- Mar 11, 2015
- 77,129
- 34,359
- 2,330
The right is real good at calloing others what THEY actually are.
The meaning today of the "Big Lie" almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.
Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.
This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.
In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.
How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.
The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.
Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.
One of the egregious lies that has taken root throughout society, and remains persistent today, is the false notion that dictatorships and fascism are associated with the left.
Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.
This "Big Lie" grew out of the aftermath of World War II and the emergence of the Cold War in the extreme backlash against communism and the Soviet Union. This was the era of the "Red Scare" and lying Republican demagogue Joe McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, who falsely smeared innocent liberals as being dangerous communists, destroying their careers and lives. This period ranks among the most shameful in American history.
During and after the Cold War, the right undertook a relentless campaign that rages on to this day of falsely smearing Democrats and the left as the cause of authoritarianism, like the horrendous dictatorships of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler in Germany, Fidel Castro in Cuba and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela.
In fact, the right so maligned the concept of "socialism" and the profoundly influential thinker Karl Marx that "socialism" remains a poisonous word to this day, often wielded as a weapon against Democrats and liberals.
Republican candidates accuse Democratic candidates of being diabolical "socialists" and claim that Democratic policies such as Medicare for All, child care, or taxing the rich are evil "socialism." Republicans allege that electing Democrats will turn America into a failed socialist state like Venezuela.
Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.
When people hear "socialism," they often think of Stalin and Hitler. They have been incorrectly conditioned to associate Stalin and Hitler with the left wing, and wrongly conclude that left-wing policies lead to totalitarianism.
This is a Big Lie.
Read the article first.
Republicans claim to fear left-wing authoritarianism — but there's no such thing
Cody CainThe meaning today of the "Big Lie" almost always refers to the false claim by Donald Trump and his right-wing cronies that the 2020 presidential election was somehow stolen by the left and Joe Biden, with the help of foreign agents.
Not only is this claim false, it is absurdly false.
This is hardly the first Big Lie from the right. Not even close. The right has been promulgating Big Lies for decades.
In fact, lying is the only way the right wing can win elections. After all, its policies are profoundly unpopular with ordinary people because the right-wing favors the 1% rich over the 99% working and middle classes.
How in the world could 1% of the population ever win elections over the 99%? Simple. The 1% bamboozles the 99%. To win elections, the right must conceal its true intentions from the voters and instead engage in manipulative tactics, like lying and fearmongering.
The lies are not just little lies.They are whoppers. They are the complete opposite of the truth. They are 180 degrees from the truth. They are the polar opposite of the truth, like from the North Pole all the way to the South Pole. Hence the term Big Lie.
Yet, shockingly, many of these egregious lies actually work. They take hold. They create a false impression in the mind of the public.
One of the egregious lies that has taken root throughout society, and remains persistent today, is the false notion that dictatorships and fascism are associated with the left.
Once again, this is the exact opposite of the truth. Dictatorships and fascism are right-wing, not left-wing.
This "Big Lie" grew out of the aftermath of World War II and the emergence of the Cold War in the extreme backlash against communism and the Soviet Union. This was the era of the "Red Scare" and lying Republican demagogue Joe McCarthy, a U.S. senator from Wisconsin, who falsely smeared innocent liberals as being dangerous communists, destroying their careers and lives. This period ranks among the most shameful in American history.
During and after the Cold War, the right undertook a relentless campaign that rages on to this day of falsely smearing Democrats and the left as the cause of authoritarianism, like the horrendous dictatorships of Joseph Stalin in the Soviet Union, Adolf Hitler in Germany, Fidel Castro in Cuba and Hugo Chávez in Venezuela.
In fact, the right so maligned the concept of "socialism" and the profoundly influential thinker Karl Marx that "socialism" remains a poisonous word to this day, often wielded as a weapon against Democrats and liberals.
Republican candidates accuse Democratic candidates of being diabolical "socialists" and claim that Democratic policies such as Medicare for All, child care, or taxing the rich are evil "socialism." Republicans allege that electing Democrats will turn America into a failed socialist state like Venezuela.
Shockingly, this nonsense actually works.
When people hear "socialism," they often think of Stalin and Hitler. They have been incorrectly conditioned to associate Stalin and Hitler with the left wing, and wrongly conclude that left-wing policies lead to totalitarianism.
This is a Big Lie.
Read the article first.
