It occurs to me on reflection that the reason I cannot break through to many liberals is not just because we have different ideological points of view, although we clearly do. 

It's that they don't believe the evidence before their eyes, or perhaps think it is not reflective of reality in its totality, because they can't understand WHY the people who are manipulating them would do so. 

It is, in an odd way, at least somewhat related to what is usually a very good thing: social trust. Or, perhaps most particularly, their trust in the institutions that they see as the bedrocks of society and the defenders of civilization. 

Institutions like the press, the medical bureaucracies, the education system, academia, scientists, the media. We all know they are imperfect because they are human institutions, so we forgive mistakes, but liberals believe passionately in the idea that these institutions are fundamentally staffed by well-meaning people who share our values and are working to make a "more perfect union."

In other words, the cultural means of production is staffed by good people. Nonprofits are about helping people. SNAP is to feed people. You know the score. 

The press exists to "speak truth to power," root out corruption, and prevent democracy dying in darkness, as it were. The New York Times has "all the news that is fit to print," or that scientists would never manipulate or skew results. Bureaucrats may be inefficient, but they are trying to make society better. Government agencies want to eliminate homelessness. I could go on and on, but when a liberal opens The Atlantic or The New York Times, it is gospel. When they read Scientific American, they are learning true things. 

And, in a sense, their social trust is a good thing. High-trust societies flourish; low-trust societies become Somalia. 

Except that if you look at the evidence, these institutions bear zero resemblance to that ideal. None, zip, nada. 

Is there anything you could’ve done differently to address the fraud?

Tim Walz: “No… it was all make believe.”

Yeah, he dropped out of the Governors race over “make believe” fraud. ? pic.twitter.com/sntFKB7h4G

— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) January 29, 2026

There is no need for me to recapitulate arguments I have made many times in the past. By now, if you have read me or others here, you know that the media is Pravda, that the biggest stories are hoaxes, that our public health bureaucracy betrayed us—not got it wrong, but betrayed us—and that government programs help people only incidentally, if at all. For God's sake, 50%, at least, of Minnesota's Medicaid funding was STOLEN, and Tim Walz just called it a made-up story. 

Liberals are so brainwashed about some things that it is almost pointless to note that they cannot see the truth if it hits them in the face; Orange Man is bad so anything bad said about him must be true. 

But you would have thought that COVID, or most especially the Biden "sharp as a tack" hoax, would have opened an eye or two. The evidence slaps you in the face and kicks you in the groin, and yet they still trust the media. 

Why?

I've asked smart liberals why, and their response boils down to this: "Why would they lie to us?" "Why would government bureaucrats and politicians throw all this money at fraudsters?" "Why..."

Liberals hear promises from Democrats and they BELIEVE them! No amount of evidence can convince them otherwise, because...why? Why would they lie about their good intentions?

? OUCH: Gov. Shapiro Throws the Biden-Harris Admin Under the Bus

“They got that infrastructure bill passed to provide the BILLIONS of dollars that were needed to … connect everybody in Pennsylvania. Do you know how many people have been connected to high speed, affordable… pic.twitter.com/Zj4RQ53woD

— Chief Nerd (@TheChiefNerd) January 28, 2026

Gavin Newsom has a decent shot at becoming the next nominee of the Democratic Party, mostly because he looks good and says nice liberal things, and hates Orange Man. Did you know that he has a plan to eliminate homelessness? 

He does! He cares. 

He is 19 years into his 10-year plan to end homelessness, and homelessness is worse than ever, but he CARES. 

Liberals still believe that the people in the cultural means of production actually mean what they say, care about the things they say they do, and believe what they say. Why would they lie? They are the good guys! They are KIND! 

It occurs to me that if we somehow got people to take the WHAT, not the WHY, as the first thing to consider, somebody somewhere might see. There have been a bunch of former liberals who have, in the past couple of years, completely flipped when the light bulb went off. Some of the most avid conservative influencers are the red-pilled liberals. 

But first they had to accept that the WHAT they were seeing mattered first. Explaining WHY these people are doing such awful things comes later. Instead of asking why they would lie and hurt people, look at what they are DOING. Is Portland better or worse after years of liberal rule? Chicago? Seattle? 

Are our schools doing better now? Why are fewer children able to read and do math despite the trillion dollars we pour in every year? Is the science more reliable? Is the media more trustworthy? 

Why is the California high-speed rail project billions into its construction with no prospect of ever seeing a single train run? Why no EV charging stations? No high-speed internet? Why does a "secure" border allow 12-20 million illegal aliens in just four years? 

Why? Don't ask why first, get a good long look at reality, marinate in it, and realize FIRST that yes, you have been lied to and robbed. 

And then, ask the people who have spent years trying to understand the why. We can explain it to you, but first reconcile yourself to the fact that, for whatever reason, the people in the cultural means of production destroy everything they touch. 

Editor's note: If we thought our job in pushing back against the Academia/media/Democrat censorship complex was over with the election, think again. This is going to be a long fight. If you want to join the conversation in the comments -- and support independent platforms -- why not join our VIP Membership program? Choose VIP to support Hot Air and access our premium content, VIP Gold to extend your access to all Townhall Media platforms and participate in this show, or VIP Platinum to get access to even more content and discounts on merchandise. Use the promo code FIGHT to join or to upgrade your existing membership level today, and get 60% off!