Numerous news stories, it occurs to me, point to a similar strategy of shameless strategic misrepresentation. In each case, people pursuing an unpopular agenda cynically pretend they’re really doing something else…. /1
Example 1: Republicans restricting voting rights to create obstacles for those unlikely to support GOP candidates but insisting their motive is to curb "fraud" (even though this problem is virtually nonexistent - is.gd/VaEBLg) /2
Example 2: opponents of abortion making it as difficult as possible to end a pregnancy on the pretext that they’re protecting women’s health (despite the absence of any medical support for the alleged risks - is.gd/OlK9Vm) /3
Example 3: racists defending their furious hostility to immigration in the name of public safety (even though immigrants actually commit crimes at a significantly lower rate than non-immigrants - is.gd/QOm9Ky) /4
Example 4: conservative opponents of affirmative action filing suit against Harvard’s admission policies in a way that would harm blacks & Latinos, but framing it as a way to protect Asian-Americans (although whites ultimately would benefit most): is.gd/5HzIMU /5
Example 5: Catholic homophobes going after a Pope for being insufficiently reactionary but pretending it's because of how he's handled the Church’s endemic child sexual abuse and protection of predator priests - is.gd/G5rGcR /6
Moral: When you know can’t sell your offensive ideological wares, wrap them in something more appealing. It's deeply cynical and dishonest, but it just may work /7
