Forked Tongues and Fallen Democracies
How Political Lies Are Pushing America Toward Authoritarianism
The Seductive Power of Stories That Never Become Policy
Democracy dies not with a gunshot but with a thousand little betrayals.
We believe the tears of a politician recounting childhood homelessness. We trust the righteous anger of leaders who survived assault. We nod along to tales of small-town struggle. These stories—often genuine, always powerful—create an emotional bond between voter and candidate that transcends party, policy, or platform.
But what happens when these emotional anchors become nothing more than sophisticated manipulation? When the storyteller's votes systematically undermine the very experiences they've weaponized to win our trust?
This isn't just hypocrisy—it's the erosion of democracy's foundation.
The Authoritarian Playbook: Performative Empathy
Authoritarian systems don't always announce themselves with jackboots and torchlight parades. They creep in through emotional manipulation, through the slow replacement of substance with performance, and the gradual unmooring of words from their meanings.
The modern politician who speaks with a forked tongue—sharing personal pain while voting against relief for those similarly afflicted—isn't just being inconsistent. They're participating in the dismantling of democratic accountability itself.
Case Studies in Democratic Erosion
1. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
Public Persona:
- Frequently highlights being a moderate, pro-choice, and a defender of women’s rights.
- Emphasizes her support for reproductive freedom and concern for sexual assault survivors.
Key Contradictions:
-Voted to Confirm Conservative Supreme Court Justices:** Supported Brett Kavanaugh (accused of sexual assault; pivotal in overturning Roe v. Wade) and Amy Coney Barrett, both of whom shaped the Court against abortion rights.
- Voted for Federal Abortion Restrictions: Supported restrictive bills and opposed measures that would guarantee access to abortion.
- Result: Despite focusing her campaigns on women’s rights, her votes enabled seismic rollbacks of those rights.
2. Joe Manchin (D-WV)
Public Persona:
- Claims to fight for West Virginia’s working-class families and defends their economic interests.
- Presents himself as a moderate voice in tune with the needs of his (high-poverty) state.
Key Contradictions:
- Blocked the Build Back Better Act: Stymied a sweeping package with child tax credits, extended health coverage, and climate jobs—all of which would have helped his impoverished state disproportionately.
- Opposed $15 Minimum Wage: Voted against the major wage hike despite West Virginia’s large low-wage workforce.
- Voted Against Voting Rights Protections: Frequently declined to advance protections that would help marginalized voters, including many poor West Virginians.
- Result: Many of his actions maintained the status quo he claims to oppose.
3. Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
Public Persona:
- Cast himself for years as a maverick, bipartisan moderate, principled defender of the rule of law.
Key Contradictions:
- Flip-Flops on Supreme Court Nominations: In 2016, argued against confirming a justice during an election year—then supported Barrett's confirmation weeks before the 2020 election.
- Partisanship: Despite moderate branding, became one of Trump’s most loyal allies, backing policies and rhetoric he once denounced.
- Result: Record shows willingness to abandon stated “principles” for party advantage.
4. Ted Cruz (R-TX)
Public Persona:
- Self-styles as a “constitutional conservative” and strict defender of the rule of law.
Key Contradictions:
- 2020 Election Efforts: Supported efforts to overturn certified election results—undermining constitutional processes he claims to revere.
- Government Shutdowns: Led an effort in 2013 that shut down the government, harming regular workers, despite professing to champion their interests.
- Result: Actions frequently at odds with stated values about law, order, and limited government.
5. Mitch McConnell (R-KY)
Public Persona:
- Positions as a guardian of Senate “norms,” institutionalism, and bipartisanship.
Key Contradictions:
- Changed Senate Rules for Supreme Court Nominations: Blocked Obama’s 2016 nominee (Garland) citing election-year, but rushed Barrett through in 2020.
- Legislative Stonewalling: Branded as bipartisan, yet focused on stalling Democratic legislation and prioritizing party power over institutional continuity.
- Result:Regularly prioritizes partisanship over professed procedural purity.
6. Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ, formerly D-AZ)
Public Persona:
- Markets herself as an advocate for the marginalized, citing her own childhood homelessness.
- Portrayed as a progressive reformer early in her career.
Key Contradictions:
- Opposed $15 Minimum Wage: Voted against measure that would help people in situations like her own childhood.
- Blocked Sweeping Democratic Policies: Preserved the filibuster (limiting major reforms on housing, health care, and voting rights).
- Result: Frequently cited for undermining policies benefiting those with backgrounds like hers.
7. Kristi Noem (R-SD)
Public Persona:
- Marketed herself as a “mom governor,” voice for rural families, and protector of public health.
Key Contradictions:
- Opposed Food Assistance Expansion: Blocked Medicaid and food program expansions, even as childhood poverty rose in her state.
- COVID Practices: Rejecting public health mandates despite rising illness among vulnerable populations.
- Result: Policy often undermined her stated “family first” priorities.
8. Democratic Examples: Barack Obama (Former President)
Public Persona:
- Rose to prominence on pledges to challenge Wall Street and restore accountability post-2008.
Key Contradictions:
- Wall Street Bailouts and Lack of Prosecution: Oversaw bank bailouts, hired Wall Street insiders, and failed to prosecute major players for financial wrongdoing.
- Result: Critics accuse him of failing to match progressive rhetoric with forceful action.
3. The Broader Pattern:
- Politicians across the spectrum who invoke their military service while cutting veteran benefits.
- Leaders who cite religious convictions while enacting policies their faith explicitly condemns.
- Representatives who claim working-class roots while consistently favoring corporate interests.
These aren't mere "flip-flops." They're systematic disconnects between narrative and governance that train citizens to expect—and accept—that words have no relationship to actions.
How Lies Pave the Path to Authoritarianism
When a democracy normalizes the severing of words from deeds, it creates fertile ground for authoritarian takeover. Here's how:
1. Trust Collapse: Citizens stop believing anything political leaders say, creating a "post-truth" vacuum.
2. Value Destruction: The concept of integrity becomes meaningless, replaced by pure tribal allegiance.
3. Accountability Failure: When we accept that campaign promises have no relationship to governance, we abandon the fundamental accountability mechanism of democracy.
4. Strongman Appeal: Into this chaos steps the figure who promises to "tell it like it is"—even as they construct an alternate reality.
Breaking the Cycle: Narrative Accountability
The solution isn't cynicism—it's rigorous accountability. We must:
- Demand factual comparison between politicians' personal narratives and their voting records
- Elevate consistency over performative empathy
- Refuse to separate the emotional pull of a story from its policy implications
- Call out forked tongues wherever they appear—left, right, and center
Our democracy stands at a precipice. The path back requires us to insist that words mean things, that stories carry responsibility, and that empathy isn't just something to be performed—but a commitment to be honored through action.
Because a nation that accepts political lies as inevitable will soon find itself with no politics at all—just power, unchecked and absolute.
The most dangerous lie in a democracy isn't about policy. It's the lie that says your story matters to me—right up until the moment I cast my vote against you.
What You Allow Is What Will Continue.
Created with ChatGPT and Claude 3.7 Sonnet and of course my personal input