Just more of the same

We Americans endured the longest, most bruising and divisive election of our lifetimes. One person set the tone from the beginning: Donald Trump. He filled the air daily with insults, vulgarity, hate, and lies.

Politi Fact kept score. They found that Trump told the truth 4 percent of the time. Most of his utterances fell into other categories: mostly false (19 percent), false (33 percent), and pants on fire (18 percent). This means that 70 percent of the time he was lying to us. When the press noted his lies, he got mad, called them “extremely dishonest and unfair,” and continued to repeat his whoppers. The press was dishonest?!

Also, The Donald has held different positions on nearly every issue. Stacks of videos confirm this, but he invariably denies it. How can we know what he believes on any given day? He’s always playing to an audience and is obeying impulses of the moment.

It turns our that we humans aren’t very rational creatures. We’re governed much less by our brains than by our guts. Our brains serve our guts, not the other way around. All of the things that drive us are lodged in our guts: hate, fear, prejudice, resentment, racism, xenophobia, and the like. We’re extremely attached to our visceral impulses. We constantly feed them; they make us feel good. We aren’t about to let facts change them.

So it was an easy choice for millions of Americans. They preferred the showman who appealed to their basest hates, fears, and resentments. The Donald is a perfect match for our post-fact, post-truth nation.

Expect lots more acrimony, division, and lies. Trump’s middle-of-the night Twitter fits will never end. It’s who he is: the Great Prevaricator.

SANDY WYLIE

Bella Vista