Gary Leimback: The basis of the Big Lie is a fear of racial replacement

As a Democrat who believes in a two-party political system, I have been puzzled and disturbed by how many in the Republican party can accept the “Big Lie” that the 2020 election was “stolen” from Donald Trump. All of the recounts and all but one of the 90 court cases have refuted this idea.

The loyalty to a losing ex-president is baffling. The size of his base ranges from 25% to 45% depending on the poll. Democracy depends on the will of the people and, unless Trump’s political base gives up their loyalty to him, he retains power over the divided Republican party.

As a Democrat, I have long wished to be able to argue Republicans out of their loyalty to Trump. But he is still a power broker and his unpredictability scares people.

There are consequences for a major political party to be based on a big lie, however. It allows for conspiracy theories to spread unchecked. This is because the party and party members can legitimately be accused of not valuing truth.

If you were a military squad leader and a double agent intelligence officer lied to you about where the enemy positions were, you might lead your troops into a massacre that could wipe out your squad. A commitment to truth protects lives and keeps people from making terrible mistakes.

All Republicans know that the Big Lie is a lie. But if they publicly acknowledged that, their leaders would lose power. Still, the risk is immense. Most importantly, most people do not realize that if you fail to value truth, you cannot protect yourself from lies. If you do not value truth you have no ground to stand on to argue against a lie.

Concerning the insurrection, one study has already been made by Robert Pape at the University of Chicago. He is the director of the Chicago Project on Security and Threats and was interviewed by Michel Martin on the “Amanpour and Co.” program on PBS on May 6, 2021. It is available on YouTube.

He points out several surprising things. Two thirds of the 420 people who have been arrested (out of 800 who broke in) are over the age of 34. Many are in their 40′s and 50′s. “Forty-five percent are CEO’s, business owners, doctors, lawyers, accountants [and] mid-level managers…” “Only seven percent are unemployed.” “Over ninety percent of the 420 are not associated with a militia or pre-existing gangs like the Proud Boys or the Oath Keepers…”

Most amazingly, though is that from three independent studies Pape found that the major motive or driver behind these insurrectionists was a “Fear of the Big Replacement.”

“The fear of the big replacement is the idea that the Hispanics and Blacks,” Pape said, “that is the rights of minorities are outpacing the rights of whites.”

On a county-by-county analysis they found that the number one risk factor was the percent decline of the non-Hispanic white population in those counties.

Pape indicated that more research is needed — a good reason to establish the bipartisan commission to study the insurrection that is now being blocked by Republicans. He specifically focused on rights in defining this fear of replacement. Thus the “fear of replacement” coupled with belief in “the Big Lie” are dominate beliefs of the Republican base. Pape indicated optimistically that by the scientific study of the insurrection, policy changes can be made that will overcome this fear of replacement.

As to the belief in the Big Lie, the Republican political base is in danger of becoming a flock of political lemmings being led to a cliff that they will eventually jump over. If you follow a leader who continually lies to you, how would you ever know you are approaching the edge of a cliff? Without a commitment to the truth, you are ultimately doomed.

The ancient Greeks disliked democracy because it always led to a tyrant needed to restore order. It only takes one tyrant modeled after Vladimir Putin to destroy our constitutional freedoms. I only ask that each reader examine their heart and seek the truth.

Gary Leimback lives in Salt Lake City and thinks that the danger of Donald Trump to our democracy is widely under-estimated.