Arizona has 7.2 million people. Later today, about 30 of them will gather for a rally at the State Capitol calling for stay at home orders to be lifted.
A quick thread about where these protests are really coming from. (1/11)
A quick thread about where these protests are really coming from. (1/11)
The real story with these stay at home protests is that they're just. so. small.
The vast majority of Americans support continued social distancing.
And aren't dumb enough to congregate in large groups right now.
navigatorresearch.org/navigating-cor…
The vast majority of Americans support continued social distancing.
And aren't dumb enough to congregate in large groups right now.
navigatorresearch.org/navigating-cor…
Meanwhile, these protests are being coordinated at a national level and pushed aggressively by Fox News and President Trump. Many have identical descriptions and websites that were registered all at the same time.
In Michigan, last week's stay at home protest was organized by the far-right Michigan Conservative Council, an organization run by pro-Trump Republican operatives that pushes Pepe the Frog memes...
progressmichigan.org/2020/04/devos-…
progressmichigan.org/2020/04/devos-…
...and by Michigan Freedom Fund, a corporate front group backed by the DeVos family.
In Wisconsin, the protest yesterday was organized by two conservative advocacy groups, FreedomWorks and Committee to Unleash Prosperity.
vox.com/2020/4/19/2122…
vox.com/2020/4/19/2122…
In AZ, GOP Senate candidate Dan McCarthy was the one who registered reopenarizona.com and redirected it to his own list-building page...
...and then denied having anything to do with it. Dude, your name is ON THE WEBSITE.
Patriot Movement AZ, infamous for vandalizing mosques and hurling racist invective at state lawmakers (among other hits) has also been promoting today's rally.
These are far-right figures with their own agenda. They're trying to distract from the failures of the Trump admin, or promote themselves. They simply do not speak for any significant constituency.
Americans support social distancing and stay at home policies. They know that this is a matter of life or death, and they want to stay the course - regardless of what Fox News, far-right Facebook groups or even the President have to say.
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This is what we mean when we say "fringe."
