Two Pandemics

America is under siege.  And, the country is not only under siege from a viral infection, Covid-19 but a virus of lies, misinformation, and ignorance.  The Covid-19 is a relatively recent infection that has spread across the country, killed over 400,000 Americans and sickened millions.  But, there are preventative measures that can lessen the transmission of this contagious disease.  Social distancing and masks can act to minimize infections from the Covid-19 virus and the discovery and eventual wide-spread distribution of vaccines will result in eventual immunity from this particular disease.  However, there is a far worse, far deadlier disease that threatens the very core of our democracy.  This “virus” is did not recently enter the country from across either Atlantic or Pacific oceans.  Nor, did it enter the country by crossing the border with Canada or the southern border with Mexico.  The virus of lies, misinformation, and ignorance is also not a recent disease but one that has festered and began to sicken the democracy as far back as January 20, 1981 when Ronald Reagan first took the Presidential Oath of office.  This disease of lies, misinformation, and ignorance is impervious to a vaccine.  Neither masks nor social distancing counter its contagiousness.  It has become an epidemic that primarily resides within the Republican Party and any Republican gathering has turned into a super-spreader event.  While the most recent Republican President, Donald Trump, was the epicenter of this affliction, there are millions of Americans who are infected and are infecting others.  Whether the lie that tax cuts for the rich will “trickle down” and benefit everyone or the lie that increasing minimum wages will result in loss of jobs the lies, misinformation, and ignorance spread by Republicans and Republican-biased media have become epidemic.  There is no immunity from the disease of lies, misinformation, and ignorance that will come from a vaccine and masks will do nothing to prevent it from spreading, equal doses of facts and truth can have a curative effect.  However, this form of a cure is not accomplished with either a single injection or a booster shot.  However, if the cure is repeated far more often that the lies, misinformation, and ignorance are drowned out by truth and fact there is a possibility that the patient can be saved.  But, this will take a tremendous effort on the part of every Democrat in Congress.  While on the surface it appears the Senate is evenly divided, 50 Republicans and 50 Democrats keep in mind that Democratic Senators represent 41 million more people than Republican Senators.  It will take a massive storm of fact and truth to dispel the lies that are driving the behavior of so many of our citizens. Ties between extremist groups and some Republican lawmakers are under scrutiny after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6.  And while it is not clear whether any elected officials played a role in directly facilitating the attack by signaling either overt or tacit support, they provided legitimacy and publicity to extremist groups and movements that supported former President Donald Trump’s efforts to subvert the outcome of the 2020 election and the attack on Congress.  As long as Republican lies are allowed to fester without being countered there is no way this disease can be eradicated.  Democrats need to aggressively disprove lies and misinformation and, most important, hold accountable those who are responsible for the damages caused by and resulting from lies, misinformation, and ignorance.