Some local GOP leaders fire up base with conspiracies, lies

[riversedge]

Source: AP


today


A faction of local, county and state Republican officials is pushing lies, misinformation and conspiracy theories that echo those that helped inspire the violent U.S. Capitol siege, online messaging that is spreading quickly through GOP ranks fueled by algorithms that boost extreme content.

The Associated Press reviewed public and private social media accounts of nearly 1,000 federal, state, and local elected and appointed Republican officials nationwide, many of whom have voiced support for the Jan. 6 insurrection or demanded that the 2020 presidential election be overturned, sometimes in deleted posts or now-removed online forums.


“Sham-peachment,” they say, and warn that “corporate America helped rig the election.” They call former president Donald Trump a “savior” who was robbed of a second term — despite no evidence — and President Joe Biden, a “thief.” “Patriots want answers,” they declare.

The bitter, combative rhetoric is helping the officials grow their constituencies on social media and gain outsized influence in their communities, city councils, county boards and state assemblies. And it exposes the GOP’s internal struggle over whether the party can include traditional conservative politicians, conspiracy theorists and militias as it builds its base for 2022...................................

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/joe-biden-donald-trump-capitol-siege-conspiracy-theories-media-0ef88e6f3b2b418ae07b214131d7f128

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[left-of-center2012]

1. Duplicate post

[riversedge]

2. I replaced with different article. when I was checking to see

if Granholm was in LBN< I misspelled her name. crap. so replaced.

[elleng]

3. We'll be facing louder and more destructive lies

for the rest of our lives, I suspect.

[certainot]

7. it's all based on the 'liberal deep state' narrative fed through limbaugh starting even before 2017

inauguration to excuse the trump russian collusion. the story morphed as the details of the carter page, strzrok, muelller, etc events came out - with social media to add wilder side stories to appeal to the more radical wackos - probably the russians were feeding limbaugh to flush it through 1500 radio stations and building on that

but limbaugh is flushed so there's no one to keep it together now.

[magicarpet]

4. The lies work so well with their base,...

.... and it kicks the hate up a notch or two.

Frothing at the mouth lunatics is what the GOPQ is all about.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

8. What's scary is the amount of disinformation and conspiracy theories. A lie repeated often enough

becomes the truth. All they have to do is create doubt in enough voters' minds to make them stay home. Then use voter suppression to do the rest. Without a shred of evidence, "voter fraud" or "protect the sanctity of the vote" is used to justify these draconian measures.

Already GOP legislatures have put forward 165 bills to suppress the vote, all aimed at persons who don't fall into the white Christian middle class demographic. They're gerrymandering the state's districts so that even though Dems win 70% of the statewide vote they only get 40% of the legislative seats, and fewer than half the congressional ones. If they figure out a way to gimmick the senatorial votes -- which are statewide -- they will.

Arizona's blatant attempt to overthrow democracy is in progress. There's a move on to pass a law which gives the legislature the right to "examine" the votes after the Secretary of State certifies the results, and if they don't like the results they can overturn them. I can't even believe someone would propose such an undemocratic thing, but the Repugs have demonstrated time and again that they will do anything to gain and remain in power.

I don't know why we still have the filibuster in the Senate. The only purpose it serves is to allow the minority party to veto all of the president's actions, even though they are wildly popular nationwide, even among Republicans. What is it going to take for the Democratic Party to stand up and say in one voice, "Enough!"

[OldBaldy1701E]

5. Then

They are guilty of accessory to insurrection and should be investigated at once.

[Botany]

6. This is not new information. What do you think Fox News is all about? Lies, misinformation, and...

Last edited Fri Feb 26, 2021, 09:13 AM - Edit history (1)

... conspiracy theories. All in an echo chamber to amplify the Republican's messages. Scary brown people,
science isn't real, tax cuts for the rich help other people, and now "they" are starting to push the deficit again
when it comes to the C-19 relief package.

And as if they aren't bad enough we now have OAN & News Max. Nixon got into the White House by lying
about him having a better peace deal for Vietnam all the time sabotaging LBJ's Vietnam deal with both
North and South Vietnam and keeping the war going another 4 + years and in the end signing the exact
same deal that LBJ had in 67 & 68 killing @ least another million plus people and ripping America apart.
Roger Ailes who helped to start the Fox hate factory for Republican lies was a Nixon guy and embraced the
lying as a way to power and money.

And after Donald Trump started a violent attempt to overthrow the government based on "the big lie" that
the election was stolen from him Republicans in the house and senate gave him a pass and some even
blamed ANTIFA for the violence, bloodshed, and destruction.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

9. It's all they have

You didn't expect them to do work did you?

[ck4829]

10. K&R

[Maxheader]

11. Thought I read about people questioning...

The legality of these conspiracy shows? Stations showing

that shit, receiving funding..our taxes supporting them?..