No, Liberals Are Not Falling for Conspiracy Theories Just Like Conservatives Do

[Steven Maurer]

https://newrepublic.com/article/142828/no-liberals-not-falling-conspiracy-theories-just-like-conservatives

Senator Ed Markey went on CNN earlier this month and appeared to break major news in the investigation of the Trump campaign’s ties with Russia. “There are very strong allegations the Russians had relationships with people inside of the Trump campaign,” the Massachusetts Democrat said. “In fact, subpoenas have now been issued in northern Virginia with regard to General Flynn and General Flynn’s associates. A grand jury has been empaneled up in New York.” While it was known that federal prosecutors in Virginia had subpoenaed associates of Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor, the grand jury investigation was news to political reporters who were watching. Fake news, it turned out.

...

Markey’s mistake was the latest and perhaps most prominent example of the rise of conspiracy-mongering on the left, prompting some to worry that liberals are heading into the same fever swamps that have swallowed up the Republican Party. “Mensch and The Palmer Report are part of a disturbing emerging trend,” the New Republic’s Sarah Jones wrote after the Markey incident. “Liberals desperate to believe that the right conspiracy will take down Donald Trump promote their own purveyors of fake news.”

The left ought to be concerned about this trend, but some have gone so far as to apply a false equivalence to conspiracy-mongering. The Russia theories haven’t taken hold among Democrats in nearly the same way that countless right-wing theories—like those about Barack Obama or Seth Rich—have gripped the Republican imagination. That’s because the two parties are fundamentally different: Only one of them acts responsibly when faced with politically convenient, but obviously fantastic, stories.

[Hortensis]

1. NOT all people on the left are "liberals."

Political discussion has a serious vocabulary problem these days. And the errors are almost always inimical to liberals and the Democratic Party by lumping them with people who actually despise them.

Liberal is an inborn personality type that only later helps form "liberal" political positions.

Of course, such things are spectra, and some liberals not only do get very partisan and uncaring of truth but can evolve farther out until resemblance to typical liberalism is lost. But of all political personalities, generally speaking liberals are the one who care most about truth (and are most committed to democracy itself).

Again generally speaking, look farther left for those more vulnerable to the allure of news crafted just for them. We need better words than "radical" and "extremist" to describe them, but "liberal" is just plain wrong.

[alarimer]

2. If you think liberals are not easily fooled, YOU are the fool.

They are subject to the same logical fallacies as anyone else. Witness the number of anti-vax, pro-nonsense threads there used to be here (back when we still had the luxury to argue over vaccines).

And yes, Mensch and co., ARE conspiracy-mongers of the highest order.

[FiveGoodMen]

3. Hmmm.

Come on here and immediately tell us we're too smart to believe that Russia has anything to do with Trump, huh?

I smell ... something

[Steven Maurer]

4. Not sure what you're smelling

Maybe you should get your nose checked.

When mainstream publications print scoops about Russian involvement, I believe them.

When someone's whack-a-doodle blog prints info about a non-existant grand jury investigation (something that can be independently verified and yet no one else mentions it), I don't.

It's as simple as that.

We're not kooks like right wing conspiracy theorists are.

[FiveGoodMen]

5. Lots of mainstream publications have connected Trump and Russia

Or is the Guardian (among many others) just a bunch of kooks?

You've picked the wrong site to try and hoodwink.

[Steven Maurer]

6. And when they do, I believe them

We just don't need to guild the lily with stuff that's bullshit. What's actually true is bad enough.


Stand down, iconoclast. And stop attacking people for saying that Democrats are better than Republicans.

[FiveGoodMen]

7. Still not working.

You're obvious

[Steven Maurer]

8. LOL guy. As long as you vote for Democrats...

...I don't particularly care what you believe about me.

I'd also say "Don't try to persuade people with any kook conspiracy theories when you canvass", but just reading what you write, it's pretty obvious you don't do that.

Buh bye.