A defining GOP refrain: ‘All I know is what’s on the internet’ - MSNBC

During his 2016 statesmanlike campaign, Donald Trump was speaking successful Ohio erstwhile a antheral rushed the stage, prompting Secret Service agents to intervene. Fortunately, nary 1 was hurt, and the incidental proved inconsequential.

But the then-candidate insisted astatine the clip that the antheral successful question had ties to ISIS, pointing to online grounds that turned retired to beryllium false. As longtime readers mightiness recall, NBC News’ Chuck Todd asked the Republican astir his wiliness to substantiate unusual claims with bogus evidence.

“What bash I cognize astir it?” Trump replied. “All I cognize is what’s connected the internet.”

It was a powerful, pre-election illustration of 1 of Trump’s astir important flaws: He has nary meaningful captious reasoning skills, and helium lacks the quality to measure the reliability of random nonsense helium finds online. Before, during, and aft his presidency, the Republican has shown that he's not overmuch antithetic from that weird feline you cognize via Facebook who keeps sharing wild-eyed, all-caps tirades astir immoderate caller conspiracy helium uncovered successful the fever swamps.

Six years later, however, it’s overmuch of the GOP that’s progressively defined by Trump’s “all I cognize is what’s connected the internet” refrain. Take this Politico report, for example.

Even arsenic Republican leaders condemn the brutal battle connected Speaker Nancy Pelosi‘s husband, different GOP figures are broadcasting a overmuch antithetic connection connected societal media — astatine turns downplaying, mocking and trading successful disinformation astir the attack.

Among the offenders was Republican Rep. Clay Higgins — who’ll apt seat a House Homeland Security Committee sheet successful the adjacent Congress if voters enactment the House successful the GOP’s hands — who concisely promoted a bogus anti-LGBTQ conspiracy mentation surrounding the onslaught connected Pelosi.

Of course, successful reality, the Justice Department’s criminal complaint against the alleged assailant utterly shredded each far-right mentation surrounding the case, but there’s nary grounds of Republicans expressing immoderate regrets. All they cognize is what’s connected the internet.

This Semafor report stood retired for akin reasons

It was the speech of Republican candidates implicit Halloween weekend: A rumor that their trick-or-treating kids mightiness get candy-colored fentanyl from strangers. “The cartels, they’re dressing up this fentanyl similar candy,” GOP U.S. Senate nominee Blake Masters told the assemblage astatine a Halloween-themed household rally connected Friday evening. “I cognize we’re each going to beryllium vigilant and support our kids present this Halloween.”

In reality, determination was nary credible grounds to bolster these fears — cause dealers thin to merchantability their products, not springiness drugs to children for nary crushed — but these rumors dispersed rapidly online, and each these Republicans cognize is what’s connected the internet.

Meanwhile, salient GOP candidates specified arsenic New Hampshire’s Don Bolduc continue to claim that schools are providing children with litter boxes if they place arsenic cats. It’s an utterly bonkers myth, rooted successful anti-trans bigotry, but Republicans support repeating it anyway. All they cognize is what’s connected the internet.

Ask Republicans wherefore they proceed to judge ridiculous predetermination conspiracy theories, and they’re apt to constituent to nonsense they recovered online. Ask those caught up successful the QAnon delusion however they slipped into the madness, and galore volition accidental the aforesaid thing.

The constituent is not that each online quality is wrong. I people online commentary for a living, truthful I’m the past idiosyncratic who’d promote folks to reflexively disregard accusation from the internet.

Rather, the constituent is that large governmental parties and politicians seeking the public’s spot request to beryllium capable to separate betwixt credible accusation from morganatic outlets, and sheer madness that happens to reenforce preconceived ideas.

Republicans, successful different words, request to take bully accusation implicit bad. It’s a accomplishment excessively overmuch of the enactment seems to deficiency close now.