Donald Trump has been gaslighting America for at least the last 4 years and countless more before that. It was part of his character, his personality, his being. He was taught that it was the way to success when success was not even a remote possibility.

​

Now the Republican Party has approved his behavior and has even endorsed it with his acquittal at his Impeachment trial. What can we expect now? It looks like more gaslighting. What is gaslighting?

Gaslighting is a form of psychological manipulation in which a person or a group covertly sows seeds of doubt in a targeted individual or group, making them question their own memory, perception, or judgment.

The Republican Party has been manipulating the minds of their constituents for the last thirty years using false narratives. They are consistently talking about the democrats raising taxes and promoting socialism, while at the same time not finishing with the fact that raising taxes is only affecting those in the highest incomes and that their definition of socialism are social programs that would help much of their base.

How many people know that those earning over $150,000.00 per year stop paying social security tax on their income after $142,800.00 based on 2021 tax laws. Few I would say, because only 9% of Americans earn over $100,000.00 per year. Yet we hear the constant drum beat that everyone is going to be taxed into poverty.

The religious right has their own view of a social program.

The religious right is in the pulpit on a regular basis preaching against their definition of socialism, yet they have no problem with their type of socialism called seed faith giving. And this seed faith giving is tax free income to their churches.

So much doubt has been sown in the minds of Americans that any progress in the form of social programs, infrastructure improvement, manufacturing investment, and improvement of the upward mobility of the middle class has been shut down.

The Republican Party has been gaslighting Americans in double time since the days of Reagan. The treasure of America has been spent in wars and nation building and the only ones that are benefiting are the weapons makers. We failed to pay heed to the words of Dwight D. Eisenhower’s and his caution of the powers of government and the military industrial complex.

Do we need security? Of course, and dismantling the military is not the answer. But the Republican Party at every election cycle have been saying the democrats want to do just that. That is gaslighting. While they dismantled unions and touted right to work laws as benefitting the working man, they fail to mention that those three words disguise a means to remove the right for labor to organize and protect their interests.

They have undone all the progress that was made for the middle American family and made any chance for betterment dependent on those who now have the cash. That is gaslighting.

Now comes Donald J. Trump who is the master gaslighter, and he is going to give everyone an education in how to sow seeds of doubt. He knew that his base received all their information from very limited sources. It was easy to feed information that not only was false, but flagrant lies. It was repeated again and again until it became fact. That is gaslighting.

Trump did one thing in his disservice as President. He set new norms and we are going to reap the reward. He taught new elected government representatives that greed is not just good, it is real good. You must get your certificate in gaslighting 101 if you are going to be a success in politics.

Why do Americans stand for this? Ask yourself that question. The answer is that it is psychological manipulation and we are all disposed to it.

It is a shame isn’t it?

Jack Wilson