Scam Alert! Stoking Election Conspiracy in Five Easy Lessons

By Kevin Howley, November 9, 2022

You can’t say they didn’t try. While Kevin McCarthy is still down at the beach waiting for the red wave that never arrived, I’ve pulled together some classic examples of right wing media working the Republican base into a frenzy with eleventh-hour conspiracies to further erode public confidence in the outcome of the 2022 midterm election.

In no particular order, here are five easy lessons for stoking election conspiracy and sowing the seeds for post-election chaos and confusion – the Trump playbook writ large for the party of lawlessness and disorder.

It’s the Mainstream Media, Stupid!

In an Election Day piece The Blaze pays homage to one of right wing media’s most reliable myth makers, Glenn Beck, who wants listeners to know who the real threat to democracy is. Turns out, it’s … wait for it … mainstream media.

Calling out the “vicious” and “sinister” lies spewed by the likes of Beck and MAGA pundits in the aftermath of the politically-motivated home invasion that left House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband Paul hospitalized with a fractured skull, the New York Times alerted readers that such misinformation plays into the hands of alt-right conspiracists (aka Trump loyalists).

Beck was having none of it, listing no fewer than “35 times the MSM got away with spreading ‘sinister misinformation.’” Expect more of the same in the coming days and weeks as the party of Trump doubles down on lies big and small.

Dominion Machine Malfunctions Redux

Throughout the day, right wing media posted hyperbolic claims of election machine malfunctions in hotly contested states, like Arizona, as well as the reliably Democratic township of North Bergen, New Jersey.

Breitbart’s sly headline—”Voting Snag in Arizona Fuels Election Conspiracy Theories”—demonstrates how right wing media spin a “printing malfunction” that “slowed down voting on Tuesday” across Arizona, to undermine confidence in the midterm outcomes. 

Unsurprising, given its name recognition in conspiracy circles, Dominion voting systems, is guilty by association in another Breitbart report: “At press time, machines are still down in the county, which contains the state’s capital, Trenton, and the Democrat academic hub of Princeton.” 

Tired of Waiting

Headlined, “Could This Be the First Race Called Tonight?” Townhall goes out on a limb to predict that Ron DeSantis will be declared an early victor over his Democratic (sic) rival, Charlie Crist, in Florida’s gubernatorial contest.

Posted at 11:45AM on Election Day, Matt Vespa crows: “There’s a reason why there are few stories about a Crist comeback or any hope of victory because there is none. Crist is projected to lose badly tonight, with most polls having DeSantis eight-to-ten points ahead of him.”

This is the sort of reporting you’d expect on a slow news day. But it reveals the right-wing media’s need for closure when a great many elections results won’t be known for days. The GOP is tired of waiting for a red wave that has yet to materialize.

Avenge Me!

Channeling the Sore Loser-in-Chief, Gateway Pundit pleads with the MAGA faithful to get out the vote. In the wee wee hours of Election Day, Cara Castronuova issued this clarion call for voters to avenge the twice-impeached former president.

“After the election of 2020 and the two years of tyranny that has plagued our nation, we cannot afford to stay home and not vote. We cannot make it close we need landslide victories that cannot be disputed. WE NEED YOU TO VOTE AND BRING EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT IS LIKE MINDED WITH YOU.”

Turns out Castronuova is just getting warmed up: “The Biden Regime has literally committed war crimes against humanity against Trump supporters.” Hyperbole aside, statements like this are a stark reminder that axe-grinding never grows old in right wing media and revenge is top of mind in MAGA country.

Angry Joe

Citing a report from Bloomberg, WND claims that President Biden is apoplectic at the prospect of a red wave that will turn its ire toward him, his family, and his administration should the GOP take control of the House, as expected, and perhaps the Senate as well.

WND states, “President Joe Biden let his anger over Democrats’ projected midterm losses boil over and lost his temper on a high ranking staffer, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.” Duggan continues that “Biden is known for letting his anger flare in front of aides.”

No word if Biden tossed his lunch in a fit of pique like another chief executive with anger management issues is known to do.

Kevin Howley is a writer and educator whose work has appeared in Journalism: Theory, Practice and Criticism, Social Movement Studies, and Interactions: Studies in Communication and Culture. His most recent book is Drones: Media Discourse and the Public Imagination.

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