The engineers who build bridges are familiar with a phenomenon called “scour.†Any bridge built over a stream or river of constantly running water may have the base of its supporting pylons eroded away as the moving water carries sand and grit downstream. Of course this erosion is quite slow and invisible — so, it may happen that after years with no apparent problem the bridge will suddenly collapse.
After the 2020 election, the loser (yes, loser!) lied and claimed that he had actually won. Our political system is designed to handle such allegations; there are laws against election fraud. Here is a quotation from Polifact:
“A group of prominent conservatives examined 64 cases brought by [Donald] Trump and his allies ... . Trump and his allies won only one case and it involved too few votes to impact the election results, the group found.â€
The voting public has evolved into three groups: those who see this truth, those who deny it, and those — possibly a majority — who are as yet clueless. Now, in 2024, we once again are in a presidential election year and it seems there will be a rematch: Once again, Trump vs. Biden. Since Biden has been the de facto president, the question has been moot. But it must now arise again, and for those who see the truth, Trump is obviously an illegitimate candidate.
Drivers who cross a precarious, “scoured†bridge may be unaware that they are even on a bridge. But however oblivious they may have been, if the bridge collapses they cannot ignore it.
Since Biden — in spite of Jan. 6 — was installed as president, the issue could remain dormant. But not now. The idea that Trump is somehow beyond the law is now being eviscerated. Three days a week, Trump appears in a New York courtroom, and it is apparent that the judge — not the defendant — is in control. The illusion of Trump omnipotence is scouring away.
To get a feel for the agonizing crash Trumpers may expect when denialism is exposed, imagine an interview with a grown man who steadfastly continues to believe in Santa Claus. As he shrugs off questions of how a huge toy factory could remain hidden or how so many toys could be delivered in one night, or how a fat guy could go down a chimney, how would the audience react? Some indifference; some incredulity; some disgust; some pity. What in a child might be indulged as sweet innocence will not be considered acceptable in an adult.
Denialism is the foundation for the Trump mythos. A house built on sand will not stand. The Santa myth has some vague connection to a particular saint, which may give it a gloss of plausibility. Not so the Trump/messiah idea.
It must be made crystal clear that this question of legitimacy transcends ordinary political issues. Questions of women’s reproductive rights or illegal immigration are not germane: Those who are aware of the truth have to vote against Trump.
At this time, virtually all West Virginia politicians are pro-Trump election deniers. Biden has a massive war chest to fund ads. Election deniers will be mercilessly exposed and ridiculed.
