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BRIDGES: Moving from supporting to worshipping a politician
Chris Bridges
Chris Bridges

Even with the 2020 presidential election now more than a month behind us, there still remains a large contingent of Americans who will not accept the results.

Even as Donald Trump’s own attorney general says there is no evidence of massive voter fraud, many supporters of the president continue to march on. Why do they do so? It’s simple. President Trump has yet to wave the white flag.

There certainly is nothing wrong with not liking the outcome of an election. In a presidential election which we knew would be close, whichever candidate fell short was going to have millions of upset people whose preferred choice finished second.

What is not understandable is how some (note some not all) Trump supporters have thrown all sense of logic out of the window about the election. They continue to grasp at any straw and truly believe the United States Supreme Court is going to allow their candidate to remain in the White House another four years.

It’s not going to happen. Every so-called challenge  that has gone to court has been tossed and tossed quickly. If you read what is going on in these cases, the arguments being presented on television are not being offered up in court. The reason is also clear. There is no evidence to present.

None of the challenges (including ones in Georgia) have even gone to a trial so there is no verdict or ruling to appeal to a higher court.

Yet we have somehow reached the point that the Republican Secretary of State for Georgia, along with his family and elections staff, have received death threats.

From a political observer standpoint, it has been truly amazing to see how loyal some Trump supporters are. There are even more die-hard about their candidate than when he was running in 2016.

It has gotten to the point where some supporters believe President Trump can do no wrong. If he does something that is wrong or even questionable, it is overlooked by these die-hards because it’s President Trump doing it.

One conservative talk show host on Atlanta radio brought up an interesting, and somewhat disturbing, analysis of the non-rational Trump supporters. The talk show host, who is as conservative and right-wing as they come, said there is a large number of Trump backers who have moved from supporting his presidency to outright worshipping him.

This host makes no qualms of his religious beliefs and says the type of blind loyalty to President Trump has crossed the line and encouraged those engaged in it to do some serious soul-searching.

At this point the best thing that Trump supporters can do is to prepare for 2024. There is a legitimate chance that he will run again. In fact, Trump has always seemed to bask in the spotlight at rallies which are often attended by thousands of his supporters.

Nationwide rallies during the next four years which would lead into a massive rematch for the next presidential contest. It should be noted, however, that Joe Biden may not even run for a second term and that is if he even finishes one term.

Anyone who has ever taken the time to vote doesn’t want their candidate to lose. That is understandable. At some point, however, the game is over, at least for this time.

The great thing about politics and political campaigns is that there is always a next time. It is time to focus on that. Continuing to try and keep a sinking ship afloat on the political seas is not wise.

There is nothing wrong with being disappointed that your preferred candidate lost. My presidential candidate finished third. When we began threatening the lives of people because we don’t like the outcome then it has clearly crossed the line.

The great thing about our country is that no president, regardless of how bad they are perceived to be by some, can destroy it. We are too strong and that is something we should all be able to agree on.

It’s great to see so many more people involved in political campaigns. That has not always been the case. We cannot, however, lose track of the fact our election system is still the best. Are there some flaws? Sure. But we cannot become so blinded by our support of someone that we turn a blind eye and allow that politician free reign to do whatever he or she desires.

That is dangerous and it has that same kind of danger that can be associated with cult leaders like Jim Jones. Never give up thinking for yourself.

Maybe it’s just the crazy year we’ve all been through. Maybe it’s the stress overload we all are experiencing right now. Regardless, we cannot lose track that the loss of an election does not justify death threats. The pointless lawsuits are bad enough but being willing to jump off a cliff just because someone says so has reached brainwashing proportions.

Chris Bridges is a former sports editor for The Covington News. Reach him at pchrisbridges@gmail.com