Have you noticed that the primary conflict in our society is that we all have different views of what America is and should be? This is a result of what philosophers call the postmodern era which brought about the advent of moral relativism. In layperson’s terms, we no longer live in a society that has absolute views of right and wrong. We probably never did, but now our differences are displayed openly every day, seemingly in every encounter that captures the attention of the media.

So, absolutism is dead! And society is being created by the diversity of its members.

“Lacking absolutes, we will have to encounter one another as people with different information, different stories, different visions, and trust the outcome. Because once we enter fully into a world in which reality is socially created, democracy is all we have left, and it is a much bigger game than the one Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton played a couple of hundred years ago.” (Source: Walter Truett Anderson)

The next time you see a red hat with the phrase “Make America Great Again” you’re looking at an artifact of this conflict in our society. And the wearer is probably struggling with the loss of the appearances of absolutes that worked for some of the people (specifically, the wearer) and certainly not for all of us.

Theoretically, we should have the democracy that Jefferson, Hamilton, and the other founders designed for us. And we did have until the GOP went off the rails into its current parallel universe. There was a time when the political parties were well designed to serve the needs of a growing diverse society. The Republicans were the party of realism. The Democrats were the party of possibilities. When they functioned properly, we had the best solutions. The healthy tensions between what is and what could be were well handled. Real negotiations brought about compromises and both parties won and lost a little. They accomplished their main reasons for existing, their loyal supporters got the best of both worlds.

Today, democracy, as we’ve known it is under attack by a chimera that calls itself the Republican party. In case you forgot, a chimera is kind of a hybrid monster. To be very clear here, this monster is not the traditional party of honest conservatives like Mitt Romney, Liz Cheney, and Adam Kinzinger. It’s the Trumplican party.

This party is led by people who fear their constituents. More precisely, they fear Trump’s loyal base and his threats to turn them loose on his opponents. This is a party determined to destroy democracy to save “their country” from the “evil elite” and “deep state.”

A party that sees its own demise in the growing diversity of our society. A party that represents the mega rich with its agenda, the middle class with its promise of becoming mega rich, and the poor masses with its badge of membership.

It has something for everyone, as long as you follow the party line. The world knows this as fascism. Here, it’s the open policy of the Trumplican Party. Repeat the party line or have your career destroyed. The question is how do they convince enough voters that this is saving the country from the “evil left?”

To get a hint, you must watch interviews with these voters at Trump rallies. Less informed, more ignorant, and more confused people cannot be found in this country. If this lot represents all the loyal Trumplican base, I have many fears for the future.

Among those fears are the morning after regrets, the shear and unadulterated remorse, that befalls a people when they realize what they’ve done to themselves.