Democracy Under Threat

The GOP’s Tell

Trump Republicans often mask their bad behaviors by projecting offenses onto their opponents. What about allegations of stolen elections?

“He said, ‘Son, I’ve made a life out of readin’ people’s faces

And knowin’ what their cards were by the way they held their eyes‘”

– Kenny Rogers

While Conservatives are fond of referring to Liberals as “snowflakes,” it is the Republican party that has perfected the use of politics based on victimhood:

• Lose access to your distribution channels because you got greedy? Gaslight your subscribers into believing that Liberals are de-platforming Conservative views.
• Are you a washed-up actor who longs for the glory days? Blame your unemployment status on your conservative viewpoints.
• Upset that the press uncovered 30,573 lies the last president from your party told? Deflect from the truth by categorizing such coverage as “media bias.”

Chart by Gallup

For all of the claims that Conservative voices are being silenced, the GOP has actively engaged in censoring the opposition in states they control. Knowing that their policies are vastly unpopular, especially with Gen-Z, Republican-led state governments have engaged in active voter suppression to stay in power. Two “uppity” black representatives who managed to overcome gerrymandering to be elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives were ousted from their positions when they refused orders by the Republican super-majority to stay silent about the recent school shooting in Nashville, depriving their constituents of representation.

The expulsion votes against the “Tennessee Three” are just the latest example of Republicans engaging in actions they have accused others of doing. Even worse than being examples of hypocrisy, the accusations made by the GOP are usually false, as if created to provide cover for a strategy they know is morally unconscionable. The behavior has become a predictable tell that foreshadows any attack by the party faithful.