The Great Disinformation Campaign: The Kamala Club - Issue Eight
Trump has convinced MAGA that America is failing and that the Democrats are to blame. Despite the evidence otherwise, many have abandoned critical thought and adopted his hate-filled, flat-out lies.
I want to open a conversation about the way truth has been bent this election cycle and how complete fallacy has been spread ruthlessly by the Far Right. When Trump arrived on the political scene, he introduced the era of “alternative facts.” He’s completely normalized promoting disinformation — knowingly false information that is deliberately spread — and it has permeated our country’s collective consciousness.
Trumpism and the current state of the Republican party has been defined by and reduced to the complete lack of critical thought. MAGA voters are ready to accept flat-out lies, as long as they’re uttered by someone who hates the same people they hate.
I read a quote that stuck with me because it described Trump’s strategy so succinctly and accurately. Molly Jong-Fast said, “The goal is to panic the base, and since there isn’t a scary enough truth, lies will do.” The truth is that during the Biden-Harris administration, the U.S. economy has recovered from COVID better than pretty much every other country, the stock market has reached all time highs, and violent crime is at its lowest level in 50 years.
Despite these quantifiable truths, if you speak with someone who is voting for Trump, they’d confidently tell you that America is crumbling, and that our country is at an all-time low. They’re convinced that Democrats ruined the U.S. and that Donald Trump is the only one who can save us. The belief in the phrase “Make America Great Again” relies on this false and ridiculous perception.
In reality, our country is healing from four chaotic years of Trump that ended in a catastrophically-managed pandemic and January 6th insurrection on the Capitol (that was incited because they were brainwashed that the 2020 election was “stolen”).
Despite what Trump’s fans might believe, the facts show that we’re now doing remarkably well due to Joe Biden’s leadership. Trump’s whole M.O. is to convince his voters otherwise. The former president, with the help of Fox News, has effectively enrolled around half of voting Americans into the Great Disinformation Campaign. Ironically, it was they who popularized and spread “Fake News.”
In writing The Kamala Club, I have gathered information from a range of news sources, conversations I’ve had with diverse (and sane) people, and live events hosted by leaders in the Democratic party (and even former Republicans).
Liberal and independent voters who speak out, either on Twitter or IRL, consistently combine unique observations based in real theory and thought. We consider context, history, diverse opinions and reality when we take a stand or analyze the dynamics at play in this election. MAGA, on the other hand, will only parrot information that they hear on FOX News or Truth Social.
“Kamala slept her way to the top.” “She’s the border czar.” “She’s a communist.” “She hates Israel and she’s antisemitic.” “Walz’ is guilty of stolen valor.” “Immigrants cause crime and they’re stealing our jobs.” “Children are getting gender-reassignment surgery in schools.” “Women are having post-birth abortions.” “Kamala isn’t really black.”
Sound familiar? I am so bored with their inane rhetoric. It all comes from the blabbering mouths of Trump or Fox and friends, and MAGAs use the same canned responses, that are typically based in either racism or misogyny, no matter what the topic of conversation is.
It’s really upsetting that we’ve reached this point, where those on the Right can say whatever they want and almost half of the country accepts it without question. It’s particularly sad to me that even many smart and educated people have fallen prey to the campaign’s lies that can be proven wrong with even a simple Google search.
We find ourselves in a tough position if we want to try to reason with a MAGA member. Trump and his cronies are able to lie incessantly, and their cult-following is guaranteed to believe and vehemently echo the disinformation. Nothing can get through to the people living in this alternate universe — not even quantifiable, documented, rock-hard truths. They are, unfortunately, not living in reality. That’s why it’s up to us to vote for candidates who tell the truth and who will take disinformation-spreaders out of high-offices.
To end on a positive note, as we do here at the Kamala Club — there is a joyful and optimistic side of the internet that I’ve found myself on. I have seen Americans that were formerly MAGA Republicans and Trump voters finally come to their senses. They leaned into their inner voices that questioned the disinformation they’d been fed, and they had tough conversations that took them out of the Far Right Mirror World and into reality again.
All of these converts are realizing that once they leave behind the hate and lies, there’s joy and truth waiting for them on the other side.