It’s wrong to define any group by the actions of some outrageous, but obscure, member. There are Democrats who are rabidly anti-vax, and Democrats who hold all manner of racist, sexist, or equally unpleasant positions. But finding those people takes a search, because those outliers are not leaders of the national party, at the center of Democratic fundraising efforts, or frequently held up at  at gatherings of Democrats as the future of the party.

But consider this cluster of interviews, from members of the Republican Party who are viewed as national leaders by that party, and who are using that position of leadership to spread what are—at best—harmful lies, if not sick delusions that create genuine danger to other Americans.

First up, Michael Flynn. Once the National Security Advisor, and before that the Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Flynn is the man who shaped much of the strategy behind America’s counterintelligence operations. He’s also the man who not only lied to the FBI and got away with it because Bill Barr forced U.S. attorneys to drop the charges, but the man who met with Donald Trump  at the White House following Trump’s defeat and urged him to suspend the Constitution while having the military conduct a new election. 

And now … 

This is Flynn explaining that COVID-19 doesn’t affect other countries, that the entire pandemic is a hoax, and that the virus was created in order to give them a distraction from the election and force people to hand over control of their bodies. Because voluntarily getting a vaccination is just like people being told they can’t control their own reproductive health.

Flynn also seems inclined to believe that COVID-19 only came into existence just before the election, but there’s plenty of delusion in everything else he says to simply let that slide.

If what Flynn was saying here seems like it might be one of those oddball outliers from the fringes of delusion-land, similar positions were being advanced by numerous Republican officials both before and after the election. Here’s Virginia Rep. Bob Good back in December, right in the middle of the biggest nationwide spike in COVID-19 cases, telling his people how they “get it” by refusing to believe in a “phony” pandemic.

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Good also tells his audience that as many people die in car accidents as have died from COVID-19, which is only off by a factor of 10, and that cars are not regulated. Because seat belts, air bags, and safety tests are absolutely not a thing.

And of course, any discussion of the Republican Party would not be complete without the party’s leader, Marjorie Taylor Greene. Here’s Greene explaining how Nancy Pelosi asking members of Congress to wear a mask in the House is exactly like Jews being rounded up during the Holocaust. 

And just for bonus points, let Madison Cawthorn explain how America would have lost the Revolutionary War if … if … Sorry, there’s no way to explain. Other than the part where Cawthorn says “the signs are clear, masks don’t work.” Which isn’t just wrong, but dangerously wrong. Which is kind of theme of this whole thing.

Pretty sure the British surrendered to George Washington because they were defeated. Had he shown up to the negotiations wearing a Batman costume, it would have been, well, suspiciously anachronistic … but they still would have surrendered. 

At least 600,000 Americans are dead. The real number is probably somewhere on the high side of 900,000. Out of the top 10 states in terms of cases of COVID-19 per capita, nine are states with Republican governors, and eight are states Donald Trump won in 2020. This is a pandemic not only devastated the nation’s health and economy; it did so right in front of the Republican base.

But Republicans are still not just refusing to face reality, but gaining money and influence within their party by deliberately denying reality. Which is genuinely funny … just not in a “ha ha” way.