I don’t blame people for believing their own BS. It’s hard not to do. I’m probably guilty of it at times.

What bothers me is when people expect others to believe their BS, especially when the others in question hold a very different view of the world. That kind of mindset is egocentric and carries authoritarian overtones.

In this article, a Washington Post reporter, Jesus Rodriguez, tries his best to explain why conservative politicians who have been highly critical of Donald Trump are nonetheless supporting him for president, now that he will be the Republican nominee. “They were highly critical of Trump, but they’re still voting for him,” reads the subtitle of the article (paper edition).

The same could have been written in the case of any candidate for president who had to battle serious opponents for his or her party’s nomination. It certainly could have been written about the support many of Bernie Sanders’ prominent backers offered to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.