Thread by @RexHuppke

1/ It seems inaccurate at this moment to call this the "United" States of America. Not only are we not united, we seem to be a people existing in two separate realities. In one, the #WhistleblowerComplaint is a matter of serious concern. In the other, the issue means nothing.

2/ Or perhaps it means something, but whatever that something is, it is rendered acceptable because there are — maybe, possibly, perhaps — other people out there who have done similar things, maybe, possibly, perhaps?

3/ That’s a childish argument, and it exists only in that side of our two realities. If you can look at the summary of Donald Trump’s phone call with the Ukrainian president and, knowing all we publicly know about Trump...

4/ ... and his character and his past, believe there wasn’t something fundamentally un-American about his behavior, there’s no point in us talking. If you excuse that by projecting, rightly or wrongly, similar behavior on another political figure, there's no point in us talking.

5/ Because those who exist in my reality recognize that one alleged bad action (maybe, possibly, perhaps?) does not in any way nullify a bad action (definitely, obviously, for sure) by the person currently running the country.

6/ We in this reality don’t like the president or approve of his behavior on any level. But we can also look objectively at information placed before us and say: “This is fundamentally wrong.”

7/ Those in the other reality seem to only view information through a lens that makes their choices seem right. That allows their support of Trump to still seem proper and just. That confirms their own bias that Trump is right and Trump’s detractors are not just wrong, but bad.

8/ The impeachment inquiry will move forward and, if the speed with which this is unfolding is any indication, it will continue to produce evidence of what appears to be an almost cartoonish level of corruption. There will also be missteps and oversteps.

9/ Just today, Rep. Adam Schiff began the House Intelligence Committee hearing by over-exaggerating Trump’s conversation with the Ukrainian president, something he later called “parody.” That was stupid. There’s no need to exaggerate anything here.

10/ The truth is crazy enough on its own, and all Schiff did was create noise and give those in the other reality a thing to seize on.

11/ But people in the Trump-is-infallible-and-even-if-he-did-something-bad-who-cares-becuase-someone-else-also-maybe-also-did-something-bad reality will be appalled only by the missteps, not by the facts that make Dear Leader look bad. They will stand by him, facts be damned.

12/ And that’s where we are as a country right now. I’m not saying those in my reality are perfect, not even close. But I can say with confidence that we are at least inhabiting a world where if we see the sky is blue, we won’t let a conman convince us it’s green.

13/ This will be the biggest challenge in the days ahead: Watching a serious matter unfold in America — not the United States of America but, for now, just America — when people in two different realities will be seeing two different things.

14/ I don’t know how this will pan out. I’d like to believe facts will prevail and we’ll begin a return to one common reality. But you’ll understand if I’m doubtful.

America may well be stuck this way for good. END