A very nice lady, Barbara McQuade, a professor from The University of Michigan Law School, turned a phrase in an interview about her new book: “Attacks from Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America”. The phrase is “Tribe Over Truth”.

I’ve heard of “Truth over Tribe”, google it for it’s religious elements.

The Tribe over Truth phrase sums up modern American discourse: we believe what our tribe, our party, says over the realities, the truths confronting us. I do see it in some of the Democratic Party conversations, like when there is no real, honest rendering of Joe Biden’s age and condition. But those instances of Tribe Over Truth (TOT) are unique to political conversations and consistent to the story-telling aspects of all political debate, including hyperbole, obfuscation, misdirection, and omission. Perfectly acceptable, right?

But TOT on the right/far-right has gone beyond reason. In personal conversations with Trump supporters, there is often a “shut down” evident in the face of my conversational partners when discussing the cult-like power of–and the adoration for–Donald J Trump. Please note it is not Trump’s fault. As I opined in an earlier essay, he is doing a masterful job as a political candidate.

But his supporters are not equipped to consider “alternate facts” which are contrary to the Trump Tribe narrative. Again, not policy issues, just plain facts. Most Trump supporters, for example, still think he won the popular vote in the two elections Trump lost, one by 3 million votes and the second by 7 million votes. It is an astounding, baffling conversation to hear arguments and statements completely the opposite of those accepted facts. See how the MyPillow guy and the rest still cling to them. And some others: Obama was not an American citizen. Joe Biden is a puppet, Nancy Pelosi is head of a pedophile ring in DC.

To non-Trump supporters it makes rational discussion impossible, and even causes some on the Left/Far left to adopt the same ploy: just ignore truth and repeat lies. And political discourse is sent swirling down the shitter.

Tribe over Truth hasn’t just become an assault on facts, but a true method of “support group” activity. Almost as puzzling as watching truth get sidelined is how tightly the Trump Tribe circles the wagons and has each other’s backs. Attack a Trumper and watch what happens.

It is a truly remarkable societal/political phenomenon. One thing comes to mind: is there any way we could harness the TOT energy to actually solve problems? Imagine Donald Trump telling the tribe to love everyone, black, gay, democrat, immigrant…do you think the Tribe would turn on him?