I Will Not Cede This Ground

I Created the "How to Be a Man" Podcast Because I Will Not Allow My Son to Become the Man Trump Wants Him to Be

The Toxic Seed of Originalism

The extreme right has mastered the incorporation of our nation’s symbols and institutions. As a civil rights lawyer I watched an obscure and risible theory of Constitutional interpretation called “originalism” become the dominant methodology in US jurisprudence.

Originalism’s current political analog, Trumpism, has by adverse possession taken public ownership of the Constitution, the American flag, and through its close association with Christian Nationalism, God.

Trump’s legion of followers became neo-Crusaders under the banner of a false God. In such a world, opponents are infidels and they are God’s warriors in a State of Grace, not bound to respect corrupted institutions or even the laws of man.

Recall that the January 6th insurrectionists made no attempt to hide their identity and, indeed, posted selfies of them committing treason. These were proud actors, justified by a cause deeply felt, defended by the near-universal claim “Trump asked us to come.”