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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsOne major thing I believe the January 6th hearings will achieve
Im sure weve all seen the speculation on the impact the January 6th hearings will have. People wonder whether Trump will finally be charged and if his moronic fascist movement will finally collapse. I suppose those things are possible but who knows at this point.
However, there is one result that I believe these hearings will have and that is The Big Lie will be largely discredited. As ridiculous as it has always been, when the person in the Oval Office is making claims, its difficult for people to ignore. Polls in February of this year show 60% of Republicans believing the election was stolen from Trump while a significant minority of non Republicans voters are uneasy about election security and do have questions about the validity of election results, even if they dont believe in massive fraud or that Biden is illegitimate.
I believe after these hearings, Trumps lies about the election will be largely dead. Maybe not among all Republicans and his psychotic base that drain their bank accounts to buy him private jets, but among non-brainwashed Republicans, Independents, and any horribly confused Democrats. I think it will become a fringe conspiracy theory that some people cling onto for decades, like the Moon landing being faked or Area 51 being an alien prison. Maybe 40% of Republicans will cling to this nonsense until their final miserable days but the 85% of the electorate that doesnt worship Donny Diaperload will roll their eyes at this nonsense.
After the January 6th hearings, I believe people will largely be ready to move on from the 2020 election and those shouting about dead South American dictators and ballot smuggling mules and Italian space lasers will be pushed from prominence. And any candidate, including Trump, that tries to win elections by rehashing bizarre conspiracy theories about the 2020 election will be met with frustrated sighs and silence by the electorate at large. If the January 6th committee is able to achieve one thing, I think it will be restoring faith in the security of our elections among the vast majority of voters and that certainly would be a good thing.
Chainfire
(17,305 posts)I sincerely doubt it that any amount of evidence will change many minds. To change their minds now would be admitting that that they had been wrong for years. It is easier to continue digging in and hunting for reasons whey they were right all along. It is just human nature, and we aren't changing that.
These folks would see an indictment and conviction to be further evidence of a massive left-wing conspiracy to take over their country. The stronger the evidence, the stronger the pushback.
It is damn near impossible to change the minds of faith-based religion or politics.
Perhaps you could see some changes, if Trump, in a bargain to escape full justice, made a deal to admit to all of his people, that he was guilty of conning the entire country and that his hick followers had all been a bunch of ignorant suckers. That will happen when I win three power ball drawings in one day without ever buying a ticket.