Ep. #5: Astroturfin' USA

In recent days, the GOP has tried to paint small protests against stay-at-home measures as a mass movement. In this episode, Antoinette and Lucas look at who's behind these rallies, what they're hoping to accomplish, and what we can do about it.

After Antoinette gives a quick update on last episode's Maskapalooza, we jump into an exploration of astroturfing: when events organized by political operatives or other outside forces are made to appear as if they've bubbled up from the grassroots.

There's increasing evidence that this is the case with these protests. The GOP understands the importance of creating a narrative, no matter how made-up it is. If the stay-at-home protests become the big story, there's less attention paid to the real reason the economy is shut down: because of the Trump administration's complete unpreparedness on testing.

And even if these protests aren't spontaneous and wide-spread now, the GOP hopes they'll become so later, and know they'll get ample media coverage in their quest to accomplish that goal. That's why it's essential that the vast majority of Americans who disagree with these protests counter the narrative.

How? By speaking out. Two immediate actions you can take:

1. Call your governor. Let them know you support stay-at-home measures until adequate testing is in place. Your governors are seeing the same wall-to-wall coverage of these protests as you are. Those protestors don't speak for you? Your state leaders won't know that unless you speak for yourself.

2. Write a letter to the editor of your local paper. While social media is great for getting your message out, we want to reach multiple audiences. Among the regular readers of your local paper? Older folks, who tend to vote, as well as many local political leaders (and their staffs): aka, some of the exact people who need to hear from you.

This episode was recorded on Tuesday, April 21, 2020.