Crash Course: Lauren Boebert's QAnon ties

[View this email in your browser]( Your daily update from [Salon](. Written by [Brett Bachman](. Lauren Boebert's QAnon ties Despite some questionable public statements before being elected to Congress, Rep. Lauren Boebert has generally tried to distance herself from the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory while in office. But that sentiment apparently doesn't extend to the employees she hires, [Salon's Zach Petrizzo found out this week](. Just after the Colorado Republican was elected last November, she hired Mona and Bud Demicell, a husband and wife pair that have repeatedly expressed QAnon beliefs publicly on social media. Bud, who attended a protest alongside the Proud Boys last year, is now the manager of Boebert's firearm-friendly restaurant, Shooters Bar & Grill, while Mona works next door at Boebert's campaign office in addition to picking up shifts at the restaurant. It's not exactly surprising that Boebert would surround herself with QAnon adherents, according to Travis View, a QAnon researcher and co-host of the "QAnon Anonymous" podcast. It's pretty clear that her recent step-back from the conspiracy community never really fooled anyone who was familiar with her public statements prior to last November. "Lauren Boebert has always tried to maintain some distance between herself and QAnon," View told Salon. "For example, in July of 2020 she tweeted that 'QAnon = fake news' and that she's 'not a follower.' However, as evidenced by her willingness to appear on a QAnon show, her statement that she 'hopes' Q is real and her closely associating with QAnon followers, she at very least appears to be cozy with the QAnon community." You can [read the full story here](. How the "Great Replacement" went mainstream It started as a fringe idea popular among neo-Nazis and other loosely-affiliated racist groups: that whites are being "replaced" by immigrants to the United States as part of a long-term plan masterminded by a global cabal of liberal elites. The phrase "great replacement" was thrust into the national spotlight in 2017 after a deadly far-right protest in Charlottesville, Virginia. This so-called "Unite the Right" rally, as well as then-President Donald Trump's response — that there were "very fine people on both sides" — made clear that white grievance was now a driver of conservative politics that the Republican party would no longer shy away from. At least three mass shootings in the past four years were apparently inspired by the conspiracy theory — causing a short-lived retrenchment of Republican politicians who avoided saying similar things after each incident. Tucker Carlson, however, hasn't felt the same responsibility to moderate his speech. The popular primetime Fox News host has been mainstreaming these racist ideas for months now, saying things like "[the Democratic Party] is trying to replace the current electorate" with "new people, more obedient voters from the Third World." There have been calls for his firing, of course, but each time Carlson brings up the "Great Replacement" it seems more and more Republicans pick up the rhetoric for their own. GOP Congresspeople, including Reps. Matt Gaetz and Elise Stefanik, as well as Sen. Ron Johnson, have parroted similar talking points. And [new research is suggesting that the Republican base is coming around to these ideas as well]( — including a fascinating survey conducted by political scientist Robert Pape, which found that a majority of those who participated in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were "awash in fears that the rights of minorities and immigrants were crowding out the rights of white people in American politics and culture." (Photo via Getty Images) - Centrist Dems broke a promise on infrastructure. [They should not get their "bipartisan" victory now]( Salon columnist Amanda Marcotte argues - Louis DeJoy [rolls out plan to hobble the USPS, despite renewed calls]( for his ouster - Salon spoke to the "Only Murders in the Building" creative team about [what it was like to create a silent episode that centers a deaf character's POV]( - Four more GOP Reps. are [under scrutiny for potential stock trading violations]( - Ex-Trump campaign manager [Corey Lewandowski was accused of groping a GOP donor]( during a charity event this weekend - Try the [21 best fall cocktails for fireside sipping]( - Trump to file a lawsuit [against Biden White House to keep January 6 records sealed]( - Trump endorses Arizona conspiracy theorist [who wants to “decertify” election after sham “audit"]( - The "burn scars" of wildfires [threaten the West’s drinking water]( - Treasury Secretary [Janet Yellen warns of impending "calamity"]( if Congress won't raise debt limit - And, finally, you deserve a fancy fish sandwich — [here's the very best quick lunch to make when working from home]( Not a subscriber yet? [Sign up]( to receive Crash Course. Texas two-step: Why abortion and voting rights go hand-in-hand The recent near-total abortion ban enacted in Texas was the culmination of a decades-long right-wing effort to remake America's judicial system — a crusade not unlike the renewed conservative battle to restrict voting rights. In fact, the two fights are intricately connected, [Salon contributors David Daley and Amanda Litman argue](. You might even call it a Texas two-step. "First, unelected, tenured judges did what elected Republicans didn't feel empowered to do in 2006 and put a stake into the Voting Rights Act," Daley and Litman write. "Then, after blessing a new generation of sophisticated voter suppression methods, as well as providing a green light for partisan and racial gerrymanders, uninhibited lawmakers — untethered from nearly any accountability — can pass laws dramatically out of step with voters, like the new Texas abortion bill. This court then smiles on those efforts as well. (And of course, all this is amplified and encouraged by the right-wing media ecosystem.)" "It's a nifty closed loop that has the added benefit of sheltering Republicans from any consequences for their extremism, and from any real fear that a changing electorate will threaten entrenched one-party rule." (Photo illustration by Salon/Getty Images) - "[When Dasani Left Home]( The New York Times Magazine - "[The Cops Who Touched Fentanyl]( The New Republic - "[Sexual Assault Survivors in Journalism Are Waiting for Their Reckoning]( VICE News - "[How Miami Seduced Silicon Valley]( New York Magazine - "[Quentin Tarantino Responds to All That Fuss Over Feet in His Movies: ‘That’s Just Good Direction’]( Indiewire Anti-vaxxers are now drinking iodine In their long, harrowing journey to try nearly every ineffective and dangerous treatment for COVID-19 known to man,[it appears anti-vaccine advocates have reached the "drinking iodine" stage of their conspiracy](. And pour one out for the poor public relations team at Betadine, the brand-name purveyors of povidone-iodine, who had to scramble recently to find a nice way to say: "Would you social media-addicted fiends stop drinking our poison, please?" "Betadine Antiseptic First Aid products have not been approved to treat coronavirus," a statement on the manufacturer's website reads. "Products should only be used to help prevent infection in minor cuts, scrapes and burns. Betadine Antiseptic products have not been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 or any other viruses." Just get the shot already! It can't be worse than whatever this is. (Photo via Getty Images) Have a tip for Salon? Feedback on this newsletter? [Let us know](mailto:brett.bachman@salon.com). [Share]( [Share]( [Tweet]( [Tweet]( [Forward]( [Forward]( Copyright © 2021 Salon.com, LLC, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at Salon.com Our mailing address is: Salon.com, LLC 1000 N. West StreetWilmington, DE 19801 [Add us to your address book]( Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [update your preferences]( or [unsubscribe from this list](. [Mailchimp Email Marketing](