Whether it's a game of checkers with your kid, a property dispute with a neighbor, an NFL football game, or an election, society has identified the rules of engagement whenever there is a dispute or a contest between people. We've accepted that there are rules, and there are officials, judges and referees that interpret and enforce those rules. We accept these rules and norms because without them, we cannot function as a society. Without these norms, our disputes can never be resolved without violence. Applying those norms to the 2020 election yields a simple and straightforward result. Joe Biden won the election by a wide margin. There was a rulebook, the officials enforced the rulebook, the courts addressed any controversies and disputes. This is how we function as a society. What has happened with the cult of Trump is that a large segment of our population has thrown out the rulebook, and declared that the rules are set by one person, and only one person. They have decided that they can simply ignore the agreed upon norms and replace them with the absolute authority of Donald Trump. The election was stolen, not because the rules and the arbiters determined that it was stolen, but because Donald Trump said so. For the cult, that is the alpha and the omega. They have suggested that the rules no longer apply to our country. Our Constitution is meaningless. Our laws are meaningless. Our courts are meaningless Our institutions are meaningless. They have rejected the American system of government, in place since 1776, in service of their Dear Leader.
Where does that leave the Trump cult? It leaves them as supporters of a dictator who was unsuccessful in his attempt to stay in power. And as with all dictators and their followers, when they lose their grip they resort to violence. That's where we are. The cult expects the rest of us to reject American Democracy, and are absolutely stunned that we refuse to do so. Where do we go from here? I have no idea, but I don't see any possibility of reconciliation with a group that listens only to one person. I don't see a way to unify with that kind of delusion.
Where does that leave the Trump cult? It leaves them as supporters of a dictator who was unsuccessful in his attempt to stay in power. And as with all dictators and their followers, when they lose their grip they resort to violence. That's where we are. The cult expects the rest of us to reject American Democracy, and are absolutely stunned that we refuse to do so. Where do we go from here? I have no idea, but I don't see any possibility of reconciliation with a group that listens only to one person. I don't see a way to unify with that kind of delusion.
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