Democrats love to accuse Republicans of being the conspiracy theory party, mostly due to a few fringe players the media portrays as conservatives rather than the cranks they really are. Had you ever heard of Orly Taitz before she became the face of birtherism? Probably not because there was no reason to. But you would have thought she was a Chair of the Republican Party by the way this unknown was portrayed by the media. And surely some people listen to Alex Jones, but no one with any influence does. He's a conspiracy theorist yelling into an empty field, but he's covered like he's Rush Limbaugh.
Of less interest to the media is the conspiracy loons on the left who, thanks to shoddy and biased reporting, have spent the last 18 months actually believing Donald Trump conspired with Vladimir Putin to steal the election. Worse, according to a new YouGov/Economist poll believe the Russians actually changed votes to throw the election to Trump.
Yes, 55 percent of Democrats actually believe the idea that Russia changed votes to favor Trump, either "definitely" or "probably" happened. That's "forget the grassy knoll, Kennedy committed suicide" level conspiracy stupid.
For this to be true it would not only require Trump and Putin to have conspired together, but for everyone investigating that alleged collusion to have been in on it as well since everyone investigating it, from Congress to the Justice Department, has said no votes were changed.How could so many people believe something so obviously false? It'd be easy to just say they're stupid; "dumb liberals" and all that. But it's something worse. It's the media and the Democratic Party consciously giving people that impression on purpose in an attempt to make their voters think Trump is an illegitimate president. When people who know better, people in positions of trust and authority, say things like, "The Russians 'hacked' the election," there is no doubt of their motive. These are people whose professional currency is words, this many of them this often saying something deliberately misleading isn't by accident.
Yet when you turn on CNN or MSNBC, no matter the time of day, this conspiracy theory is presented as fact, they're only just waiting for the handcuffs. There is no critical thinking, no questioning of the narrative they've constructed - Hell, they may even believe it themselves at this point they've repeated it so often. It's self-imposed Stockholm Syndrome, if that's possible, and the audience, or at least more than half of them, have joined in the conga line.
The other thing working against the Democrats this year is the face of their future. Well, not the face, the ideas coming out of it.
Democratic Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez could not ask for more fawning media coverage, it makes her campaign's own press releases read like hate mail. Slathered in the drool of her questioners, however, there lies Olympic-level ignorance. It'd be easy to call her stupid, and I have on social media, but it's worse than that. Her lack of basic understanding is coupled with the arrogance of certainty. She knows she's right because she's been taught socialism works, she feels it does.
Ocasio-Cortez displayed a frightening level of economic illiteracy on The Daily Show this week, getting even basic information wrong. It was enough to make you wonder if she is capable of making change for a dollar. Yet they still rally around her, propping her up as hero with many leading 2020 Democrats taking their lead from this economic Exxon Valdez.
When normal Americans hear this clown tossing around terms like everyone needs to pay their "fair share" of taxes, calling for a carbon tax, higher corporate taxes that's we'll all pay, and more to cover the cost of "free" this and "free" that and they hide their wallets. But it's an aphrodisiac to leftists. The more they get turned on the more people get turned off, so I hope Alex is on TV so often people think she has a show. She'll win her race while damaging her party.
Of course, all of this would be laughed off the public stage if people were thinking logically, thinking straight. But Democrats, in and out of the media, have mastered the manipulation tactic of keeping their supporters on the edge snapping, on the edge of outrage to prevent rational thought. While that allows for the true believers to be easily steered in any direction, that level of dedication also turns off the un-indoctrinated. If the GOP has a hope of bucking midterm history it's here, in their anger and in their crazy.
The economy is booming, which is both a blessing and a curse for Republicans. Not having to worry about finding a job or paying their bills is a plus for the GOP, but it also frees people to care about other things, petty things, emotional things.
A new Gallup poll showed the economy was the number one issue for only 14 percent of the American people, so one of the Republican's strongest campaign issues isn't a motivating factor for a large swath of the public. While they love the booming economy, elections are rarely about what you've done, they're about what you're going to do next. That's how Winston Churchill lost a bid for reelection within weeks of leading the UK through World War II.
Running on "You've never had it so good" doesn't work when what people want to hear is what's next. People tend to take having it good for granted.
The message from Democrats is nuts, dangerously so. But it has the advantage of being partially obscured by sustained insanity and conspiracy. Republicans need to find a coherent way to cut through it all, something they're particularly awful at doing. The best election strategy for Republicans might just be to let Democrats keep talking, to encourage it and amplify it. Trying to convince someone who has it good that they don't realize just how bad they really have it is a tall order. Then again, given the Russia scandal and the popularity of socialism with the left, they'll pretty much believe anything.
About the author
Derek Hunter is the author of Outrage, INC: How the Liberal Mob Ruined Science, Journalism, and Hollywood.
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