Morning Briefing: Half of America Believes in the 'Great Replacement Theory'
Morning Briefing: Half of America Believes in the 'Great Replacement Theory'
"Forty-eight percent of Americans agreed that demographic changes were the result of a purposeful plan to replace white voters," according to a poll conducted by the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Morning Briefing: A poll conducted by the the Southern Poverty Law Center and Tulchin Research found that 48% of Americans and 68% of Republicans “agree to at least some extent that demographic changes in the United States are deliberately driven by liberal and progressive politicians attempting to gain political power by ‘replacing more conservative white voters.’”
In the wake of the mass shootings in Uvalde and Buffalo, “right-wing conspiracy theories moved faster than ever from fringe to the mainstream, thanks to a misinformation infrastructure that's grown stronger over time.”
Liberty Alliance, a right-wing group based in Missouri, has launched an online map of "hot spots" of "woke activity," the map’s locations “all concerned educational institutions, and linked to articles, videos and tweets trashing things like critical race theory and diversity training.”
A lawyer who was part of the litigation effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, “is now working with right-wing organizations to recruit an ‘army of citizens’ in order to monitor elections.”
Oklahoma Republican state lawmakers prioritized culture war issues during the four-month regular legislative session which adjourned last week, “from passing a bathroom bill to prohibiting nearly all abortions in the state, this legislative session touched on some controversial issues.”
Join the discussion with Chrissy Stroop and Pamela Merritt today at 11:30am EST — Who are the anti-abortion groups behind the case to overturn Roe v. Wade?
Must Reads
Kate Riga writes that “along with painting itself as a critical civil rights movement, the anti-abortion movement from the beginning latched on to pseudoscientific claims to shroud itself in the terminology of biology and medicine rather than religion. That effort involved a stable of anti-abortion physicians who would substantiate the movement’s claims, even when they were outside of the medical mainstream. It also presented a difficulty for the abortion rights movement that persists today: It’s much easier to fit “life begins at conception” on a bumper sticker than its medically valid rebuttal.” [TPM]
Chrissy Stroop writes that while “Democrats want to take action to address the problem. But each time another tragedy captures the public’s consciousness (most mass shootings do not), resulting in demands for action, Democrats are stymied by Republicans’ obstruction. Indeed, Republicans are so opposed even to the enforcement of what minimal gun regulations we do have on the books that for the last seven years they have prevented the appointment of a director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives – the federal agency that regulates firearm use. Since the news of the Uvalde shooting broke, Republicans have been engaged in their usual mix of doing nothing; sending “thoughts and prayers”; and deflecting by accusing Democrats of “politicising” a situation that clearly and urgently calls for a political solution.” [openDemocracy]
William Allchorn writes that the “depressing predictability of the Buffalo attack points to a number of lessons that need to be learned by policymakers and practitioners when investigating an interdicting potential far-Right terror plots and attacks. The first is to look out for offline leakage behaviour and to double down on it with extreme severity. In order to respond to the attack, it is clear that a public health approach that detects the early warning signs of such attacks and responsibilizes key organs of the state and citizenry to intervene are needed. This might involve better training, more sensitive hair triggers or stricter laws around munition and armament acquisition.” [CARR]
What to expect from Radical Reports: Morning Briefing provides a daily round-up of reporting on the Radical Right; Extremist Links offers a weekly round-up of extremists activities including the white supremacist and militia movements; Research Desk provides monthly highlights research and analysis from academia on the Radical Right; Field Notes delivers research on key organizations and analysis of the strategies and tactics of the Radical Right.
