Gaslighting, or Just Plain Lying About Democrats and the Pledge of Allegiance

Trump flat-out lies so often that it is hard to keep up with rebuttals. He lies even when you can see and hear the truth. Today’s egregious example is his tweet claiming that Democrats “took the word GOD out of the Pledge of Allegiance at the Democrat National Convention.” That’s a lie. 100 percent false.

Here are links to video from the Pledge at the Democratic National Convention each night. Click and you can see for yourself.

• Night 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGVwc02FEaQ&feature=youtu.be&t=254  (Pledge of Allegiance at minute 4:16)
• Night 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFfw0-vE-7I&feature=youtu.be&t=3381 (Pledge of Allegiance at minute 56)
• Night 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkqZayMXlwY&feature=youtu.be&t=530 (Pledge of Allegiance at minute 8:50)
• Night 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9sYe1nkyT8&feature=youtu.be&t=4 (Pledge of Allegiance at minute 0:07)

Gaslighting, PRI explains, “intentionally makes someone doubt their memories or perception of reality.”

That’s what Donald Trump and his followers try to do to the rest of the country do every day.

The term comes from the 1944 movie, Gaslight, which was based on a 1938 play of the same name. In the movie, Charles Boyer plays Gregory, the husband of Paula (Ingrid Bergman). Vox summarizes:

“Gregory tells her that she’s becoming forgetful and fitful, acting in irregular ways. He confines her to the house, and tells everyone she’s not well. At night she hears knocking in the walls. She sees the gas lighting dim. But he tells her she’s imagining things….

“The term ‘gaslighting’ comes from the movie, and so its definition is rather specific: when a person lies for their own gain to another person so repeatedly and with so much confidence that the victim begins to doubt her own sanity.”

When the president tells outright lies, over and over, people are tempted to think there is some basis in fact. Maybe he is exaggerating something that really happened? Maybe he got one thing wrong, but there’s something right?

Nope. He lies, often, shamelessly, and for his own benefit.

It’s time to take back the truth.