Last updated on July 17th, 2023 at 09:52 pm
*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*
Most people likely understand that a regular citizen who is also a pathological liar is basically really harmless because they only end up embarrassing themselves. However, there are a few groups that simply cannot stop lying and they pose a clear and present danger to other Americans and society as a whole; these are violent career criminals, pretend “Christian” preachers, corporate CEOs, Republicans in Congress and state legislatures, and the biggest liar in America Donald Trump.
Like every stinking thing Trump lies about, they are always predicated on perpetuating his own sense of being god-like as well as to protect what he believes is the magnitude of his Earthly being. It is why he reacts like a petulant punk if he even thinks “the public’s perception of him does not align” with his personal sense of Earth-shattering awesomeness. It is also why he is in a “running war” with the media; they are not trumpeting the magnitude of Donald Trump’s deity or the superhuman greatness confined in his mere mortal’s body.
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A monumental lie Trump began spreading ad nauseam after the election was that his victory was a world record-setting landslide and first-ever in American history universal mandate by “all” good Americans; despite losing the popular vote by roughly 3 million ballots. Trump supporters naturally spread the lie and it wasn’t until this week that the Trump finally acknowledged that he did, in fact, not win the popular vote by any kind of margin but it wasn’t his fault, it was the Mexicans. There was a good reason he ‘sort of’ admitted being 3-million votes less “popular” than Hillary Clinton and it provided him with a perfect opportunity to do what he does best and start spreading another lie; a dangerous one at that.
By now one or two Americans are aware that tantrum Trump met with congressional leaders and lied through his teeth that the only reason he lost the popular vote was because between 3 and 5 million “illegal immigrants” illegally cast illegal votes for Hillary Clinton. Of course that is patently false, and of course, no-one in attendance at the meeting dared call Trump’s lie what it is, a filthy easily debunked lie. It is curious why none of the Democratic leaders called ‘bullshit’ on Trump’s claim, but there is a very good reason why the Republicans in attendance just smiled, nodded their heads in the affirmative and nothing else; they desperately want Trump’s lie propagated throughout the population to garner support for the planned expansion of soon-to-be enacted voter suppression laws under development in 16 states; that is the inherent danger in Trump’s universally debunked lie.
First, out of the roughly 128 million votes cast in the 2016 presidential election, officials report there were indeed a whopping sum total of 4 documented cases of fraudulent voting. At least three out of the only four officially documented cases were illegal votes cast for the dirty lying Donald J. Trump; it is a number and fact he will never “trumpet.”
That figure squares with another humongous comprehensive study published in 2015 that found from 2000 to 2014 out of 1.2 billion votes cast in every federal, state, city, municipality and county election there were exactly 31 officially “suspected” cases of voter fraud. Trump, the congressional leaders in the meeting, Republicans at all levels of government, and election officials nationwide know there is no such thing as “massive” voter fraud and in fact there is virtually no fraud at all; except by Republican voters. But now, with the loudest liar in the nation claiming “I was robbed” by illegal aliens casting illegal votes, Republicans are empowered and emboldened to expand their attack on democracy because that propagandist (liar) and fear monger in the White House has a big audience.
Sadly, the state-level Republicans possibly will have a very sympathetic ear at the Department of Justice who believes legislation and agencies protecting voting rights, such as the Voting Rights Act, are intrusive and have no place in Trump’s America. This is the same malcontent Southern racist, Jeff Sessions, who believes that the Separation Clause of the Constitution’s First Amendment is also “intrusive” on Christian theocrats as well as unhistorical and unconstitutional. Instead of protecting civil and voting rights as is its primary function, the DOJ under Jeff Sessions will provide nothing but animus for disenfranchised Americans and voting rights activists.
Sessions will have plenty of help in his war against voting rights besides just Trump’s big lying mouth. According to a preview (2017) put out by the Brennan Center for Justice, as of last week there were already “at least 33 bills to restrict access to registration and voting [that]have been introduced in 16 states as of January 17.” Not surprising at all, despite several federal court rulings and studies “finding that requiring photo ID at the polls is discriminatory and depresses minority turnout,” some states are working on enacting extremely strict vote suppression legislation.
Nine additional states are considering harsh voting laws and one in Iowa will limit absentee voting. Some others are considering bills to limit voting to citizens with proof of American citizenship, eliminating Election Day registration, and disallowing voter registration groups from registering new voters. In Texas, Republicans are working on a plan to make it impossible for people who love democracy to help voters who need language assistance. Because it is Texas and Republicans run the state, the mindset must be that if they “don’t talk Murican” they aren’t “Muricans” and can’t vote.
Look, nobody likes a liar and it is probable that not many people like Trump; who could possibly blame them? However, this particular lie is, combined with conspiracy whackos and fake news sites repeating Trump’s claim that 3-5 million illegal aliens cast illegal votes for Hillary Clinton and cost Trump the popular vote victory is not the run-of-the-mill Trump lie. It is a deliberate propaganda tool to bolster support for Republicans to disenfranchise literally millions of American citizens’ and the reason is perfectly clear. With a fascist regime now controlling the nation, the last thing Koch Republicans and their anti-democracy ALEC legislation mill want to see is American democracy in action because when all Americans are allowed to vote Republicans can’t win.
Audio engineer and instructor for SAE. Writes op/ed commentary supporting Secular Humanist causes, and exposing suppression of women, the poor, and minorities. An advocate for freedom of religion and particularly, freedom of NO religion.
Born in the South, raised in the Mid-West and California for a well-rounded view of America; it doesn’t look good.
Former minister, lifelong musician, Mahayana Zen-Buddhist.
