I could certainly apply the term 'evil' to the Neo-Nazis for all the bigotry and hate. Then there are the seditionists, the armed militias like the Proud Boys who saw an opportunity to raise their profile and gain the power as an enforcement group. And then others who simply enjoy stirring up shit.
The word 'traitor' is a shorthand, I think, for the way many of us feel about the America First Movement without matching the full legal definition of anyone, everyone involved.
As for actually believing Joe Biden won the election?
I tend to believe the vast majority do understand that, certainly the politicians, lawyers, professional mouthpieces. They've spread the lies because it's convenient to do so, because there's money to make, power to grab. But I also think there is a swath of America still in the Trump Trance, fortified by the lies, the conspiracy theories, the gaslighting, the whole propaganda machine to keep them marching forward, mumbling the same Stop the Steal malarkey, for whom Trump's words about being their warrior, their justice, their retribution makes sense and sounds absolutely true.
Before Trump, my own mother fell under the spell of Rush Limbaugh who railed against the Commies, the Feminists, the Ne'er-do-Wells changing the country for the worst, to a place she no longer recognized. He spoke directly to her bitterness, her grievances about her personal situation that really involved a disappointing marriage, her health and age, her sense of isolation. She had her afternoon Manhattan and drank it all down, defended the man whenever we had a conversation about politics or world events. And then, we stopped having those conversations because they were fractious and pointless.
So different levels of participation, self-destructive attitudes and behavior out there. All of it corrosive.
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