The sheer longevity of the “Stop the Steal” movement must cause us to consider its ramifications if only because the fact of so many of our friends and neighbors being so utterly deluded suggests a deep-seated denial of the social compact upon which our nation rests. The depth of passion of its adherents coupled with their dedication to their fearless leader must give further pause. If that passion issues from fear and uncertainty, then it suggests the possibility of physical danger to ourselves and to our families. It is that very passion which forces us to ask: “what is it that they are looking at?” What is it that they are seeing? To deny that they are seeing something is to join them in their denial leaving us all at a loss.

We see their delusions. Trump as a great leader therefore the election must have been stolen, the ridiculous adversaries that they set up in their culture wars, the threats they feel from ordinary citizens. Is it possible that they are reacting to delusions that they impute to us? If so, what might they be?

If we consider their actions, then we can group them together to see if they line up in a recognizable direction.
Group “A”:
• Armed surveillance of voting locations
• Rejection of early voting
• A broad and sustained effort to curtail, suppress, and discourage voting
• Denigrating the term “Democratic” (as opposed to “Republican”) by insisting on using “democrat” as in democrat proposals, democrat policies, democrat Senators; this done with great relish
• A deep seated distrust of the entire process of government: executive, legislative, judicial
• A total adherence to the party line with no concern for compromise
• A total willingness for public officials to lie, cheat, steal in support of the party line and/or the quest for personal power
• No concern whatsoever for the “greater good”, the security and wellbeing of our nation
• A willingness to commit acts of treason in support of the party line and/or the quest for personal power
• A willingness to operate their political party as a criminal enterprise
• Much is made of saying the Pledge of Allegiance before every single meeting of Congress

Group “B”:
• Utter disdain for “political correctness”
• Utter hatred of “Black Lives Matter” and “Me Too”
• An insistence on fighting a culture war
• An utter disdain for the lives, liberty, and wellbeing of persons of color
• A vitriolic hatred for abortion
• Hatred for the entire sexual orientation alphabet
• Insistence upon the existence of a two-tiered justice system.

The actions and attitudes presented in Group “A” seem to be constellated around the nature of our government itself. Like almost everyone, when asked what form of government the United States has, I would say “it’s a democracy”. This, of course, is not true. The correct description is “a constitutional republic”. It has never been a democracy and was designed specifically to avoid all possibility of being thought of as a democracy:
The word “democracy” appears only once in the official journal of the “federal convention” held in Philadelphia beginning in May of 1787. It appears in the last several pages of the notes made by James Madison and during the final debate immediately preceding the vote on whether or not to sign that document which became known as the “Constitution of the United States”. The word is attributed to Mr. Gerry of Massachusetts and reflected the sentiments of all of the members in attendance. The journal reads:

“In Massachusetts, particularly, he saw the danger of this calamitous event [civil war]. In that state there are two parties, one devoted to democracy, the worst, he thought, of all political evils; the other, as violent in the opposite extreme.”

In other writings by other members, democracy was described as the pathway to tyranny and as that approach most susceptible to the installation of a despotic ruler. The members were all very sensitive as to how their new government should be viewed by their trading partners in Europe and especially given the events in France and in Massachusetts in what became known as “Shays’s Rebellion”. For these reasons, the “Bill of Rights” was left out of the Constitution. When five states refused to consider ratifying the Constitution without the “Bill of Rights” included in it, an agreement to amend it in after ratification was reached with three of those states. Rhode Island and North Carolina did not ratify until after the amendments were made.
The words of Mr. Gerry of Massachusetts (above) should be taken to heart as they describe the current condition of our nation. It is interesting to note that the recent attempt to establish an autocracy in our country attacked the very thing—the only thing—that prevents our form of government from being a democracy.
The word “democracy” does not appear anywhere in our Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, or the Pledge of Allegiance. In the Pledge, of course, the word is “republic”.
No citizen of the United States has ever voted to elect either a President or a Vice-President. All votes cast in such elections are to elect delegates to the Electoral College. For this reason, the phrase “the popular vote” is empty of meaning.
No doubt some things are seen by both sides. It is difficult to ignore the fact that at least six Supreme Court Justices and every single Congressperson is beholden to moneyed interests. Sure, we get to vote directly for our Congresspersons, but we have very little say in who runs for office. We are given a choice between either Puppet “R” or Puppet “D” and endure the laughter as we try to convince ourselves that the lesser of two evils is not also evil. If the moneyed interests are seen to be too far away, then the illusion of a democracy becomes impossible to maintain.

Perhaps the belief that we live in a “democracy” is imputed to the rest of us as a delusion?

The actions and attitudes presented in Group “B” seem to be constellated around the concepts of “equality” and “rights”. There is, of course, a two-tiered justice system. There always has been and there always will be. Nothing could possibly establish that as fact beyond the treatment of their fearless leader. Given this and the concentration of wealth in our country, we must admit (as we sometimes do) that belief in equality in our country is the acceptance of a delusion. Perhaps Orwell put it best: “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This was, of course, aimed at the Soviet Union, but if the shoe fits…
If “equality” has yet to be realized in our country, we must look at “rights” in a different way. Contrary to popular opinion, popularity polls do not establish rights. In our country, rights are established in our Constitution. Therefore, women still do not have rights equal to men and will not unless and until the ratification deadline for the “Equal Rights Amendment” is extended by Congress. Similarly and despite chants and placards to the contrary, abortion is not a right. Claims that abortion and sexual identity are rights are untrue. Exercising the right to have preferences does not make a preference into a right. Some of us realize this even while chanting in the street, but most do not. It must be said that those who do not realize it are deluded. Certainly, when the polls do not go our way, we do not assume that the other side has established a right.

Perhaps the belief that we live in “equality” and enjoy certain “rights” is imputed to the rest of us as a delusion?

Humans have delusions. Some delusions are shared by many humans. Since delusions are irrational, arguing about them is pointless. Short of agreeing to accept each other’s’ delusion, it may be possible to admit that we all have delusions and to agree to tune down the volume and rhetoric as we all indulge in our own preferred delusions. Maybe then we can agree on the things that we all see.