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Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Graham Platner and his wife Amy Gertner wave to supporters June 9 in Blue Hill, Maine.<\/p>\n
CJ Gunther<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Expectations for politics have gotten about as low as they can. But let\u2019s draw a line here: No more partisan hacks telling us things that we can see with our own eyes in real time are not true.<\/p>\n
A while back, Merriam-Webster declared \u201cgaslighting\u201d the word of the year<\/a> because of the prevalence of deepfakes and misinformation. It goes beyond lying to suggest manipulation designed to make you question your own observations and beliefs. In Texas, we\u2019ve long had a more colorful version of this: Don\u2019t pee on my leg and tell me it\u2019s raining.<\/p>\n Recent days have exploded one of the great political gaslighting efforts of our time. Democrats spent weeks trying to convince voters that a candidate with a Nazi symbol tattooed on his body and with a history of disgusting online comments and mistreatment of women was really a good dude \u2014 so good, in fact, that only he could represent Maine in the U.S. Senate. Then came a credible rape accusation and \u2014 poof! \u2014 the gaslights blew out all at once for Graham Platner, who can go back to living off his parents\u2019 wealth \u2026 er, sorry, oyster farming<\/a>.<\/p>\n This one is egregious, but political gaslighting is a bipartisan endeavor. Sane people outside the extreme 20% that dominates each party can see nuttery right in front of their faces, but leaders, media spinners and hacks try to convince us that it\u2019s all shadows. Wrong is right, up is down, and you definitely didn\u2019t see the elite ruling class trip on its own feet over and over and over again.<\/p>\n Third parties don\u2019t win many elections in American politics. But they can elevate issues and steer (perhaps even shame) the Republican and Democratic establishments to be more responsive. We\u2019re not going to get the huge swath in the middle of American life to agree on much policywise, but who\u2019s up for an Anti-Gaslighting Party?<\/p>\n The platform is simple: Oppose manipulators who are trying to convince us that the things we witness for ourselves and the basic truths of human life are not to be trusted.<\/p>\n For example: A Nazi tattoo is a permanent disqualifier for holding public office. Forever. Whatever the circumstances were at the time. If your judgment is that bad, good for you if you clean it up. But go do something else with your life.<\/p>\n Donald Trump supporters live in a gaslit world<\/p>\n President Donald Trump and his sycophants deserve their own special category here. First, stop acting like he\u2019s politically popular (he\u2019s not)<\/a> and pretending that the wishes of the MAGA base represent a broad swath of the American electorate (they don\u2019t)<\/a>. Democrats tried this with Barack Obama, and that\u2019s, in part, how they got Trump.<\/p>\n Don\u2019t tell us that Trump cares so deeply for struggling American families. He surely does, at some level. But there is no concern he won\u2019t immediately jettison in service to the cause most dear to his heart: Donald Trump. His narcissism, his need for revenge and his desire to deflect blame inform every decision.<\/p>\n How many times is the man going to step in front of a microphone and tell people that some relatively small-ball concern, like the misnamed SAVE America Act, is more important than Americans\u2019 struggles to afford food and housing<\/a>? How many fellow Republicans will he throw under the bus for insufficient loyalty, even if it threatens his party\u2019s power?<\/p>\n Despite all this, leftists hold a gaslighting edge, simply because so much of what they believe is antithetical to human nature and experience \u2014 on economics, gender, language and so much more. But they really shine on politics.<\/p>\n The entire Democratic Party apparatus spent years trying to persuade people that the obvious stumbling and incoherence from President Joe Biden<\/a>, growing worse each day on live TV, wasn\u2019t real. Then, when it appeared in a live debate, elected Democrats, media remora and party poobahs acted as if they\u2019d never said the man was vibrant, healthy, sharper than anyone else in the room.<\/p>\n Keep track of the people who do this sort of thing. And when they pop up again, never listen to a word they say.<\/p>\n Democrats, Republicans are gaslighting mirrors on issues<\/p>\n On many issues, there\u2019s a Democrat-Republican mirror image problem. How about if presidents stop telling us how great the economy is<\/a> all the time? It\u2019s a tremendously complex subject, but for most people, what matters is wages and prices, not monthly job creation or the stock market. Stop telling people their grocery and energy bills aren\u2019t what they see in plain numbers in front of them.<\/p>\n On immigration, don\u2019t pretend that rapid, extensive changes in the population have no effect on our economy or culture. But don\u2019t tell us, either, that a tiny group is within a hair of taking over and imposing its dark will<\/a> on the rest of us.<\/p>\n In Texas, how about not telling us that Ken Paxton is a great conservative warrior when he abuses his office and uses government power<\/a> to try to control the private sector? Maybe don\u2019t try to convince us that James Talarico\u2019s weird embrace of the far reaches of progressivism don\u2019t matter to whether he should hold statewide office.<\/p>\n And for the sake of our children, stop telling us everything would be fine in Texas schools if we just spent more money and state leaders got out of the way? The U.S. has known it has an education crisis on its hands<\/a> for 50 years; billions upon billions of dollars later, the kids still can\u2019t read.<\/p>\n That\u2019s just a fraction of the distorted discourse that is making governing nearly impossible. Anti-Gaslighters could find similar misrepresentations on taxes, election fraud\/voter suppression, gender, Israel and so much more.<\/p>\n It\u2019s enough to build an entire platform \u2014 not to win an election but maybe, just maybe, to start to stem the tide of obvious bovine excrement our leaders insult us with every day. Let\u2019s not wait for another Graham Platner to force the issue.<\/p>\n We love to hear from Texans with opinions on the news \u2014 and to publish those views in the Opinion section.<\/p>\n \u2022 Letters should be no more than 150 words. <\/p>\n \u2022 Writers should submit letters only once every 30 days. <\/p>\n \u2022 Include your name, address (including city of residence), phone number and email address, so we can contact you if we have questions. <\/p>\n You can submit a letter to the editor two ways: <\/p>\n \u2022 Email letters@star-telegram.com<\/a> (preferred).<\/p>\n![\"PHILADELPHIA,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1723100540-GI.JPG\" "\\"1723100540-GI.JPG\\"")
Joe Biden was totally fine in 2023, Democrats kept trying to convince you. Mark Makela Getty Images <\/p>\n![\"Charles](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/gaslight_wingrove-e1433899787519-750x400.jpg\" "\\"gaslight_wingrove-e1433899787519-750x400.jpg\\"")
Charles Boyer used flickering gaslights to convince Ingrid Bergman\u2019s character she was losing it in the 1944 film that launched the term. MGM Do you have an opinion on this topic? Tell us! <\/p>\n
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