I Underestimated the Religious Right

When I reread the prologue of my 2021 book, A More Perfect Union, I’m reminded just how badly so many of us underestimated the backlash that followed the racial awakening of 2020 — and how durable the forces of grievance, fear, and economic dislocation have become. I wrote about my hope that Trump’s Big Lie and his corresponding efforts to overturn the 2020 election results would serve as a wake-up call to protect and strengthen our democracy. Yet that lie only got worse and our urgent calls to save our democracy failed to break through. I hoped that lessons from the pandemic would inspire a greater commitment to build a more equitable economy, yet the backlash against shutdowns and vaccines seemingly exacerbated our culture wars and individualism.