But why - WHY - are some people vulnerable to manipulation? Is it a brain defect? Are the MAGAs impaired? I struggle to understand what's wrong with all of these millions of people. It's a serious question and nobody has been able to answer it.
Personal encounters with puffed-up T supporters suggest it’s mostly about turning chips on shoulders into glee at seeing “libs” fearful and demoralized, whether by being shockingly vulgar or violent or flagrantly racist or misogynistic. A goon-shaped power play. The mis- and disinformation helps them mock and terrorize “libs.” They seem to find delight in humiliating others, sometimes aligning with God as they do so—very odd.
Rachel, I was so impressed by your interview with Steve Benen that I have been posting this comment on various Substack newsletters that I subscribe to:
Here is the description Bitecofer gives of the podcast:
“Today’s pod is with Rachel Maddow producer and editor of Maddow Blog Steve Benen and his important new book Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republican’’ War on the Recent Reality.
Benen’s important book documents how Republicans managed how to rewrite the history of recent events like January 6th and COVID to make millions of people believe in a false reality for something they saw with their very own eyes.”
In the podcast, Benen says, “Democracy rests on a foundation of shared knowledge – when that knowledge is corrupted by Republicans on purpose as part of this effort to grab power and to bully our memories into submission, it weakens democracy at a fundamental level. The system is not designed to work that way. In the not too distant past, there was some shared information….we saw the same headlines, the same evening reports on TV, and had the same understanding of current events….And now, that shared understanding has been corrupted thanks to a variety of factors that have unfolded in record time, and the result is a fundamentally weakened democracy….And so, if we want to fix that, if we want to strengthen our democracy, we have to reject those who believe that they have to target our understanding of reality and our understanding of the recent past. The more they succeed, the weaker the system becomes.”
If you are from a blue state or cannot go to a battleground state, your volunteer work is needed to do ballot-curing through VoPro Pros and the Harris/Walz campaign. Info on ballot-curing is in this article on the Substack newsletter The Grassroots Connector:
“Early voting has started in all swing states, so ballot curing is already underway. It will continue after Election Day, with different deadlines for ballot counting in different states. Several groups are seeking volunteers for various “voter protection activities.” These include: VoPro Pros, an all volunteer organization, various state Democratic parties, and the Harris-Walz campaign. You can sign up to be trained and deployed by VoPro Pros here. You can sign up to volunteer with a variety of state Democratic parties here.
“Most ballot-curing is done by phone, so a volunteer can be anywhere and help make votes count. One of the great things about ballot curing is that volunteers know they are making a direct contribution to increasing Democratic vote totals in battleground states, districts, and local elections. Together they will help us win the White House, the Senate, and all down ballot races, too.”
The Mueller investigation and the Ukraine impeachment have been rewritten as complete vindications.
But why - WHY - are some people vulnerable to manipulation? Is it a brain defect? Are the MAGAs impaired? I struggle to understand what's wrong with all of these millions of people. It's a serious question and nobody has been able to answer it.
Personal encounters with puffed-up T supporters suggest it’s mostly about turning chips on shoulders into glee at seeing “libs” fearful and demoralized, whether by being shockingly vulgar or violent or flagrantly racist or misogynistic. A goon-shaped power play. The mis- and disinformation helps them mock and terrorize “libs.” They seem to find delight in humiliating others, sometimes aligning with God as they do so—very odd.
Rachel, I was so impressed by your interview with Steve Benen that I have been posting this comment on various Substack newsletters that I subscribe to:
A lot of work will need to be done after the election to fix the long-term problem of how did millions of Americans come to believe Trump’s lies? Political strategist Rachel Bitecofer in her Substack newsletter On the Cycle, interviews Richard Benen about that problem and I feel that listening to that interview will be the best half hour you and your readers can spend. https://thecycle.substack.com/p/the-ministry-of-truth?utm_campaign=reaction&utm_medium=email&utm_source=substack&utm_content=post
Here is the description Bitecofer gives of the podcast:
“Today’s pod is with Rachel Maddow producer and editor of Maddow Blog Steve Benen and his important new book Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republican’’ War on the Recent Reality.
Benen’s important book documents how Republicans managed how to rewrite the history of recent events like January 6th and COVID to make millions of people believe in a false reality for something they saw with their very own eyes.”
In the podcast, Benen says, “Democracy rests on a foundation of shared knowledge – when that knowledge is corrupted by Republicans on purpose as part of this effort to grab power and to bully our memories into submission, it weakens democracy at a fundamental level. The system is not designed to work that way. In the not too distant past, there was some shared information….we saw the same headlines, the same evening reports on TV, and had the same understanding of current events….And now, that shared understanding has been corrupted thanks to a variety of factors that have unfolded in record time, and the result is a fundamentally weakened democracy….And so, if we want to fix that, if we want to strengthen our democracy, we have to reject those who believe that they have to target our understanding of reality and our understanding of the recent past. The more they succeed, the weaker the system becomes.”
If you are from a blue state or cannot go to a battleground state, your volunteer work is needed to do ballot-curing through VoPro Pros and the Harris/Walz campaign. Info on ballot-curing is in this article on the Substack newsletter The Grassroots Connector:
https://grassrootsconnector.substack.com/p/voter-protection-wins-elections?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=1529725&post_id=150709203&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=7pik8&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email
“It’s Easy to Volunteer to Cure Ballots
“Early voting has started in all swing states, so ballot curing is already underway. It will continue after Election Day, with different deadlines for ballot counting in different states. Several groups are seeking volunteers for various “voter protection activities.” These include: VoPro Pros, an all volunteer organization, various state Democratic parties, and the Harris-Walz campaign. You can sign up to be trained and deployed by VoPro Pros here. You can sign up to volunteer with a variety of state Democratic parties here.
“Most ballot-curing is done by phone, so a volunteer can be anywhere and help make votes count. One of the great things about ballot curing is that volunteers know they are making a direct contribution to increasing Democratic vote totals in battleground states, districts, and local elections. Together they will help us win the White House, the Senate, and all down ballot races, too.”