Democracy Has Prevailed.

October 13, 2020

Wendy Bell Misleads Her Audience. Again.

 Today, on Facebook, Wendy posted this:

An organization of left-wing radicals called ShutDownDC has posted an online guide to disruption that outlines a plan to shut down the country and force President Trump from power in the event the 2020 election is too close to call.
 
The guide, called 'Stopping the Coup,' calls for violence, civil unrest, and mass protest.
 
"Where we can, we need to be in the streets, on the highways, or at the sites of power and power holders," the guide reads. 
 
"In our jobs and lives we must refuse to allow those taking control the legitimacy of the power they seek through strikes, slowdowns, and boycotts, and public refusal to accept an illegitimate ruling party."
 
Do you believe the results of the upcoming presidential election - particularly if President Trump wins - will lead to civil unrest across the country?

I can't be sure, of course, but given the closeness of online posting, I am pretty sure our Wendy gets her "news" from a place called "The Patriots Report." Take a look at how they reported on "ShutDownDC" only eight hours before Wendy mentioned it:

The guide, “Stopping the Coup,” available as a Google doc, is being circulated by a group called ShutDownDC. It casts its plan for disruption as a response to an imagined “coup” by the president in the case of a close election.

A paragraph later we find both of Wendy's quotations:

In the context of a coup or highly contested election we need to be clear that our actions must directly affect the structures and pillars of power. Our largest asset in this regard utilizes the ideas of non-compliance through massive, broad based direct action. Where we can, we need to be in the streets, on the highways, or at the sites of power and power holders. In our jobs and lives we must refuse to allow those taking control the legitimacy of the power they seek through strikes, slowdowns, and boycotts, and public refusal to accept an illegitimate ruling party.

And of course, Wendy misleads by omission. Take this quotation from the third page of the guide: 

If the right is prepared to steal the election then we must be prepared to disrupt the status quo and resist. This guide offers resources for organizing in your communities across the country. [Emphasis added.]

Or the fourth: 

Whether you’re from Iowa or Portland, Chicago or rural Ohio; whether you’ve been in the game for a while or you’re just starting out, we hope that this guide might offer ideas, strategies, and connections for fomenting and mobilizing large-scale and widespread disruptive activity if there is a coup. [Emphasis added.]

Wendy dutifully translate that into an "election too close to call."

But wasn't this the case only a few days ago?

President Donald Trump declined to commit Wednesday to providing a peaceful transfer of power if he loses the Nov. 3 election, prompting a bipartisan backlash, including from senior Republicans who underscored their support of an orderly transition regardless of who wins the White House race.

"Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said when asked if he would commit to a peaceful transition, assuming he lost the election.

So Wendy, can you explain why you're misleading your audience? Again?