The Big Lie

 If you tell a lie big enough, loud enough and often enough, some people will start to believe it. -- Attributed in various forms to Adolph Hitler and Joseph Goebbels.

   There was a time in American journalism not long ago that the L word was almost never used in print or broadcast media. Moreover, in personal conversation, calling someone a liar would quickly get the user punched out. Beginning several years ago, however, untruths spread by Donald Trump became so blatant, so often and so easily disproven that journalists and commentators began using the L word consistently. In short, he lies and here's the truth.
   In the 1930s, propaganda disseminated by Nazi politicians in Germany used the technique consistently, defending it by accusing the British government of telling lies and insisting that their version was the truth.
   The term "big lie" reportedly was coined by Adolph Hitler in his 1925 book, "Mein Kampf."
   Recently in America, Donald Trump began using this strategy even before he was elected in 2016, claiming that the only way he could lose would be if there was massive fraud throughout the nation.
   In fact, he did lose the popular vote, but took the office of the presidency by winning the electoral vote. Even so, he continued to insist that he really did win the popular vote also, even as he became president.
   Four years later, he lost both the popular vote and the electoral vote, but claimed that was only because of massive fraud throughout the nation. His supporters filed some sixty appeals to state and federal courts to  overturn the electoral college tally. All were rejected, as well as two that reached the Supreme Court, which included three justices nominated by Trump himself. Moreover, both Supreme Court appeals were rejected unanimously.
   This did not stop him from continuing his efforts to remain in office, however. He actively endorsed a rally by supporters at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on January 6, the day Congress was to formally count the electoral college vote and endorse Joe Biden as the next president.
   The result of his endorsement was an attack by demonstrators on the Capitol, forcing Congress to shelter as the National Guard and police were called in to repel the assault and uphold the result. Biden was inaugurated as scheduled on January 20, but Trump did not attend.
   Since then, Trump has repeated his claim that he really did win, but it was only through fraud that Biden became president. Meanwhile, the use of the term "the big lie" has become common in news reports, both by commentators and among traditional news journalists who report fact and whether claims are true.
   This, however, has not stopped many in the Trump corner to continue to insist there was widespread fraud in the vote count.
   In addition, they have begun claiming that the events of January 6, documented by video of the insurrection, did not happen. News reports show Trump supporters saying this, but they also show video of the insurrection next to the the claims of denial.