If you have been surprised, even shocked and dismayed, by the efforts to subvert the presidency of President Donald J. Trump, the two books shown above should be on your read-soon list. Both are available from the Community Library Network.
But before you read the books, you will want to read this online publication entitled Democracy Matters — Strategic Plan for Action. The person behind this plan is David Brock. It was begun on November 9, 2016.
Brock’s groups (Media Matters, American Bridge, CREW, and Shareblue primarily seek to remove President Trump from office. They also seek to encourage local groups to use the same tactics to discredit and attack state, county, and municipal officials. For example, see The Indivisible Guide webpage. Do a bit of searching on this webpage and you’ll find Indivisible North Idaho. Go to Indivisible North Idaho’s Facebook page to meet and greet your friends and neighbors.
In none of these documents will you see words that could be properly characterized as unlawfully seditious or inciting to illegal acts of violence. Violence, however, does further their purpose. News coverage of acts of violence (e.g., Charlottesville, VA) does get the public’s attention. Biased and intentionally deceptive by omission news coverage shapes public opinion.
Some of the disruptions at state legislators’ townhall meetings across the country (remember the red and green cards?) were scripted and choreographed. Do some research into the Town Hall Project to help understand and recognize the techniques used.
Many citizens do not attend town hall meetings or forums to disrupt; they attend hoping to ask questions and get complete and informative answers. Possible disruption at an elected official’s meeting is the “draw” that now gets the news media to attend these meetings and allocate more column-inches and photo space in print and more airtime during broadcasts. If the meeting is disrupted, the disruption rather than the quality and completeness of the official’s answers and comments dominates the news story.
OpenCdA hopes the books and documents we’ve suggested will help you better understand “How shady political operatives and fake news control what you see, what you think, and how you vote.” We also hope they will help you better understand and reject “the outrage industry.”
Today’s Washington Times online is running an article headlined Top Democrat deems claims Trump campaign was spied on ‘nonsense’.
