Matthew Sheffield is a conservative Christian journalist who became disillusioned with the Republican Party and right-wing journalism. I read an essay he wrote a couple of years ago comparing mainstream media, which he had once believed was liberal, with the conservative media ecosystem.
According to Sheffield, mainstream media was about process. They may have had a left-leaning bias, but in almost all cases, they went where the facts led them, they followed widely accepted journalistic standards, and they reported what they found, regardless of who it hurt or benefited.
By contrast, conservative media outlets were outcome oriented. More often than not, they decided what story they wanted to report, and then they only paid attention to facts that bolstered that story. In the end, the resulting story they reported was what mattered to them, not the process they used to get there. Their conservative readers and viewers didn’t want their chosen media platform to challenge their beliefs. They would only accept stories that confirmed what they already believed.
This outcome over process methodology is at the heart of many of the differences we see between conservatives and liberals, and by extension, Republicans and Democrats. It’s the difference that makes all of the difference in our politics.
A good example of this concept at work can be seen in Donald Trump’s many civil and criminal trials. For Trump, as with any civil or criminal defendant, due process is essential to having a fair and just outcome of their trial. And like all civil and criminal defendants, Trump was afforded due process.
In the criminal trial where he was convicted of 34 felonies, an investigation was conducted, evidence was presented to a grand jury, an indictment was issued, a trial date was set taking into account his schedule, a jury was selected with input from his attorneys, witnesses were called by both sides and both sides were allowed to question the witnesses, the jury that Trump’s attorneys helped select deliberated over the evidence and unanimously found him guilty on all charges. The legally dictated process was followed. The outcome was a result of that process.
But talk to a Trump supporter and they will ignore the due process Trump was afforded and instead talk about who financially supported the campaign of the prosecuting attorney. They will bring up the political affiliation of the judge’s daughter. They’ll claim that the jury was rigged and the witnesses against Trump lied (although the witnesses for Trump were beyond reproach). They’ll make the unfounded accusation that Biden weaponized the Department of Justice to go after Trump, despite the fact that the charges against Trump were state charges, the trial was held in a state court prosecuted by attorneys for the state, and the Department of Justice had nothing to do with the case.
Those who support Trump are not concerned with the process that was followed and legally mandated to insure the fairest trial possible. The only thing they care about is the outcome. And when the outcome wasn’t what they wanted, they went on the attack, defending Trump and making excuses for his conviction.
This attitude of outcome over process can be seen in the calls to “lock her up” at Trump rallies. It can be seen in the call to deport immigrants, including those who are in the country legally. It can be seen in Trump’s pledge to prosecute his political opponents. No process is required, such as the breaking of an applicable law, a trial, a vigorous defense, etc. If Trump says it, then it should be done, regardless of process.
Of course, this attitude extends to the election as well. In 2020, Trump’s own administration acknowledged that the presidential election was the freest and fairest in our country’s history. Despite that fact, Trump and his supporters refused to accept the results of the election. The process didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was the outcome.
Trump is already setting the stage to claim voter fraud in the 2024 election, and he has all but said that, unless he wins, he will not accept the outcome. He routinely tells anyone who will listen that the only way he can lose the election is if Kamala Harris and the Democrats cheat. He provides no proof for this claim, yet his supporters parrot it.
The electoral process (there’s that word again) is set up to provide the fairest results possible while still making voting convenient for American citizens. History has proven that there is no outcome-determinative fraud in early voting, mail-in voting, or in-person voting. We have seen the proof of this in election after election. Yet Trump and his supporters attack the process, claiming widespread fraud without providing any evidence, and claiming that, unless he wins, the election is rigged.
Process is provided for in nearly every aspect of democracy. But Trump and his followers have abandoned process (except when it favors them) in favor of outcome. They don’t want to follow the process before achieving a result. They simply want to dictate the outcome, with no regard for process. This, in a nutshell, is the difference between democracy and fascism. And if Trump is elected, process will take a backseat to his desired outcome, regardless or the rule of law or our established traditions.
