This is Driftglass, listing the first 5 out of his 10 "Unpleasant Facts About The American People." Be sure to read the full list:
"1. Other than geographically, there is no such group as 'The American People'. It is a mirage invented by pundits to elide the stark and irreconcilable differences between various groups of Americans."2. Republican Americans do not care about democracy. At all. They are motivated entirely by their fear of and rage over various imaginary boogieman that the Republican media has spent 30 years implanting in their tiny lizard brains."3. There are no 'Centrists' or 'Independents'. Instead there are millions and millions of mopes who want to sound smart when they talk about politics, but who are also conflict-averse cowards who would rather pull their own heads off than take sides. Over anything. Or bother to learn the details. Of anything. So they hide out in the 'Both Side Do It' panic room, hoping that someone, somewhere will fix stuff and make everyone stop shouting."4. There are plenty of Republicans-in-hiding who call themselves Independents currently hiding out in the 'Both Side Do It' panic room too."5. Issues like fascism and voter suppression and civil rights and the fate of democracy and the future of the environment rarely penetrate the thick walls of the 'Both Side Do It' panic room, but stuff that gets reported on local news or in the mainstream media (like crime or inflation) does get in. Because when the price of milk goes up, panic room denizens see it but when the price of democracy goes up they ignore it." ...
Meanwhile, we often refer to people who vote Republican as knuckle-draggers, mouth-breathers, sub-morons, seditionists, gun nuts, etc., tribal labels that may soon be reinforced in the upcoming election, when they (and untold misinformed voters) willfully and happily ignore appeals to "save democracy," because, as Driftglass points out, they don't care about it at all. But gas prices? Hoo- boy!
Forewarned is forearmed.
