Many of us that voted for Biden were voting for decency returning to our government. We had heard all the insults against minorities, women and even the handicap that had helped make us more divided than any point probably since the Civil War. Many of us thought if we elected a decent man to the Presidency that we could as a nation start healing. Were we ever wrong!

I had so much hope in November for America after the election. Biden would not have been my first choice but I knew he was a good man and he knew his way around Washington. I knew that he would try and unite the country. He was from the Obama administration and Obama worked very hard not to divide the nation to the point that I thought domestically he looked weak. Don’t get me wrong I really liked Obama. He was a good family man that lived his religion and as a country our reputation around the world flourished. At home, the right was mobilizing at the end of his term to drastically shake up our nation. I feel that because we elected a Black President that the right thought that democracy had failed. Democracy was ok as long as it was a White democracy. The “age of misinformation” as a solid political weapon and being used by a presidential candidate was born.

Misinformation is a polite way of saying lying. Lying has always been looked down on but misinformation sounded a whole lot better. Misinformation is what got Trump elected. His attacks on Hillary were not accurate and the Republicans investigations into Benghazi were meant to influence voters and had absolutely nothing about the truth. Much of the misinformation that was being spread about Hillary was actually from foreign bot accounts. Trump was aided by Russia in the 2016 election and that is a fact. Misinformation did not start with Trump or the 2016 election. I remember when a lady questioned John McCain about Obama being a Muslim which was part of a misinformation campaign. John McCain was about the truth and he corrected the women. To John McCain, the truth mattered. That is not so now with many Republicans today. The truth did matter to Republicans that cared that ran against him in the primaries but once Trump got the nod,  they all fell in line with his lies. Victory was more important that the truth.

For four years Bill Maher had been saying that if Trump lost in 2020 that he would refuse to leave the White House. Well what happened? After the election there was a full onslaught against our Democracy by Trump, his supporters and many of the Republican Party. On Jan 6^th 2020 our democracy was attacked by domestic terrorist that tried to take down the Legislative Branch of our Government. They were fed lies that the election was stolen. This was not misinformation, this was lying. That day, Trump and his supporters turned our great American Flag into a symbol of hate and the whole world was watching. The world heard Trump’s words and saw the reaction to those words. They saw our Capital building being stormed and they were shocked. I was shock right along with them. Most everyone from both parties condemned what happened but it didn’t take long for the lying to start again. What did some say? That Jan. 6^th was just a bunch of tourist? It sure didn’t take long for the Republicans to circle the wagons and protect the party instead of our democracy. The digital evidence from that day will outlive all of us and so will the lies that were spoken and who told those lies. Many a politician has embarrassed their great grandchildren because history will show those lies.

We as a nation needs the truth and only the truth can heal us. Many times as I am researching things I don’t like what I read but just because I don’t like it doesn’t mean that it isn’t the truth. The truth is not a right thing or a left thing. What has happened to our country is not a conservative thing or a liberal thing. It is about whether you still want a democracy. Can a person be a flag waving patriot and not embrace democracy? I don’t think so but for some reason there are a lot of people out there that are waving that flag that want to see our democracy fail.

 

Exposing Russia’s Effort to Sow Discord Online: The Internet Research Agency and Advertisements | Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (house.gov)

12 Times Lindsey Graham Rebuked Donald Trump's Candidacy - America's Voice (americasvoice.org)

McCarthy says Trump ‘bears responsibility’ for Capitol riot - POLITICO