A cult of personality
Confirmation Bias in Action
For the far-right and media in America, Trump has been the gift that keeps on giving. His ignorance of American history, his abandonment of long standing political and constitutional traditions, his characterization of racist ideas and groups as good people and patriots, his egregious uses of fear and the GOP’s moral bankruptcy in its refusal to confront him, have caused the media and Americans to follow Trump and hope, or watch in disbelief, as he sets yet another example of outrageous behavior that has shattered virtually every norm in American society.
The traditional Republican party which believed in fiscal conservatism, smaller government, individual liberties, tolerance and optimism is gone, at least for the present.
In its place we have Trumpism, characterized by Social Conservatism, which believes in traditional power and wants to reverse the direction of change; i.e. Make America Great Again; Economic Patriotism, which questions free trade and favors protectionism Nativism; the promotion of existing American citizens while seeking to restrict immigration and finally, White Nationalism. They are careful to avoid the use of the term White Supremacy, thus sanitizing and putting a new spin on an otherwise negative image. They seek to ensure the survival and culture of White people claiming an onslaught of immigration, multiculturalism, low birth rates among whites and the dilution of the white race through interracial marriage. (All the basic elements of White Supremacy and its adherents.)
While confirmation bias effects us all, this new breed of right-wing Republicans took the theory to new, much higher levels. Confirmation bias happens when a person gives more weight to evidence that confirms their beliefs and undervalues evidence that could disprove it. People display this bias when they gather or recall information selectively, or when they interpret it in a biased way. The shift of FOX News from a news information channel to a opinion-based vent for incendiary far-right programming was just one example of crafting and polishing confirmation bias to further propagandize and radicalize Trump devotees. Social media and a host of upstart right-wing opinion channels served to push this conspiracy based agenda to never been seen before levels.
There was a time when the news media gave us information and we used it to form an opinion. Now they give us an opinion, and we have to decide if we want more information. Sadly, many do not. Whether you’re talking about the Left or the Right, it seems we are being fed a constant diet of conspiracy theories, divisiveness and distrust.
Incited by Trump’s rhetoric and hatred, QAnon adherents and Trumpist Republicans and followers deliberately and maliciously set the stage for the Capitol insurrection this January. They loaded the deck long before last November’s election, claiming that If Trump won, it would be show that the system worked properly. If he lost, it would prove the system was corrupt. Anyone who questioned this thinking in any way only illustrated to them how powerful and pervasive the forces against Trump were.
This was nothing short of a self-fulfilling prophecy; a prediction that caused itself to become true. It didn’t matter the results of the election, because the new right wing behaved in ways which confirmed the expectations. When Trump lost, it was the ultimate betrayal of Mr. Trump by a system that was riddled with left wing conspirators trying to destroy white America. It was a simple of case of “Don’t confuse me with the facts; I’ve already made up my mind.”
It made no difference that the FBI, Justice Department, numerous recounts and dozens of court cases failed to reveal any fraud in the election, because that very failure to reveal the fraud was prima facie nefarious evidence that it existed. Proof of fraud would have justified their suspicions; a lack of proof only showed the immensity of the conspiracy and worsened their psychotic fears.
Spurred on by Trump, Giuliani and others, the rioters at the Capitol saw it as their patriotic duty to take back America and right this egregious wrong. They failed to recognize that Trump used and played them for his own selfish ends. He cares nothing for anyone but himself and would happily sacrifice any and every American to retain power.
Much like other radicalized fanatics, Trump and his followers see a boogey man behind everything that happens to him. Trump neither acknowledges nor accepts any responsibility for anything that went wrong on his watch; any missteps were fake news or deliberately caused by others with a Socialist un-American agenda to break up our country and destroy its messiah.
To Trump’s sycophants, America is divided into two groups; those who support Trump, and those who do not. Their loyalty is not to America or the Republican party.
The New Republican party under Trump is a far-right cult of personality with a rabid Nationalistic view of politics, economics and social problems. It is deeply seated in a white supremacist viewpoint that America used to be great, when the power rested in the hands of upright, clean white males, and minorities knew their place. While seeking to portray themselves as American patriots, they are nothing more than partisans who would gladly sacrifice America and all its institutions on the altar of Trump.
When one worships at the altar of a demigod, sooner or later one usually finds out that they themselves must be sacrificed to feed their God’s hunger. Just ask Michael Cohen, Mike Pence, MItch McConnell, John Bolton, Mike Pompeo, James Mattis, John Kelly, Tom Bossert, Jeff Sessions, Anthony Scaramucci and Omarosa Manigault and a long line of others.
A wise man once said “Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, then it’s not the end.” I can only hope that time does indeed heal all wounds and that this terrible divide in America shall pass.