4 ms·

I can understand some random person listening to rage-bait media nutjobs and falling for something so clearly absurd, but it's genuinely depressing to see GOP c

I can understand some random person listening to rage-bait media nutjobs and falling for something so clearly absurd, but it's genuinely depressing to see GOP congressmen and officials falling for it. Either they are fools who don't do even the most basic fact checking before publicly foaming at the mouth about nonsense, or they know full well that what they're saying is a lie and they are cool with lying to republican voters whenever it's politically convenient for them. Either way, it's not a good sign for America or the voters who are either fine with being straight up lied to and manipulated or have made the choice to elect people who clearly have no business whatsoever being in a position of authority. We really need to demand more from elected officials and party leaders. I don't think most people want idiots and liars in charge, but if there's zero accountability when they show themselves for what they are what else can we expect?

labrador 4y ago
Ivy league educated Rep Elise Stefanik (R-NY) went from a moderate to a rabid Republican and it's been puzzling me how that works. The closest I can figure is Republican voters these days are very energized and demand their reps repeat everything they tell each other, no matter how far fetched. It's a group signifier. You're either with us all the way, or you're against us and shunned. Reps feel they have to play along if they want to keep their job. That said, someone like Stefanik doesn't seem all that bothered by it. Edit: Good politicians lead their constituents, while politicians who just want a job follow their constituents.
- eesmith 4y ago
  I believe the term is "politically correct", yes?
  - labrador 4y ago
    Among individuals it's called that but when a politician does it we call it pandering
    - eesmith 4y ago
      A web web search for "politically correct politician" says that's a thing.
viraptor 4y ago
They want the attention, regardless of truth. It spans from saying something absolutely stupid or known-false to making a typo/mistake that is getting the engagement because of mockery... but they don't care about the mockery. It's like MTG complaining about "gazpacho police" - do you really think she doesn't know the right word? The game is to get engagement/retweets from both sides: those that agree with your regardless of what's true (they know your general stance on an issue) and those that will mock you for mistakes and still give you wider reach. For example complaining about the litter box is a stand-in for "I don't agree with trans rights" that's going to give you way more attention for the same basic message. (with the extra benefit of not being on the record for saying that)
- autoexec 4y ago
  Publicity stunts are to be expected to some extent. The problem with what MTG said wasn't the bit about the Spanish soup though. What MTG did was lie to Americans (and especially republicans) about Nancy Pelosi employing a secret police force to spy on congress, staff, and the American people. I suspect MTG knows full well that what came out of her mouth was a lie, and I suspect that you're right and she intentionally used the "gazpacho police" phrasing to amplify the lie and further its spread, but that doesn't make what she did acceptable for a member of congress in a functioning democracy. Lying to the American people about serious abuses of power is exactly the kind of thing that should end a person's political career. Instead, republicans appear to be rewarding that behavior and I believe this is extremely dangerous.

labrador 4y ago

Ivy league educated Rep Elise Stefanik (R-NY) went from a moderate to a rabid Republican and it's been puzzling me how that works. The closest I can figure is Republican voters these days are very energized and demand their reps repeat everything they tell each other, no matter how far fetched. It's a group signifier. You're either with us all the way, or you're against us and shunned. Reps feel they have to play along if they want to keep their job. That said, someone like Stefanik doesn't seem all that bothered by it. Edit: Good politicians lead their constituents, while politicians who just want a job follow their constituents.

eesmith 4y ago
I believe the term is "politically correct", yes?
- labrador 4y ago
  Among individuals it's called that but when a politician does it we call it pandering
  - eesmith 4y ago
    A web web search for "politically correct politician" says that's a thing.

viraptor 4y ago

They want the attention, regardless of truth. It spans from saying something absolutely stupid or known-false to making a typo/mistake that is getting the engagement because of mockery... but they don't care about the mockery. It's like MTG complaining about "gazpacho police" - do you really think she doesn't know the right word? The game is to get engagement/retweets from both sides: those that agree with your regardless of what's true (they know your general stance on an issue) and those that will mock you for mistakes and still give you wider reach. For example complaining about the litter box is a stand-in for "I don't agree with trans rights" that's going to give you way more attention for the same basic message. (with the extra benefit of not being on the record for saying that)

autoexec 4y ago
Publicity stunts are to be expected to some extent. The problem with what MTG said wasn't the bit about the Spanish soup though. What MTG did was lie to Americans (and especially republicans) about Nancy Pelosi employing a secret police force to spy on congress, staff, and the American people. I suspect MTG knows full well that what came out of her mouth was a lie, and I suspect that you're right and she intentionally used the "gazpacho police" phrasing to amplify the lie and further its spread, but that doesn't make what she did acceptable for a member of congress in a functioning democracy. Lying to the American people about serious abuses of power is exactly the kind of thing that should end a person's political career. Instead, republicans appear to be rewarding that behavior and I believe this is extremely dangerous.