The “Big Lie” – it’s a loaded term soaked in the genocide of World War II, but I think it’s a notion that must be marshalled – with care – in the Age of Trump (which must be understood to include not only the President but all who enable and abet his assault on the truth).
There are many who are documenting the thousands of outright lies the President spews with the abandon of a crop duster in a tornado. And this bearing witness to history is a noble and vital task. But what I worry is that with each focus on the daily outrage, we are missing the big picture. The President is an unabashed liar. Odds are no matter what day you read this, there will be a tweet proving this point. And many of his stalwarts in Congress are weaponizing lies in the midterm elections. But rather than write about any one lie, I want to look at what is the purpose of these lies.
I see them as falling under concrete goals
1) Protect the personal and business interests of the President.
2) Deflect from news, or any facts, that call into question the President’s standing.
3) Mask the unpopularity of the GOP agenda.
4) Keep political power in line with the structural injustices of the past.
5) Play to fear by distorting and scapegoating “the other.”
6) Deny expertise – from climate science, to economics, to education – and brand it as elitist.
7) Undermine any accountability, whether it comes from the press, the justice system, or national or international societal pressures.
I am sure this is not an exhaustive list. I would be eager for your additions. But it is important to start seeing this Presidency and those who enable it as a monolithic force. And also to recognize, that for all the power they have accumulated, the “big lie” is that their version of America is popular. They wouldn’t be lying so much if they thought they could win on the merits of the truth.
And the biggest way to attack the big lie is to vote in such numbers that “This is the truth!” will ring forth at such s decibel level from precincts across America that it can not be denied.
