The “you’re the puppet” technique being used now by the Trump-Fox-GOP goes like this: “The House is denying Trump due process and thus denying him a fair trial.”
To being with, the House inquiry is not akin to a criminal trial. It’s more akin to a grand jury proceeding in which evidence is gathered and a prosecutor decides whether to bring charges. Moreover, even if the president is impeached, the trial is not akin to a criminal trial. The only “punishment” is removal from office. Criminal trials have due process protections because defendants stand to be deprived of constitutional rights to life (in capital cases), liberty (imprisonment) and property (fines).
In a Senate removal trial, what is at stake is not being president any more. Being president is not a constitutionally protected right.
OK so the Trump-FOX-GOP accuses the House Democrats of staging a “coup” and breaking rules (they are not).
But does the Trump-GOP follow trial rules? Noooo.
They obstruct, intimidate witnesses, and taint the “jury” pool :
(in a Senate removal trial, the Senators are judge and jury).
The rule-breakers accusing the rule-followers of breaking rules is an example of the “you’re the puppet” propaganda technique.
“Fascists always deny what they are and ascribe their own features and their own totalitarian politics to their enemies.” Prof. Frederico Finchelstein, from:
Some people call this (Trump & pals calling others what they are and accusing others of what they do) “projection.”
But projection is when you unconsciously see your own bad qualities in someone else.
The fascist propaganda technique, on the other hand, is deliberate.
C’mon. Trump knew HRC wasn’t Putin’s puppet. The very idea was ludicrous. She was disdainful of Putin. Putin hated her.
What makes me so sure the Trump-GOP deliberately uses this techniques?
Because Steve Bannon was in Brazil coaching Bolsonaro (the Brazilian Trump) to do the same thing!
They’re all buddies and study each others techniques!
The “you’re the puppet” technique is effective because it creates an illusion of “bothsidesism”
The Republicans want to make both sides look the same. People not paying close paying attention can’t tell the rule-followers from the rule-breakers.
This leads to the kind of cynicism that kills democracy: If both sides are alike, it doesn’t matter who you vote for, or whether you even vote.
It also creates tribalism by creating this mentality: “Our Leader is a lying crook, but the other side are also a lying crooks. So let’s stick with OUR lying crook.”
It’s effective because when the rule-following side is accused of rule breaking, they defend themselves. When you defend yourself, you repeat the original accusation, thus giving it more air time.
The “you’re the puppet” technique overlaps with what the Rand Institute calls the “Firehose of Falsehoods” propaganda method. The Firehose of Falsehoods is a “rapid and continuous” stream of lies.
It works because “retractions and refutations are seldom effective.” Quotations from the Rand study.
“Don’t expect to counter the Firehose of Falsehood with a squirt gun of truth” say the researchers. (p.9)
The person spewing lies has the advantage of giving the public the first impression. It’s hard to counter that later.
The researchers also give the solution: Put raincoats on the people. If people expect to be drenched in lies, they can better withstand the effects.
When Trump trolls run around the Internet and cable news complaining about how unfair the process is to Poor Donald because the House Democrats are breaking rules, people need to think to themselves: “There they go again.”
We need to train people to recognize propaganda techniques when they’re happening. That’s how they wear raincoats to protect against the firehose of lies.
And yes, Trump is smart enough to use this propaganda technique.
- It isn’t hard: He just has to be able to lie shamelessly and lie big, and
- Trump been doing it all of his life. He was never a successful businessman. Gimmea break.
Trump is a natural. That’s why he was Putin’s choice.
Here is an excellent articulation of the problem:
We have to recognize how effective these techniques are.
I have also talked about the Outrage Dilemma, which poses a similar problem. .Each time Trump does something outrageous, he accomplishes 4 things:
- He keeps his base excited by presenting himself as a fighter,
- He batters democratic institutions,
- He keeps his opponents riled and spinning so that they can’t effectively plan
- He creates a self-fulfilling loop. The angrier the “libs” get, the more excited his base becomes.
But what do you do? If you ignore the outrage, you “normalize” it. If you respond, you feed the beast.
See the problem?
