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1/OK, so I said I would do a thread on this and here it is. This is a wider thread, with charts (because I love visuals) and supporting articles about what I am calling "Wealthy Republicans-Libertarian Billionaires: aka White Male Supremacist Playbook." ("WMS" for short). https://twitter.com/vanitaguptaCR/status/1264623635488288788
2/Trump is just cog in a massive machine pushing a larger agenda: Continue to deregulate big business, tax avoidance, profit, and if need be, shred the Constitution. This is through an intricate well-funded network hiding in plain sight. These are just a FEW of the players:
3/The playbook has been the same since the early 1970s (started in earnest after 1965 when the VRA was passed). Women & marginalized groups' rights are looked at as a threat to WMS profits and the (very debunked) idea that 'white men' are genetically/mentally 'superior'.
4/When I say the playbook is the same, I'm saying it mostly follows the same steps. Step 1: create division (that's been understood since Bacon's Rebellion which stopped poor whites & Black folks from uniting) To create division, you need an enemy. WMS weaponizes fear to do this.
5/The easiest way to 'Create an Enemy' and 'Weaponize Fear' is to 'Inflame already existing divisions'. This is really easy to do in America, we have such a brutal history (Russia knows this too). The Southern Strategy has always been the most reliable way to inflame division.
6/WMS accomplish their goals through a massive messaging effort. This has been in effect since WW2 newsreels, but Newt Gingrich (CSPAN), Roger Ailes (Fox News) Rush Limbaugh (Conservative Radio) Brad Parscale (Social Media) QAnon/Falun Gong (Conspiracy Messaging) "perfected" it.
7/While messaging is critical for WMS to accomplish its goals, they need a visual element that legacy media will report on and circulate thereby legitimizing the messaging; and that is AstroTruf Campaigns that pose as "grassroots" like protests centering their fabricated "enemy".
8/Fabricating an enemy helps Republicans in several ways: a) if any of their policies are hurting their base, they can blame 'the enemy' (e.g. "Immigrants are taking our jobs!" Nope, Republicans closed your plant and shipped those jobs overseas). b)you can fundraise off an enemy.
9/Republicans like to 'Muddy the Waters'. Why? Because when the media exposes something Republicans have done wrong (e.g. purged voting rolls, etc.) they need to "muddy the waters" ("We are just protecting against voter fraud!" No you're kicking BIPOC folks off voting rolls).
10/While Republicans like @realDonaldTrump rail against the media (to "muddy the waters" calling them "fake news" for preemptive or post damage control) they also USE the media to circulate their insults, lies, and conspiracy theories to give them 'legitimacy."
11/Jay Rosen, a journalism professor at NYU along with @GeorgeLakoff have a suggestion on how media could better report on falsehood, lies, and conspiracy theories as not to legitimize them (thread here): https://twitter.com/jayrosen_nyu/status/1262777356692881410?s=20
12/The "enemy" Republicans have chosen for the #2020Election are the #COVID19 State Shutdowns. They've followed all of their usual steps to put their plan in action.
13/While we tend to think of political ideology as running from left to right, I tend to agree with political reporter, Molly Ivins (RIP) "We keep pretending that the political spectrum runs from right to left. It doesn't. It runs from top to bottom." #2020election.
14/Bottom line: WMS are absolutely fine w/sacrificing the health of poor whites (we already know they're fine with sacrificing BIPOC, LGBTQ, and Disabled communities). They are also totally fine with shredding the Constitution and destroying democracy to accomplish their goals.
15/Why?
To support White Male Supremacy: the false hierarchical idea.
Profit: deregulation, government subsidies, tax avoidance.
Deploy messaging to:
Win local, state, and federal majorities
Pack federal and state courts
They're willing to kill us & part of their base for that
To support White Male Supremacy: the false hierarchical idea.
Profit: deregulation, government subsidies, tax avoidance.
Deploy messaging to:
Win local, state, and federal majorities
Pack federal and state courts
They're willing to kill us & part of their base for that
