Saturday, January 30, 2021
A taste of the resistance, circa 2017
Perceptions of Legitimacy
Perceptions matter. And the perception left by rushing to kill court challenges to the 2020 election has left a perception that election results were not fully vetted.
The result? Tens of millions of Americans do not believe Biden was legitimately elected.
This is quite different from 2017, when Democrats pledged resistance, claiming Trump was illegitimate.
Very few Democrats actually believed cheating got Trump elected.
The 2020 doubters, millions of them, are sincere.
Critics may deem them misguided, but that doesn't negate their sincerity. Talk of deprogramming, or loyalty tests for Republicans amplifies distrust of the present majority party.
Democrats now appear ready to compound the perception of government illegitimacy by governing far to the left of most Americans' viewpoints. Troops in Washington, a fence around the capitol won't fix this.
A government seeking common ground with its people, and encouraging them to find common ground with one another might be a step in the right direction.
It won't happen, as it appears to run against the present Democratic Party agenda.