THE POST-TRUTH ALTERNATE UNIVERSE OF CONSERVATIVES

By Akin Ojumu

Whether it’s in the most advanced countries of the world with matured democracy and functioning rule of law or in the remotest and struggling-to-develop lawless nations of the world where democracy is on life support and rule of law is nonexistent, there’s one attribute common to politicians everywhere, and it is their proficiency at telling lies. No matter where you go, what you often find is that those who thrive in politics are adept at gaslighting. In this post-truth era of ours, this is especially true of conservative politicians who now reside permanently in an alternate universe.

In his first press conference in the immediate aftermath of the mass shooting that occurred at Todd Elementary School, Uvalde, Texas, Greg Abbott, the governor of the state, spent a better part of the exchange to tell the world about the courage shown by the men in blue in bringing the tragic incident to a quick end. To demonstrate his bonafide as a law-and-order governor and a staunch supporter of the police, the far-right conservative instinctively lavished praise on law enforcement personnel for the uncommon heroism they demonstrated during the horrific incident at the school.

Without waiting to get the detailed report of what actually transpired, Abbott effusively saluted the courageous men in uniform who put their lives on the line as they ran without hesitation towards the sound of gunfire to save the school children being mowed down one by one by the lone gunman. Were it not for their bravery in immediately confronting and killing the shooter, Abbott gushed, many more children would have died.

Lo and behold, a recently released video of the tragic incident tells a completely different story from the cock-and-bull BS Greg Abbott told the world in that press conference. Nearly everything the pro-police governor said was a lie. Greg Abbott’s “courageous” cops were cowards who cowered behind walls as the gunman decimated little children with bullets from his AR-15 assault rifle. The governor’s brave men in blue were like little wimps in adult diapers who hid behind any solid object they could find to avoid getting shot. These gutless macho John Wayne wannabes ran for cover at the sound of gun fire.

It should not come as a surprise to anyone that Governor Abbott lied about the conduct of law enforcement personnel in response to the slaughtering of little children in that elementary school that tragic day. The default position of gun worshippers like Greg Abbott is to always defend the actions of law enforcement even if they are in dereliction of their duty. Regardless of the situation, rightwing ideologues like Abbott will always extol the virtue of the police. In their warped minds, the might of law enforcement is always right.

Looking at both sides of the Atlantic pond, the current state of the conservative movement is something that should be of great concern to anyone who cares about the future of our world. To see this once highly regarded and intellectually robust governing philosophy transform into a cradle of fables and a lair of liars is heartbreaking.

To modern-day conservatives, dissembling has become oxygen, and the only way they now know to thrive is by lying. Abraham Lincoln, Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher must be turning in their graves as they watch their parties get infected with the spirits of men like Donald J. Trump and Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson, two of the most dishonest politicians of our generation.