but you allow yourself to be intimidated by Trump trolls, the death of our democracy will be on you.
James Tweed, Ocean City, New Jersey
