Day: March 3, 2021

Experts Parse the Future of QAnon

Buck Banks

QAnon is a religion
Image: Yahoo.com

Vox has an interesting piece on the future of QAnon as described by journalists and researchers who have covered and studied the group. While the entire article makes fascinating reading, here is a crystallization of the experts’ thinking:

  • QAnon should be thought of as a religion, not a political movement.
  • Its religiosity enables it to survive, despite its prophesies failing to materialize.
  • To the QAnon devout, Q’s true identity does not matter.
  • The recent purging of QAnon believers from mainstream social media has reinforced their self-perception as persecuted renegades.
  • Democratic lawmakers should be careful about framing the GOP as the “QAnon party” because it could drive the GOP deeper into the fringes.
  • Violent extremists are actively working to radicalize QAnon believers for their own purposes.
  • Even in the absence of Trump and regular messages from Q, the tagalong theories — 5G, vaccines and alternative medicine — represent significant risks to the public.

Emmer: Trump Meddling Not Helpful

Buck Banks

“I imagine we’ll have a conversation at some point. He can do whatever he wants. Any citizen can do whatever he wants. But I’d tell him it’s better for us that we keep these people and have a majority that can be sustained going forward.”

— ”Rep. Tom Emmer (R-MN), the chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, said that is not helpful to the GOP’s goal of winning back a majority in the House to have former President Trump targeting incumbents in primary races, The Hill reports.

GOP Lawmaker Opposes Women Working Outside the Home

Buck Banks

“I don’t think anybody does a better job than mothers in the home, and any bill that makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home and let others raise their child, I don’t think that’s a good direction for us to be going.”

— Idaho state Rep. Charlie Shepherd (R) argued against a bill which would use $6 million in federal grants to increase early childhood education, KTVB reports.

Republicans’ Hypocrisy Enables Opposition to Biden’s Relief Bill

Buck Banks

“Voters may like a president’s policies in the abstract but still think he isn’t doing a good job or that his policies aren’t that effective if those policies aren’t bipartisan. Think of this as the Mitch McConnell theory. … Put another way: The opposition party can guarantee a lack of bipartisan support — and then criticize the president for lacking bipartisan support.”

— Perry Bacon Jr.

Hawley Says Biden Cabinet Picks Should be ‘Good for Missouri’

Buck Banks

“I take them one at a time, if there is someone I think will be good to Missouri, that I can defend to my voters, somebody who I think is going to be good for the job, I’ll vote for them.”

— Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) defended his role as the only US senator to oppose every one of President Joe Biden’s Cabinet nominees, insisting that he evaluates each pick individually, CNN reports.