This week we witnessed the actions of desperate people: a narcissistic president who cannot accept the reality that he lost election to a second term, and the violent mob he incited to storm our nation’s capitol in an attempt to disrupt the democratic process.
These actions are the culmination of a dangerous ideology privileging white men that has shaped our national narrative since European settlers violently took this land from those already living here and forcibly enslaved Africans to provide free labor. While our founders claimed that “all men are created equal,” that right extended to white men with power. As others gained rights, this ideology has repeatedly sanctioned violence to retain its dominance.
Reconstruction, a short-lived experiment extending full citizenship to freed slaves, ended with the Compromise of 1877 that resolved the contested presidential election in 1876. White supremacy continued in the south through Jim Crow laws, and in the twentieth century, the south became a stronghold of conservatism and the Republican party. Ronald Reagan’s “trickle down” economics, the rise of the Religious Right, Newt Gingrich’s combative legislative tactics, and the Tea Party’s push for smaller government contributed to a movement that could now be called “Trumpism.”
Although spectacularly unfit for office, Donald Trump’s wealth, white male privilege, and ability to manipulate media allowed him to tap into the anger of Americans who see the decline of white Christian America as a threat (see previous post). Trump and this movement feed on each other to the extent that it can best be described as a cult. The Republican Party has courted and coddled this alliance for five years, for fear of losing a significant voting block, but with no real thought for the consequences of empowering such extremism.
For both Trump and this ideology, failure is not an option, so they mounted baseless allegations that the election was stolen. Trump’s desperation to retain power was evident in a phone call with Georgia election officials, in which he threatened criminal charges if they did not “find” him enough votes to carry the state. Failing there, he pressured Vice President Mike Pence to reject the election results when they were presented to Congress. His last resort was to unleash the angry mob he had summoned to Washington, DC, urging them to disrupt the democratic process he swore an oath to uphold.
While the rioters saw themselves as patriots standing up for a vision of America that has long defined them, their true allegiance was evident in the predominance of Trump flags. The mix of Trump, US, Confederate, Gadsen, and Christian flags, along with KKK and Nazi emblems, were powerful symbols of the white supremacy, evangelical Christianity, and militant patriotism that define this ideology.
While this was a sad day indeed, there was good news. Republicans who had planned to protest the certification of the election, perhaps realizing at last the danger of enabling “Trumpism,” chose not to, and Congress completed the democratic process to elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris. While all eyes were on the capitol, Democrats won two run-off elections in Georgia, giving the Democrats control of the Senate, the House of Representatives, and the White House.
There are many aspects of this shocking ordeal that merit further discussion:
* The enormous difference in the law enforcement response to a violent white mob and to unarmed black people in their own homes and peaceful Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
* The distorted form of Christianity that underlies this movement.
* How deeply this ideology is intertwined with our economy.
* The ease with which social media can be manipulated and used to create an alternative reality with no basis in fact.
* The extent to which people will believe a fabricated truth that prevents them from accepting the reality of social change.
This fight is far from over. Even though some Republicans backed off from their election challenge, eight Republican senators and 139 representatives called for an investigation of election fraud. These politicians’ votes lend legitimacy to the claim that the election was stolen, despite recounts and audits, certification by state election officials (many of them Republicans), and the dismissal of more than 60 legal challenges (many by courts stacked with Trump appointees).
Trump’s base is large and well armed, so we should expect further attacks on government targets. Although mainstream social media have locked Trump’s accounts, fringe media will continue to perpetuate lies and conspiracy theories. As tempting as it is to hold Trump accountable for his role, removing him from office through impeachment or the 25th Amendment will further inflame his supporters. Trump’s legitimacy was deeply wounded by yesterday’s actions and he has at last promised an orderly transition. As his inner circle drops away, he may resign. If not, he should be allowed to finish his term under the watchful eye of Congress, Vice President Pence, and the Cabinet, rather than taunting his base to further violence. Once out of office, the mainstream media should starve him of the attention he thrives on and let him slink into his shameful place in history.
Yesterday’s election of Georgia’s first Black and first Jewish Senators would suggest that Trump and his followers are fighting a lost cause. This is just one example of how demographic shifts are driving a more diverse and inclusive ideology, even in the stronghold of the south, a change that is occurring largely through grassroots advocacy. We can only hope that these elections and the events of 2020 signal a shift in momentum to rewrite our national narrative.
The extraordinary siege of our nation’s capitol eclipsed other news Wednesday, including 3,963 coronavirus deaths in the United States, a new single-day record. The Biden administration needs to focus on the pandemic that has run rampant due to Trump’s failures. Instead they face bitter polarization, stoked by Trump, that resulted in violent insurrection and tens of millions of Americans who see Biden and Harris’s election as illegitimate.
God help them, and all of us.
