A year ago a mob, led by unscrupulous politicians, stormed the Parliament building, almost halting the transfer of democratic power. Our four former presidents unanimously condemned their actions and confirmed the legitimacy of the 2020 election. What followed was a brief hope that the rebellion would jolt the country into resolving the vicious polarization that threatens democracy.
Yet a year on, the lie pusher of a stolen election has come to dominate a political party and fan the flames of mistrust in our electoral system. They are also turning the American people against each other through the power and influence of unending disinformation. According to the Center for the Survey of American Life, 36 percent of Americans – nearly 100 million adults of all political stripes – believe that “the traditional American way of life is rapidly disappearing and may need to be saved by force.” The Washington Post recently reported that about 40 percent of Republicans believe that violent actions against the government are sometimes justified.