Why the GOP Wants to Kill Its Voters

[Nevilledog]

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Amanda Marcotte
@AmandaMarcotte
I constantly get asked by people, "Why are Republicans killing their own voters? Isn't that bad politics?" And the answer is, well, no. Unfortunately, their behavior is rational, albeit sociopathic. @danpfeiffer explains.

Why the GOP Wants to Kill Its Voters
Understanding the seemingly illogical political logic behind the Republican embrace of anti-vaccine conspiracy theories
messagebox.substack.com
7:26 AM · Jul 28, 2021

https://messagebox.substack.com/p/why-the-gop-wants-to-kill-its-voters

In its simplest form, politics is a game of numbers. The goal is to attract more voters. Therefore, exposing your most loyal voters to a deadly virus seems to be a particularly stupid way to go about winning elections. Yet a surprising number of Right-Wing politicians and media figures have spent a lot of time and energy pushing conspiracy theories about the COVID vaccine. This messaging has undoubtedly killed thousands of voters that the Republicans need in the 2022 elections.

While some Republican leaders have pushed the COVID vaccine from the outset and others, like Sean Hannity, have recently kinda, sorta changed their tone due to pressure from advertisers, there is no question significant elements of the Republican Party have embraced the anti-vax movement in the post-Trump Era.

Progressives were mystified about the Republican embrace of the anti-vax movement. Reactions ranged from outrage to condescension. Maybe the Republicans are too dense or demented to know what’s in their best interest. Perhaps, they are so committed to “owning the libs” that they are willing to kill their own voters. But the reason is neither idiocy nor performative assholery.

While the modern Republican Party is nihilistic, immoral, corrupt, and racist, it is not stupid. There is an underlying — albeit twisted — political logic behind the decision of so many Republican politicians to push anti-vax conspiracy theories. Killing their own voters is disgusting but not as self-defeating as it seems. It’s not a good or moral strategy, but it is a strategy. And defeating that strategy requires understanding why Republicans think killing their voters is good politics.

*snip*

[TheRealNorth]

1. The Republicans probably saw that people were starting to blame the unvaccinated....

Instead of Biden for the continuing cases.

[lagomorph777]

2. The key takeaways:

Sow Distrust in (Democratic) Government
Hurt Joe Biden (and America)
Desperately Seeking Supporters (the most fanatical of their crazy and shrinking base)
Chasing Facebook Engagement

[Probatim]

3. All good points

The lucky survivors will be the truly diehard fanatics who would never think of voting for a Democratic candidate. Sure, there will be fewer of them but they will be steadfast and will do what they're told to do - storming Capitols, dying for dear leader, terrorizing the libs - nothing will be ignored by this crew of troglodytes.

[PortTack]

4. JMHO this is the most borowitz thing I've read in weeks

We may think the gqp dumb, they are not.

It’s really very simple, they don’t want to upset the cult. The cult is anti vaxx

[tanyev]

5. It may be a calculated strategy, but they are in denial about the potential blowback.

IMO.

[lagomorph777]

6. I agree. I think the points in the article make sense, but it's desperation.

They have gone so far down the rabbit hole, that now they have to chase ever-more crazy followers, driving away or killing the rest of their base.

[Bucky]

7. Their calculus is clearly they'll win more voters w/lies...

... than they'll lose by being exposed as liars.

All you have to do is keep them watching Fox or OAN or Newsmax and consequences don't matter anymore.

[lastlib]

8. It's a dumb strategy to kill off your voters.......

but in this case, I wholeheartedly support it.