In this day and age it doesn’t take an investigative journalist to understand exactly what happened (with a bevy of receipts) in Springfield, OH and across our collective digital sphere. It simply takes connection and a bit of media literacy. The one, two punch MAGA extremists, christian nationalists and dubious political pundits apparently don’t see coming (or don’t see coming before election day).
First and foremost, I want to bring the human cost of this media campaign to the forefront and then we will discuss the overall strategy and the different media components, House in Habit included, that were leveraged to spread false information along with how it’s connected to Ohio’s hotly contested senate race.
The Human Cost: A Timeline
From city hall, to elementary schools, to colleges, to hospitals, Springfield, OH was overrun with threats of violence due to the strategic (not careless or stupid) push of false information by Donald Trump, JD Vance and a myriad of other politicians and political groups. Reinforced through political pundits like Jessica Reed Kraus (House in Habit), DC_Draino (most prolific on sites like Twitter), Laura Loomer, Charlie Kirk, Chris Rufo, etc… and this is only what has been bubbled up to the public sphere. I’ve also heard anecdotal reports of physical and verbal harassment, damage to personal property (cars, homes, businesses, etc…), loss of income due to the reinforcement racist beliefs and the unbearable mental load (particularly on people of color) that comes with constantly fearing for your health and safety, etc… now onto the strategy.
THE STRATEGY: IN PHOTOS
As a refresher, because what even is time these days, the Springfield, OH narrative blew up *just before* the Presidential debate as the GOP/MAGA had planted seeds for this “authentic viral moment”, which is integral to reinforcing Trump’s fear-based stance on immigration and the border, well before Trump blurted out Haitian immigrants are eating cats and dogs on the national stage.
Personally, I was shocked (but never surprised) when I heard former President Donald Trump peddling the claim that “illegal Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs”, but I shouldn’t have been. It ties perfectly into Tim Dunn’s (a billionaire oil & gas magnate from TX leading the charge on turning American into a christian theocracy - read more HERE) strategic play to infuse specific types of ideology into the cultural zeitgeist through first party data collection, “independent” media outlets and AI.
Obviously Jessica Reed Kraus (House in Habit) wasn’t the only one reinforcing this narrative. She was joined by the likes of DC_Draino, JD Vance and known white supremacist, Chris Rufo, who offered a $5,000 reward for definitive proof and (very obviously) to keep the distraction tactics going.
For a detailed breakdown of the proliferation of this rumor by alt-right pundits online before during and after the debate, read HERE.
HOW THIS IS CONNECTED TO OHIO’S SENATE RACE
As many of you know the fate of Americans is often decided, not by the President or Vice President, but by Congress. The U.S. Congress is made up of two entities; the House & the Senate. This year, one of the Ohio state Senate seats is up for grabs. This well-funded and fully manufactured viral media campaign moves the needle towards Bernie Moreno, the former GOP donor and Trump affiliated challenger, from sitting democratic senator Sherrod Brown, in a few different ways.
It normalizes the dehumanization of immigrants.
It reinforces and validates the foundational fear-based tactics the GOP has leaned into for well over a decade to continue campaigning on the democrat’s “failed” border policy.
It’s important to remember JD Vance’s role in all of this as one of Ohio’s former senators.
He has repeatedly stated, during interviews, the VP debate and across socials that he is getting this information from his constituents and he is here to represent their concerns (whether or not they are based in reality).
It shifts blame from the Republican-led Senate to the Biden/Harris administration regarding the perceived inaction on immigration and the border frustrating Americans, even though the Republicans have repeatedly torpedo’d bi-partisan legislation to address the issues. Here is a list of all Republican senators who opposed the bill, which eventually died after a 43-50 vote.
It pulls attention away from the tens of millions of dollars the GOP/MAGA PACs have sunk into this race in order to appoint businessman Bernie Moreno over incumbent Sherrod Brown.
Now with all of that being said, I want to leave with you an excerpt from the transcript from JD Vance’s recent interview with CNN’s Dana Bash —> you can read the full interview HERE and watch it HERE.
These are not the words of a man who cares about any of his constituents. Spread the word.
Until next time,
Heidi