“I am truly heartbroken but until my President Trump tells me it is over I will continue to pray for him and for pro life.”

That is a Facebook comment by a Trump supporter (a person I do not know), lamenting the outcome of the election. I saw it about a week ago, and it troubled me enough to draft a blog that turned into a rant, which I decided not to post. Let things work themselves out, I told myself.

Well, things are not working themselves out. At least not as the president and his associates want them to work out. That is why there is a rally on the National Mall today in support of the President, one that he has encouraged (and apparently drove by on his way to play golf).

Despite the fact of no credible evidence to question the results of the November 3 election, the Trump team continues to search for ways to discount those results. Moreover, they deliberately stand in the path of an orderly transition to a new administration, putting our nation at risk.

The post reveals at least part of what’s going on here. Its writer is “heartbroken,” as if the life of a beloved friend or relative had come to a tragic end. The writer will believe what has happened only when “my President Trump tells me it is over.” (What up with the my in that phrase?) The writer will “continue to pray for him and for pro-life,” revealing what they believe is primarily at stake, and for which they are willing to ignore all other sources of information until my President validates them.

I am not suggesting that all of Trump’s supporters are so fanatical and nearly cultic as that person, but I do think this comment represents a large segment of his “base,” much of it worshipping in evangelical churches. Consider the emotional parallels between that Facebook comment and this old hymn:

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses,

And the voice I hear falling on my ear, The Son of God discloses.

And He walks with me and He talks with me,

And He tells me I am his own…

I am his, and he is mine, and we walk lockstep together. Nothing will ever sever that bond. And more rational and thoughtful Trump supporters who are not so tightly tied to him emotionally are afraid to admit to anything that might anger his base.

President Trump’s ability to capture some people’s unthinking loyalty is phenomenal. It is so phenomenal that they can apparently be convinced to ignore or deny realities that are slapping our nation and the world in the face. The pandemic and climate change are two of the most obvious. If you cannot see what’s happening unless Donald Trump tells you to see it, then what hope is there for you and for our democracy?

Power tends to blind leaders to the daily challenges and struggles of ordinary people. Nancy Pelosi had to be told that hosting a dinner party in the capitol during a pandemic is a dangerous thing to do. At least she listened. But why didn’t she know that instinctively, when out here in Ohio we are being told not to share Thanksgiving dinner with our families?

Here’s the bottom line: it is not up to President Trump (or Nancy Pelosi, for that matter) to decide “when it’s over.” It was up to us, and we voted, and Trump was defeated both in the popular and the electoral votes. If some credible facts come to light that change that, we will have to accept it. It’s what we do. In the meantime, it’s time to stop playing games with our democracy and our security, and move ahead.

(Note: I am weary of being told that Democrats did not accept the results of Trump’s election four years ago. Democrats did not like the results, and were troubled by the fact that although Trump lost the popular vote, he won the electoral vote. But I do not recall Democrats questioning the integrity of the election process itself, something Trump has made a career of doing.)