The Radical Fringe That Just Went Mainstream in Arizona

It might be nice one day to wake up and feel serene—even hopeful—about the state of American politics. To know that all of those people who have been warning about the growing threat to democracy are way ahead of their skis. But today is not that day. Arizona Republicans are nominating an entire cast of characters who argue not only that Donald Trump won the election in 2020, but also that the state’s results should be decertified—a process for which there is no legal basis. These Trump-endorsed candidates—Kari Lake for…

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How Conspiracy Theories Became More Personal, More Cruel And More Mainstream After The Sandy Hook Shootings

<p class=”is-style-sans-serif”><em>This article is part of&nbsp;<a href=”https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe”>TPM Cafe</a>, TPM’s home for opinion and news analysis. It first appeared at&nbsp;<a href=”https://theconversation.com/how-conspiracy-theories-in-the-us-became-more-personal-more-cruel-and-more-mainstream-after-the-sandy-hook-shootings-172015″>The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p>Conspiracy theories are powerful forces in the U.S. They have damaged public health amid a global pandemic, shaken faith in the democratic process and <a href=”https://abcnews.go.com/US/qanon-emerges-recurring-theme-criminal-cases-tied-us/story?id=75347445″>helped spark</a> a violent assault on the U.S. Capitol in January 2021.</p> <p>These conspiracy theories are part of a dangerous misinformation crisis that has been building for years in the U.S.</p> <p>American politics has long had a <a href=”https://harpers.org/archive/1964/11/the-paranoid-style-in-american-politics/”>paranoid streak</a>, and belief in conspiracy…

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