tags: Press Releases

USA Today Underscores Danger of GOP’s “Invasion” and “Replacement” Rhetoric

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Zachary Mueller: “The people spreading these conspiracy theories aren’t ‘kooks in the basement writing online. These are from people in positions of real power.’”

Washington, DC – A must-read deep-dive piece by Candy Woodall of USA Today highlights how Republicans are working relentlessly to mainstream dangerous conspiracy theories that encourage violence.

Titled, “Replacement theories, hunting RINOs: How GOP candidates, lawmakers push ‘dangerous’ language,” the story highlights the widespread scope and dangerous implications of Republicans like Gov. Greg Abbott pushing “invasion” and “white replacement” conspiracies. In the article, Sophie Bjork-James, a Vanderbilt professor, says, “there is a really clear relationship between the hateful speech of politicians and hateful acts.” The article relies on the the America’s Voice GOP ad tracker database and the expert analysis of AV Political Director Zachary Mueller, noting: 

“During the 2022 midterm cycle, more than 2,700 ads have aired on television and social media focusing on racist tropes, according to a compilation by America’s Voice, which advocates for immigrants’ rights. More than 100 directly mentioned the racist Great Replacement Theory and “invasion” language, accusing Democrats of deliberately encouraging migrants to cross the southern border illegally to replace white voters. And more than 300 ads cite critical race theory, claiming Democrats are trying to indoctrinate children with fake history lessons about systemic racism against Black people.”

The story also makes clear the real world consequences and dangers of mainstreaming this language: 

“‘Without a doubt, there are serious downstream violent consequences,’ said Zachary Mueller, political director of America’s Voice, a group that advocates for immigrant rights … Experts who study language, rhetoric and communication see a disturbing pattern between a string of violent incidents across the country and an increase in ‘dangerous’ language from Republican candidates and sitting GOP members of Congress in ads, social media posts and speeches. 

While there’s no direct one-to-one connection between one campaign ad and a person or group carrying out a crime, ‘there is a really clear relationship between the hateful speech of politicians and hateful acts,’ said Sophie Bjork-James, an expert on racism who teaches at Vanderbilt University.

… In cities such as Buffalo, Charlottesville, Virginia,  and Pittsburgh where racial and ethnic tensions have led to violence, white nationalists have echoed the same language in white supremacist marches and mass shootings.  The narratives they are repeating aren’t coming from ‘kooks in the basement writing online,’ Mueller said. ‘These are from people in positions of real power.’”

The story recaps some of the Republican candidates and elected officials who have helped mainstream and elevate these formerly fringe ideas. It also underscores the failure of GOP leaders to rein in or hold accountable their colleagues:

“Many historians and professors who study U.S. democracy place the blame for escalating rhetoric squarely on Republicans. They say it is highly unusual for leaders of one of America’s two major political parties to be engaging in, much less condoning, such dangerous and divisive speech. ‘It elevates extreme views to a legitimacy they haven’t had in the past,’ said Ziad Munson, a sociology professor at Lehigh University. ‘Words that used to be in the fringes of political life are now part of major political campaigns.’”

A real world example underscoring the USA Today article findings is playing out right now in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott recently announced an executive order pledging state resources and the National Guard to expel suspected undocumented immigrants. On Sunday, Gov. Abbott appeared on Fox News to celebrate his executive order and again used “invasion” rhetoric to try and justify his announcement.

As Mario Carrillo, America’s Voice Campaigns Director, stated in the Dallas News: “The legal ramifications of a state unilaterally declaring an ‘invasion’ by peaceful migrants seeking out U.S. authorities to whom they can request asylum are hard to fathom. But this is not a question of law or policy, this is another stunt in political theater to position the governor for his campaign and any future campaigns and will no doubt be the talk of Fox News.” As Carrillo also said last week, “perhaps an even greater fear, especially for those of us from El Paso, is that one of Texas’ well-armed young men will heed the Governor’s militaristic call to action and take matters into their own hands. We know that threat is real and targeted at us. It has already happened, killing dozens of our fellow Texans, families and friends.”

According to Vanessa Cárdenas, Deputy Director of America’s Voice: 

“The violent rhetoric of the GOP is inflammatory, dangerous and has put a target on the backs of people of color. Americans should be deeply concerned about the extreme direction of the Republican Party and the fact that its leadership refused to condemn or halt the extremism. As part of a cynical midterm strategy, Republicans are spreading fear and lies about immigrants and non-white Americans. 

The pernicious nativism on display by Gov. Abbott and GOP candidates is one part of a larger embrace of authoritarian extremism that threatens the fabric and foundations of our democracy. We have already seen plenty of examples of extremists acting violently in response to the invasion and replacement prompts that political leaders are signaling.  It’s up to the rest of us, whether directly threatened by the ugliness of Gov. Abbott and his allies or not, to speak out and push back against this dangerous rhetoric. The stakes are too high and the dangers too great to remain silent as Republicans fan the flames of anti-democratic racist violence.”