Voting to Reject Reality?

As of the writing of this column, the Presidential election has not been finalized. What is clear, however, is that millions of people, in voting for Donald Trump and the Republicans, chose to vote to reject reality.

This may sound like an overly strong statement, but consider, for a moment, that in the face of a kleptocratic administration; an administration that has displayed both complete incompetence and a cavalier approach in the face of the Covid19 pandemic; and an administration that paraded around alleged economic achievements that could only have been brought about as a result of the 8 years of the Obama administration’s efforts to dig out of the Great Recession, millions voted for Trump anyway.

But there is more. For all the flag waving by the Trump movement, the Trump voters have been willing to ignore Trump’s reported disparagement of veterans and deceased service men and women. Consider, for a moment, how these same voters would have responded to a Democratic administration, not to mention a Black Presidency, had such allegations been leveled.

These same voters have been prepared to ignore and/or disparage those who have raised the almost countless allegations made against Trump by various women regarding inappropriate sexual conduct. Had one such allegation been made against Obama, these same voters would have stormed the White House with torches and pitchforks. When this was raised regarding Trump the response has been silence or, worse, explaining it away on the part of most of his supporters.

The central point here is that the Trump voters have chosen to ignore reality, if not outright reject it. They have chosen to ignore 250,000 Covid19 deaths along with millions of cases that have not, yet, resulted in death.

That people are willing to reject reality means that we are beyond the point of traditional debate. Regardless of the strategy or strategies that the Democratic Party employed or could have employed, confronting the rejection of reality is no simple matter. It is not a matter of “message” and cute phrases. It is also not a matter of a policy plank. Millions of people have decided to invest in the fantasy known as Donald Trump. They have chosen, as a friend of mine has repeatedly said to me, to seek out a “John Wayne” character to save them.

And here is the funny thing. These are the same people who attack racial minorities and the poor for bad choices and our alleged failure to take personal responsibility. No, these are the individuals who refuse to take responsibility but would rather blame other demographic groups for their own descent into hell.