"Perception is reality" meets the age of Facebook
To those of us that read the Democratic Underground, watch MSNBC, and/or read the Washington Post, it may look like the election is in the bag for Joe Biden, and that no sane person would vote for Donald Trump.
The Facebook feeds that our neighbors and estranged relatives are seeing? We cannot even see them, unless we’re looking over their shoulder as they read. The Brexit vote was a complete surprise. Facebook is the real underground. Happy harmless sharing for some, it is feeding customized toxic drinking water to others.
Trump put out a message yesterday telling his supporters in North Carolina to vote twice. I would bet that message is being heavily reinforced to his supporters via Facebook and direct emails. I will not be surprised when North Carolina in fact gets swamped with duplicate Republican absentee ballots. I will not be surprised when North Carolina is stolen from Biden, very difficult to clean accountability and transparency when Trump prophecy of large numbers of fraudulent ballots comes true. How can this happen? By requesting absentee ballots, and then also showing up to vote in person, claiming that they never received the absentee ballot. In states with democratic governors and secretaries of elections, we stand a chance. But those of us who remember Bush v Gore know that the illusion of democracy ultimately is an illusion in the courts. And the courts are far more conservative now.
By far the issue most frequently shared on Facebook yesterday was some silly scandal about a Democratic leader getting a haircut? Really?? I foresee the country slipping into authoritarian dynasty. I foresee militias terrifying the cities. I foresee armed mobs at the board of elections offices. I foresee that some of this will catch Democrats by surprise, because a common characteristic of democrats is a belief in the basic goodness of people. Living in some idealistic world, it’s incomprehensible that so many people are willing to justify election stealing, let alone lionize 17 year old murderers. In the meantime, our neighbors are getting wound up or outraged or indignant over a haircut?
We may need a 15 point lead in the polls to overcome the cheating that they will be doing. Michigan, Florida, Wisconsin and probably some other states wireless modems on their ballot scanners. You’ve seen what Kenosha Wisconsin is like. Nationwide, the U.S. postal service is being manipulated under the direction of former RNC chairmen DeJoy and Duncan. Russia will be attacking the voter rolls and probably more. Trump is probably right about one thing: we won’t know the results of the election for months.
What is happening on your rightwing relatives’ social media pages RIGHT NOW? Presented with deceptions, not reality, their perception of how trump is doing is incomprehensible to those of us that read the Democratic Underground, watch MSNBC, and/or read the Washington Post.
Republican Voters Against Trump ads may be particularly useful, if it gives wavering Republicans a permission to go for Biden. I suspect that defections are harder to overcome. Maybe Trump can’t suppress votes coming from Republican strongholds as easily.
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