In this post I take a step back to address something insidious that may be going on in our own psyches: the normalization of lies and corruption. I fear we are witnessing a shift in what we internalize and accept as “normal.”
The danger of this Administration isn’t just in what its doing—it’s in how we’re reacting to it. When a 5-4 Supreme Court decision this week is seen as a “good sign” — when it should have been 9-0 — or when we breathe a sigh of relief over small wins amid blatant corruption and illegality and indecency, we lose sight of just how extreme things have become.
From mass pardons of convicted felons to the dismantling of critical government institutions and summary firings of noble and critical public servants, the facts are undeniable. We have to treat and recognize them as the brazen assault on democracy that they are.
We cannot let the goal posts be moved and, equally important, we have to recognize when we are unconsciously allowing them to be moved in our own reaction to current events. The question isn’t just what’s happening; it’s whether we recognize it for what it is.
Only by our recognizing this phenomenon will we be able to do something about it.
–Andrew
P.S. To watch on YouTube, click here.
TRANSCRIPT
Hi folks, I wanted to talk to you this weekend about this past week.
I’ve been thinking about my reactions to everything that’s been going on, and this is what I wanted to talk about: the normalization of lies—what we’re experiencing and the extent to which I think we’re in danger of accepting it.
I’ve been asked about whether certain events are good signs, like the Supreme Court decision regarding the district court’s temporary restraining order for USAID funds. It was a 5-4 decision, with Chief Justice Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett joining the three so-called liberal justices. People ask, “Isn’t that a good sign?” But I just want to stop and recognize the real danger: we are normalizing what’s happening.
There are all sorts of analogies for this. The goalposts have been moved. To take a more dire example, I think of Hannah Arendt, the mid-20th-century philosopher who coined the phrase the banality of evil when analyzing Germany in the 1930s and ’40s. Right now, I think we are experiencing a kind of banality of lies—a normalization of deception. In some ways, it’s a form of Stockholm syndrome, where we feel relieved when a small piece of good happens in a world of chaos.
Early this morning, I woke up thinking about everything that has happened since January 20th. Here are just a few examples of the abnormal events that tell us exactly where we are as a country:
First, we have a president who decided to pardon every single person charged or convicted in the January 6th cases—over 1,500 people, many of whom were found guilty of attacking police officers. We all saw what happened with our own eyes. Now, we have a president who is a convicted felon, releasing other convicted felons who engaged in crimes that struck at the core of our democracy. That should be game over.
It’s not about whether he legally has the power to do this—because the pardon power is strong—it’s about the fact that he did it. And he didn’t stop there. He also pardoned Rod Blagojevich, who was convicted of selling a Senate seat. That too should be game over.
There’s more. I’ve spent a lot of time talking about and writing about what he’s doing in the Eric Adams case—the Mayor of New York—where he’s seeking to dismiss the charges without prejudice, essentially keeping Adams on a choke collar so he can implement his own federal immigration policies. That is not what criminal law is for. We’ve seen a wave of resignations from prosecutors who refuse to go along with this—prosecutors who aren’t just “deep state Democrats,” but actual Federalist Society members. That should be game over.
The new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, eliminated the election interference group at the Department of Justice. Why on God’s green earth would you do that unless you were signaling that election interference is acceptable? That alone should be game over.
Similarly, they’ve gutted enforcement of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), which was designed to prevent secret lobbying by foreign governments. Why would you want less enforcement of that? Even Senator Chuck Grassley—a staunch Republican—has called out the weak enforcement of FARA, and now it’s essentially been eliminated.
Then there’s the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). The Attorney General announced that it will only be enforced against drug cartels. But drug cartels don’t violate the FCPA—it’s corporations and political actors that do. This effectively means open-season bribery worldwide. Why would you do that unless you were fully embracing corruption?
Meanwhile, the news is reporting that people are paying up to $5 million just to have dinner with President Trump. This isn’t just monetizing access—it’s turning the presidency into a pay-to-play operation. It’s a presidency for sale.
Under Clinton, the scandal of donors staying in the Lincoln Bedroom was a major controversy. That now looks like nothing compared to this.
Then we have the firing of the top three Judge Advocate Generals—independent military lawyers—without cause. Why would you do that unless you were planning something improper, illegal, or immoral within the military?
And look who’s been hired back—Jeff Clark. He was instrumental in Trump’s efforts to overturn the election, despite there being no evidence of fraud. Now, he’s been placed in the Office of Management and Budget. Why rehire him unless you want someone who prioritizes loyalty over the rule of law?
And then there’s the FBI. The administration has fired the leadership of both the New York and D.C. FBI offices and has been gathering the names of anyone who worked on the January 6th case. They’ve freed the insurrectionists, and now they want the names of the people who investigated them. Investigating January 6th was their job. Why would you want those names, except for something sinister?
And finally, we see attacks on a respected law firm in Washington, D.C., simply because they represented Special Counsel Jack Smith. The president, of all people, should understand that being a defense lawyer is a fundamental part of our legal system. It’s not something to be denigrated, no matter who the client is. Even John Adams defended British soldiers in the 18th century because that’s how the legal system is supposed to work.
But the president of the United States is now attacking attorneys for merely doing their jobs. What does that say about where we are?
And one of the most disturbing shifts: our foreign policy. Our allegiance to Ukraine is crumbling, and not only are we failing to support them, but we’re openly siding with Russia. Let’s set aside the question of why because, frankly, it’s hard to understand. There’s no massive voting bloc in the U.S. pushing for closer ties with Vladimir Putin. So why is this happening?
He is still an extremely unpopular person here. So you have to ask yourself—why on God’s green earth (sorry to keep using that phrase, but as you all know, I use it so I’m not cursing)—why would you possibly be doing that?
But let’s leave aside the why. Let’s just talk about the what.
The idea that you would not side with an independent sovereign nation that was invaded—but instead claim they invaded themselves, that they started the war—and then side with the attacker while abusing the victim… That is where we are.
These are undeniable facts. These are things we have either seen with our own eyes, heard with our own ears, or read in solid, undisputed reporting. None of this has been denied.
And that doesn’t even touch on a whole slew of other things—Elon Musk and the lies about his position and influence, the dismantling of government institutions, or the nomination of completely unqualified individuals to run key agencies like HHS and the DNI.
Leaving all of that aside, the list I just gave you should tell you exactly where we are. It is undeniable, and it is not something we should normalize.
We need to set a firm marker for reality—not let the MAGA movement shift the goalposts so that we become grateful that things aren’t even worse. Because they are bad.
I know I’m talking about just one part of the equation—making sure people understand where we are as a country and what is happening, rather than putting their heads in the sand.
The second part is what to do about it.
I’ve spoken about this before, and I wrote a post called What Can I Do? that lays out many options. The main thing is make your voice heard. People really respond to that, and it is critical to figure out all the ways you can do it.
Power in a democracy comes from us, not the other way around. Elected officials work for us—we do not work for them. The more you amplify your voice, the more impact you have.
For those of you who can afford it, use your wallet. But even if you can’t, there are still plenty of ways to make your voice heard—to speak up and speak out about this.
The polls are incredibly important here. As we’ve seen, members of Congress—particularly on the Republican side—have not been stepping up. But if Trump’s poll numbers continue to slide, you will see movement. That’s when fear will loosen its grip on them.
So for those of you asking what can I do?, the answer is: a lot. But first, we have to recognize where we are and resist the urge to normalize it. We cannot allow ourselves to develop Stockholm Syndrome—to just accept what’s happening and lose sight of how extreme it is.
These are undeniable facts. This is reality.
I know this isn’t exactly an uplifting weekend post, but it’s something that needs to be said. It’s something I’ve been thinking about as I process what’s happening, trying to avoid reacting to little shards of good news as if they mean more than they do.
Because in reality, those small good moments are just fingers in the dike—briefly holding back the flood while the water keeps rising.
With that said, I do hope you all have a great weekend. I hope you do something fun and enjoyable, get some rest, and find moments of relaxation and joy.
But let’s also remember what lies ahead.
Thanks so much.
