Jeff Denham’s Supporters: Analysis by Bruce Frohman

No matter what Congressman Jeff Denham says or does, the politician has a dedicated cadre of supporters who cannot and will not be swayed to vote for anyone else. They are proud of their loyalty and may defend their opinion to the point of incivility.

Mr. Denham’s supporters are not deplorable. They are not evil people. They are not stupid. They have a viewpoint that they strongly believe in. They hold onto the viewpoint thru an ideology that has been instilled by parents and their peers, with help from politicians, the media, the internet, and religious leaders.

The Denham supporter belief system is diametrically opposed to the political opposition. There is no compromise or middle ground for agreement. Politicians leading the country have been working for more than two decades to harden their supporters’ positions through ever more radical tactics.

Congressman Denham is a master at promoting political correctness in the name of Conservatism even though he does not hold true conservative values. He constantly reinforces stereotypes about the opposition and repeats the narrative to which his followers subscribe.

Local citizens who don’t subscribe to the belief systems of conservative or liberal ideology are called Independents. These outsiders are generally perceived as fair game as far as the truth is concerned. Any statement, whether true or not, is generally accepted by those inside the hardened camps as doctrine. Winning is more important than truth. The opposition is considered evil and must be destroyed. Coopting Independents is the best hope for electoral victory.

Mr. Denham’s supporters watch Fox News or listen to conservative talk Radio almost exclusively. They believe Fox has a monopoly on the truth and anything not on Fox must be fake news. Independents watch any and all news channels in an effort to find out what is going on. Liberals watch channels that best fit their belief system. All news channels mix propaganda in with their news stories.

Since President Donald Trump is portrayed on Fox as the best President in history and Denham’s supporters watch Fox exclusively, Denham’s supporters must vote for Denham because he supports Trump. Every time Democratic opponent Josh Harder puts out a mailer saying Denham votes with Trump 97.2 percent of the time, Harder bolsters the resolve of Denham supporters.

In the past two years, Fox News has promoted a number of conspiracy theories involving liberals. Websites like Breitbart provide confirmation of the conspiracy theories for Fox and vice versa. Creative writers are thereby able to manipulate the thinking of the faithful followers.

Conservatives maintain that Liberals do the same thing only it is the Liberals who lie.  Conservatives would never lie to other Conservatives to keep power, would they? As time goes by and the deception multiplies throughout the information ether, getting the real truth becomes more difficult for everyone.

Denham’s Support among the Religious Right

Liberals ask incredulously how religious people can support evil politicians like lying Denham and immoral Trump. The religious have a perfectly logical reason to justify their support.

Many religious people see Democrats and Liberals as living an immoral lifestyle with immoral values. They see their prejudices against gay people and those with loose sexual morals as adhering to God’s will. They would prefer to follow a conservative doctrine than side with groups they perceive as immoral, even if they have to elect their own immoral politicians.

When one attempts to point out that President Trump appears to have committed immoral acts, a ready answer is at hand. In the Bible, it says that the holy should obey our leaders and pay our taxes. God allowed Donald Trump to be our leader, so we shall accept him until he is turned out of office by God. And since Jeff Denham votes with Donald Trump, we must support him.

What Jeff Denham has accomplished as a representative for District 10 does not matter to the religious. The involuntary separation of immigrant children from their parents does not matter. Tax breaks for the wealthy to the detriment of the poor do not matter.

What matters is that the sinners in the political opposition be defeated at any cost, even if fellow Christians are hurt in the process. They believe they are fulfilling God’s will. That belief is promoted by the leaders of their respective church groups.

The Bible warning of, “Beware false prophets,” has been completely ignored or overlooked. If one mentions this passage to the religious, the believer will confidently assert that the religious leader providing guidance is infallible. Thus, the belief system is set in stone, yet easily manipulated by self-proclaimed prophets.

The writer of this article is neither Republican nor Democrat, neither liberal nor conservative. The application of labels is divisive and counterproductive in the discussion of politics. Labels are used solely to divide people and stop discussion. The labeling tactic has enabled a Congress with an approval rating of only 10 percent to gain re-election for several cycles.

Only when people resume voting in their own self-interest, rather than by label, will improvement be seen in the overall well-being of the country. United we stand, divided we fall is not just a slogan.