A Surreal Time in American Politics: The Toll of Mass Deception and Elite Conformity ~~ RUTH BEN-GHIAT MAR 6

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The surreal state of American politics was evident as the political and media machines went through the motions on Super Tuesday, when many states hold primaries and caucuses that traditionally decide contests for presidential nominations. On the Republican side, as of January, when Florida Fascist Ron DeSantis and conspiracy theorist Vivek Ramaswamy dropped out, Nikki Haley remained as a rival to former president Donald Trump for the nomination. Now Haley has ended her campaign.

But what meaning did Super Tuesday really have when the GOP and the Republican base treat Trump as though he were still president? Millions of Americans are making decisions according to a false reality inculcated by Trump and his GOP enablers, but rather than focus on this spectacular mass deception and our democratic emergency, the press continues to glamorize Trump, allowing millions to dwell in denial.

President Joe Biden's age has continued to receive far more coverage than Trump's declarations that if he returns to the White House he will be a dictator, detain and deport millions of people, and allow Russian President Vladimir Putin, to "do whatever he wants," and would even encourage Putin to attack NATO member states if they pose obstacles to his imperialist ambitions —a situation that could trigger World War Three.

Yes, it's a lot, and it can all seem a world away from our daily lives of school pickups, trips to the vet, work commitments, and sports competitions. For millions who have taken our freedoms for granted and have no sense of how their lives would be altered by the advent of authoritarian governance in America, it is comforting and even psychologically necessary to ignore Trump's words or dismiss them as bluster.

Yet denial does not cover the many who, as a recent poll revealed, are actually unaware of Trump's dictator threats and vows to pardon the "patriots" who attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Those polled had not voted for Trump previously, and do not have the information to take the threats to our democracy seriously now. When told of Trump's anti-democratic behavior, they were disapproving, which reminds us that our democratic emergency is also an information emergency.

Then there is the normalizing and trivializing of violent extremists. The Washington Post calling insurrectionist Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) the "Mean Girl of MAGA" in a fluffy profile is a stellar example. What better excuse for people not to take seriously "libtard screeching" about the dangers we face, as a fan of mine referred to my television commentary?

On Wall Street, it's also business as usual, as the democracy wrecker Lachlan Murdoch, aka Fox CEO, appears as an honored guest at American business and finance summits such as the Morgan Stanley Technology, Media, and Telecom Conference held on March 4.

Fox’s Lachlan Murdoch in a flattering Dealbook portrait by the New York Times, two months after Jan. 6. “What’s next for Fox and CNN,” March 5, 2021.

No one at those elite summits would ever raise the issue with Murdoch of American lives lost and revenues slashed due to deaths from assault weapons, public health disasters fueled by anti-science conspiracy theories, and hate crimes (all situations Fox’s propaganda has contributed to). Better to remain silent, ignore the economic boom currently underway in America, and repeat the mantras that emerged from Davos that Trump will win the 2024 election and be better for the economy and thus we should fall in line now.

This toxic mix of denial, ignorance, and strategic silence has led outrageous Republican proposals to be received with relative calm. When House Speaker Mike Johnson announces that they will be cutting funds "to some of the agencies that have been turned against the American people" (3% from DOJ, 7% from the ATF, 6% from the FBI, and 10% from the EPA) it may seem like sensible purse-tightening, until you understand the autocratic logic behind those choices: protecting Trump and his collaborators from investigation and prosecution (DOJ, FBI); allowing plunder of the environment (EPA); and facilitating political violence by making it easier for extremists to possess deadly weapons such as explosives (AFT).

And so the presidential race continues without Haley, who had claimed the moral high ground, including by reneging on her pledge at the first GOP debate to support Trump even if he becomes a convicted felon. Of course, she and other "moderates" are now "unwelcome" in the GOP, in Trump's words.

"I think America is better than this. And I think the Republican Party is better than this...." Haley had declared. She is right on the first count, and wrong on the second. Eight years of submitting to Trump as he does one unthinkable thing after another— including inciting an insurrection that placed his own GOP minions in mortal danger—has brought about a collapse of morals among Republicans that has left the party an empty shell.

Today’s GOP has no reason for being other than solving Trump's personal legal and financial needs. In other words, it has become a typical party of a leader in an authoritarian state. For years the GOP and its allies have acted as though Trump has fearsome powers —as though he were already the dictator of America. All they need now is to win in 2024 and make their fiction into reality.