The Big Lie didn’t begin after Trump’s election loss. It began after his win when he claimed that “I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally.” A few tens of thousands of lies later, the Big Lie got out of hand as one of America’s darkest moments erupted on live TV, one year ago today. Many assumed the breach of the Capitol would at long last loosen the grip Trump had on his party. Sadly, that wasn’t the case. As Barack Obama wrote, “our democracy is at greater risk today than it was back then.” Sean Illing provides more background in Vox: January 6 should’ve moderated the GOP. It did the opposite. The fact that this January 6th feels so similar (or in some ways worse) than the last one might leave you feeling anger and contempt for your fellow Americans who have been duped by The Big Lie. This is the kind of blind allegiance that takes down democracies. For me, it all adds to an already sizeable dumpster of hate I feel towards those who are dragging us towards the precipice. You probably feel that hate, too. Well, don’t. Redirect your contempt from the lied-to to the liars. Consider this thought experiment from me: Blinded By the Lie: Trying to find some understanding a year after the insurrection.

+ Jimmy Carter in the NYT: I Fear for Our Democracy. “We must resist the polarization that is reshaping our identities around politics. We must focus on a few core truths: that we are all human, we are all Americans and we have common hopes for our communities and our country to thrive. We must find ways to re-engage across the divide, respectfully and constructively, by holding civil conversations with family, friends and co-workers and standing up collectively to the forces dividing us.”