Let nobody say that I am not among the first and most vitriolic critics of conservatives, but to me this is evidence of what happens when authoritarians use fear and hatred to snooker a wide audience into voting against their own best interests.

These people have clearly been harmed by the disingenuous politics of deception, their state-sponsored ignorance turned against them for the profit of the few. They are being exploited, and while it's true that I have less sympathy for them than other groups that are being exploited by the same interests, they too deserve protection from exploitation, damn them.

How do we prevent the Republicans--and anyone else who dares take that course--from manipulating the electorate through fear and hatred? Is it even possible to do so in a republic?