How Political Lies Spread On The Left

[Big Don]

How Political Lies Spread On The Left

March 19, 2011 · Lee Stranahan EXCERPT:

Someone on Twitter asked me last night if I’d heard about what was happening in Minnesota with the poor. I didn’t, so they sent me a link to Crooks & Liars that talked about a law proposed there that would make it illegal for poor people to carry more than $20 cash!
(Note : It’s a total lie, but play along with my fake outrage for now.)
Look!!! Here’s some headlines. Wow!!!
Minnesota GOP wants it to be illegal to carry cash if you’re poor
Minn. to Make it a Crime for Poor to Have More Than $20
Incredible!!!
And here’s what the first couple of paragraphs of the Crooks and Liars piece says…
First Susie Madrak writes…

They’re not just crazy, they’re evil — and un-Christian, should they have the audacity to claim otherwise. If only we could force them to live like this, they wouldn’t last a week:
​

And then quotes an article that says…

St. Paul, MN – Minnesota Republicans are pushing legislation that would make it a crime for people on public assistance to have more $20 in cash in their pockets any given month. This represents a change from their initial proposal, which banned them from having any money at all.
​

Wow!!! It would be a crime for people on public assistance to have more than $20 in cash in their pockets any given month! A crime!
And the article continues and there’s a ton of outraged comments, too – starting with Karoli, who I’ll talk about in a minute.
So that’s the claim. I sort of skimmed it and thought to myself “Sounds like a serious charge. “ Up until quite recently, I would have left it at that because Crooks and Liars was one of my go-to sites for information.
Now I think they might want to shorten their name to the more concise and appropriate Liars.

 

[Big Don]

I, for one, blame the VRWC.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

I beat your guy to the punch by three days...

http://www.martialtalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=94520

Might I also note that both sides do this sort of thing.

I seem to recall not just one, but many posts expressing shocked outrage that Congress doesn't pay into Social Security (they do). That illegal aliens get Social Security benefits (they don't). That Barack Obama was sworn into office on a Koran instead of a Bible (he wasn't). The list goes on and on and on. Worse than that, even after websites like Snopes and Factcheck debunk these outlandish claims, the outraged booger-eaters continue passing around the emails, posting them triumphantly on discussion forums, and basically refusing to believe they could be untrue.

As I've said before, in my opinion, 90% of everybody is a booger-eating moron. No limit on political persuasion. Left, right, center; anytime you have outrage and polarization and just plain hatred; you get this kind of nonsense. Those who make up outrageous lies and those who are all too willing to believe those lies without bothering to engage their own brains first. I've been guilty of it myself; I try not to do that quite so much anymore.