A number of us who frequent online sites which have a heavily Christian and Conservative focus have known for some time that the Republican Party which has emerged since 2020 has gone off in a radically wrong direction. Neocons and assorted fringe-groups have been a problem for a long time; but since the commencement of this decade have succeeded largely in hijacking the Populist element and turning the once-Conservative Movement to their own sinister purposes. The influx of cash from interested Oligarchs, the ceaseless energy of fanatics, and the organizational abilities of Big Tech and avaricious CEOs brought about the current incarnation of 'Conservativism;' which, as we often have stressed, is really only Reactionary Liberalism.
The rank-and-file supporters of the current Administration essentially fall into three general categories. The first group are the ideologues: the Christian Nationalists, Neo-Nazis, White Supremacists, Red Pills, Techno-Fascists, Anarcho-Capitalists, etc. This group actually can be challenged, since their support for the New Order rests upon a given set of beliefs. The second---and probably largest group---are people who have reservations about the direction of our leadership but support it because they don't see a viable alternative. This group likewise is open to solutions and discussion.
These types have always been around most political movements. However,a third group has emerged; and it started appearing during the 2024 Campaign. It has taken on a growing presence since the Inauguration, and mostly on 'Christian Conservative' sites. This group I term the Denialists.
The Denialists, as group, react to unpleasant facts about the Republican Leadership, not by defending or debating them, but simply denying that the issues even exist. When one, for example, points out the Police-State level militarizing the police and the thuggish actions of ICE, the Denialists will respond by saying that it's simply Liberal Media hype. When one points out that DOGE was conducting a full-scale purge of the Government with absolutely no oversight or accountability, the Denialists will insist that DOGE has been wholly transparent about its activities; and that all of DOGE's claims should be accepted as unquestioned fact. When one points out that there are more Globalists in this Administration than there were in the last one, the Denialists will insist that simply isn't true. The catalogue of these examples could go on; and I've seen these and many more while engaging on these types of sites.
Denialism is a phenomenon that we've heard of historically, most recently in the context of previous attempts at Techno-Fascist Authoritarianism like the Third Reich. Accounts from people who visited Germany previous to the Second World War remark upon it frequently. "Yes, there are Labor Camps, but Hitler promised Full Employment, and people need to be trained." "Of course the Gestapo is suppressing crime, that's what Hitler promised to do. Those tales of targeting political opponents are just Western Media hype," and so forth. Like the Denialists of today, the rationalizations and palliations to excuse what the Leadership is obviously doing often reaches absurd extremes. I've literally seen people say that Musk's obvious Nazi Salute was no different than reaching for something on the cupboard shelf; or that Vance's association with Red Pills, Techno-Fascists, and Christian Nationalists means nothing since a lot of us follow people that we don't agree with. One even recently stated that that the Administration wasn't suppressing pro-Palestinian dissent because some Media outlets are still allowed to express it.
The thing that makes Denialism even more irrational is that, not only do they deny what are plain facts: they deny their own leaders' explicit admissions and stated goals. Some Denialists claim that they're being hopeful and optimistic; but when one's optimism isn't based on Reality: that's not optimism, it's Fantasy.
I suppose that the best course of action to take with Denialism is to ignore it, since its practitioners have chosen to opt out of Reality, but it's still a dangerous trend that we should be aware of. The particularly discouraging and confounding part of of the phenomenon is that many of the most prominent of them are people who've, in the past, opposed the very things that they overlook now. They do, in other words, have a following; as always it's best to try the spirits and by their fruits you shall know them.
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