This morning began with a CNN headline story by fact checker Daniel Dale, titled “Six days of Trump lies about the Hurricane Helene response.” Dale noted that Republican nominee for president Donald Trump has been one of the chief sources of the disinformation that has badly hampered recovery efforts.
I swear to God that your posts make me so angry I am beside myself. Perverting democracy, indeed. This dirty tricks stuff is a total outrage. Isn't there anyway I can sue DJT for ruining my mood?
I feel that. Here’s some constructive stuff for after we’ve taken some deep breaths together!
There are a few potential strategies for countering authoritarian "big lies":
1. Consistent fact-checking and debunking: Systematically refuting false claims with credible evidence and reliable sources. This needs to be done repeatedly as lies are often repeated.
2. Inoculation: Preemptively warning people about potential misinformation and explaining the techniques used to spread it. This can make people more resistant to false narratives.
3. Promoting media literacy: Teaching critical thinking skills and how to evaluate information sources can help people identify propaganda and misinformation themselves.
4. Amplifying credible voices: Elevating trusted experts, journalists, and community leaders who can authoritatively counter false narratives.
5. Addressing underlying grievances: Big lies often exploit real societal issues. Acknowledging and working to resolve legitimate concerns can reduce their power.
6. Maintaining strong democratic institutions: Independent courts, free press, and fair elections make it harder for big lies to take hold.
7. Creating compelling counter-narratives: Simply denying a lie isn't always effective. Offering an alternative, factual narrative that's emotionally resonant can be more persuasive.
8. International cooperation: Coordinating with allies to present a united front against transnational disinformation campaigns.
The most effective approach often involves a combination of these strategies, tailored to the specific context and nature of the "big lie" being countered. It's also important to note that countering entrenched beliefs can be challenging and may require sustained effort over time.
I wish all teachers taught students to think critically. Many Trump followers clearly never learned how to think critically. It’s a skill we definitely need these days.
It has been my experience as a former teacher, that teachers who teach critical thinking are considered a threat to their more conventionally, less critically thinking colleagues and administrators. Without Administrator support you cannot continue because parents who are upset will be validated.
People who think critically are treated as misfits, and outliers as well. People do not want to be challenged or have their little reality bubbles burst.
There is always a set of teachers (usually in the coaching corner unfortunately) who want to sit around the teachers' room and bullshit, often praising those athletes who are not stellar individuals who bully other students and can be a horror to their siblings. They have their aids grade their tests which do not require any kind of critical thinking. Now there are standardized tests which do nothing but enrich testing companies and label schools as low performing. Here in Oregon the Department of Ed just put out the results of test scores and wouldn't you know, students (especially poorer or minority) students are struggling. The poor results are headlines everywhere. Here in Salem we have a large minority population in the school district and that is reflected in the scores.
Linda W: while that's often true there are approaches that can help work through the resistance. One of Gandhi's great spiritual insights is that non-violence (lack of desire or intent to harm) and truth are two sides of the same coin. That single insight can quickly help identify a lot of dis-information.
There is a possible silver lining. Republicans have created a climate of fear where many are afraid to speak out for fear of being attacked. In the privacy of the voting booth, they could express themselves in a way that will shock the pollsters and Republican establishment.
I was a teacher years ago , now retired, and I can tell you that some of the students were strongly influenced by Rush Limbaugh and his attacks on the media, liberals and science. He was a master at spreading disinformation and he did more damage than we know, helping to prepare them to accept a charlatan as a truth teller. Trump became the beneficiary of his propaganda.
There's quite an interesting documentary available on Amazon Prime titled "The Brainwashing of My Dad." It explicitly calls out Limbaugh and details the steps he took that pushed people far right. It explains a LOT about MAGA and the propaganda techniques being used today.
Just happened to find an old email I sent that included the worst part (listening to the 3 hours a day of Rush Limbaugh, away from FM channel coverage) during the 17 months I spent traveling 170,000 miles through the US and Canada, in otherwise great travel. I had visited the Steinbeck Museum before starting and read about his time as a War Correspondent (I even named my truck Rocinante like his, though I did so from the Mr Magoo version of "Don Quixote").
Long before anyone feared Sinclair Broadcasting, I put in a 17 month stint as an OTR driver, my version of an Aussie aboriginal Walk About, Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie, or Bill Moyers “Listening to America” 13,000 mile ground level trip. It was, to me, a series of trips that totaled 170,000 miles in 17 months, through 46 states and 4 trips to Canada to see as much of the country and people in it much closer up, actually talk to a lot of them. I'd already done about 60,000 miles in Vietnam and Thailand, though a lot of that was catching rides in anything that flew or went by road, very few watercraft, and no animals I can remember.
I really liked 99.9% of all the people I met. What I didn't like so much, was radios that played 3 hours of Rush Limbaugh then so many other RW propagandists everywhere I went except a few cities (and truck stops where you took your life in your hands if you dared suggest they watch anything but Jerry Springer). The individuals I met had a lot of varying views and particular perspectives on problems that did not match the radio tidal waves of blaming "other" people, the people I met would not be so hard on for any individuals they knew in the groups they were being encouraged to hate. Breitbart seems to promote a lot of those who encourage blind hate.
[The better imaginable sources of information were shown at a presentation I had just been at when I wrote the email]
The meeting I went to described the presenter thus: "Peter Meisen founded the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI) in 1991 to conduct research and education on the interconnection of electric networks between nations and continents..."
The World Resources Simulation Center technology approach is to create more high-tech, strategic planning and event facilities where you can literally "see" the critical regional and business trends, the relationships between issues and make informed choices more quickly. For far more suggested uses (outside of Military C&C, Missile Warning and SAC Command Post ones I was familiar with), especially education and large interdisciplinary conferences (including average public observers/contributors), see wrsc.org
It was inspired by Buckminster Fuller's Biosphere (now a Museum) built for the 1967 Montreal World Fair, Expo 67, an early version of what Command and Control centers feature with many large displays to graphically convey information rapidly for those with no time to read and digest so many interrelationships between different sources. Putin built a massive new one in 2015, even Proctor and Gamble has one to help sell soap. The CIA seemed to be trying to build a Climate threat group but that hasn't been heard from since.
If the Government can't build it, I'm all for American entrepreneurs setting up such facilities where they follow what Peter Meisen got out of Bucky Fuller as useful advice, "Find out what's wanted, and needed," and go for it. They spoke of thinking differently form whatever got us into problems, to me, thinking outside the boxes, helped by looking outside all the boxes to see what bigger overviews can reveal when you look over as many boxes as you can. Some Russian emigre's brought over TRIZ at the end of the Cold War, literally: "theory of the resolution of invention-related tasks") is "a problem-solving, analysis and forecasting tool derived from the study of patterns of invention in the global patent literature." I believe Katherine Poehlmann from RAND and a few other of our original members of the Society for Concurrent Engineering attended a meeting where we first heard of it. It was used by Ford I believe, but was not as openly incorporated here as it could have been (in my view from not wanting to appear to be learning too much from Russians). I believe the SCPDNET (Concurrent Product Development) is the more recognized proponent of concurrent perspectives in narrower fields where it pays off in product development of those which will prove to have longer life cycles before being obsolete, long enough to pay back the development costs.
I'll have to spend more time looking up the Rocky Mountain Institute for the ways they look at business interest reality checks, and how they might participate in broader presentations using facilities like them.
If you go through some of the WRSC links you can find out more about how a similar, multi-large display "Technology Enabled Active Learning" application is being used and improved, something with a bit more personal connection to someone I met. See https://icampus.mit.edu/projects/teal/
Our friend, Katie Vale, was involved in a lot of MIT projects (I think for 15 years), before she worked at Harvard before finally going to Bates where "...Vale’s other accomplishments included the introduction of a high-capacity computing cluster for Bates faculty working with big data; strengthening of the library’s longstanding collaborations with Colby and Bowdoin; a collaborative project with the Dean of the Faculty to create a public, searchable online directory of Bates faculty and their areas of academic expertise; creation of a digital animation studio in Pettigrew Hall; completion of a new Academic Resource Commons in Ladd Library; and a partnership with the College Store to reduce textbook costs..." according to https://www.bates.edu/news/2016/12/01/katie-vale-passes-at-age-51/
Going to the link above: "...Bates’ HPCC, however, is designed as a “community-based resource as opposed to one that would just benefit specific faculty members,” explains Andrew White, director of academic and client services for Information and Library Services. “Ours is for anyone who has the need to examine data in a deep way...”
That's the spirit of Katie I got to know a bit of, from talking to real people, not listening to talk radio.
My dad and i argued about Rush. He listened to him and was unhappy that I didn't. Swear words ensued. I just hope he would have seen through death star. My second stepmother also instituted a scanner, so they heard all the police and emergency calls which gives people a distorted view of what is going on.
To illustrate DJT's perverseness, DJT a gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential Medal-Of-Freedom... Wasn't Rush busted for selling Oxycontin at one point? Like DJT, Rush Limbaugh was a Performance Artist....
How can someone who relies on lies to confirm their bias or prejudice ever learn to think critically? Lies fuel and reinforce people's fears and hatred. How did Hitler manage to rise to power? The Germans were educated, not ignorant, yet they accepted the Big Lie because it validated their fears and hatred.
"[Soviets]... created false parties to further splinter the opposition..."
It is an American tragedy that the Green party is lead by Jill Stein - who rejects voting as a collective exercise in taking power and pushes voting as an individual exercise in personal expression. Stein's leftish-wing vote splitting elects Republicans. Stein has turned the Green party into an ally of MAGAGRU. It is no surprise Stein is a favorite of Putin media. Parties are built from the ground up. Some local Green candidates have succeeded and done well. But Stein's once every four years ego trip is a disservice to the party - and obviously to the nation and planet.
And yes, it is a puzzle that otherwise educated and concerned citizens fall in line rather than voting strategically and taking power. Even incremental Democratic progress is better than GOP corporate clerical nihilism.
I'm sure it's an uphill battle for those who are trying to teach critical thinking skills. Many students come from homes that emphasize religion, which encourages followers not to think, and beliefs or fears that focus on facts if they're distasteful is threatening to the whole structure. Many people tend to believe what they want to be true, instead actually accepting what is true. If one's parents function like this, it's much harder to develop critical thinking skills.
"critical thinking skills" Wellll, you have to get up to thinking before you train for critical thinking. Right? Try a reflexive move to critically think about thinking. Be sure to add in some critical thinking about who the "I" is that has the needed agency to do this so called thinking. I'll suggest that if originality has anything to do with thinking then there isn't much if any of it going on. Ask any number of people what is it to think and see if any are thinking for themselves or even thinking.
Yes. It's called teaching with intentionality. If I do -------, then this will happen. Problem solving works best when done with present moment intention.
Me too. I did my masters thesis on Creativity. And creativity is really just problem solving, critical thinking, thinking outside the box. Thanks to all "former teachers" who picked up on this.
As a retired librarian I am always interested in truth and do not understand how so many people, family included, are so stupidly ignorant to believe the garbage thrown about. This is far more than different sides of an issue.
You need those who will create the impression of "bad people" or "godless people" or "socialists" to spur on a following. Anything taught as a threat for susceptible people will catch fire. Evangelicals for instance. Anti-vaxxers, anti-government, 2nd amendment loyalists... and look how doomsday "walking head" and other apocalyptic entertainments have caught on. Of course, evangelicals are deeply into believing they are surrounded by a world of Satan's minions, by default these days.
The problem with critical thinking is that it also depends on trusted sources apart from trusted principles and what people are inclined to believe in in the first place. No easy task!
Actually, critical thinking can be taught at a very simple level and ramped up into more complicated material. I worked in educational publishing when we created lots of workbooks to do just that. I wonder if they still sell today. The amusing thing to me is that we did teachers guides for an imagined "Coach Jones,"who got thrown a social studies class. Seems clear to me that Coach Walz is doing better than most politicians on teaching the basics. And maybe there are still some teachers like him out there, too.
Want to bring back liberal arts and civics classes? WIN THE DAMN ELECTION.
"Persuadable" voters who need government benefits slit their own throats (euphemistically) by voting Republican.
Your lesson plan: teach them via social media. Repeat "don't slit your own throat," "not suckers or losers," "Trump hates dogs" daily for the next 30 days as comments.
Pointing this out has made me look into it and I find that Duke University offers "Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization" through Coursera. I have taken several courses through Coursera and most classes are free as long as you don't require a certificate. Spread the word, ask your children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews to take these courses.
I taught them to third grade students. We also learned about respetfully disagreeing, and the difference between fact and opinion. If eight year olds can learn this, adults should be held to account for disseminating misinformation and spewing hate when they don't like another's opinion.
Great list, however for any of those strategies to be effective we need the misinformed to actually listen. How many MAGA types have any of us been able to get to listen to reason let alone actually convince that they are being played? I fear that only the choir is listening to our prayers for a complete rejection of the MAGA creed.
Neil, I would note I view Ryan’s listing as including highly effective tools for reaching an increasingly broader range of voters situated between the extremes. Additionally, I believe, by representing the interests and concerns of an increasingly wider range of people, we render MAGA increasingly irrelevant.
Yep, tribal is the name of the game here. I could find more refined terms like social bias / solidarity and so on, but tribal gets closer to the gut feelings here i feel.
Yup, Frank, tribal is a good word for it. It is deeper than logic and preceded logic in our evolution. For the vast majority of human development you were more likely to perish if you got separated from your tribe than if you failed to be logical. Logic has been an "add-on" in human development. The "scientific method" itself didn't fully appear until well into the Renaissance with all the preceding human epochs spent with tribalism, superstition and habit.
I am very fearful that Trumps campaign of disinformation and lies is working, especially with the timing of Helene which doesn’t allow much time for people to sort things out. Additionally, it seems like the press is giving him much more coverage than VP Harris. That said, I have seen democratic politicians, influencers and citizens using the techniques you outline which hopefully is enough to counter the negative impact of all the false messaging.
I would take it further Neil. We can do all the teaching we can manage and all the warning that seems essential, we will always be left with those who don't or can't learn, those who feel a vested interest in not accepting what they were taught, not heeding warnings. Just look at all those who fail to evacuate when authorities warn them clearly of the need to do so, those who rebuild in flood-prone or storm prone areas. They apparently have sufficient incentive to not "learn", to not heed clear warnings or even past experience! Humans are complex, often puzzling, often doing what we least expect they will do.
Unfortunately, rationality provides a strong protection against lies and disinformation but is not an effective antidote to the poison, once swallowed.
Any suggestions on what to do once swallowed? I had jury duty recently and 3 of the 12 jurists simply refused to believe the facts of the case which were blatantly obvious. They clung to conspiracy theories. Two days of deliberations, the trial ended with a hung jury. It gave me insight into how the lies take over a person’s mind.
Maybe judges need to employ psychiatrists and/or clinical psychologists as assessors when it comes to jury selection.
This work demands a basic ability to follow rational arguments, regardless of whether or not we like the upshot, regardless, in other words, of our beliefs and prejudices.
I believe you! And, back when, juries "in the south" simply refused to convict obvious murderers. Mind you, hasn't worked so well for Trump in his trials.
I was on a civil jury many years ago where a college student was bonked on the head with a beer mug, damaging his retina. Instead of reasoning, some of the (Baptist) jurors said he didn’t belong in a bar anyway; no one did. Result: a hung jury.
Further point, Penny Hood, to base one's judgment on personal theories rather than the facts set before one in a court of law is not just foolish and perverse, deliberately wasting the time of the judge, the court and fellow jurors, it is downright dishonest. Straight questions call for straight answers.
I can't help wondering whether the judge framed his instructions adequately, so that there could be no dodging the truth.
Ryan, there's another technique to deal with political disinformation's to get Secretary Pete Buttigieg involved by talking directly with Elon Musk the Manipulator to agree during their talk that FEMA & FAA were not "closing air space" above North Carolina airspace.
The reality of temporary flight rules, TFR's, is that they are temporarily needed at times so that air rescue can be conducted safely. Fire departments, Hospital helicopters, swollen river & flooded street rescues save lives. There are no permanent air space closures anywhere in the above the Mega Flood.
Scammers like Musk & Trump are drawn to catastrophes where anxiety & fear can be intense pockets of Fraud targeted at Vulnerable. Today, Monday, I received a fraudulent phishing attack from a Perp mimicking nearly perfectly the logo & print of the AAA Auto Club of Northern California.
I am filing a CFPB Complaint against the Perp, the Federal agency created by Senator Warren. I want the case to be transferred to other Federal agencies for prosecution. I know how to put together an admissible fraud complaint. I retained the necessary exhibits generated by the Perp(s). Let's see if the CFPB can easily spot spot the Perp's glaring tell.
Threats of violence can be be reported to a responsible Department of Justice team.
Thank You Bryan Sean McKown for highlighting Pete Buttigieg’s unflappable call-out of Elon Musk. Pete tweeted back to Elon that his facts were incorrect and if he wanted to clarify his confusion to please call him. Which Elon did, giving Pete the perfect, low-drama way to correct the falsehood. I really admire Pete Buttigieg and his style of communicating with MAGA. I learn from him better skills each time I watch him.
As you likely know Officer, you were 1 of my 4 mentors, part of my silent Origin Story, 1 from Michigan, thank you MaryPat, 1 smart activist, Ellie Kona & that diligent New Yorka; she knows who she is.
Yup, the one who was at the foot of the sun rising ☀️Woodstock stage when Jimi Hendrix played the Star Spangled Banner.
Let us take some of Ryan McCormick's "constructive stuff" bit by bit:
FIRST: "1. Consistent fact-checking and debunking: Systematically refuting false claims with credible evidence and reliable sources. This needs to be done repeatedly as lies are often repeated."
Our press has not really been doing that. Mild demurrers will not work. I think it is time for the interviewers on Meet the Press (etc.) to open with "Trump lost the 2020 election. He did not get enough people to vote for him. The count was accurate and fair. All the judges rejected Trump's suites, including the judges appointed by Republicans. That is a fact. January 6 showed us that the only reason to support the Big Lie is to encourage violence during or after the election. We refuse to be party to such. If you cannot openly agree that Trump lost a fair election, we will consider you a liar and this interview will stop immediately." This is the most basic part of the Big Lie. It needs to be denied any airtime.
SECOND: "5. Addressing underlying grievances: Big lies often exploit real societal issues. Acknowledging and working to resolve legitimate concerns can reduce their power." THIS IS THE BIG ONE. There are real grievances that gave birth to Trump and continue to sustain his popularity. The people who post comments on this Substack can afford $5 a month to do so and most were probably not crushed by the economic events of the past 3 decades. But many have been.
Starting at least in the 1990s, both parties began to turn their attention away from "mere voters" and towards "campaign finance donors". I.e., those voters (or businesses) who had enough money to help pay the rapidly rising cost of campaigning. Neoliberalism took over the Democrats. Cash welfare was gutted as Clinton declared "The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves." But did just that. As our government stood idly by as productivity gains and globalism hollowed out the jobs of our rural and small city industrial base. As we deregulated banking, brought on the 2008 Great Recession and then, worshiping at the feet of the donors, refused to fix most of weaknesses revealed. All while letting our tax laws enrich the rich. As pensions withered to be replaced by 401(k) plans that only work for the well paid.
The grievances are there! Trump blames all and claims he will magically make America great again. That resonates. Happy talk from Democrats about a rising stock market will not mollify people who have no stock, no emergency fund, no practical way to retire, and see their children grow up ill-housed and ill-fed.
These are real problems that need to be frequently acknowledged while keeping bragging to a minimum. Biden/Harris are doing good work, trying desperately to fill the many holes left by 3 decades of neglect. But they are still allowing the "grievance vote" to be owned by Trump (who cares nothing about fixing things).
FINALLY: "7. Creating compelling counter-narratives: Simply denying a lie isn't always effective. Offering an alternative, factual narrative that's emotionally resonant can be more persuasive." The counter-narrative is simple and compelling. Both parties saw no way to win elections without money. Lots of money. Willy Sutton robed banks because that is where the money was. As far as the parties could see, campaign money could only be gotten from people or businesses that had money. The parties felt trapped by the system, so they went along with it. And the damage and grievances were and are extensive. With climate change at our throats, clawing our way back will be tough. The first part of the answer is simple and straight forward: give the voters, ALL THE VOTERS, some power direct power to fund the campaigns of candidates they like. Do it with campaign finance vouchers, similar to the way Seattle has utterly transformed its politics.
AND, Michael, limit campaign spending unleashed by the Citizen's United decision. Corporations are NOT people! They can advertise their products all they want but as soon as one allows them to donate to political campaigns they have been unleashed to tip the scales away from government of, by and for the people and towards capitalism, oligarchy & fascism.
The corporations and rich and those of us passionate or successful enough to donate are spending a tiny percentage of our GDP to lead our country down the path of destruction. Maybe $24+ billion this cycle? That is a pittance compared to the $113 Billion for Ian or the far larger cost of this year’s hurricanes and fires. Or the hundreds of billions being spent to defend democracy in Europe or Israel or the far east.
Why can’t we spend a mere $24 billion to buy our democracy back from the plutocracy?
Jen Psaki did a super piece on Pete Buttigeg's intervention with Musk over disinformation. Better yet Jen, is now on Tik-Tok where she has more than 280,000 followers. Jen & Pete's words were colorfully printed by easy to read captioning. Both Jen & Pete are masterful communicators.
She's on Tik Tok! That's excellent news. She's like a red-haired arrow of truth. Yes, terrific pair with Pete. I was so sorry when she left the White House after the first year, but it turned out to be for the greater good.
"red-haired arrow of truth" love that! Always enjoyed her from her days in the White House press room. She now happily haunts the studios of MSNBC, my favourite biased streaming network.
I'm very big on inoculation. The key first step to self-inoculation is becoming aware that we're under a Big Lie attack. We may not even be the target ourselves, but the sudden appearance of mis- and dis-information flooding our media is something hard not to notice. After noticing this, a sense of skepticism and suspicion should arise, but we should also be equally suspicious of a flood of "too good" information. It's always important to ask yourself who is controlling the narrative on any subject and at any given time.
For a more in-depth examination here are two sources that can provide a good start -
As an aside, BOTH propaganda and inoculation wear off over time. Both need booster shots to remain effective! That's hopeful news in a way, because that suggests that if the sources of propaganda were to dry up and the targets were no longer being bombarded & manipulated, sanity might slowly return all by itself! One can only hope....
As Heather rightly pointed out, a constant stream or "firehose" os misinformation is the only way to keep this stuff going. The Nazis were aided and abetted by the entire armed apparatus of the state and a host of paramilitary organizations.
But rationality in this case needs swiftnrss. You've got less than a month to produce and counteract. I applaud your perspicacity but it must be applied ASAP!!!!!
On their own, critical thinking and rationality are necessary ingredients, but aren't sufficient. Human beings are also emotional beings, and we need stories to capture their hearts as well as rationality to satisfy their minds. Better stories than what DJT and JD Vance tell.
DEFINITELY emotional beings, Sophie, and definitely with a need to belong to SOMETHING, be it scientific community, liberal arts, education and teaching or, sadly, the big lie. It would seem that those nations which do the best jobs of taking care of their people (more "socialist" perhaps?) have less threat of their people joining in a big lie. People in these countries feel they belong and are cared for by their governments.
I agree on the diagnosis of what needs to be done. The hard part is implementing it because to achieve all of that requires laws to criminalize big lie politics in the age of cyber communication, social media and AI, Constitutional reform as to what constitutes a threat to a democratic republic & treason, eliminating the Electoral College, laws requiring state election laws, local election bodies to be non partisan, laws requiring states to notify people who are about to be purged from election rolls, independent nonpartisan decisions as to determining districting, etc. a government system of providing every citizen born in America and every person granted citizenship an ID card for the purpose of voting, and dealing with media outlets who spread the big lies - a free speech issue. Literally an Everest mountain of change, the kind of change that creates a level political playing field based on truth. We all need to be all in for that fight.
Ok Dr. McCormick, but what can we do to make tffg lose the election in less than a month?
The media must start spreading the truth. I’m going to send this excellent HCR column to everyone I know, even the dumbies, and the media, and Whitehouse.gov
Next expose some other shocking truths that have been ignored, ie. THE EAR.
WILL YOU ALL DO THE SAME SINCE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME?? Think of yourself, your children, and their children, and their children It’s that important. 🤮🙏🏼💔🤬🤡🎃💩🤯🙀
Nice List... However, DJT Gish Gallops,, and keeping up, countering would take a huge amount of Effort... At this point it is questionable if he can discern what is commonly called 'Reality'... Didn't Ivana, his first Wife, say that DJT keep a copy of 'Mein Kampf' by his bedside? Seems that DJT is a Hitler Worshiper... They both Bend their Reality, have Explosive Tempers, and are Cruel & Vengeful Persons...
My memory of what Heather wrote about the Gish Gallop is to stop reacting to the Fire Hose, pick the biggest of the Big Lies, then go after Trump relentlessly on that one provable issue. Find the balance with Harris’s positive agenda. We are not, none of us, entirely rational beings. Nor entirely emotional. We are a mix…..all of us. It’s not too late to use Heather’s response to the Gish Gallop.
As rational as your suggestions are, some of them are not possible in today's world, i.e. independent courts and free press for 2. We've long passed those goal posts. And critical thinking? Red state schools haven't taught that skill for at least a decade it would seem given their voters' choices for elected officials. Critical thinking and book banning are hardly compatible teaching methods after all. And, I don't just mean Congress, but look at all the Repugnants in lesser roles who've been either arrested or forced to resign for behavior that is the antithesis of what they're always decrying in their loud, hypocritical voices. The full scale assault on our democracy was begun with Reagan's ending of the fairness doctrine, the arrival of Faux News. The decent down the gold escalator was the logical next step. Trump was already a life long expert at lying, he just needed a larger audience which the Repugant Party was only too happy to supply. Genis don't willingly return to the bottle, so I don't see a way out at this point. Sorry to rain on your parade. Show me a single red state whose leadership is going to all of a sudden have a change of heart and put the books back? Has Kamala mentioned one word of expanding SCOTUS? Has Schumer? Will CNN, the NYT and WaPo stop sanewashing? Will the FCC take Faux' license away? Will the 200 million on X say enough and leave?
WE are the way out, Dotty. And, just as their treachery didn't happen overnight, neither will our desire to get things righted. It is up to us, to start the process NOW, to get the former Republicans - now fascists - out of positions affecting our lives. We need them removed from local, state, AND federal offices. It's going to take time, and effort, but we have to start somewhere, and the time for us to start is NOW!!
Dotty Hopkins :” Genis don't willingly return to the bottle,”. No, indeed they do not. But the chaos they have caused does offer us daily opportunities to pushback, transform, and become better. I see so many people transformed -for the better- by this fight we are in. The eternal truth that “Shit Happens” cannot be denied. So how we respond becomes Everything, and the Only Thing That Matters. I heed Michel Obama’s wisdom and choose each day to Do Something (Positive). Bad Things Happen. After that, we all must make our daily choice: Be a Helper, or not.
I have been repulsed by everything about the guy for over ten years, but unfortunately for us, he’s continued to suck up nearly all the airtime for the entire ten years by flooding the zone with shit and watching the media, including the legit media and the newspapers of record, step all over themselves digging though that barage of shit. The perps just sit back and enjoy their success, and the rubes and boobies who comprise the Trump base, over 74 million of them, gobble it up as their primary diet. Even if we win this round, we’ll have to shovel like crazy to make any progress whatever.
We don't really know what that number is because of deaths since 2020 including Covid19 and people that no longer of sound mind. Also, there are millions of new voters that reached voting age. Also. women lost a basic human right - the right to health care. No pro-choice ballot issue has lost and people aren't voting for pro-life candidates for the most part. Approximately 12 million people died in the US since the 2020 election and people migrate from one state to another. And at least 10 million 18-22 year olds can vote now that were unable to vote in 2020.
The biggest enemy we have is apathy. Encourage everyone you know to vote.
Pro-life. I want to puke every time I hear that hypocrisy!! These assholes scream about abortion, but carry loaded weapons with them everywhere they go. Ignorant hypocrites all.
Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister summed up the “pro-life” position well.
"I do not believe that just because you are opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, a child educated, a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."
I’m voting, my parents, siblings, in laws and friends are. We are not Trump fans! My dad wonders about the people who support a charlatan like Trump. He didn’t use that word about Trump, I did, but he agrees.
And the Art of the Scam and Art of the Grift. The real lesson Donald taught his three eldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka was how to scam people out of their money.
If you were relying on captions, it was a good idea to turn them off too. They usually bear little or no resemblance to what was actually said. So much for AI.
Shirley, I as well can no longer stand seeing his evil face. What comes out of that mouth is pure weaponized (his fav word) nonsense that reflects directly back to his one cruel narcissistic empty self. He is so mentally sick that truth evades his shrinking brain. He belongs on a ward w the mentally insane playing solitaire
Nixon was corrupt and evil from the beginning. No doubt about it. Scurrilous to the core.
Unlike Trump, Nixon ultimately put the country over his personal political survival by resigning. He was staring down certain impeachment and conviction by the Senate.
He was then pardoned by Ford, who claimed our national nightmare over. In reality that pardon set the precedent that the president is above the law, and enabled a far greater nightmare. Trump exploited that and the Supreme Court anointed the notion. Nixon asserted to David Frost what is effectively a pre-Trumpian claim, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal", by definition.”
The way I remember it is that Nixon may have said that he was putting his country above all else, but he had actually been told that his party no longer backed him and would impeach him, so the only option left was to resign.
I was too young to know about it then, but now I know why so many people detested Nixon. Jerry Ford did not do us any favor by pardoning Trump. It’s the same visceral disgust I have for Donald Trump.
How I wish!! He is a frightening, maddening menace. The trouble now is the uncertainty about his own comprehension of what he is doing to us. Not that I think he would care if he were still fully aware, but it’s Vance, Bannon, Miller, et al. who are deliberately causing the uproar.
X doesn’t even bother to stop the open racism and antisemitism I report (I am not Jewish,) and it is disturbing and disgusting to see X turn into a version of 4 Chan or 8 Chan with better graphics.
Or which co-conspirator(s). A fraud cell is circulating bait this morning subject headlined "MONEY FLOW (MF) PERMANENT" posted by the Perp aka "Terry P".
"Both the President [sic] and Elon Musk are warning about ...."
I got a warning ... click at your peril. I am tempted but, will not snark about the Cons' initials MF.
You can be in very serious trouble for lying to the government, but employees of, or aspirants to, governmental office are entirely free to lie to you? I thought we were the ultimate "boss".
It’s gone on far longer than that. Dirty politics campaigns are a part of our political history. Jefferson was attacked in newspaper columns over his sexual relationship with Sally Hemings.
Yes, Nixon, whose name I can even now barely bring myself to utter, was a master of the Big Lie.
HCR's post is a wonderfully clear and concise exposition of how this country's 21st-century fascists are using the Nazis' social and political manipulation techniques. As a tag-on, I'll mention Joseph Goebbels's article "Churchill's Lie Factory," fairly tedious but notable for how he accuses the English of exactly what the Nazis were doing: "The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous." Sound like any presidential and vice-presidential candidates, congresscritters, and supreme court justices you can think of?
The orange criminal doesn't seem to have the intellectual capacity or self discipline to study anything except perhaps his own navel. I'm highly skeptical of the report that he kept a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table. If he did, it was as a decoration. To take off from a comment by Steve Carlton, the great baseball pitcher of the '60s-'80s, all the fat orange con man knows about books is that they're very hard to read.
But at least a few of today's extremist disciples seem to have studied up. Roger Stone, he of the Nixon portrait tattooed across his back, epitomizes nixonian dishonesty and underhandedness. And Bannon and Stephen Miller appear to have internalized the Nazi theories and techniques.
There should be a class action lawsuit that includes all Americans who feel they are suffering harm by the disinformation campaign. Losing in court will be a deterrent. We should also be writing our legislators to make this sort of intentional lying criminally illegal.
VANCE: We're the two fory-yar-old millennials who are shaping the future of the Republican Party
RUFO: Thanks to the brave new world dominated by partisan social media, we can say all kinds of ridiculous crap and suffer precisely zero political consequences
VANCE: Even if it's the sort of empirically untrue nonsense that would have been laughed off the public stage as recently as 20 or 30 years ago
RUFO: Lest we forget, we certainly wouldn't be here today were it not for the bold leadership of President Trump
VANCE: All praise His name
RUFO: Trump has pioneered previously unthinkable frontiers in Saying Whatever Bullshit He Wants and Never Suffering Any Consequences
RUFO: So in 2021, I convinced nearly half of America that an obscure legal philosophy known as "Critical Race Theory: was being used in public schools tyo brainwash children into hating white people
VANCE: I remember! You even told the wold that you were intentionally distorting the meaning of CRT to weaponize against the liberals
RUFO: Worked like a charm!
DeSANTIS: Hey, just wanted to thank you again for helping me repurpose the word "groomers" to imply that anyone talking about gays or gtransgenerts to children was effectively molesting them
RUFO: Couldn't have done it without you, Ron!
VANCE: You guys are a true inspiration. I've been working on some stuff of my own insisting that Haitians who emigrated legally during the Biden-Harris Administration really shouldn't count and may as well be illegals
RUFO: That's the spirit!
VANCE: I also defended the complete lie about Haitians eating house pets by citing the necessity to "created stories" to draw attention to our immigration problems
RUFO: Damn, borther, you are slick!
VANCE: Oh hey, thanks
VANCE: My current crusade it to get those pesky "fact-checkers" off our back by equating fact-checking to censorship.
DeSANTIS: Hey, why do you think conservatives are fact-checked so much more often than liberals?
(all three enjoya a hearty laugh)
RUFO: Let's just go with "liberal media bias"
VANCE: It turns out that no lie is so outrageous that it would convince a Republi can to vote fofr a Democrat
RUFO: And as long as we can lie without losing any votes, we can manipulate the discourse to our liking
I hope to God he gets thrown in jail. Even if he does, this is not over. Vance is a more evil (and smarter) version of America's Hitler. VOTE BLUE UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT!!!
Leonore. I’m with you. If only we could come together in a class action suit I’d be all in.
All this info makes me want to cry. What has happened to common Decency and integrity. Gone with tRump and his party that have all fallen into a sh_t hole. Wish we could bury them there.
Ok then. This is nothing new. As Dr. Richardson stated, and we all know to be true, this has been going on since 2016. People that want to hear lies go to FOX. People that want the news go to CBS etc. Frankly I am kinda tired of the whining that happens every single time an article like this is posted by Dr, Richardson. We have been in a slow-moving coup since 2015. Many millions have been working like hell to defeat not only the Fascists but also deal with the media. We have created one of the most wide-spread and strongest resistance movements in my lifetime. We have been soundly defeating MAGA candidates in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Get angry and get out the vote. Otherwise stop whining.
Except for the stay out of prison part, this sentence by HCR pretty well sums it up: “Trump’s lies are not errors. They are part of a well-documented strategy to overturn democracy by using modern media to create a false political world.”
I feel for the liberal judges on that court, having to watch the corruption unfold and being pretty helpless to stop it. I would love to be in the room when they're discussing one of these cases before they actually go public with their ruling.
“Trump’s lies are not errors. They are part of a well-documented strategy to overturn democracy by using modern media to create a false political world.”
I agree, Ed.
It’s time for middle and high school teachers to share this information with their students. However, I fear that many are not. Current events have never been more important to dissect, discuss, and analyze in schools. Now, more than ever, is the time for critical thinking.
I think we need Pete Buttigieg to teach seminars on how to combat disinformation. That man has a remarkable and rare talent for ignoring the hatred and bias in loaded questions and answering so directly and sincerely that the questioner feels heard and respected. (I don't think they deserve either, but Pete Buttigieg clearly does, and I salute him for that.)
Yes, I keep wanting to hear the ANSWER to the question that is asked! Shouldn’t a good debater or interviewee be very deliberate in answering the QUESTION?! Pete Buttigieg is a master at this, even prefacing his answer often with a succinct paraphrasing of the question.
Q: could anyone in these sets of people live without all in the other set?
Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Katie Britt, Mo Brooks, Aileen Cannon, Andrew Clyde, James Comer, Tom Cotton, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Neil Gorsuch, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Josh Hawley, Clay Higgins, Robert Hur, Mike Johnson, Jim Jordan, Brett Kavanaugh, Barry Loudermilk, Anna Luna, Nancy Mace, Mark Martin, Mitch McConnell, Chip Roy, Steve Scalise, Elise Stefanik, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, Tommy Tuberville, JD Vance.
and:
Robin Arkley II (purveyor of hidden, untaxed bribes to Alito), George Birnbaum, Harlan Crow (a Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Wayne Huizenga (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Charles Koch, Leonard Leo, Bernie Little (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, Paul “Tony” Novelly (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Dennis Prager, David Rivkin (defender of Alito medieval corruption and his contemporary corruption, too), Steve Schwartzman, Paul Singer, David Sokol (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Peter Thiel, Anthony Welters (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer) Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Zuckerberg and families DeVos, Kushner, Mercer, Sackler, Uihlein.
And don't forget the buddies that Trump "gave" clemency to. 10 of them were convicted of defrauding Medicare/Medicaid totally over $2 billion. The number can't be confirmed because some of the sentences are sealed just like Rick Scott who may have stolen as much as $500 million from Medicare/Medicaid
"During his tenure as president of the United States (January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021), Donald Trump granted executive clemency to 237 individuals charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses, using his clemency power under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Ordinarily, all requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) in the U.S. Department of Justice for review; however, Trump frequently bypassed the OPA, and the majority of his executive clemency grants were made to well-connected convicts who did not file a petition with the OPA or meet the OPA's requirements.
Of the pardons and commutations that Trump did grant, the vast majority were to persons to whom Trump had a personal or political connection, or persons for whom executive clemency served a political goal. A significant number had been convicted of fraud or public corruption. The New York Times reported that during the closing days of the Trump presidency, individuals with access to the administration, such as former administration officials, were soliciting fees to lobby for presidential pardons."
When was the last time anyone reported on what criminal activities these convicts have been up to since they were released or given clemency?
Totally corrupt. Total sleazebag. Bailing out con men and grifters such as himself.
The tens of millions really enthuse over these vulgar extremes always sinking into further vulgarity, more hysteric, rank favoritism, and insults to the decent institutions for which the orange felon has only open contempt?
Yes, I think Amy Coney Barrett could live without the others--and might prefer to. Not that I agree with her, or feel anything but chilled by her super-fertility and ostentatious Virtue, but I think she's the only one in that gang of thugs who has a worldview, a mission, and brakes.
I believe she was specifically chosen to kill Roe. Beyond that she may feel her work is done and she is beginning to separate from the rest of the corrupt Justices.
Doesn't matter at all to his cultists, KSC, how mad, lying, dissipate, vulgar he is.
All the more entertaining he is, this orange felon they do have as figurehead.
Remember, they all attended schools where all humanities -- everything remotely "personal" -- was ripped out for the billionaires' campaigns that standardized testing totally take over with all its neutering, simpleton linearity, and emphasis on categories and group-think logic only.
It’s rash to name entire families. Lynde Bradley Uihlein Is liberal. She shouldn’t be judged by the actions of others of her surname who seem to long for a return to the guilded age.
Correct you are -- there's a whole raft of more names among the "Christian" nationalists, all connected with each other (as well as with the smooth, convenient lies of J. D. Vance).
10% is not even close. Even 0.00001% over estimates their fraction of the population, but the billionaires, any of them who want to, have the rest of us by the short hairs, and they’ve found shit-slingers to recruit 74 million willfully ignorant louts to help them out.
I was sitting here trying to think of a response to HCR that is a little deeper than critical thinking, not that that issue isn't important.
My thought was centering around who are the deeper players in this and you hit the nail on the head. Lenard Leo and this group (The Federalist Society) is the most frightening and how he has twisted the legal profession against us all in the name of religion. Trump and most of his republican followers like MTG, Tommy Tuberville, etc. are too dumb to see any end game other than staying in power and Trump in staying out of jail.
I don't know how we counter all the money at these people's disposal to stop this insidious movement because behind that money trail is where the evil begins all the way to Putin and others including Elon.
As an aside, DJT stock jumped $3.00 today because Musk came to Trump’s rally. I’ve been happily watching that stock plummet, but today it did a U turn. Musk is just as dangerous as Trump, if not more because of his extreme wealth and social media influence.
And how much does their house of cards depend on the charisma of Trump that is deflating and distorting before our very eyes. I am hoping beyond hope here that there is no one who they can really swap out (and manipulate) as successfully. I don’t think Vance is it, certainly not puppet master Bannon.Lake and Tucker scare me.
It's amazing how many find tfg charismatic. I have always thought of him as slimy and crude, even well before he came into political prominence. And many New Yorkers always thought he was a buffoon. It's a mystery, that he, like Hitler appealed to so many. Both seem like really "icky" people even before opening their mouths. Alice Miller wrote a great book on how Hitler became so successful. Her idea was that German child rearing approaches groomed the population to be drawn to an authoritarian leader. It may explain in part why so many conservatives are drawn to tfg. Many were raised in authoritarian families and are from communities where "law and order" types rule, through fear and intimidation. Certainly the churches don't help, by discouraging critical thinking and promising that obedience to their narrative would bring rewards.
J. fpotus first crossed my sightlines when he mucked up the USFL and the New Jersey Generals. I thought he was a grifting <insert profanity her> then, and nothing I've seen in the intervening years has shown me otherwise.
You and I might see it that way -- and many others on Heather's site, KSC.
That is, "the charisma of Trump" may be deflating and distorting before our very eyes." I certainly wish that to be true. But I fear those tens of millions of his firmly support all the lies, racism, hatred of immigrants, and all the other fears and hatreds for which the cadres of Russia, China, and Iran are assiduously working.
Phil, I have long believed that the "attraction" to fpotus was that he let the racists, misogynists, homo/transphobes, and Christian Nationalists have permission to voice their hatred, their anger, and loudly proclaim that they are the "cream of the crop" and that all those "others" need to be relegated to their proper place a the bottom of the heap or in jail for "immorality".
I want very much to believe that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will win. I am cautiously optimistic.
Let’s say they do: then what? Half the country will have bought into the incredibly well run disinformation campaign put forth by Trump, his surrogates, the Chinese, the Russians, and the Iranians (plus whoever else.).
These people aren’t going to wake up on November 6, or January 7 or January 21 and suddenly realize they’ve been duped or manipulated or brainwashed.
It took a completely devastating war to get ordinary Germans to realize it wasn’t Jews who were the enemy. And many were prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned or executed for their part in the Holocaust.
What will it take to turn half our citizens away from the Big Lie and all the little ones that followed? I fear if we don’t figure that out, we are going to be repeating this “Save Democracy” election every 4 years.
But when they do wake up, Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump, has advice on how to “help”. Although, I confess, I am not holding my breath that two of my siblings will come out of the fog. :/
Mr. Hassan was in a cult himself, a Moonie, and was able to “get out” and has since dedicated his career to helping and educating. I agree with you, though, successful deprogramming seems so out of reach. Those that are easily persuadable abound. Thinking Ginnie Thomas, and Jan. 6. She was in a cult. Got out. But apparently not out enough, still susceptible. And she still moves freely in society.
She got out of a cult she was in many years ago. That was a strange story I learned about several months ago. Unfortunately for her, she fell into a new one with Maga. I guess the propensity to fall for it is strong with that one. I think it is probably one of those things that a person has to keep some ongoing work to prevent it from happening again.
In truth we are always trying to “Save Democracy” every two years. I think we are finally waking up to this fact. At least a greater proportion of citizens are than before. As to what happens come Nov. 6th? Elisabeth Neuman, an expert in domestic terrorism has some great insight into addressing this problem. This conversation with Politics Girl, Leigh McGowen is really powerful. https://youtu.be/Qg27_ijug68
I have my doubts. I sit aghast as at least half of Americans believe the USA is going to He'll in a handbag despite for most of the traditional metrics showing it is in fact thriving, improving, and more of us are doing as well if not better. So, I am not real hopeful that truth will affect them.
I understand your concern, but I'm not sure it's even half the population. There is indeed a percentage of people in the US who are cult members, but they are more powerful than their numbers suggest because of the electoral college and the voter suppression Repubs have been doing for years. Probably, in every country, there are those who are more conservative, more scared, more rigid, more gullible, and tending toward less compassion, who can be convinced to rise up when they are scared enough. The US has no social safety net, and that in itself can make people more angry and afraid. Provide a better social safety net, and there will be less fear and anger.
I think the first order of business, once Kamala and Tim win the election (🙏🤞), is to take away Trump's ability to mass communicate with his followers.
(I don't think prisoners are permitted to post on Truth Social)
The right wing media is still problematic as they continue to spew disinformation, whether their own or Russia's. But it us important to stop feeding the cultists the lies. Once the constant supply is interrupted, a small space opens in for bits of truth to get in.
Except it’s not half the country. MAGAts are a minority, and the political operatives know that, which is why they have to work so hard to get their candidates into office. The only way they can “win” is to cheat.
Yes, that is our fervent hope. Unfortunately, there are just barely enough good Americans to do the job. To outvote the bad Americans, damn near every good one will have to cast a vote. We’re gonna need the biggest Dem turnout in history.
I’m afraid. It’s just nuts. Have a high school classmate (geez, and I somehow managed to miss my 40th reunion a while back) who is absolutely convinced of all the misinformation crap that he sees. I’ve tried every which way, finally telling him to Google Thom Tillis and hurricane misinformation, because the Senator — a Republican — is asking people to stop the crap. This classmate digs in even further. It is just so scary. I responded to Katrina months later, went with Catholic Charities as a non-religious person, slept in army tents, and helped demolish houses in significant heat in the 9th ward, with cars still hanging out of trees. Tell you what, I’d be bullshit if I were actually an emergency responder, volunteering my time and muscles in a disaster area, and heard this crap.
The main stream tide is turning against Trump. But MAGA maniacs, some close to me, insist that those Republicans praising the administration are turn coats brainwashed by the MSM. When I bring up the Big Lie, they switch to ranting about Hillary Clinton. When I bring up the neo-Nazi pre-blaming Jews for any loss he might suffer, they scoff at my oversensitivity. Their leader must lose on Nov 5, must be tried in court, and they must be forced to live under a sane administration for 4, no, 24 more years.
In "Child's Play" (1988), "the plot follows a widowed mother who gives a doll, Chucky, to her son, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer." Throughout the VP debate, I was not fooled for a nanosecond by the "strategic mendacity" of J.D. Vance. The next morning, after reading a dozen takes on the debate, I imagined the J.D. Vance biopic, starring the evil doll Chucky as Vance. Vance came off as a smooth-talking lounge lizard who uses his "astonishing baffle-gab" to woo his next mark. At the debate, it was not easy to follow his logic, mainly because there was no logic. His was mixed-nuts verbosity designed to sound reassuring and intelligent, but his "velvet patter" came off as demonic and seductive, like speaking-in-tongues.
I seriously am wondering if Speaker of the House Johnson and his MAGAts will be held accountable for their unwillingness to return to pass a resolution to give FEMA more money? Will the 46% who call themselves Republicans see this for what it is?
This letter, or its contents, should go out to every American. People need to understand exactly what they are doing and be “ inoculated” as Dr. McCormick days.
James, I've been engaging in some anti-disinformation posts with some of my MAGAt friends. I shared today's letter, and if I remember to (and can find this comment again) I will report back.
Oct 20, 2016 is the day Trump declared that he would accept the results of the forthcoming election, if he won. This is now the third election that he has refused to accept the results if he loses.
October 20th should become a national holiday called Disinformation Awareness Day.
That memory is seared in my mind forever. So is the “I’ll keep you in suspense!” garbage. Both should be used to establish intent at Donald’s Jan 6 trial.
“The Democrats don’t matter,” Bannon told a reporter in 2018. “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.”
And the real traitors are the click-whore media.
None of this could have happened if they hadn’t given Shitler a mic and a stage, over and over and over again.
And today they sane wash his gibberish. It’s infuriating. The only reliable source of information is through quality substacks. Sadly this doesn’t reach those who have gone down the rabbit hole.
I share all of these important substacks to my Facebook page, and some of them are deleted by Facebook administrators. 2 from Joyce Vance and 1 from Mary Trump!
Thanks Heather, and yes we are in a crisis of communication that gets worse everyday. Like Mark Twain said, “ if you don’t read the newspaper you are un- informed, if you read the newspaper you are mis-informed”
Mary, share them where? If on social media, the algorithms of the MAGAs won't let them see it. Where do you suggest we put these things so that they can be seen?
You can reach out to any MAGAt friends you have via social media.
I've been doing this for the past 4 or 5 days, with intermittent success. The adage "a lie can go halfway around the world while the truth is still getting it's shoes on" seems to be being illustrated yet again.
Glad to know you are doing this! I got off Facebook when Mark Zuckerberg started helping Trump so have no social media in my life now. But apart from an old friend in Florida who likes Gov DeSantis and has always described herself proudly (!?) as “apolitical” I have no MAGA friends, though I’m from Ohio, so this wouldn’t work for me. I wish there was some space other than a baseball stadium or a basketball court where all kinds of people mixed and communicated.
I swear to God that your posts make me so angry I am beside myself. Perverting democracy, indeed. This dirty tricks stuff is a total outrage. Isn't there anyway I can sue DJT for ruining my mood?
I feel that. Here’s some constructive stuff for after we’ve taken some deep breaths together!
There are a few potential strategies for countering authoritarian "big lies":
1. Consistent fact-checking and debunking: Systematically refuting false claims with credible evidence and reliable sources. This needs to be done repeatedly as lies are often repeated.
2. Inoculation: Preemptively warning people about potential misinformation and explaining the techniques used to spread it. This can make people more resistant to false narratives.
3. Promoting media literacy: Teaching critical thinking skills and how to evaluate information sources can help people identify propaganda and misinformation themselves.
4. Amplifying credible voices: Elevating trusted experts, journalists, and community leaders who can authoritatively counter false narratives.
5. Addressing underlying grievances: Big lies often exploit real societal issues. Acknowledging and working to resolve legitimate concerns can reduce their power.
6. Maintaining strong democratic institutions: Independent courts, free press, and fair elections make it harder for big lies to take hold.
7. Creating compelling counter-narratives: Simply denying a lie isn't always effective. Offering an alternative, factual narrative that's emotionally resonant can be more persuasive.
8. International cooperation: Coordinating with allies to present a united front against transnational disinformation campaigns.
The most effective approach often involves a combination of these strategies, tailored to the specific context and nature of the "big lie" being countered. It's also important to note that countering entrenched beliefs can be challenging and may require sustained effort over time.
As a former teacher, I especially applaud your exhortation to teaching critical thinking skills!
As a former teacher myself, and one who specialized in teaching critical thinking skills, that's the first thing that jumped out to me.
I wish all teachers taught students to think critically. Many Trump followers clearly never learned how to think critically. It’s a skill we definitely need these days.
It has been my experience as a former teacher, that teachers who teach critical thinking are considered a threat to their more conventionally, less critically thinking colleagues and administrators. Without Administrator support you cannot continue because parents who are upset will be validated.
People who think critically are treated as misfits, and outliers as well. People do not want to be challenged or have their little reality bubbles burst.
Yes, I am a retired teacher who experienced this often.
There is always a set of teachers (usually in the coaching corner unfortunately) who want to sit around the teachers' room and bullshit, often praising those athletes who are not stellar individuals who bully other students and can be a horror to their siblings. They have their aids grade their tests which do not require any kind of critical thinking. Now there are standardized tests which do nothing but enrich testing companies and label schools as low performing. Here in Oregon the Department of Ed just put out the results of test scores and wouldn't you know, students (especially poorer or minority) students are struggling. The poor results are headlines everywhere. Here in Salem we have a large minority population in the school district and that is reflected in the scores.
Linda W: while that's often true there are approaches that can help work through the resistance. One of Gandhi's great spiritual insights is that non-violence (lack of desire or intent to harm) and truth are two sides of the same coin. That single insight can quickly help identify a lot of dis-information.
There is a possible silver lining. Republicans have created a climate of fear where many are afraid to speak out for fear of being attacked. In the privacy of the voting booth, they could express themselves in a way that will shock the pollsters and Republican establishment.
I was a teacher years ago , now retired, and I can tell you that some of the students were strongly influenced by Rush Limbaugh and his attacks on the media, liberals and science. He was a master at spreading disinformation and he did more damage than we know, helping to prepare them to accept a charlatan as a truth teller. Trump became the beneficiary of his propaganda.
There's quite an interesting documentary available on Amazon Prime titled "The Brainwashing of My Dad." It explicitly calls out Limbaugh and details the steps he took that pushed people far right. It explains a LOT about MAGA and the propaganda techniques being used today.
Drama ie perceived evildoers trumps everything else in how emotion plays a large if not basic part in what we "choose" or are persuaded to believe.
Just happened to find an old email I sent that included the worst part (listening to the 3 hours a day of Rush Limbaugh, away from FM channel coverage) during the 17 months I spent traveling 170,000 miles through the US and Canada, in otherwise great travel. I had visited the Steinbeck Museum before starting and read about his time as a War Correspondent (I even named my truck Rocinante like his, though I did so from the Mr Magoo version of "Don Quixote").
Long before anyone feared Sinclair Broadcasting, I put in a 17 month stint as an OTR driver, my version of an Aussie aboriginal Walk About, Steinbeck's Travels With Charlie, or Bill Moyers “Listening to America” 13,000 mile ground level trip. It was, to me, a series of trips that totaled 170,000 miles in 17 months, through 46 states and 4 trips to Canada to see as much of the country and people in it much closer up, actually talk to a lot of them. I'd already done about 60,000 miles in Vietnam and Thailand, though a lot of that was catching rides in anything that flew or went by road, very few watercraft, and no animals I can remember.
I really liked 99.9% of all the people I met. What I didn't like so much, was radios that played 3 hours of Rush Limbaugh then so many other RW propagandists everywhere I went except a few cities (and truck stops where you took your life in your hands if you dared suggest they watch anything but Jerry Springer). The individuals I met had a lot of varying views and particular perspectives on problems that did not match the radio tidal waves of blaming "other" people, the people I met would not be so hard on for any individuals they knew in the groups they were being encouraged to hate. Breitbart seems to promote a lot of those who encourage blind hate.
[The better imaginable sources of information were shown at a presentation I had just been at when I wrote the email]
The meeting I went to described the presenter thus: "Peter Meisen founded the Global Energy Network Institute (GENI) in 1991 to conduct research and education on the interconnection of electric networks between nations and continents..."
The World Resources Simulation Center technology approach is to create more high-tech, strategic planning and event facilities where you can literally "see" the critical regional and business trends, the relationships between issues and make informed choices more quickly. For far more suggested uses (outside of Military C&C, Missile Warning and SAC Command Post ones I was familiar with), especially education and large interdisciplinary conferences (including average public observers/contributors), see wrsc.org
It was inspired by Buckminster Fuller's Biosphere (now a Museum) built for the 1967 Montreal World Fair, Expo 67, an early version of what Command and Control centers feature with many large displays to graphically convey information rapidly for those with no time to read and digest so many interrelationships between different sources. Putin built a massive new one in 2015, even Proctor and Gamble has one to help sell soap. The CIA seemed to be trying to build a Climate threat group but that hasn't been heard from since.
If the Government can't build it, I'm all for American entrepreneurs setting up such facilities where they follow what Peter Meisen got out of Bucky Fuller as useful advice, "Find out what's wanted, and needed," and go for it. They spoke of thinking differently form whatever got us into problems, to me, thinking outside the boxes, helped by looking outside all the boxes to see what bigger overviews can reveal when you look over as many boxes as you can. Some Russian emigre's brought over TRIZ at the end of the Cold War, literally: "theory of the resolution of invention-related tasks") is "a problem-solving, analysis and forecasting tool derived from the study of patterns of invention in the global patent literature." I believe Katherine Poehlmann from RAND and a few other of our original members of the Society for Concurrent Engineering attended a meeting where we first heard of it. It was used by Ford I believe, but was not as openly incorporated here as it could have been (in my view from not wanting to appear to be learning too much from Russians). I believe the SCPDNET (Concurrent Product Development) is the more recognized proponent of concurrent perspectives in narrower fields where it pays off in product development of those which will prove to have longer life cycles before being obsolete, long enough to pay back the development costs.
I'll have to spend more time looking up the Rocky Mountain Institute for the ways they look at business interest reality checks, and how they might participate in broader presentations using facilities like them.
If you go through some of the WRSC links you can find out more about how a similar, multi-large display "Technology Enabled Active Learning" application is being used and improved, something with a bit more personal connection to someone I met. See https://icampus.mit.edu/projects/teal/
Our friend, Katie Vale, was involved in a lot of MIT projects (I think for 15 years), before she worked at Harvard before finally going to Bates where "...Vale’s other accomplishments included the introduction of a high-capacity computing cluster for Bates faculty working with big data; strengthening of the library’s longstanding collaborations with Colby and Bowdoin; a collaborative project with the Dean of the Faculty to create a public, searchable online directory of Bates faculty and their areas of academic expertise; creation of a digital animation studio in Pettigrew Hall; completion of a new Academic Resource Commons in Ladd Library; and a partnership with the College Store to reduce textbook costs..." according to https://www.bates.edu/news/2016/12/01/katie-vale-passes-at-age-51/
Going to the link above: "...Bates’ HPCC, however, is designed as a “community-based resource as opposed to one that would just benefit specific faculty members,” explains Andrew White, director of academic and client services for Information and Library Services. “Ours is for anyone who has the need to examine data in a deep way...”
That's the spirit of Katie I got to know a bit of, from talking to real people, not listening to talk radio.
My dad and i argued about Rush. He listened to him and was unhappy that I didn't. Swear words ensued. I just hope he would have seen through death star. My second stepmother also instituted a scanner, so they heard all the police and emergency calls which gives people a distorted view of what is going on.
To illustrate DJT's perverseness, DJT a gave Rush Limbaugh a Presidential Medal-Of-Freedom... Wasn't Rush busted for selling Oxycontin at one point? Like DJT, Rush Limbaugh was a Performance Artist....
How can someone who relies on lies to confirm their bias or prejudice ever learn to think critically? Lies fuel and reinforce people's fears and hatred. How did Hitler manage to rise to power? The Germans were educated, not ignorant, yet they accepted the Big Lie because it validated their fears and hatred.
"[Soviets]... created false parties to further splinter the opposition..."
It is an American tragedy that the Green party is lead by Jill Stein - who rejects voting as a collective exercise in taking power and pushes voting as an individual exercise in personal expression. Stein's leftish-wing vote splitting elects Republicans. Stein has turned the Green party into an ally of MAGAGRU. It is no surprise Stein is a favorite of Putin media. Parties are built from the ground up. Some local Green candidates have succeeded and done well. But Stein's once every four years ego trip is a disservice to the party - and obviously to the nation and planet.
And yes, it is a puzzle that otherwise educated and concerned citizens fall in line rather than voting strategically and taking power. Even incremental Democratic progress is better than GOP corporate clerical nihilism.
I'm sure it's an uphill battle for those who are trying to teach critical thinking skills. Many students come from homes that emphasize religion, which encourages followers not to think, and beliefs or fears that focus on facts if they're distasteful is threatening to the whole structure. Many people tend to believe what they want to be true, instead actually accepting what is true. If one's parents function like this, it's much harder to develop critical thinking skills.
"critical thinking skills" Wellll, you have to get up to thinking before you train for critical thinking. Right? Try a reflexive move to critically think about thinking. Be sure to add in some critical thinking about who the "I" is that has the needed agency to do this so called thinking. I'll suggest that if originality has anything to do with thinking then there isn't much if any of it going on. Ask any number of people what is it to think and see if any are thinking for themselves or even thinking.
We are always looking for our own tribe. Some of this is down to the big lonely.
Yes. It's called teaching with intentionality. If I do -------, then this will happen. Problem solving works best when done with present moment intention.
Me too. I did my masters thesis on Creativity. And creativity is really just problem solving, critical thinking, thinking outside the box. Thanks to all "former teachers" who picked up on this.
David and Kathy, as a former educator who made critical thinking the centerpiece of my teaching, this also jumped out to me.
As a retired librarian I am always interested in truth and do not understand how so many people, family included, are so stupidly ignorant to believe the garbage thrown about. This is far more than different sides of an issue.
And Civics!!! And History!!! HCR should be required reading!
Yes indeed Kathy, number 3 on the list.
Critical thinking, Scientific method, Evidence based reasoning, Rational thought, Basic logic.
If only they were taught in American schools....... there would still be bad people, cruel people, but not nearly so many gullible people
You need those who will create the impression of "bad people" or "godless people" or "socialists" to spur on a following. Anything taught as a threat for susceptible people will catch fire. Evangelicals for instance. Anti-vaxxers, anti-government, 2nd amendment loyalists... and look how doomsday "walking head" and other apocalyptic entertainments have caught on. Of course, evangelicals are deeply into believing they are surrounded by a world of Satan's minions, by default these days.
Poor bastards, themselves in thrall to "the Father of Lies"...
Degenerate religion has much to answer for.
"The truth shall set you free."
Yes, but correspondingly, lies and delusions enslave and imprison.
Wolves in pastor's clothing abound.
Long term goal, but start yesterday
The problem with critical thinking is that it also depends on trusted sources apart from trusted principles and what people are inclined to believe in in the first place. No easy task!
Actually, critical thinking can be taught at a very simple level and ramped up into more complicated material. I worked in educational publishing when we created lots of workbooks to do just that. I wonder if they still sell today. The amusing thing to me is that we did teachers guides for an imagined "Coach Jones,"who got thrown a social studies class. Seems clear to me that Coach Walz is doing better than most politicians on teaching the basics. And maybe there are still some teachers like him out there, too.
THAT is the single most important thing that needs to be done. Bring back the liberal arts and civics classes!
Want to bring back liberal arts and civics classes? WIN THE DAMN ELECTION.
"Persuadable" voters who need government benefits slit their own throats (euphemistically) by voting Republican.
Your lesson plan: teach them via social media. Repeat "don't slit your own throat," "not suckers or losers," "Trump hates dogs" daily for the next 30 days as comments.
Pointing this out has made me look into it and I find that Duke University offers "Introduction to Logic and Critical Thinking Specialization" through Coursera. I have taken several courses through Coursera and most classes are free as long as you don't require a certificate. Spread the word, ask your children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews to take these courses.
https://www.coursera.org/specializations/logic-critical-thinking-duke
I taught them to third grade students. We also learned about respetfully disagreeing, and the difference between fact and opinion. If eight year olds can learn this, adults should be held to account for disseminating misinformation and spewing hate when they don't like another's opinion.
Great list, however for any of those strategies to be effective we need the misinformed to actually listen. How many MAGA types have any of us been able to get to listen to reason let alone actually convince that they are being played? I fear that only the choir is listening to our prayers for a complete rejection of the MAGA creed.
Neil, I would note I view Ryan’s listing as including highly effective tools for reaching an increasingly broader range of voters situated between the extremes. Additionally, I believe, by representing the interests and concerns of an increasingly wider range of people, we render MAGA increasingly irrelevant.
Yep, tribal is the name of the game here. I could find more refined terms like social bias / solidarity and so on, but tribal gets closer to the gut feelings here i feel.
Yup, Frank, tribal is a good word for it. It is deeper than logic and preceded logic in our evolution. For the vast majority of human development you were more likely to perish if you got separated from your tribe than if you failed to be logical. Logic has been an "add-on" in human development. The "scientific method" itself didn't fully appear until well into the Renaissance with all the preceding human epochs spent with tribalism, superstition and habit.
I am very fearful that Trumps campaign of disinformation and lies is working, especially with the timing of Helene which doesn’t allow much time for people to sort things out. Additionally, it seems like the press is giving him much more coverage than VP Harris. That said, I have seen democratic politicians, influencers and citizens using the techniques you outline which hopefully is enough to counter the negative impact of all the false messaging.
I would take it further Neil. We can do all the teaching we can manage and all the warning that seems essential, we will always be left with those who don't or can't learn, those who feel a vested interest in not accepting what they were taught, not heeding warnings. Just look at all those who fail to evacuate when authorities warn them clearly of the need to do so, those who rebuild in flood-prone or storm prone areas. They apparently have sufficient incentive to not "learn", to not heed clear warnings or even past experience! Humans are complex, often puzzling, often doing what we least expect they will do.
You are the very epitome of rationality! By the time I read through your long list I was already calmer!
Good, isn't it!
Unfortunately, rationality provides a strong protection against lies and disinformation but is not an effective antidote to the poison, once swallowed.
Any suggestions on what to do once swallowed? I had jury duty recently and 3 of the 12 jurists simply refused to believe the facts of the case which were blatantly obvious. They clung to conspiracy theories. Two days of deliberations, the trial ended with a hung jury. It gave me insight into how the lies take over a person’s mind.
Perhaps potential jurors that are found to have a 'conspiracy theory mind' should be stood down, just as jurors with bias are supposed to be.
Maybe judges need to employ psychiatrists and/or clinical psychologists as assessors when it comes to jury selection.
This work demands a basic ability to follow rational arguments, regardless of whether or not we like the upshot, regardless, in other words, of our beliefs and prejudices.
I believe you! And, back when, juries "in the south" simply refused to convict obvious murderers. Mind you, hasn't worked so well for Trump in his trials.
I was on a civil jury many years ago where a college student was bonked on the head with a beer mug, damaging his retina. Instead of reasoning, some of the (Baptist) jurors said he didn’t belong in a bar anyway; no one did. Result: a hung jury.
Further point, Penny Hood, to base one's judgment on personal theories rather than the facts set before one in a court of law is not just foolish and perverse, deliberately wasting the time of the judge, the court and fellow jurors, it is downright dishonest. Straight questions call for straight answers.
I can't help wondering whether the judge framed his instructions adequately, so that there could be no dodging the truth.
Penny, that is a disturbing report.
🎶Accentuate the positive🤷♀️🎶
Easy said - a lot harder to actually do. At least among my tRump supporting family/friends.They seem to be completely brain-washed.
I'm sure, as you suspect, they feel you are the "brain-washed".
I agree. They are in a cult and very resistant to reprogramming
I agree but you have to do it anyway. I’ve noticed when we push back they seem to back down.
That is not at all my experience.
Ryan, there's another technique to deal with political disinformation's to get Secretary Pete Buttigieg involved by talking directly with Elon Musk the Manipulator to agree during their talk that FEMA & FAA were not "closing air space" above North Carolina airspace.
The reality of temporary flight rules, TFR's, is that they are temporarily needed at times so that air rescue can be conducted safely. Fire departments, Hospital helicopters, swollen river & flooded street rescues save lives. There are no permanent air space closures anywhere in the above the Mega Flood.
Scammers like Musk & Trump are drawn to catastrophes where anxiety & fear can be intense pockets of Fraud targeted at Vulnerable. Today, Monday, I received a fraudulent phishing attack from a Perp mimicking nearly perfectly the logo & print of the AAA Auto Club of Northern California.
I am filing a CFPB Complaint against the Perp, the Federal agency created by Senator Warren. I want the case to be transferred to other Federal agencies for prosecution. I know how to put together an admissible fraud complaint. I retained the necessary exhibits generated by the Perp(s). Let's see if the CFPB can easily spot spot the Perp's glaring tell.
Threats of violence can be be reported to a responsible Department of Justice team.
Fight back!
Thank You Bryan Sean McKown for highlighting Pete Buttigieg’s unflappable call-out of Elon Musk. Pete tweeted back to Elon that his facts were incorrect and if he wanted to clarify his confusion to please call him. Which Elon did, giving Pete the perfect, low-drama way to correct the falsehood. I really admire Pete Buttigieg and his style of communicating with MAGA. I learn from him better skills each time I watch him.
Go get ‘em
Well said, Counsellor. Thanks for your CFPB complaint as well.
As you likely know Officer, you were 1 of my 4 mentors, part of my silent Origin Story, 1 from Michigan, thank you MaryPat, 1 smart activist, Ellie Kona & that diligent New Yorka; she knows who she is.
Yup, the one who was at the foot of the sun rising ☀️Woodstock stage when Jimi Hendrix played the Star Spangled Banner.
Thank you!
Let us take some of Ryan McCormick's "constructive stuff" bit by bit:
FIRST: "1. Consistent fact-checking and debunking: Systematically refuting false claims with credible evidence and reliable sources. This needs to be done repeatedly as lies are often repeated."
Our press has not really been doing that. Mild demurrers will not work. I think it is time for the interviewers on Meet the Press (etc.) to open with "Trump lost the 2020 election. He did not get enough people to vote for him. The count was accurate and fair. All the judges rejected Trump's suites, including the judges appointed by Republicans. That is a fact. January 6 showed us that the only reason to support the Big Lie is to encourage violence during or after the election. We refuse to be party to such. If you cannot openly agree that Trump lost a fair election, we will consider you a liar and this interview will stop immediately." This is the most basic part of the Big Lie. It needs to be denied any airtime.
SECOND: "5. Addressing underlying grievances: Big lies often exploit real societal issues. Acknowledging and working to resolve legitimate concerns can reduce their power." THIS IS THE BIG ONE. There are real grievances that gave birth to Trump and continue to sustain his popularity. The people who post comments on this Substack can afford $5 a month to do so and most were probably not crushed by the economic events of the past 3 decades. But many have been.
Starting at least in the 1990s, both parties began to turn their attention away from "mere voters" and towards "campaign finance donors". I.e., those voters (or businesses) who had enough money to help pay the rapidly rising cost of campaigning. Neoliberalism took over the Democrats. Cash welfare was gutted as Clinton declared "The era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the time when our citizens were left to fend for themselves." But did just that. As our government stood idly by as productivity gains and globalism hollowed out the jobs of our rural and small city industrial base. As we deregulated banking, brought on the 2008 Great Recession and then, worshiping at the feet of the donors, refused to fix most of weaknesses revealed. All while letting our tax laws enrich the rich. As pensions withered to be replaced by 401(k) plans that only work for the well paid.
The grievances are there! Trump blames all and claims he will magically make America great again. That resonates. Happy talk from Democrats about a rising stock market will not mollify people who have no stock, no emergency fund, no practical way to retire, and see their children grow up ill-housed and ill-fed.
These are real problems that need to be frequently acknowledged while keeping bragging to a minimum. Biden/Harris are doing good work, trying desperately to fill the many holes left by 3 decades of neglect. But they are still allowing the "grievance vote" to be owned by Trump (who cares nothing about fixing things).
FINALLY: "7. Creating compelling counter-narratives: Simply denying a lie isn't always effective. Offering an alternative, factual narrative that's emotionally resonant can be more persuasive." The counter-narrative is simple and compelling. Both parties saw no way to win elections without money. Lots of money. Willy Sutton robed banks because that is where the money was. As far as the parties could see, campaign money could only be gotten from people or businesses that had money. The parties felt trapped by the system, so they went along with it. And the damage and grievances were and are extensive. With climate change at our throats, clawing our way back will be tough. The first part of the answer is simple and straight forward: give the voters, ALL THE VOTERS, some power direct power to fund the campaigns of candidates they like. Do it with campaign finance vouchers, similar to the way Seattle has utterly transformed its politics.
AND, Michael, limit campaign spending unleashed by the Citizen's United decision. Corporations are NOT people! They can advertise their products all they want but as soon as one allows them to donate to political campaigns they have been unleashed to tip the scales away from government of, by and for the people and towards capitalism, oligarchy & fascism.
Please read my substack on this topic.
No need to reverse Citzens United.
The corporations and rich and those of us passionate or successful enough to donate are spending a tiny percentage of our GDP to lead our country down the path of destruction. Maybe $24+ billion this cycle? That is a pittance compared to the $113 Billion for Ian or the far larger cost of this year’s hurricanes and fires. Or the hundreds of billions being spent to defend democracy in Europe or Israel or the far east.
Why can’t we spend a mere $24 billion to buy our democracy back from the plutocracy?
But first arrest the criminal.
And the only one with the charisma to carry this off right now I hope
Sorry but I am copying your recommendation. At least no I can hope to ease my pissed off brain.
I spent some time here this morning: https://www.msnbc.com/jen-psaki
Jen Psaki did a super piece on Pete Buttigeg's intervention with Musk over disinformation. Better yet Jen, is now on Tik-Tok where she has more than 280,000 followers. Jen & Pete's words were colorfully printed by easy to read captioning. Both Jen & Pete are masterful communicators.
She's on Tik Tok! That's excellent news. She's like a red-haired arrow of truth. Yes, terrific pair with Pete. I was so sorry when she left the White House after the first year, but it turned out to be for the greater good.
"red-haired arrow of truth" - outstanding!
"red-haired arrow of truth" love that! Always enjoyed her from her days in the White House press room. She now happily haunts the studios of MSNBC, my favourite biased streaming network.
I'm very big on inoculation. The key first step to self-inoculation is becoming aware that we're under a Big Lie attack. We may not even be the target ourselves, but the sudden appearance of mis- and dis-information flooding our media is something hard not to notice. After noticing this, a sense of skepticism and suspicion should arise, but we should also be equally suspicious of a flood of "too good" information. It's always important to ask yourself who is controlling the narrative on any subject and at any given time.
For a more in-depth examination here are two sources that can provide a good start -
See: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.abo6254
and: https://inoculation.science/inoculation-videos/
As an aside, BOTH propaganda and inoculation wear off over time. Both need booster shots to remain effective! That's hopeful news in a way, because that suggests that if the sources of propaganda were to dry up and the targets were no longer being bombarded & manipulated, sanity might slowly return all by itself! One can only hope....
As Heather rightly pointed out, a constant stream or "firehose" os misinformation is the only way to keep this stuff going. The Nazis were aided and abetted by the entire armed apparatus of the state and a host of paramilitary organizations.
But rationality in this case needs swiftnrss. You've got less than a month to produce and counteract. I applaud your perspicacity but it must be applied ASAP!!!!!
It's all about number 3 on your list, Ryan.
Critical thinking, Scientific method, Evidence based reasoning, Rational thought, Basic logic.
If those were only taught in American schools....... there would still be bad people, cruel people, but not nearly so many gullible people.
On their own, critical thinking and rationality are necessary ingredients, but aren't sufficient. Human beings are also emotional beings, and we need stories to capture their hearts as well as rationality to satisfy their minds. Better stories than what DJT and JD Vance tell.
DEFINITELY emotional beings, Sophie, and definitely with a need to belong to SOMETHING, be it scientific community, liberal arts, education and teaching or, sadly, the big lie. It would seem that those nations which do the best jobs of taking care of their people (more "socialist" perhaps?) have less threat of their people joining in a big lie. People in these countries feel they belong and are cared for by their governments.
I agree on the diagnosis of what needs to be done. The hard part is implementing it because to achieve all of that requires laws to criminalize big lie politics in the age of cyber communication, social media and AI, Constitutional reform as to what constitutes a threat to a democratic republic & treason, eliminating the Electoral College, laws requiring state election laws, local election bodies to be non partisan, laws requiring states to notify people who are about to be purged from election rolls, independent nonpartisan decisions as to determining districting, etc. a government system of providing every citizen born in America and every person granted citizenship an ID card for the purpose of voting, and dealing with media outlets who spread the big lies - a free speech issue. Literally an Everest mountain of change, the kind of change that creates a level political playing field based on truth. We all need to be all in for that fight.
Ok Dr. McCormick, but what can we do to make tffg lose the election in less than a month?
The media must start spreading the truth. I’m going to send this excellent HCR column to everyone I know, even the dumbies, and the media, and Whitehouse.gov
Next expose some other shocking truths that have been ignored, ie. THE EAR.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/new-york-magazine-reporter-olivia-nuzzi-what-i-learned-when-trump-let-me-inspect-his-ear
WILL YOU ALL DO THE SAME SINCE WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF TIME?? Think of yourself, your children, and their children, and their children It’s that important. 🤮🙏🏼💔🤬🤡🎃💩🤯🙀
Nice List... However, DJT Gish Gallops,, and keeping up, countering would take a huge amount of Effort... At this point it is questionable if he can discern what is commonly called 'Reality'... Didn't Ivana, his first Wife, say that DJT keep a copy of 'Mein Kampf' by his bedside? Seems that DJT is a Hitler Worshiper... They both Bend their Reality, have Explosive Tempers, and are Cruel & Vengeful Persons...
Somewhere along the line, we forgot that
My memory of what Heather wrote about the Gish Gallop is to stop reacting to the Fire Hose, pick the biggest of the Big Lies, then go after Trump relentlessly on that one provable issue. Find the balance with Harris’s positive agenda. We are not, none of us, entirely rational beings. Nor entirely emotional. We are a mix…..all of us. It’s not too late to use Heather’s response to the Gish Gallop.
I doubt he ever read Mein Kampf. He doesn't read so much as his one-page briefings, and MK is long and tedious.
I'll bet he read a few bits...and kept the book there to re-read the pertinent paragraphs.
As rational as your suggestions are, some of them are not possible in today's world, i.e. independent courts and free press for 2. We've long passed those goal posts. And critical thinking? Red state schools haven't taught that skill for at least a decade it would seem given their voters' choices for elected officials. Critical thinking and book banning are hardly compatible teaching methods after all. And, I don't just mean Congress, but look at all the Repugnants in lesser roles who've been either arrested or forced to resign for behavior that is the antithesis of what they're always decrying in their loud, hypocritical voices. The full scale assault on our democracy was begun with Reagan's ending of the fairness doctrine, the arrival of Faux News. The decent down the gold escalator was the logical next step. Trump was already a life long expert at lying, he just needed a larger audience which the Repugant Party was only too happy to supply. Genis don't willingly return to the bottle, so I don't see a way out at this point. Sorry to rain on your parade. Show me a single red state whose leadership is going to all of a sudden have a change of heart and put the books back? Has Kamala mentioned one word of expanding SCOTUS? Has Schumer? Will CNN, the NYT and WaPo stop sanewashing? Will the FCC take Faux' license away? Will the 200 million on X say enough and leave?
WE are the way out, Dotty. And, just as their treachery didn't happen overnight, neither will our desire to get things righted. It is up to us, to start the process NOW, to get the former Republicans - now fascists - out of positions affecting our lives. We need them removed from local, state, AND federal offices. It's going to take time, and effort, but we have to start somewhere, and the time for us to start is NOW!!
Dotty Hopkins :” Genis don't willingly return to the bottle,”. No, indeed they do not. But the chaos they have caused does offer us daily opportunities to pushback, transform, and become better. I see so many people transformed -for the better- by this fight we are in. The eternal truth that “Shit Happens” cannot be denied. So how we respond becomes Everything, and the Only Thing That Matters. I heed Michel Obama’s wisdom and choose each day to Do Something (Positive). Bad Things Happen. After that, we all must make our daily choice: Be a Helper, or not.
I simply cannot stand to hear his voice any more.
I have been repulsed by everything about the guy for over ten years, but unfortunately for us, he’s continued to suck up nearly all the airtime for the entire ten years by flooding the zone with shit and watching the media, including the legit media and the newspapers of record, step all over themselves digging though that barage of shit. The perps just sit back and enjoy their success, and the rubes and boobies who comprise the Trump base, over 74 million of them, gobble it up as their primary diet. Even if we win this round, we’ll have to shovel like crazy to make any progress whatever.
We don't really know what that number is because of deaths since 2020 including Covid19 and people that no longer of sound mind. Also, there are millions of new voters that reached voting age. Also. women lost a basic human right - the right to health care. No pro-choice ballot issue has lost and people aren't voting for pro-life candidates for the most part. Approximately 12 million people died in the US since the 2020 election and people migrate from one state to another. And at least 10 million 18-22 year olds can vote now that were unable to vote in 2020.
The biggest enemy we have is apathy. Encourage everyone you know to vote.
Pro-life. I want to puke every time I hear that hypocrisy!! These assholes scream about abortion, but carry loaded weapons with them everywhere they go. Ignorant hypocrites all.
Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister summed up the “pro-life” position well.
"I do not believe that just because you are opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, a child educated, a child housed. And why would I think that you don't? Because you don't want any tax money to go there. That's not pro-life. That's pro-birth. We need a much broader conversation on what the morality of pro-life is."
I’m voting, my parents, siblings, in laws and friends are. We are not Trump fans! My dad wonders about the people who support a charlatan like Trump. He didn’t use that word about Trump, I did, but he agrees.
The WORLD would have avoided WW2 and the loss of 80 million lives had ADOLF HITLER been taken out right out of the gate.
Narcissists like Trump are prone to suck all the air out of the room to get others to focus on the narcissist.
I have a dream that the media will simply stop reporting on anything he does or says.
I tried watching him speaking with the sound off and captions on. I couldn't, I had to give up.
‘The Art of the Deal” would be better titled, “The Art of the Lie.”
Which is pretty much the ghostwriter of Trump's book said that it was.
And the Art of the Scam and Art of the Grift. The real lesson Donald taught his three eldest children, Donald Jr., Eric and Ivanka was how to scam people out of their money.
If you were relying on captions, it was a good idea to turn them off too. They usually bear little or no resemblance to what was actually said. So much for AI.
Oh, I wasn't actually reading the captions after the first line or two, It was his face and body language that made me turn the whole thing off.
Shirley, I as well can no longer stand seeing his evil face. What comes out of that mouth is pure weaponized (his fav word) nonsense that reflects directly back to his one cruel narcissistic empty self. He is so mentally sick that truth evades his shrinking brain. He belongs on a ward w the mentally insane playing solitaire
on a mirror.
Takes me back to my visceral reaction to Nixon.
One of my favorite bumper stickers during the GW Bush years was “I NEVER THOUGHT I’D MISS NIXON.”
I don't miss Nixon, but miss the predominant public impression that Nixon's dishonesty was a deal breaker.
Nixon was corrupt and evil from the beginning. No doubt about it. Scurrilous to the core.
Unlike Trump, Nixon ultimately put the country over his personal political survival by resigning. He was staring down certain impeachment and conviction by the Senate.
He was then pardoned by Ford, who claimed our national nightmare over. In reality that pardon set the precedent that the president is above the law, and enabled a far greater nightmare. Trump exploited that and the Supreme Court anointed the notion. Nixon asserted to David Frost what is effectively a pre-Trumpian claim, "Well, when the president does it, that means that it is not illegal", by definition.”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nixon_interviews
The way I remember it is that Nixon may have said that he was putting his country above all else, but he had actually been told that his party no longer backed him and would impeach him, so the only option left was to resign.
Or another couple, WTF, patterned after Bush’s campaign logo, or the immortal “Somewhere in Texas a village is missing its idiot.”
I was too young to know about it then, but now I know why so many people detested Nixon. Jerry Ford did not do us any favor by pardoning Trump. It’s the same visceral disgust I have for Donald Trump.
Gerald Ford made Donald Trump and the Roberts Court possible.
Yes!!
Or see his face! 🤮
It is rather grating and annoying, don’t you think? It’s the perfect voice for constant lies.
My fervent hope is that Kamala and Tim win by a landslide and we are able to simply turn off TFG’s microphone.
I never could
How I wish!! He is a frightening, maddening menace. The trouble now is the uncertainty about his own comprehension of what he is doing to us. Not that I think he would care if he were still fully aware, but it’s Vance, Bannon, Miller, et al. who are deliberately causing the uproar.
Musk. He's clearly been bankrolling him for a few weeks.
X doesn’t even bother to stop the open racism and antisemitism I report (I am not Jewish,) and it is disturbing and disgusting to see X turn into a version of 4 Chan or 8 Chan with better graphics.
Much longer than that Anne.
I wonder which of the two will sink the other.
Or which co-conspirator(s). A fraud cell is circulating bait this morning subject headlined "MONEY FLOW (MF) PERMANENT" posted by the Perp aka "Terry P".
"Both the President [sic] and Elon Musk are warning about ...."
I got a warning ... click at your peril. I am tempted but, will not snark about the Cons' initials MF.
If there were, his little lawyers would find a way of postponing it.
Hey, maybe we could file a class action against him & the Republican Party. Surely there is a nice lawyer out there that would take this on pro Bono!
Seriously, isn't there some sort of law against lying lying lying? How can it be OK?
You can be in very serious trouble for lying to the government, but employees of, or aspirants to, governmental office are entirely free to lie to you? I thought we were the ultimate "boss".
Why aren’t they guilty of fraud for lying to the public?
The ultimate boss seems to be the crooked Supreme Court.
It’s gone on far longer than that. Dirty politics campaigns are a part of our political history. Jefferson was attacked in newspaper columns over his sexual relationship with Sally Hemings.
And Jefferson badmouthed Washington even before that. He was no saint.
See my comment to the next post (Ed Guerrant's). Once again, I'm back in Tricky Dick Nixon's world.
Yes, Nixon, whose name I can even now barely bring myself to utter, was a master of the Big Lie.
HCR's post is a wonderfully clear and concise exposition of how this country's 21st-century fascists are using the Nazis' social and political manipulation techniques. As a tag-on, I'll mention Joseph Goebbels's article "Churchill's Lie Factory," fairly tedious but notable for how he accuses the English of exactly what the Nazis were doing: "The English follow the principle that when one lies, one should lie big, and stick to it. They keep up their lies, even at the risk of looking ridiculous." Sound like any presidential and vice-presidential candidates, congresscritters, and supreme court justices you can think of?
(see https://research.calvin.edu/german-propaganda-archive/goeb29.htm)
Trump seems to have studied Hitler and Nixon as political examples, which is hardly reassuring.
The orange criminal doesn't seem to have the intellectual capacity or self discipline to study anything except perhaps his own navel. I'm highly skeptical of the report that he kept a copy of Mein Kampf on his bedside table. If he did, it was as a decoration. To take off from a comment by Steve Carlton, the great baseball pitcher of the '60s-'80s, all the fat orange con man knows about books is that they're very hard to read.
But at least a few of today's extremist disciples seem to have studied up. Roger Stone, he of the Nixon portrait tattooed across his back, epitomizes nixonian dishonesty and underhandedness. And Bannon and Stephen Miller appear to have internalized the Nazi theories and techniques.
And this disinformation campaign should be headline news everywhere - not in an article buried below the fold or worse.
Just help get people out to vote against him. If he loses, your mood will improve ;-)
There should be a class action lawsuit that includes all Americans who feel they are suffering harm by the disinformation campaign. Losing in court will be a deterrent. We should also be writing our legislators to make this sort of intentional lying criminally illegal.
Copied from _dreamweasel_ on Threads:
VANCE: Hi, I'm Republican vice-presidential candidate JD Vance
RUFO: And I'm Republican strategist Chris Rufo
VANCE: We're the two fory-yar-old millennials who are shaping the future of the Republican Party
RUFO: Thanks to the brave new world dominated by partisan social media, we can say all kinds of ridiculous crap and suffer precisely zero political consequences
VANCE: Even if it's the sort of empirically untrue nonsense that would have been laughed off the public stage as recently as 20 or 30 years ago
RUFO: Lest we forget, we certainly wouldn't be here today were it not for the bold leadership of President Trump
VANCE: All praise His name
RUFO: Trump has pioneered previously unthinkable frontiers in Saying Whatever Bullshit He Wants and Never Suffering Any Consequences
RUFO: So in 2021, I convinced nearly half of America that an obscure legal philosophy known as "Critical Race Theory: was being used in public schools tyo brainwash children into hating white people
VANCE: I remember! You even told the wold that you were intentionally distorting the meaning of CRT to weaponize against the liberals
RUFO: Worked like a charm!
DeSANTIS: Hey, just wanted to thank you again for helping me repurpose the word "groomers" to imply that anyone talking about gays or gtransgenerts to children was effectively molesting them
RUFO: Couldn't have done it without you, Ron!
VANCE: You guys are a true inspiration. I've been working on some stuff of my own insisting that Haitians who emigrated legally during the Biden-Harris Administration really shouldn't count and may as well be illegals
RUFO: That's the spirit!
VANCE: I also defended the complete lie about Haitians eating house pets by citing the necessity to "created stories" to draw attention to our immigration problems
RUFO: Damn, borther, you are slick!
VANCE: Oh hey, thanks
VANCE: My current crusade it to get those pesky "fact-checkers" off our back by equating fact-checking to censorship.
DeSANTIS: Hey, why do you think conservatives are fact-checked so much more often than liberals?
(all three enjoya a hearty laugh)
RUFO: Let's just go with "liberal media bias"
VANCE: It turns out that no lie is so outrageous that it would convince a Republi can to vote fofr a Democrat
RUFO: And as long as we can lie without losing any votes, we can manipulate the discourse to our liking
GREENE: Jews control the weather
RUFO: Not yet, Marge
⭐️GOP 2024⭐️
We're Liars and We Admit It. So What?
This has been going on since the Reagan administration. Remember Rush Limbaugh??
You wish . . . The way you "sue" him is to vote for Harris/Walz and for Dems ALL THE WAY DOWN THE TICKET. No exceptions. No waffling.
I hope to God he gets thrown in jail. Even if he does, this is not over. Vance is a more evil (and smarter) version of America's Hitler. VOTE BLUE UP AND DOWN THE BALLOT!!!
Leonore. I’m with you. If only we could come together in a class action suit I’d be all in.
All this info makes me want to cry. What has happened to common Decency and integrity. Gone with tRump and his party that have all fallen into a sh_t hole. Wish we could bury them there.
What are your get out the vote activities?
Ok then. This is nothing new. As Dr. Richardson stated, and we all know to be true, this has been going on since 2016. People that want to hear lies go to FOX. People that want the news go to CBS etc. Frankly I am kinda tired of the whining that happens every single time an article like this is posted by Dr, Richardson. We have been in a slow-moving coup since 2015. Many millions have been working like hell to defeat not only the Fascists but also deal with the media. We have created one of the most wide-spread and strongest resistance movements in my lifetime. We have been soundly defeating MAGA candidates in 2018, 2020 and 2022.
Get angry and get out the vote. Otherwise stop whining.
Except for the stay out of prison part, this sentence by HCR pretty well sums it up: “Trump’s lies are not errors. They are part of a well-documented strategy to overturn democracy by using modern media to create a false political world.”
For a guy who wants to stay out of prison, he's certainly going about it weirdly.
Yes. He wants to stay out of prison, but doesn't want to stop criming.
I think he's hoping to win the election, then with the help of SCOTUS he'll avoid going to prison.
Surely you're not suggesting this demonstrably corrupt, accountable to nobody SCOTUS would do such a thing!
I feel for the liberal judges on that court, having to watch the corruption unfold and being pretty helpless to stop it. I would love to be in the room when they're discussing one of these cases before they actually go public with their ruling.
“Trump’s lies are not errors. They are part of a well-documented strategy to overturn democracy by using modern media to create a false political world.”
I agree, Ed.
It’s time for middle and high school teachers to share this information with their students. However, I fear that many are not. Current events have never been more important to dissect, discuss, and analyze in schools. Now, more than ever, is the time for critical thinking.
I think we need Pete Buttigieg to teach seminars on how to combat disinformation. That man has a remarkable and rare talent for ignoring the hatred and bias in loaded questions and answering so directly and sincerely that the questioner feels heard and respected. (I don't think they deserve either, but Pete Buttigieg clearly does, and I salute him for that.)
Yes, I keep wanting to hear the ANSWER to the question that is asked! Shouldn’t a good debater or interviewee be very deliberate in answering the QUESTION?! Pete Buttigieg is a master at this, even prefacing his answer often with a succinct paraphrasing of the question.
Pete is most definitely gifted in that way! What a treasure he is!
👍 💯 agree
Q: could anyone in these sets of people live without all in the other set?
Samuel Alito, Amy Coney Barrett, Andy Biggs, Lauren Boebert, Katie Britt, Mo Brooks, Aileen Cannon, Andrew Clyde, James Comer, Tom Cotton, Matt Gaetz, Louie Gohmert, Neil Gorsuch, Paul Gosar, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Josh Hawley, Clay Higgins, Robert Hur, Mike Johnson, Jim Jordan, Brett Kavanaugh, Barry Loudermilk, Anna Luna, Nancy Mace, Mark Martin, Mitch McConnell, Chip Roy, Steve Scalise, Elise Stefanik, Clarence Thomas, Donald Trump, Tommy Tuberville, JD Vance.
and:
Robin Arkley II (purveyor of hidden, untaxed bribes to Alito), George Birnbaum, Harlan Crow (a Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Wayne Huizenga (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Charles Koch, Leonard Leo, Bernie Little (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Rupert Murdoch, Elon Musk, Paul “Tony” Novelly (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Dennis Prager, David Rivkin (defender of Alito medieval corruption and his contemporary corruption, too), Steve Schwartzman, Paul Singer, David Sokol (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer), Peter Thiel, Anthony Welters (another Clarence Thomas subsidizer) Jeffrey Yass, Jeff Zuckerberg and families DeVos, Kushner, Mercer, Sackler, Uihlein.
Bottom feeders all.
Hmmmmm, Phil, I hear that Musk wants to colonize Mars….me thinks this would be a most excellent passenger manifest for that trip! 🚀👋
Especially, Barbara, if we could get them all sitting on chairs outside the vehicle.
Perfect! Think of all that fresh, um…er…, air! And the view….to die for!
Remember the movie Don't
Look Up?
Want to see it…one of these daze!
As long as he went with them.
Outstanding lists. Criminals all. The buyers (below) and the bought (above).
That is quite a list. Terrible !
And don't forget the buddies that Trump "gave" clemency to. 10 of them were convicted of defrauding Medicare/Medicaid totally over $2 billion. The number can't be confirmed because some of the sentences are sealed just like Rick Scott who may have stolen as much as $500 million from Medicare/Medicaid
"During his tenure as president of the United States (January 20, 2017 – January 20, 2021), Donald Trump granted executive clemency to 237 individuals charged or convicted of federal criminal offenses, using his clemency power under Article II, Section 2 of the Constitution. Ordinarily, all requests for executive clemency for federal offenses are directed to the Office of the Pardon Attorney (OPA) in the U.S. Department of Justice for review; however, Trump frequently bypassed the OPA, and the majority of his executive clemency grants were made to well-connected convicts who did not file a petition with the OPA or meet the OPA's requirements.
Of the pardons and commutations that Trump did grant, the vast majority were to persons to whom Trump had a personal or political connection, or persons for whom executive clemency served a political goal. A significant number had been convicted of fraud or public corruption. The New York Times reported that during the closing days of the Trump presidency, individuals with access to the administration, such as former administration officials, were soliciting fees to lobby for presidential pardons."
When was the last time anyone reported on what criminal activities these convicts have been up to since they were released or given clemency?
You've got this sordid history down well, Gary.
Totally corrupt. Total sleazebag. Bailing out con men and grifters such as himself.
The tens of millions really enthuse over these vulgar extremes always sinking into further vulgarity, more hysteric, rank favoritism, and insults to the decent institutions for which the orange felon has only open contempt?
Yes, I think Amy Coney Barrett could live without the others--and might prefer to. Not that I agree with her, or feel anything but chilled by her super-fertility and ostentatious Virtue, but I think she's the only one in that gang of thugs who has a worldview, a mission, and brakes.
Didn't she have her chance, Mary, to put the brakes on the "Christian" nationalists killing key personal choices for American women?
Didn't she have her chance to defend the "Chevron deference"?
I believe she was specifically chosen to kill Roe. Beyond that she may feel her work is done and she is beginning to separate from the rest of the corrupt Justices.
I didn't say she and I agreed about anything or shared a morality. I said she was different in kind.
But don’t you need a figurehead? A come into my fold father or mother figure?
Doesn't matter at all to his cultists, KSC, how mad, lying, dissipate, vulgar he is.
All the more entertaining he is, this orange felon they do have as figurehead.
Remember, they all attended schools where all humanities -- everything remotely "personal" -- was ripped out for the billionaires' campaigns that standardized testing totally take over with all its neutering, simpleton linearity, and emphasis on categories and group-think logic only.
It’s rash to name entire families. Lynde Bradley Uihlein Is liberal. She shouldn’t be judged by the actions of others of her surname who seem to long for a return to the guilded age.
Good to hear, Jonathan, of at least one good exception to the rule.
Thank you for noting it.
I agree in principle. However Mary Trump is a liberal too, yet I subconsciously distinguish and consider her separately from the Trump name.
Is Curtis Yarvin on the list ? I bet we could put our heads together and double the list. And then what ? Traitors all
I know about him, Nraecohen.
Correct you are -- there's a whole raft of more names among the "Christian" nationalists, all connected with each other (as well as with the smooth, convenient lies of J. D. Vance).
I'm not, however, at all sure of their funding.
Wow, you really did our homework for us didn't you? thanks!!!!
And Bannon
I've made that good revision, Deirdre, to my list on my computer. Thank you.
Elitists who are also 10%ers. Almost all male. Reminds me of what I learned about the "Gilded Age."
10% is not even close. Even 0.00001% over estimates their fraction of the population, but the billionaires, any of them who want to, have the rest of us by the short hairs, and they’ve found shit-slingers to recruit 74 million willfully ignorant louts to help them out.
I was sitting here trying to think of a response to HCR that is a little deeper than critical thinking, not that that issue isn't important.
My thought was centering around who are the deeper players in this and you hit the nail on the head. Lenard Leo and this group (The Federalist Society) is the most frightening and how he has twisted the legal profession against us all in the name of religion. Trump and most of his republican followers like MTG, Tommy Tuberville, etc. are too dumb to see any end game other than staying in power and Trump in staying out of jail.
I don't know how we counter all the money at these people's disposal to stop this insidious movement because behind that money trail is where the evil begins all the way to Putin and others including Elon.
Thanks for your insight.
On the scene and off stage
As an aside, DJT stock jumped $3.00 today because Musk came to Trump’s rally. I’ve been happily watching that stock plummet, but today it did a U turn. Musk is just as dangerous as Trump, if not more because of his extreme wealth and social media influence.
⬆️This - Arkley has been throwing $ around for years. Here is his latest venture in Eureka, CA:
https://lostcoastoutpost.com/2024/sep/13/security-national-has-now-spent-least-1155945-pro/
Oh, good grief.
And how much does their house of cards depend on the charisma of Trump that is deflating and distorting before our very eyes. I am hoping beyond hope here that there is no one who they can really swap out (and manipulate) as successfully. I don’t think Vance is it, certainly not puppet master Bannon.Lake and Tucker scare me.
It's amazing how many find tfg charismatic. I have always thought of him as slimy and crude, even well before he came into political prominence. And many New Yorkers always thought he was a buffoon. It's a mystery, that he, like Hitler appealed to so many. Both seem like really "icky" people even before opening their mouths. Alice Miller wrote a great book on how Hitler became so successful. Her idea was that German child rearing approaches groomed the population to be drawn to an authoritarian leader. It may explain in part why so many conservatives are drawn to tfg. Many were raised in authoritarian families and are from communities where "law and order" types rule, through fear and intimidation. Certainly the churches don't help, by discouraging critical thinking and promising that obedience to their narrative would bring rewards.
J. fpotus first crossed my sightlines when he mucked up the USFL and the New Jersey Generals. I thought he was a grifting <insert profanity her> then, and nothing I've seen in the intervening years has shown me otherwise.
Remember what Hillary said to him, "you're a puppet", and that's all he is.
A stupid fucking puppet.
You and I might see it that way -- and many others on Heather's site, KSC.
That is, "the charisma of Trump" may be deflating and distorting before our very eyes." I certainly wish that to be true. But I fear those tens of millions of his firmly support all the lies, racism, hatred of immigrants, and all the other fears and hatreds for which the cadres of Russia, China, and Iran are assiduously working.
Phil, I have long believed that the "attraction" to fpotus was that he let the racists, misogynists, homo/transphobes, and Christian Nationalists have permission to voice their hatred, their anger, and loudly proclaim that they are the "cream of the crop" and that all those "others" need to be relegated to their proper place a the bottom of the heap or in jail for "immorality".
I want very much to believe that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz will win. I am cautiously optimistic.
Let’s say they do: then what? Half the country will have bought into the incredibly well run disinformation campaign put forth by Trump, his surrogates, the Chinese, the Russians, and the Iranians (plus whoever else.).
These people aren’t going to wake up on November 6, or January 7 or January 21 and suddenly realize they’ve been duped or manipulated or brainwashed.
It took a completely devastating war to get ordinary Germans to realize it wasn’t Jews who were the enemy. And many were prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned or executed for their part in the Holocaust.
What will it take to turn half our citizens away from the Big Lie and all the little ones that followed? I fear if we don’t figure that out, we are going to be repeating this “Save Democracy” election every 4 years.
But when they do wake up, Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump, has advice on how to “help”. Although, I confess, I am not holding my breath that two of my siblings will come out of the fog. :/
Deprogramming cult members is not easy and often unsuccessful. Doing it en masse is nearly impossible.
Mr. Hassan was in a cult himself, a Moonie, and was able to “get out” and has since dedicated his career to helping and educating. I agree with you, though, successful deprogramming seems so out of reach. Those that are easily persuadable abound. Thinking Ginnie Thomas, and Jan. 6. She was in a cult. Got out. But apparently not out enough, still susceptible. And she still moves freely in society.
She got out????
She got out of a cult she was in many years ago. That was a strange story I learned about several months ago. Unfortunately for her, she fell into a new one with Maga. I guess the propensity to fall for it is strong with that one. I think it is probably one of those things that a person has to keep some ongoing work to prevent it from happening again.
I thought that she had always ruled Clarence, strange story indeed…
In truth we are always trying to “Save Democracy” every two years. I think we are finally waking up to this fact. At least a greater proportion of citizens are than before. As to what happens come Nov. 6th? Elisabeth Neuman, an expert in domestic terrorism has some great insight into addressing this problem. This conversation with Politics Girl, Leigh McGowen is really powerful. https://youtu.be/Qg27_ijug68
Those are all the questions I anxiously ponder, too.
I have my doubts. I sit aghast as at least half of Americans believe the USA is going to He'll in a handbag despite for most of the traditional metrics showing it is in fact thriving, improving, and more of us are doing as well if not better. So, I am not real hopeful that truth will affect them.
Chump says we will need no more elections
I understand your concern, but I'm not sure it's even half the population. There is indeed a percentage of people in the US who are cult members, but they are more powerful than their numbers suggest because of the electoral college and the voter suppression Repubs have been doing for years. Probably, in every country, there are those who are more conservative, more scared, more rigid, more gullible, and tending toward less compassion, who can be convinced to rise up when they are scared enough. The US has no social safety net, and that in itself can make people more angry and afraid. Provide a better social safety net, and there will be less fear and anger.
I think the first order of business, once Kamala and Tim win the election (🙏🤞), is to take away Trump's ability to mass communicate with his followers.
(I don't think prisoners are permitted to post on Truth Social)
The right wing media is still problematic as they continue to spew disinformation, whether their own or Russia's. But it us important to stop feeding the cultists the lies. Once the constant supply is interrupted, a small space opens in for bits of truth to get in.
Except it’s not half the country. MAGAts are a minority, and the political operatives know that, which is why they have to work so hard to get their candidates into office. The only way they can “win” is to cheat.
Here’s hoping that good Americans find the moral fortitude to stand up to this in numbers that can’t be ignored.
Yes, that is our fervent hope. Unfortunately, there are just barely enough good Americans to do the job. To outvote the bad Americans, damn near every good one will have to cast a vote. We’re gonna need the biggest Dem turnout in history.
🤞
I’m afraid. It’s just nuts. Have a high school classmate (geez, and I somehow managed to miss my 40th reunion a while back) who is absolutely convinced of all the misinformation crap that he sees. I’ve tried every which way, finally telling him to Google Thom Tillis and hurricane misinformation, because the Senator — a Republican — is asking people to stop the crap. This classmate digs in even further. It is just so scary. I responded to Katrina months later, went with Catholic Charities as a non-religious person, slept in army tents, and helped demolish houses in significant heat in the 9th ward, with cars still hanging out of trees. Tell you what, I’d be bullshit if I were actually an emergency responder, volunteering my time and muscles in a disaster area, and heard this crap.
The main stream tide is turning against Trump. But MAGA maniacs, some close to me, insist that those Republicans praising the administration are turn coats brainwashed by the MSM. When I bring up the Big Lie, they switch to ranting about Hillary Clinton. When I bring up the neo-Nazi pre-blaming Jews for any loss he might suffer, they scoff at my oversensitivity. Their leader must lose on Nov 5, must be tried in court, and they must be forced to live under a sane administration for 4, no, 24 more years.
In "Child's Play" (1988), "the plot follows a widowed mother who gives a doll, Chucky, to her son, unaware that the doll is possessed by the soul of a serial killer." Throughout the VP debate, I was not fooled for a nanosecond by the "strategic mendacity" of J.D. Vance. The next morning, after reading a dozen takes on the debate, I imagined the J.D. Vance biopic, starring the evil doll Chucky as Vance. Vance came off as a smooth-talking lounge lizard who uses his "astonishing baffle-gab" to woo his next mark. At the debate, it was not easy to follow his logic, mainly because there was no logic. His was mixed-nuts verbosity designed to sound reassuring and intelligent, but his "velvet patter" came off as demonic and seductive, like speaking-in-tongues.
Excellent description of JD Vance. There seems to be no there, there.
We must use "J D 'Chucky' Vance". He even looks like him.
And let’s keep calling out the more and more obvious word substitutions, ie. “ censorship” for fact-checking!
But so many thought he sounded sane and reasonable. (Letters to the editor, Dallas). They didn’t print mine.
There were some camera shots of Vance that just screamed evil!!!
I seriously am wondering if Speaker of the House Johnson and his MAGAts will be held accountable for their unwillingness to return to pass a resolution to give FEMA more money? Will the 46% who call themselves Republicans see this for what it is?
This letter is like an inextinguishable lighthouse. Desperately important.
This letter, or its contents, should go out to every American. People need to understand exactly what they are doing and be “ inoculated” as Dr. McCormick days.
I share these letters in FB and maybe two or three people respond…. Major bummer
James, I've been engaging in some anti-disinformation posts with some of my MAGAt friends. I shared today's letter, and if I remember to (and can find this comment again) I will report back.
I agree. The dose is strong, and that's what's needed, without delay.
Oct 20, 2016 is the day Trump declared that he would accept the results of the forthcoming election, if he won. This is now the third election that he has refused to accept the results if he loses.
October 20th should become a national holiday called Disinformation Awareness Day.
Why do we allow a person who will not accept the results of the election to run? It's absurd and corrupt.
That memory is seared in my mind forever. So is the “I’ll keep you in suspense!” garbage. Both should be used to establish intent at Donald’s Jan 6 trial.
Simply maddening. Trump should be locked up.
Should have been locked up quite some time ago.
“The Democrats don’t matter,” Bannon told a reporter in 2018. “The real opposition is the media. And the way to deal with them is to flood the zone with shit.”
And the real traitors are the click-whore media.
None of this could have happened if they hadn’t given Shitler a mic and a stage, over and over and over again.
And today they sane wash his gibberish. It’s infuriating. The only reliable source of information is through quality substacks. Sadly this doesn’t reach those who have gone down the rabbit hole.
I share all of these important substacks to my Facebook page, and some of them are deleted by Facebook administrators. 2 from Joyce Vance and 1 from Mary Trump!
Thanks Heather, and yes we are in a crisis of communication that gets worse everyday. Like Mark Twain said, “ if you don’t read the newspaper you are un- informed, if you read the newspaper you are mis-informed”
We can help. We can share the FEMA rumor response page
https://www.fema.gov/disaster/current/hurricane-helene/rumor-response
and the FEMA assistance page
https://www.disasterassistance.gov/
Mary, share them where? If on social media, the algorithms of the MAGAs won't let them see it. Where do you suggest we put these things so that they can be seen?
You can reach out to any MAGAt friends you have via social media.
I've been doing this for the past 4 or 5 days, with intermittent success. The adage "a lie can go halfway around the world while the truth is still getting it's shoes on" seems to be being illustrated yet again.
Glad to know you are doing this! I got off Facebook when Mark Zuckerberg started helping Trump so have no social media in my life now. But apart from an old friend in Florida who likes Gov DeSantis and has always described herself proudly (!?) as “apolitical” I have no MAGA friends, though I’m from Ohio, so this wouldn’t work for me. I wish there was some space other than a baseball stadium or a basketball court where all kinds of people mixed and communicated.
Thanks for these, Mary!