Reg — like you, I too sometimes wonder if I'm overreacting to the world around me but it's a fleeting thought and I realize that that is how people become gaslit by the propagandists. They want us to question everything that's sane and begin to be more accepting of their world of "alternate facts". I've also held the same belief as you that they're trying to turn off voters to the entire process so that only their crazed followers are excited to participate. I think the main target of that approach has been the younger voters, knowing that they will likely lean toward Democratic candidates, but in the process, I think a lot of regular folks have been tuning out as well.

What I wonder, though, is how much of this was planned or did it just sort of happen organically and the GOP was fine with breathing life into new ways to fuck with people's minds along the way? And what is the Russian connection with the GOP and Trump? Trump is a master at messaging. He clearly has a gift for appealing to the worst within us. And if he so clearly understands the power of his messaging as I believe he does, why would he praise Putin as a genius in his war on Ukraine knowing that his words would be used to convince Russians that their leader is right and just in what he is doing? And the same with Rand Paul and others who have said things that only support Putin's actions? 8 GOP Senators traveled to Russia on Independence Day in 2018 to meet with key Russians to supposedly discuss election interference in the upcoming 2018 election. Does anybody really believe they were there for any other reason than to help coordinate attacks on that election? Clearly, the enemy is in the house and we're dealing with a plot that is every bit as far-fetched as any thriller novel could hope to be. 

I don't know if there is a way out of this for us if we don't have a full-throated response by our DOJ that addresses the slow-rolling coup that's still playing out and the multiple threats the GOP poses to our democracy with their voter suppression and propaganda. I never imagined thinking along these lines just a few short years ago but here we are. I've talked about people in my family and in my life who subscribe to all of this nonsense and I'm sure that every one of us knows others who do as well. It's not like it's some fringe fraction of a percent of the electorate that subscribes to the alternate world the GOP has created; it's literally tens of millions of people who do.

I've not seen any real effort by Democrats in Congress to codify into law our expected norms; laws that would actually work as the guardrails we need rather than hoping that people in key positions stand up and do the right thing, especially now that many of them have been replaced by those who embrace the GQP and its furthering of the Big Lie narrative. This is a big mistake by those in leadership. Norms no longer matter, not when you have a president issuing pardons to people who lied for him about his connections with Russia and it barely registered as being a problem. 

I'm still waiting for your discussion with Marc but I'm quite sure he's not about to partake because how can any reasonable person defend this most corrupt party? But yet, I'm quite sure I know how he'll be voting in the future. It's a very sad time for our country. 

Kevin g