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Pro-Trump Internet Descends Into Infighting
January 3, 2022 at 7:28 am EST By Taegan Goddard 68 Comments
https://politicalwire.com/2022/01/03/pro-trump-internet-descends-into-infighting/
"SNIP......
The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists of the pro-Trump Internet have a new enemy: each other, the Washington Post Washington Post reports.
After months of failing to disprove the reality of Trumps 2020 presidential election loss, some of the Internets most popular right-wing provocateurs are grappling with the pressures of restless audiences, saturated markets, ongoing investigations and millions of dollars in legal bills.
The result is a chaotic melodrama, playing out via secretly recorded phone calls, personal attacks in podcasts, and a seemingly endless stream of posts on Twitter, Gab and Telegram calling their rivals Satanists, communists, pedophiles or pay-triots money-grubbing grifters exploiting the cause.
The Bulwark: What it means to be a Republican in 2022.
......SNIP"
Eliot Rosewater
(31,113 posts)Is it an article naming the pro trump assholes who are fighting with each other and what these phone calls and podcasts are saying?
applegrove
(118,749 posts)so the tornado is becoming disorganized:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2022/01/03/trump-qanon-online-money-war-jan6/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=wp_politics
"SNIP.....
QAnon is the easiest money that you could possibly make if you dont have a conscience, but theres only a certain number of people you can fleece. Its not a renewable resource, said Rothschild (who has no relation to the famous banking family targeted in antisemitic conspiracy theories).
The fact that theyre all mad at each other, thats all a byproduct of the fact that theyre just desperate for money, and theres only a certain amount, he added. So now, he said, the us-vs.-them argument for many QAnon influencers is: Theyre the pedophiles, the Freemasons, the illuminati. Im the truth-teller. Im the one whos trying to save the world.
QAnon reshaped Trumps party and radicalized believers. The Capitol siege may just be the start.
Although Trump is only indirectly connected to some of the increasingly personal battles, many of them show clear signs of his playbook: winning attention and overwhelming the enemy through constant, uninhibited attacks. And the animosity has begun filtering down to mid-level influencers with smaller followings, who have become divided on the basis of their loyalty to the warring camps. Some have begun marking their allegiances on Telegram with special emoji in their usernames: Three stars, for instance, means youre on team Flynn. (His opponents havent agreed on a symbol yet, though some have used the three stars as a punchline.)
QAnons credibility didnt exactly climb when its long-heralded promise that Trumps long-secret war against a Satan-worshiping deep state would culminate in a righteous apocalyptic battle known as the storm collapsed last January. As Joe Biden entered the White House, Trump took refuge in Palm Beach, Fla., and most of Trumps enemies were left unvanquished.
.....SNIP"
Eliot Rosewater
(31,113 posts)loving assholes, these fascists...sigh
And yet there are STILL people here and elsewhere saying we are overreacting...my GOD
dalton99a
(81,566 posts)empedocles
(15,751 posts)Since Jan. 6, the pro-Trump Internet has descended into infighting over money and followers
Far-right influencers and QAnon devotees are battling over online audiences in the power vacuum created by Trumps departure from office
By Drew Harwell
Today at 7:00 a.m. EST
The far-right firebrands and conspiracy theorists of the pro-Trump Internet have a new enemy: each other.
QAnon devotees are livid at their former hero Michael Flynn for accurately calling their jumbled credo total nonsense. Donald Trump superfans have voiced a sense of betrayal because the former president, booed for getting a coronavirus immunization booster, has become a vaccine salesman. And attorney Lin Wood seems mad at pretty much everyone, including former allies on the scattered elite strike-force team investigating nonexistent mass voter fraud.
After months of failing to disprove the reality of Trumps 2020 presidential election loss, some of the Internets most popular right-wing provocateurs are grappling with the pressures of restless audiences, saturated markets, ongoing investigations and millions of dollars in legal bills.
The result is a chaotic melodrama, playing out via secretly recorded phone calls, personal attacks in podcasts, and a seemingly endless stream of posts on Twitter, Gab and Telegram calling their rivals Satanists, communists, pedophiles or pay-triots money-grubbing grifters exploiting the cause.
The infighting reflects the diminishing financial rewards for the merchants of right-wing disinformation, whose battles center not on policy or doctrine but on the treasures of online fame: viewer donations and subscriptions; paid appearances at rallies and conferences; and crowds of followers to buy their books and merchandise.
. . .
In the absence of a president like Trump and in the absence of a figure like Q, theres this void where nobody knows who to follow, Aniano said. At one point it seemed like Q was gospel. Now theres a million different bibles, and no one knows which one is most accurate.
. . .
The cage match kicked off late in November when Kyle Rittenhouse, acquitted of all charges after fatally shooting two men at a protest last year in Kenosha, Wis., told Fox News host Tucker Carlson that his former attorneys, including Wood, had exploited his jail time to boost their fundraising for their own benefit, not trying to set me free.
Wood has since snapped back at his 18-year-old former client, wondering aloud in recent messages on the chat service Telegram: Could his life be literally under the supervision and control of a director? Whoever Kyle is, pray for him.
. . .
The feud carved a major rift between Wood and his former compatriots in the pro-Trump stop the steal campaign, with an embattled Wood attacking Rittenhouse supporters including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.); Flynn, a former national security adviser to Trump; Sidney Powell, Flynns attorney; and Patrick Byrne, the Overstock founder who became a major stop the steal financier.
Each faction has accused the opposing side of betraying the pro-Trump cause or misusing the millions of dollars in funds that have gone to groups such as Powells Defending the Republic.
. . .
Beyond the infighting, both sides are also staring down the potential for major financial damage in court. A federal judge last month ordered Wood and Powell to pay roughly $175,000 in legal fees for their historic and profound abuse of the judicial process in suing to overturn the 2020 presidential election. And Powell and others face potentially billions of dollars in damages as a result of defamation lawsuits filed by Dominion Voting Systems, which they falsely accused of helping to rig the 2020 race.
To help cover their legal bills, the factions have set up online merchandise shops targeting their most loyal followers. Fans of Powells bogus conspiracy theory can, for instance, buy a four-pack set of Release the Kraken: Defending the Republic drink tumblers from her website for $80. On Flynns newly launched website, fans can buy General Flynn: #FightLikeAFlynn womens racerback tank tops for $30. And Woods online store sells $64.99 #FightBack unisex hoodies; the fleece, a listing says, feels like wearing a soft, fluffy cloud.
. . .
QAnon is the easiest money that you could possibly make if you dont have a conscience, but theres only a certain number of people you can fleece. Its not a renewable resource, said Rothschild (who has no relation to the famous banking family targeted in antisemitic conspiracy theories).
The fact that theyre all mad at each other, thats all a byproduct of the fact that theyre just desperate for money, and theres only a certain amount, he added. So now, he said, the us-vs.-them argument for many QAnon influencers is: Theyre the pedophiles, the Freemasons, the illuminati. Im the truth-teller. Im the one whos trying to save the world.
TheBlackAdder
(28,211 posts).
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thucythucy
(8,086 posts)And they call US sheep.
Mr. Ected
(9,670 posts)No worries, with facts not being of the essence, a simple prognostication may stir them all up once again.