Trump turns Republicans into liars and enablers. Will they ever admit the truth? | Opinion
Anyone who does not reject the profound falsehoods at the center of today’s Republican Party, and work to expunge them from our political discourse, is an enabler.
What does it mean to be a centrist today?
I consider myself one. I didn’t vote for President Donald Trump and consider his administration alarming. Yet I know many Republicans and independents who voted for Trump − or wouldn’t vote against him − and they also consider themselves centrist (or “just slightly right of center”) even if they cringe at his behavior and acknowledge his flaws.
How can two sets of people so far apart in their politics both consider themselves centrist? It’s because the meaning of political labels − left, right and center − changes over time. What we need in American politics today is a solid, immutable definition of centrist. Call it our true north.
In navigation, true north is permanent, as distinct from magnetic north, or where the compass points. Magnetic north shifts along with the Earth’s magnetic field, akin to the political center shifting along with the fluctuating allure of politicians. The political true north will have to be defined by something that doesn’t move over time, along with the public’s mood. There can be no better standard than verified fact or objective reality.
Trump pushes Republicans to deny reality
Outside of politics, reality is non-negotiable. If a builder claims that circles aren’t round or that squares have five sides, you need to find a new builder. But in politics today, entire platforms are constructed on demonstrable falsehoods.
Reasonable people will always disagree on certain policies − on abortion, immigration and taxes, for example − but reasonable people, and anyone who claims to be a centrist, also should be able to agree on facts, what objectively can be verified and what objectively can be disproved.
Sadly, four demonstrably untrue claims are foundational to today’s Republican Party:
∎ The 2020 election was stolen, and the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol was peaceful. This isn’t just "Trump being Trump." It’s a deliberate lie − and now a litmus test for hiring in federal law enforcement − the very institution meant to uphold justice.
∎ Climate change is not a threat. The science, however, clearly shows that it is. The real debate should be about solutions, not denial. Ignoring reality doesn’t stop the consequences. It accelerates them.
∎ Russia did not start the war with Ukraine. Russia, in fact, invaded a democratic nation, violating international law. Yet Trump now suggests that Ukraine is to blame, and threatens to withhold support.
∎ America has never been a racist country. Of course it was. White people were legally allowed to buy and sell Black people. Even after slavery, systemic racism shaped much of the nation for another century and beyond. But today, schools are penalized for curricula that address the indisputable history of race in the United States. This isn’t education. It’s erasure.
Lies are foundational to today's Republican Party
What about Democrats? You’ll often hear "both sides lie." And that’s true. Politicians of both parties do lie. Politics has never been a reservoir of honesty.
The key question is whether lies make up the foundation of the Democratic Party. Claims like “big government can solve most problems” or “teachers unions are good for America” are beliefs, similar to "tax cuts pay for themselves" or "the safety net is too expensive." People will disagree on what policies are best. They always have. That is the essence of democracy.
But blatant lies are not the flesh, blood and bone of the Democratic Party. Nor have they been at the center of either party − Republican or Democratic − over the past half-century; that is, until the past decade.
Anyone who does not reject the profound falsehoods at the center of today’s Republican Party, and work to expunge them from our political discourse, is an enabler, not a centrist.
Labels such as left and right are useful only if our starting point for political debate is verifiable fact. If a tapestry of egregious lies continues to shape policy, democracy itself is in danger. There is nothing remotely centrist about denying objective truth.
Stephen P. Hills is the founding director of Georgetown Law’s Business Skills Program.