Imagine if it was Barack Obama With Stolen Documents.

The right wing meltdown would be unprecedented.

Photo by Joshua Sukoff on Unsplash

As news of the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago continues to dominate the news cycle, watching the right wing response has been interesting to say the least. Whether it comes from their pundits on FOX or OAN, or Representatives like Marjorie Greene or Paul Gosar, it’s been clear that yet again, those who have planted themselves firmly in Donald Trump’s corner over the years have not hesitated to up the ante and even incite violence.

Given what the right wing has devolved into even within just the past few years, it should come as no surprise that a rabid Trump supporter literally attempted to breach the FBI office in Cincinnati and was killed in an arm standoff in a cornfield not long after.

As all of this unfolds, it’s sort of surreal to think about what the reaction would be like on the right wing if the roles were reversed. Imagine if Barack Obama had stolen classified documents, or even allegedly done so, and was under investigation for it like Donald Trump. Imagine if one of his supporters had then attempted to breach an FBI office and was involved in a stand off with the police afterwards. Imagine, as has been reported, that it was nuclear documents Obama was accused of stealing.

I literally cannot even begin to wrap my head around the full fledged, unhinged meltdown we would see from the right wing if Barack Obama was in Donald Trump’s shoes, facing the same accusations and investigations. He wouldn’t even have to be guilty. The mere accusation would be enough to light the country on fire for a base that is so clearly looking for war. It would be headline news on every right wing outlet for the foreseeable future, and there’s not a doubt in my mind that he would be facing serious threats to his life. The right wing would be after his head and the head of anyone linked to him, and I don’t think any of them would even deny it.

At this point, I often find myself wondering how we can coexist with these people.

How can we function in a society that has become so polarized that a significant portion of those among us don’t even want to acknowledge reality, so deep within their own echo chambers that they literally view…