Donald Trump’s phony claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged is often referred to as the “Big Lie.” While arguably the biggest, and certainly most destructive of his copious litany of lies, a more relevant claimant to the title of biggest liar would be conservatism itself.
Conservative politicians and propagandists make noble claims about their philosophy and the patriotism of its adherents. Conservatives, they say, are far more patriotic than their liberal counterparts, listing the attributes of pro-life, pro-law and order, freedom-loving guardians of the Constitution, and true believers in self-determination and personal responsibility. Let’s not forget truth, justice, and the American Way! If only…
The meaning of “country” is varied – a geographical location, a people, and a government. A patriot is someone who loves and supports that country. If there’s one thing conservatives hate, it’s taxes. I wouldn’t suggest liberals enjoy paying that tax bill, but they know taxes are the dues you pay to be a member of the ‘club.’ Paying your share means the club, I mean country, can pay their obligations in support of the programs and policies which the elected leaders passed to support the members – I mean citizens.
If you judge by the tax policies conservatives have passed, they’re committed to exempting the rich from the burden of taxes. Conservative pundits whip up resentment against taxes in general, against the enforcement of tax laws, and any program they disagree with.
The USA is known worldwide as a nation of immigrants. Yet conservatives rail against immigrants with a hateful passion UNLESS the immigrant is white and Christian. Conservatives take great offense at the accusation of racism or religious bigotry but if you endorse a politician because he would apply racial and/or religious tests as a condition of entry to the US, you are endorsing bigotry with your vote. If you feel that some issues are important enough that you will deny the principles of racial equality and freedom of religion, I want to know what those issues are.
A patriot does not lay siege, literally, to the seat of government. The count of dead and injured and hours of video proves the violence of the January 6 insurrection. It took the Republicans supporting the insurrectionists to put the “riot” in “patriot.”
The citizen is obliged to assess the evidence of a claim by the loser that the election was rigged. With 61 cases presented to courts in different states and at the federal level to judges appointed by Democratic and Republican administrations, including judges appointed by the sore loser himself, the citizen has a reliable benchmark. No judge in any court, state or federal, upheld any suit from the former president that there was any fraud that would have substantially affected the outcome. (In only one case, the judge sustained a procedural issue that did not affect the vote count.) Multiple recounts in Georgia, electronic and manual, confirmed the vote result – likewise in Arizona where Biden’s margin increased after a recount by a pro-Trump private company.
There is no factual, objective, or logical excuse for believing the former president won in 2020. A child may claim to “believe” in the tooth fairy but the citizen who ignores the courts and the recounts has left the path of reason. They want to claim the mantle of victory even after defeat. A distinct majority of Republican voters and elected officials are without honor, living the big lie with the big liar who first told it.