Kelly, John, 73
Kennedy, John F., 2, 28, 42, 46, 144
Kennedy, John F., Jr., 133
Kim, Joon H., 161–62, 164
Kingston, Jack, 55
knowledge and expertise: administrative state as instantiation of, 83; birther conspiracy and, 103–6; climate change denial and, 107–12; closed-mindedness as enemy of, 153–54, 163; common sense in relation to, 126–29; conspiracist epistemology and, 43–49, 129–32; disdain for/attacks on, 5–6, 82, 101–21, 171, 173–74; misuse of, 108–9; polarization of, 129–32, 169–70; political evaluation of, 118–19; role of, in democracy, 82–83, 100–101, 114, 117–19; role of trust in, 123–25; skepticism’s role in, 117–20; standards of, 124–25
Kobach, Kris, 88, 160
Koch, Charles, 110, 177n3
Koch, David, 110
Koch Industries, 110
Konnikova, Maria, 67
Krugman, Paul, 102
Kubrick, Stanley, 4
Latour, Bruno, 177n4
legibility, of political processes, 14, 143, 163–64, 175–76, 199n43
legitimacy, 33. See also delegitimation of democracy
Levitsky, Steven, 179n25
lies, 67–69. See also fabulation
Lifton, Robert Jay, 72
Limbaugh, Rush, 55
Maclean, Nancy, 177n3
MacWilliams, Stefanie, 55
Madison, James, 60
Mahler, Jonathan, 10
malignant normality, 72–74, 163, 173–74
Manafort, Paul, 68
Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, 55
Marxism, 86
McCain, John, 150
McCarthy, Joseph, 46
McConnell, Mitch, 76
McKibben, Bill, 111
Mexico, 56, 61, 62
migrant children separations, 179n22
misinformation, 6, 101, 108–9, 157
mistrust, 34–35. See also skepticism
moon walk, 4
Mounk, Yascha, 167
muckraking, 29, 93
Mueller, Robert, 11–12, 36, 133
Müller, Jan-Werner, 63
Muslims, 57, 61, 90, 104, 121
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), 4
National Enquirer (tabloid), 27
National Institutes of Health, 102
nationalism, 86
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 111
National Park Service, 65, 103
National Public Radio (NPR), 24
National Security Council, 65
natural selection, 124
Nelson, Eric, 23, 29
new conspiracism: adherents of, 9; appeal of, 38–39; classic vs., 2–3, 19–21, 25, 27–28, 30, 32, 43, 164; collective action absent from, 31–33; common sense as resistance to, 135–38; conservatism in relation to, 95–98; dangers of, 6–7, 49, 71, 77, 141, 168; delegitimation of democracy as goal of, 2–8, 33–36, 71, 73–74, 82, 98–99, 169, 170–72; destructive nature of, 8, 9, 20, 30–31, 64, 122, 129; esoteric character of, 38, 64, 128; evidence lacking in, 3, 25–28, 32, 49, 153; originators of theories in, 54–55 (see also conspiracy entrepreneurs); populism in relation to, 40; psychological impact of, 8–9, 170; Republican Party in relation to, 5, 95, 98; responses to, 14–15, 137–38, 141–65, 175–76; right-wing character of, 49, 95, 98, 148; rise of, 1–2, 167–69; sterility of, 8, 28, 30–31, 35–36, 54; targets of, 4–7, 81; theory absent from, 3, 8, 19, 25, 28–31, 35; timeliness of, 39–41; tools of (see bare assertion; innuendo; ominous questions); Trump as exemplar of, 1, 65, 67; worst-case consequences of, 172–75. See also presidential conspiracism
New Deal, 96
New York Times (newspaper), 10, 53, 104, 112
9/11 Commission report, 20
9/11 terror attacks, 2, 20, 25, 46, 48, 49, 126, 143–44
Nixon, Richard, 114
NPR. See National Public Radio
Obama, Barack: birther conspiracy about, 6, 26, 42, 51–52, 65, 67, 88, 103–6, 150, 178n10; email hacking imputed to, 11; overturning of American values imputed to, 91; and QAnon conspiracy, 134; unconstitutional actions imputed to, 89–90; on unification of the country, 61; wiretapping imputed to, 3, 48, 50, 73, 105, 177n5
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 102
ominous questions, 27, 38–39, 55
Operation Jade Helm, 25
O’Reilly, Bill, 114–15
Oswald, Lee Harvey, 2, 28, 42
outsider status, 39
Paine, Thomas, Common Sense, 135–37
Pakistan, 10
Pamuk, Zeynep, 119
paranoid style, 44–45
Paris Agreement on climate change, 110–11
partisan bias, 6, 36–37, 115–16
partisan penumbra, 95–98, 148, 186n12
partisan reticence: and climate change denial, 110–11; condemnation of, 150–51; effect of, 56; political pressures as factor in, 105–6; Republican displays of, 71, 102–3, 110–11, 145–46, 148, 152; worst-case scenario involving, 174
partisanship: as component in politician–people connection, 147–49, 175; conspiracism in relation to, 5, 10–11, 47, 48–49, 149; discipline required of, 152–53; parties’ role in, 85–86
Paul, Rand, 102–3
“people are saying” standard, 3, 32, 39, 52, 61, 77, 108, 127–28, 152, 153–54
Perón, Juan, 167
Perry, Rick, 96
Pirro, Jeanine, 36–37
Pizzagate, 25, 31–32, 42, 52–53, 55, 116, 124–25, 129, 131, 132–33, 169, 177n1
pluralism: epistemic, 120; political, 82, 84–87, 92, 146; social, 84, 130–31, 146. See also antipluralism
Podesta, John, 25, 53, 124–25, 129
polarization. See epistemic polarization; political polarization
political opposition: disdain for, 5, 89, 171–72; parties’ role in maintaining, 84–86
political parties, 81–100; delegitimation of, 77, 82, 87–92, 94, 98–101, 171–72; disqualification of, 89; holist opposition to, 86–87; and partisanship, 85–86; pluralism advanced and protected by, 84–86, 146–47; polarization of, 99–100; populism in relation to, 84; Progressives’ opposition to, 93–94; responsibility of, to constituents, 146–48; role of, in democracy, 82–87, 93–94; Trump and, 75–77, 92; vulnerability of, 99
political polarization, 41, 99–100, 115–16. See also divisiveness, in politics
Pompeo, Mike, 72
populism, 40, 62–64, 84, 186n11, 186n12
powerlessness, feelings of, 56–57
pragmatism, 94–95
presidency: power of, 59–60, 61–62, 71, 90, 137, 175; rhetorical character of, 59, 71
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, 72, 159–61
presidential conspiracism, 59–78; arbitrariness of, 137; destructiveness of, 62; distortion of reality in, 65, 67, 69–72; executive power wielded in, 72–74; and malignant normality, 72–74; power of, 59; Trump’s, 65–67
press: disdain for/attacks on, 6, 66, 73, 112–15, 121, 171; role of, in democracy, 114. See also fake news
Progressivism, 29–31, 93–94, 96
proportionality, 46
Protocols of the Elders of Zion, 57
public belief in conspiracies, 9, 48, 51, 53, 105, 134, 178n7, 178n10
Puerto Rico, 102
Putin, Vladimir, 12, 68
QAnon conspiracy, 27, 131, 132–35, 195n11
questions. See ominous questions
Ratcliffe, John, 150
Reagan, Ronald, 96, 133
reality, 122–38; common sense in relation to, 126–29, 135–38; conspiracism’s claim to reveal, 37–38, 46; distortion of, 38, 51–52, 65, 67, 69–72, 135; fabulation and, 132–35; new conspiracism’s assault on, 9, 13–14, 43, 51–52, 64, 101, 122–25, 135; polarized accounts of, 129–32, 169–70; Trump’s version of, 32, 62, 65, 67, 69–72; trust as means of grasping, 123–25
Reddit, 134
repetition, of conspiracy theories,
3, 32, 47–48, 52, 77, 114, 135, 157
Republican Party: anti-government sentiment in, 96; and birther conspiracy, 104; and climate change denial, 107–8, 110–11; failure of, to combat conspiracy theories, 71, 102–3, 110–11, 145–46, 148, 152; and fiscal policy, 97; new conspiracism in relation to, 5, 95, 98; opinion of, on the press, 115; Trump’s relation to, 75–77; voter suppression by, 92
resentment. See social resentment
responsibility, absent from new conspiracism, 39, 104–5
retweeting, 3
Ritchie, William O., 27
Roethke, Theodore, 139
Roosevelt, Franklin Delano, 96
Roosevelt, Theodore, 59
Rosanvallon, Pierre, 82, 143, 196n1, 199n43
Rove, Karl, 110
Rubio, Marco, 91
Runciman, David, 168
Russian election meddling and investigation thereof, 11–12, 36–37, 51, 66, 121, 133, 162–63
Saipov, Sayfullo, 161
Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, 4, 54, 169
Scalia, Antonin, 27, 65
scapegoating, 56–58, 61
Scarborough, Joe, 65
Schilling, Curt, 134
scientific method, 124
Scottish Enlightenment, 135
September 11, 2001 terror attacks. See 9/11 terror attacks
skepticism, 13, 100, 116–20, 147. See also mistrust
Smith-Laing, Tim, 134
Snyder, Timothy, 37
social change, 57
social resentment, 40, 56–58
Soros, George, 88
speaking truth to conspiracism, 141–58, 175–76; counterconspiracy campaigns for, 154–55; effectiveness of, 157–58; examples of, 150–51; Jade Helm conspiracy and, 143–46; moral imperative of, 14, 149–53; non-politicians’ responsibility for, 151–52, 176; obstacles to, 141, 153, 155–57; political action accompanying, 158–65; politicians’ failures on, 104, 141, 145–46, 148–53 (see also partisan reticence); transparency as tool in, 141–43, 163
Spicer, Sean, 69
Stahl, Lesley, 107
stealth democracy, 199n9
Stevens, J. Christopher, 148
Stone, Roger, 76
Strzok, Peter, 162–63
Sunstein, Cass, 154
Taitz, Orly, 104
technocracy, 118
Texas, military exercise conspiracy involving. See Jade Helm conspiracy
Theiss-Morse, Elizabeth, 199n9
Todd, Chuck, 103
totalitarianism, 128–29
transparency, 141–43, 163–65, 196n1, 199n43
treason, 87
tribalism, 50–52, 106, 154
“true enough” standard, 3, 28, 43, 49–53, 173, 183n24
Trump, Donald: anti-government sentiments of, 96, 97–98; and climate change, 107–8, 110–11; cognitive capacity of, 125; conspiracism and conspiracy theories, 159–60; conspiracy theories advanced by, 1, 3, 25–26, 27–28, 47, 48, 50, 56, 58, 61, 63, 65, 72–73, 88, 92, 103–8, 112–15, 174; Democrats attacked by, 58, 87, 89; divisiveness propagated by, 60, 61; exclusive claims to authority by, 95, 102, 170–71; grandiose self-image of, 65–66, 70; media favorites of, 54; outcome/action desired by, 32, 94; personal characteristics of, 62, 67; policies of, 76, 186n12; and political parties, 75–77, 92; and populism, 62–64, 186n12; QAnon conspiracy and, 132–34; and Russian election meddling, 11–12, 36; as victim, 63, 65–66. See also presidential conspiracism
trust, 123–25
truth-telling. See speaking truth to conspiracism
Tulis, Jeffrey, 59
Tuskegee syphilis experiment, 10, 13
Twitter, 3, 24, 32–33
unification, of the country, 60–61, 172
Urbinati, Nadia, 64
US Constitution, 89, 175
vaccines, 13, 102–3, 124
Vermeuele, Adrian, 154
violence, invocations of, 66, 89, 114, 156
voter fraud. See election fraud conspiracies
voter suppression, 91–92, 121, 160
Washington Post (newspaper), 53, 112
watchdog function, 6, 10, 102, 161
Watergate, 10
Weber, Max, 15
Wilkes, John, 142
Will, George, 125
Williams, C. K., 62
Wilson, Woodrow, 59
Winfrey, Oprah, 75
wiretap conspiracy, 3, 48, 50, 73, 105, 177n5
Wood, Gordon, 22, 138, 180n8
Yellen, Janet, 88
Ziblatt, Daniel, 179n25
Zollinger, Bryan, 28, 42
A NOTE ON THE TYPE
This book has been composed in Adobe Text and Gotham. Adobe Text, designed by Robert Slimbach for Adobe, bridges the gap between fifteenth- and sixteenth-century calligraphic and eighteenth-century Modern styles. Gotham, inspired by New York street signs, was designed by Tobias Frere-Jones for Hoefler & Co.
A Lot of People Are Saying Page 21