Week in Review 10-2-2020
Submitted by holliswein on Fri, 10/02/2020 - 1:29pm
Despite its unprecedented chaos and raucous nature, Tuesday's presidential debate will go down in political history for what was not said.
Donald Trump refused to denounce White Supremacy and the Proud Boys, a group that has been labeled by the ADL as violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic. Its members are known for participating in acts of violence and intimidation.
Its founder has posted videos of himself giving the Nazi salute and repeatedly saying "Heil Hitler."
Trump, at the debate, gave the group national attention and further emboldened them by refusing to denounce their activities. Instead he told them to "stand by." Trump understands the power of words and their hidden nuances. His words were heard as a call to arms.
Proud Boys have been ingratiating themselves into politics for several years. Roger Stone, a former Trump advisor posted on the Proud Boys' YouTube channel reciting the Proud Boys initiation. Donald Trump, Jr., Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) have posed for photographs with Proud Boy members.
Now candidates are running for Congress who also support hate and extremism. These candidates are supporters of QAnon, a group of right-wing conspiracists who are antisemitic and xenophobic. They believe that the Democrats are working with "deep state" sex traffickers and pedophiles to sabotage Trump's presidency.
A recent Civiqs poll found 56% of surveyed Republicans believe QAnon theories to be mostly or partly true. Trump, condoning QAnon, congratulated one of its candidates after she won her primary by calling her a "rising star in the Republican party."
In a strategy to welcome Proud Boys, QAnon and other hate group members into their party, the GOP has launched advertising attacks against Democratic candidates, including Jill Schupp (MO). She has been falsely attacked for defending sex offenders and let them on playgrounds.
This "QAnon strategy" aims to exploit voters' fears and paranoia. Diane Mitsch Bush (CO), is running against an unabashed QAnon candidate.
Now is the time to fight back against this hate before it further seeps into our halls of government.
Elections have consequences.
source: The Sacramento Bee, Yahoo
