Everyday Erinyes #158

Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as "unceasing," "grudging," and "vengeful destruction."

Not for the first time, I want to make an email the foundation of my case today. The email is from Common Dreams, an organization which does some good work of investigative journalism, and also of analysis. (Bill Moyers is one person who supports it and its model.) It works to treat facts as facts and to analyze through a lens of progressive values. Like Politics Plus, it's been looking into the politics of disinformation. Like Politics Plus, it wants everyone aware of the disinformation campaigns already in place.

We've seen it before. Sinister forces—recognizing the jig is up—fall back on one of the great strategies used throughout history to maintain power and privilege.

Reporting on Common Dreams today reveals that already, with the presidential primary season in the U.S. still over a year way, there is a coordinated "divide and conquer" effort underway with the explicit goal of turning progressives against one another in hopes of diminishing their collective power.

One of the analysts who studied the online phenomenon—mostly taking place on social media—dubbed it 'Operation Divide the Left.' It almost makes it sound silly, but with so much at stake, such efforts are anything but funny.

And it's not just on social media. Powerful interests—with the corporate media outlets they control, the think tanks they fund, and the lawmakers they have bought and paid for—have long been able to set the parameters of acceptable debate and moved swiftly to pit one struggling group against another. 

Politico reviewed data from Twitter "and other platforms" extensively, and then interviewed a number of data scientists and digital campaign strategists, and came up with an apparent dual purpose for the activity: 1) undermine all potential Democratic Presidential candidates, and 2) sow discord and chaos within the huge creaky disjointed machine which is the Democratic Presidential primary process.

A certain number of accounts were identified, turning out to be the same core group which anchored a wide-scale influence campaign in 2018. Gee. Who could have guessed.

Click through to find out which candidates are being targeted the most, if you wish.  (Spoiler:  all the ones pictured on this page.)

Moving on, also like Politics Plus, Common Dreams wants to bring people, not just progressives, together, to focus on what we have in common, to prevent division among us – division which, though it may originate from outside, can get in between us and turn us into splinters.

From those clamoring for a Green New Deal that centers racial and economic justice to those declaring without reservation that healthcare is a human right, we know these are unifying demands. Those calling for an end to endless war stand on the right side of history as do those who say no child should be torn from a parent's arms, no eligible voter should be kept from the ballot box, no worker denied the dignity of a living wage, and no woman told what to with her own body.

These values—and of course much more—are what unite progressives and they even unite people who don't identify as such. These are human values…. 

Well, that's easy to say. It's less easy to do.

However, one of the candidates (is it a coincidence she is also THE single most targeted candidate over at least the past month?) has just provided a model which can and should be used, not only by all Democratic candidates, not only by all Democratic politicians, but also by all Democrats and all progressive voters who see voting Democratic as the way to cleaning up Republican messes and, hopefully, moving forward.

Here's an excerpt from another email, this one from Senator Kamala Harris, which speaks for itself:

Earlier this week, Senator Bernie Sanders announced that he is running for president. I want to let you know: I am excited to welcome my friend and colleague to the growing field of incredible Democrats who have entered this race.

I also very much look forward to the coming months when each candidate will share their ideas for the future of our country and make their case directly to the American people. Because, at the end of the day, that is what this is all about: the people.

Wow. It actually chokes me up.

Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, please help spread this attitude far and wide among progressives, be they elected officials, candidates, or voters. If the attitude doesn't take, frankly, the appearance of it would do. If we all have to fake sincerity, then help us all learn to fake sincerity convincingly! Because anything less will weaken us, and could destroy us.

The Furies and I will be back.

Cross posted to Care2 HERE.