{"id":2255126,"date":"2024-05-29T15:02:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-29T19:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-election-worker-threat-narrative-is-a-bald-faced-scare-tactic-weve-seen-before\/"},"modified":"2024-05-29T15:05:04","modified_gmt":"2024-05-29T19:05:04","slug":"democrats-election-worker-threat-narrative-is-a-bald-faced-scare-tactic-weve-seen-before","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-election-worker-threat-narrative-is-a-bald-faced-scare-tactic-weve-seen-before\/","title":{"rendered":"Democrats Using Election Worker Threat as a Familiar Scare Tactic"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdemocrats-election-worker-threat-narrative-is-a-bald-faced-scare-tactic-weve-seen-before%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2255126&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>This summary discusses Democrats and \u200cthe media labeling conservatives as \u2064threats \u2063to suppress opposition. It highlights instances where Republicans \u200csuccumbed \u2064to this \u200dintimidation. The narrative aims \u200cto hinder election\u200c monitoring and \u200dpush agendas. The \u200ctactic also deters discussion on election integrity. It parallels past &#8220;threat&#8221; smears during the Covid era, \u200billustrating a recurring\u200d pattern of coercion.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"article-content\">\n<p>As a tactic to intimidate and silence their political opposition, Democrats and corporate media have for years smeared conservatives as \u201cthreats,\u201d whether it be for refusing to buy into Covid fearmongering or for showing up at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/maryland-school-district-announces-policy-to-push-anti-racist-thinking-in-preschool-redefine-discrimination-and-racism\/\" title=\"Maryland School District Announces Policy to Push \u2018Anti-Racist Thinking\u2019 In Preschool, Redefine \u2018Discrimination\u2019 and \u2018Racism\u2019\">school board meetings<\/a> to protest extended school closures. Despite the obvious gambit, some elected Republicans are still allowing Democrats to use their \u201cthreat\u201d narrative to suppress <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/pa-state-sen-argall-backs-2020-ariz-style-audit-with-subpoena-power\/\" title=\"Pa. state Sen. Argall backs 2020 Ariz.-style audit with subpoena power\">election integrity activists<\/a>\u2019 speech about and participation in the electoral process.<\/p>\n<p>In a \u201cMeet The Press\u201d segment on Sunday, NBC\u2019s Kristen Welker invited several secretaries of state to join her in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/meet-the-press\/meet-press-may-26-2024-n1309920\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spreading<\/a> Democrats\u2019 dishonest \u201cthreats against election workers\u201d narrative. And instead of pushing back against the question\u2019s obvious agenda, Welker\u2019s two Republican guests either bought the lie or offered a lame dodge. <\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2-long d-flex justify-content-center\" style=\"margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center; \" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-1381305743\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1379703300879-0\" class=\"mb-30\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-27d602d970c0c448664358613a27b5d1 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-2\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-27d602d970c0c448664358613a27b5d1\"><\/div>\n<p>\u201cI know that some people just went on to do other things instead of coming back for 2024. But by and large, in Georgia, we\u2019re actually in pretty good shape,\u201d Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger responded. The secretary then touted poll worker recruitment and training efforts in the Peach State, saying these volunteers \u201cunderstand all the checks, balances, and fail-safes that are in place so you do have a fair, secure, accurate election.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>[READNEXT:[READNEXT:<a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/05\/28\/republicans-stay-off-left-wing-networks-unless-youre-prepared-to-go-on-offense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Republicans, Stay Off Left-Wing Networks Unless You\u2019re Prepared To Go On Offense<\/a>]<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Nominal Republican and Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt gave an even worse answer, touting the state\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/03\/01\/pennsylvania-partners-with-dhs-cisa-censors-to-target-election-speech-it-deems-a-threat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">collusion<\/a> with federal agencies \u2014 including the censorship-prone Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency \u2014 to target election speech it deems a \u201cthreat.\u201d Schmidt told Welker the Keystone State has mechanisms in place to respond to threats \u201cexpeditiously so law enforcement can do its job, so our election officials can do the job that only they can do, which is counting votes in our representative democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u2018Threat\u2019 Narrative Used as a Cudgel<\/h2>\n<p>The narrative about \u201cthreats\u201d to election workers is a two-pronged tactic. First, it makes it harder for poll observers to monitor election administration, either by manufacturing justification for policies that keep them at bay, or merely by intimidating them.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8049a4cbadb96e489d240c3d73aca632 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-6\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-8049a4cbadb96e489d240c3d73aca632\"><\/div>\n<p>Take, for instance, the case of Janet Angus, a Green Bay election integrity activist. Angus observed Molly Senechal dropping off two ballots on April 5, 2022, one for herself and one for her husband. Senechal told Green Bay City Clerk Celestine Jeffreys that her husband could not appear in person himself \u2014 as required by law \u2014 because he was \u201csick.\u201d Jeffreys accepted both ballots anyway, as my colleague M.D. Kittle <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/01\/31\/judge-throws-out-green-bays-retaliatory-disorderly-conduct-citation-against-election-observer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Angus confronted Jeffreys about the law, after which Jeffreys played into the threat narrative by claiming Angus \u201cmocked her\u201d and that she was \u201cvery concerned\u201d about the effect of Angus\u2019 words on Senechal, who said the exchange made her \u201canxious.\u201d The city of Green Bay sought and obtained a municipal citation against Angus on a disorderly conduct charge. A judge later tossed out the citation, noting it appeared to be \u201cretaliatory.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>To feed the narrative that poll workers face a dire threat from election integrity activists, Democrats around the country have filed bills like one in Virginia that would have classified threatening an individual who previously served as an election official or currently serves as one as a \u201chate crime,\u201d as my colleague Shawn Fleetwood <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2024\/01\/22\/by-protecting-election-workers-democrats-mean-protecting-control-over-election-administration\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">reported<\/a>. Threatening election workers is already \u201cexplicitly prohibited\u201d under state and federal law, as Fleetwood noted.<\/p>\n<p>The narrative is also used to deny access to poll watchers. When Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers <a href=\"https:\/\/captimes.com\/news\/government\/wisconsin-election-observers-may-have-to-keep-their-distance\/article_7efbe402-027e-11ef-acbf-c7c056d09d3b.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">vetoed<\/a> a Republican bill to let poll watchers observe more closely, he cited concerns about the supposed threats posed by public participation in the process, saying the bill could \u201cenable voter intimidation and prevent election workers from effectively and efficiently carrying out their important duties without interference.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-09755adaabb6da1a20a5bffea8757666 fdrlst__b89e9-paragraph-10\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-09755adaabb6da1a20a5bffea8757666\"><\/div>\n<p>The second purpose of Democrats\u2019 \u201cthreat\u201d smear is to make election integrity a third-rail topic. Democrats have crafted a \u201cthreat to democracy\u201d narrative about the events of Jan. 6, 2021, that makes many Americans reluctant to voice legitimate concerns about the justice system\u2019s treatment of Jan. 6 protesters. Similarly, treating election integrity concerns as \u201cthreats\u201d is an attempt to scare Republicans away from the topic. <\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Democrats Have A History Of  \u2018Threat\u2019 Smearing<\/h2>\n<p>During the height of the Covid pandemic, Americans who were skeptical of hasty vaccine mandates and other fiats were <a href=\"https:\/\/www.courier-journal.com\/story\/opinion\/2024\/03\/13\/covid-19-denialism-threat-to-public-health\/72942668007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">labeled<\/a> as \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.msnbc.com\/opinion\/msnbc-opinion\/rfk-jr-covid-vaccine-conspiracy-testimony-stacey-plaskett-rcna96073\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">threats<\/a>\u201d to the public. The National Terrorism Advisory System went further, issuing a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/ntas\/advisory\/national-terrorism-advisory-system-bulletin-august-13-2021\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">bulletin<\/a> in August of 2021 warning that \u201canti-government\/anti-authority violent extremists\u201d might \u201cseek to exploit the emergence of COVID-19 variants by viewing the potential re-establishment of public health restrictions across the United States as a rationale to conduct attacks.\u201d The bulletin also claimed that the issues were \u201cexacerbated by \u2026 grievances over <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dhs-suggests-opposition-to-covid-19-restrictions-could-make-someone-a-domestic-terrorism-threat\/\" title=\"DHS Suggests Opposition To COVID-19 Restrictions Could Make Someone A Domestic Terrorism Threat\">public health safety measures<\/a> and perceived government restrictions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Of course no such attacks occurred, but the purpose of the bulletin was to smear individuals who protested heavy-handed Covid rules like \u201cstay-at-home\u201d orders banning people from traveling to see their loved ones and mandates forcing people to get experimental jabs or risk their jobs.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats also weaponized the \u201cthreat\u201d smear against <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2022\/06\/15\/nsbas-apology-for-letter-comparing-parents-to-terrorists-hasnt-stopped-the-fbi-from-targeting-free-speech\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">parents<\/a> who showed up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cnn-falls-out-of-top-10-cable-networks-as-barack-obama-special-flops\/\" title=\"CNN Falls Out Of Top 10 Cable Networks As Barack Obama Special Flops\">school board meetings nationwide<\/a> to voice opposition to lockdown policies that were <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/10\/25\/why-domestic-terrorists-like-me-cant-forget-public-school-covid-tyranny\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">adversely impacting children\u2019s education<\/a> and mental health. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) encouraged the White House to use counterterrorism tactics against these parents. Biden\u2019s Department of Justice issued a memorandum in October of 2021 directing the FBI to label these parents with \u201cthreat tags.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The House Judiciary Committee <a href=\"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/2023\/03\/22\/house-judiciary-finds-biden-doj-had-no-legitimate-basis-to-target-parents-as-terrorists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">later found<\/a> Biden\u2019s administration had \u201cno legitimate basis\u201d for using counterterrorism resources against parents.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<div class=\"fdrlst__b89e9-aef308cf90356990a2ed308bfde508b5 fdrlst__b89e9-after-post-content\" id=\"fdrlst__b89e9-aef308cf90356990a2ed308bfde508b5\"><\/div>\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator\">    \t\t\t\t\t   \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats and the corporate media continue to label conservatives as &#8220;threats&#8221; to silence political opposition, whether for resisting Covid fear tactics or protesting school closures. Despite this tactic&#8217;s transparency, some elected Republicans still yield to Democrats&#8217; intimidation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":2255127,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-29-at-11.52.27-AM-e1716998063803-1024x577.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[546],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2255126","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-federalist"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thefederalist.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Screenshot-2024-05-29-at-11.52.27-AM-e1716998063803-1024x577.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2255126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2255126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2255126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2255127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2255126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2255126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2255126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}