Joe Biden has promised Americans that he will restore civility to our government. The longtime, mild-mannered politician has pledged to “marshal the forces of decency” and restore honor to the White House. He has made a point of saying that he will listen to experts and scientists, especially when it comes to the pandemic.
There is no doubt that the Biden administration will be more reasoned and factual than Trump’s. But in our broader politics, Trumpism is here to stay. The contempt for objective truth made popular by the soon-to-be former president will leave its imprint on the Republican Party for years. Just look downballot. Lindsey Graham, recently reelected, cited “system failure, fraud,” and “a lot of shenanigans” to explain Trump’s defeat.” Representative-elect Marjorie Taylor Greene supports QAnon, a conspiracy theory that Democrats are sex trafficking. (Trump called her “a future Republican star.”) Republican Senator-elect Tommy Tuberville, who once said Trump was sent to us by God, has amplified the president’s debunked claims of massive voter fraud. The Alabaman has also showcased his lack of basic knowledge about the government saying that the three branches of government are “the House, the Senate, and the executive.” Trump has opened the door for those who not only believe his lies but also wouldn’t pass a middle school history class to win the highest offices of government.
Unfortunately, disinformation has trickled down to the populace. A Monmouth University poll found that seven-in-ten Republicans think Biden only won because of “voter fraud.” A week after the election was called, thousands of maskless Trump supporters filled the streets of Washington, D.C., falsely claiming that the president won the election in what was called “the Million MAGA March.”
At the Monthly, we’ve worked throughout the last four years to call out and correct falsehoods. We have fact-checked the president’s incorrect economic arguments, and we have rigorously exposed vote-by-mail lies. But we’ve also been engaged in a deeper form of fact-finding. From ringing early alarm bells on monopolies to reenvisioning higher education as a public service rather than a consumer good, the Monthly digs up data about U.S. policy before it crosses the radars of policymakers and mainstream media outlets. We were one of the first publications to report on voting by mail, writing about the system’s ability to increase turnout as early as 2012. While the right lies to fit its agenda, the Monthly uses the truth as the foundation to create novel solutions to the problems our country faces.
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