Crash Course: The tragedy of MAGA's conspiracy theory about Tim Walz's "fake" dog

Donald Trump controls his followers by convincing them to reject basic reality, even the most banal parts Your daily update from [Salon](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMGpkaHp6bnBiby8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). ~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvb3hqZTVoMDZqNC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNzlibGh2d3d6OS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZXg5d2d6aGYweS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvY2xrbTVndXRqaS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbXlsYmtuY2hsNy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~ The tragedy of MAGA's conspiracy theory about Tim Walz's "fake" dog From Amanda Marcotte: Scout, the beloved pet of the running mate chosen by Vice President Kamala Harris, stands accused by rabid Trump fans of being a fake. While this story is a silly sideshow, it has serious implications. Unable to handle the strong possibility that their candidate will lose in November, Trump's followers are preemptively immersing themselves in a fantasyland where everything they don't like is "fake," from [Harris' crowd sizes](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdzF2czgxZW53ei8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) to the pet photos of their opponents. This isn't just a coping mechanism, either. As we saw on January 6, 2021, the non-stop accusations that Democrats are "faking" everything can lead Trump's followers down dangerous and even violent pathways. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvMXlxa3B3cXBzNS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~).  ~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvdDJjN3FhMm1oMC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvY3FmY29tMmZmOC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvM3VqZDlnMmNoYy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RDaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvNW42Mm9oZjU1Zy8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZlcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~ "Downright strange": How Trump's warped litmus test for MAGA Christians spread beyond abortion Bradley Onishi, the President of the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement and the Founder of Axis Mundi Media, explains how Trumpism is a de facto type of right-wing “Christian” religious political movement and the ways that White Christianity has made support for right-wing extremism a litmus test for being members of that faith community and therefore real “Christians.” At the end of this conversation, Onishi reflects on what it means to be a Christian or otherwise religiously minded in the Age of Trump and the democracy crisis, and how faith and one’s conscience should factor into one’s political decisions such as voting. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvZzNqNnZjMmdhcS8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). [Subscribe to Salon today](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvaHN4M3h4ajBkby8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~) and unlock more benefits! 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Donald Trump likes to pretend he is still president — but his act caught up with him at Arlington From Heather Digby Parton: Trump is not a real president yet he used Arlington National Cemetery this week as a campaign prop to hit his political opponent for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan. It later turned out that he was also taking smiling thumbs-up souvenir pics with unauthorized personnel. This is, of course, just the latest in a long line of Trump's insults to the military. For someone who loves the idea of being commander in chief, he sure doesn't have a high regard for the people who gave their lives in war. [Read more](~/AASU4wA~/RgRostm9P0RnaHR0cHM6Ly9hLnBvc3QubGhkLmxpbmsvbHQ2bHg0OTBsaC8_bGhfYWlkPTEyMjk1OSZsaF9jaWQ9d2thdmcycjMxZiZsaF9lbT10cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NSU0MGdtYWlsLmNvbVcDc3BjQgpmz71U0GYgYQZaUht0cmlzdHJhbWJhbGR3aW44NUBnbWFpbC5jb21YBAAAACg~). 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