* Forbes…
Matt Wolking, the Trump campaign’s rapid deputy communications director, slammed Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) for disparaging QAnon, signaling the Republican establishment’s increasing willingness to accommodate the fringe conspiracy as its adherents have multiplied and even emerged victorious in GOP congressional primaries. […]
The exchange comes a day after Marjorie Taylor Greene – a vocal QAnon believer condemned by GOP leaders for Facebook videos disparaging Muslims, repeating anti-Semitic conspiracy theories and comparing Black Lives Matter to neo-nazis – won the GOP primary runoff in Georgia’s 14th Congressional district.
Shortly after winning her primary, Greene was welcomed by party leaders, with Trump calling her a “future Republican Star” and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) saying in a statement “we look forward” to Greene joining Congress – a likely scenario given that her district gave for Trump more than 75% of the vote in 2016. […]
The FBI has labelled QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, according to a report from Yahoo News in August 2019. A document from the Bureau’s Phoenix field office reportedly describes “conspiracy theory-driven domestic extremists,” as a growing danger, specifically referencing QAnon.
* The exchange…
* USA Today…
QAnon is a baseless conspiracy theory that alleges that there is a “deep state” run by political elites, business leaders and Hollywood celebrities with ties to a child sex trafficking ring. In addition to claiming that “deep state” members are pedophiles, the theory insists that they are actively working against President Donald Trump.
The online movement started in the fall of 2017 on internet message boards, with posts from a self-proclaimed government insider who calls himself “Q,” presumably who Kinzinger was referring to. […]
The Washington Post reported this month that the Trump campaign has been courting QAnon followers more explicitly.
* Related…
* Is QAnon the Most Dangerous Conspiracy Theory of the 21st Century? - “It’s a collaborative fiction built on wild speculation that hardens into reality.”
* How three conspiracy theorists took ‘Q’ and sparked Qanon - Pushing the theory on to bigger platforms proved to be the key to Qanon’s spread — and the originators’ financial gain.
* Facebook Finds Millions of QAnon Supporters on Site, NBC Says
* QAnon Followers Are Hijacking the #SaveTheChildren Movement - Fans of the pro-Trump conspiracy theory are clogging anti-trafficking hotlines, infiltrating Facebook groups and raising false fears about child exploitation.
- Earnest - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 10:30 am:
Good for Rep Kinzinger. In his locality: https://www.mywebtimes.com/2020/06/16/la-salle-mayor-responds-to-officers-wearing-qanon-attire-in-social-media-photo/acz3mm2/
- Demoralized - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 10:34 am:
If I were a Republican I would be livid that the leader of my party was defending trash such as QAnon. I’m assuming most Republicans believe what Rep. Kinzinger believes and more of them need to speak out against trash such as QAnon and someone needs to speak up and defend Rep. Kinzinger.
- So_Ill - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 10:35 am:
My god is the modern GOP a joke.
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 10:38 am:
I imagine he can expect another far-right primary challenge.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 10:43 am:
What used to be lunatic fringe recently is now gaining mainstream status in the GOP and its base. Kudos to any Republican standing up against this. America’s demographic change is inexorable. Republicans need to not embrace such propaganda and start building the party’s future for a post-Trump world.
But Trump actively promotes division, racism and conspiracy, He won because he best knew the GOP base.
- Res Melius - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:00 am:
With social media, gerrymandering and our primary system, the fringe elements on both sides are taking over the asylum. The voices of balanced reporting, the middle, and people for the greater good are increasingly cancelled and lost. I don’t know the answer but we need to turn this around. Sorry to stray from the post but just wanted to vent.
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:04 am:
QAnon is some really scary stuff.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:04 am:
Meh.
Good for Kinzinger, I guess.
Supporting Trump is embracing the Q Think too.
Sorry. It is.
Playing to the “I’m not them” schtick doesn’t reflect four years of a voting record.
I’m glad, sure… but…
- Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:16 am:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ncnpe6p93E
I can’t really put it into better words. This was me this morning.
- BlueChicagoUnion - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:18 am:
Res Melissa- Your ‘both sides” argument is fallacious and misleading. Please provide one example of any national official from the Democratic party (much less its national leader like Trump) advocating support for a conspiracy theory that alleges anything near as insane as QAnon. Just one example. We’ll be waiting here in reality.
- Nuke The Whales - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:19 am:
And if Lauren Boebert makes it to Congress in Colorado’s 3rd congressional district, there will be two of these dangerous liars in Congress.
- Powdered Whig - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:22 am:
@ Blue Chicago Union -
I don’t think that Melissa was saying that both sides have wild conspiracy theories - only that the extreme elements of both political parties seem to be taking over each of the two main parties.
- City Guy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:23 am:
I largely agree with Oswego Willy. I respect Kinzinger for stepping out and not providing 100% support on all issues. But honestly, how much courage does it take to say it is “a fabrication” that there is a secret conspiracy by the world’s elite to kidnap children in order to harvest their blood and abuse them and that Trump is working secretly with Mueller behind the scenes to arrest all the bad guys, etc. etc.
- Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:30 am:
Crazier and crazier. I feel sorry for the sane Republicans who find themselves tied to these evil people.
I hope after Trump loses the Republican party can be cleansed or split up. The country needs a sane Conservative party. We don’t have one today.
- solution - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:31 am:
[Insert Alex Jones GIF here]
- H-W - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:36 am:
The Thomas Theorem: If people believe something is real, it can become real in its consequences (whether or not it is actually real). Conspiracy theories are dangerous.
- Joe Bidenopolous - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:37 am:
===My god is the modern GOP a joke.===
This would be true if it weren’t so incredibly dangerous
- Jibba - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:39 am:
===the extreme elements of both political parties seem to be taking over each of the two main parties.===
I think you will have difficulty making that argument by looking at the two presidential tickets.
But to keep it Illinois-centric, it is amusing to see the Illinois GOP congressional lineup veer to the center just before each election with appeals to reason and bipartisanship. Hopefully, voters will remember the voting record of the last 2 years.
- Independent - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:42 am:
In absolute terms what Kinzinger did was not courageous, as denouncing nonsense should be common sense. But viewed through the prism of today’s Trump-adoring, conspiracy theory-embracing GOP it is a relative act of courage. Maybe these are Kinzinger’s first steps toward being a player in a possible post-Trump GOP in January.
- west wing - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:42 am:
speaks volumes about the leadership of the trump Republican Party that they aren’t blasting followers of qanon … would be like democrats publicly embracing the KKK
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:45 am:
-that there is a secret conspiracy by the world’s elite to kidnap children in order to harvest their blood and abuse them-
And yet there are no victims to produce from this vast conspiracy that everyone is in on but are really good at keeping secret. Oh, except the actual victims of Jeffrey Epstein and the predators that associated with him. Remind me who one of those was?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:46 am:
=== Maybe these are Kinzinger’s first steps toward being a player in a possible post-Trump GOP in January.===
Doubtful.
When it “mattered”, Kinzinger was with Trump… with his voting switch.
It’s a “meh”
As - City Guy - put it best…
=== But honestly, how much courage does it take to say it is “a fabrication” that there is a secret conspiracy by the world’s elite to kidnap children in order to harvest their blood and abuse them and that Trump is working secretly with Mueller behind the scenes to arrest all the bad guys===
… but where was Kinzinger on the GOP these past 4 years?
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:54 am:
These are the same people who urged those who predicted their emergence to wear “tin hats”
…irony level?…staggering.
We are living dangerously… in the time of malevolent crackpots…beware.
- Nick Name - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:57 am:
The modern GOP will end up making Bruce Rauner look like a beacon of sanity.
- supplied_demand - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:01 pm:
==… but where was Kinzinger on the GOP these past 4 years? ==
Today is today and I’m willing to help him off the crazy train if he’s done riding.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:03 pm:
=== The modern GOP will end up making Bruce Rauner look like a beacon of sanity.===
Prolly why I’ve begged, pleaded, the Raunerites had a “mea culpa” for their Rauner mistakes and take to voters a chance to seem as though they are a statewide party, inclusive, and willing to dig back in the suburbs in Cook and the collars.
Now the Raunerites are being absorbed and message-wise being run by their silence to the Hateful Eight.
It’s like…
“How much worse can the Raunerites ruin a building chance?”
The alleged leaders are weak a feeble.
===The modern GOP will end up making Bruce Rauner look like a beacon of sanity.===
So much being says there.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:07 pm:
=== Today is today===
Nope. Sorry. No.
A mea culpa, or it’s a phony holding accountable.
===I’m willing to help him off the crazy train if he’s done riding.===
By doing so, all the damage Kinzinger did is “cool” with you… without accountability.
Hmm.
I’ll be the FIRST to help Kinzinger… first… but forgive and forget… then why hold Dems accountable for their votes?
- Shytown - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:18 pm:
Good for Kinzinger
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:35 pm:
Forgive?… for sure…but never forget.
- thoughts matter - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:48 pm:
Well now I know the story behind the various posts about child traffickers that have been showing up on Facebook. Yes, some of my extended family seem to be conspiracy theorists. I don’t engage them.
I’m very concerned about the future of our country. The conspiracy theorists are dangerous.
- Lester Holt’s Mustache - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:52 pm:
That USA Today story doesn’t properly explain the kookery involved in believing this theory - this supposed cabal isn’t made up of just child molesters, no no no….they’re supposedly satan-worshipping child molesters. Just in case some conservatives out there are ok with pedophilia, but draw the line at satan worshipping.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 12:56 pm:
First, issue needs to be taken with those who deny the Democrats have become radical too. They said some nasty things about the president, very nasty things. Who talks about their president that way?
Bruce Rauner and basically the entire right wing are all-in with Trump on reopening early. If Rauner was governor now Illinois would be a very scary and dangerous place. Trump’s presidency and conspiracies got them huge tax cuts, deregulation, stripping union rights and the ACA, etc. They’re down with Trump.
- Pundent - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 1:01 pm:
There used to be a time when calling out wack pot conspiracy groups and extremists was not seen as “courageous.”
- Rich Hill - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 1:08 pm:
The horse is in another zip code by now.
- Mama - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 1:17 pm:
What is wrong with people who vote for these dangerous people?
- Froganon - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 1:27 pm:
- BlueChicagoUnion - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 11:18 am:
Res Melissa- Your ‘both sides” argument is fallacious and misleading.
What BCU said. Both sides do not support domestic terror groups like QAnon. Groups like QAnon lay down the framework for civil wars and genocide. Demonization of groups using the tropes of murdering/trafficking children and drinking their blood are replete in the rise of the nazis, the genocide in Rwanda and are used against Jews today in the Palestine/Israli conflict. We minimize and ignore them at our peril.
To the post, Kinsinger gets a nod for sticking his head out of the sand but his voting record solidifies Trump’s and QAnon’s power grab. His base won’t tolerate a principled stand for democracy.
- Britta - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 1:34 pm:
the worst part about QAnon is that it is taking resources and bandwidth from the organizations that actually fight against human trafficking everyday. https://polarisproject.org/blog/2020/07/how-unproven-trafficking-stories-spread-online-and-why-stopping-them-matters/
- JoanP - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 2:45 pm:
= the extreme elements of both political parties seem to be taking over each of the two main parties.=
Two center right candidates on the Democratic presidential ticket - how is that “extreme”?
- City Guy - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 3:03 pm:
The “pizzagate” story that Hillary Clinton was running a child abduction ring out of a pizza parlour was an early version of the Qanon story. This lead to a true believer going to the pizza parlour to free the children and shooting a gun. It is not simply a funny quirky story, these type of conspiracies are dangerous.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 4:34 pm:
===The modern GOP will end up making Bruce Rauner look like a beacon of sanity.===
After being without electricity for three days because of a freak storm, this was the best laugh I’ve had all week.
- Chatham Resident - Thursday, Aug 13, 20 @ 5:58 pm:
==I imagine he can expect another far-right primary challenge.==
Either that and/or see his district remapped to include much of the Eastern Bloc in two years.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Friday, Aug 14, 20 @ 7:20 am:
=== The FBI has labelled QAnon a domestic terrorist threat, according to a report from Yahoo News in August 2019. ===
I had no idea.