John, peddlers of Trump’s Big Lie have just put Common Cause in their crosshairs. We need your urgent help to fight back.
Right-wing extremist Dan Bongino ripped into us on his radio show this week. [1] Why is he so upset? Well, it all has to do with our ongoing fight to stop former President Trump’s all-out campaign to sabotage our elections – a scheme that Bongino and his fellow Trump cronies have relentlessly pushed through their partisan disinformation networks.
Bongino was reacting to an article about the crucial work that Common Cause members like you are doing every day to fight anti-democracy lies on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other platforms.
As you know, disinformation is the oldest electoral dirty trick in the book – but in the 21st century, Trump’s toadies can spread their poisonous lies to millions of people with the push of a button.
The result? Election officials are under siege – facing anonymous violent threats and harassment from extremists like Bongino just for doing their jobs… all to overturn legitimate elections on made-up pretexts.
And even after ginning up threats against election officials across the nation and an unprecedented attack on the Capitol building last January 6th, Bongino and his allies refuse to back down or consider the consequences of their actions.
That’s why, with the help of members like you, Common Cause has stepped up for free, fair, and secure elections – by extending our people-powered Election Protection infrastructure to combat this rising threat.
That’s right: every day, dedicated Common Cause volunteers comb social media sites for disinformation – even in Facebook groups closed to the public where many of the most pernicious lies originate. They flag these falsehoods for our disinformation experts, and we get platforms to remove them and replace them with authenticated facts from reliable sources.
So you see, John, the only thing sinister here is Bongino’s attempts to push a false narrative, no matter what the evidence says. He’s made his career off pushing these lies – to the point where YouTube banned him for spreading misinformation – which is why he’s so determined to stop us from exposing his conspiracy theories.
Only you can ensure we meet this ongoing threat with a resolute response – by joining our special group of Common Cause members known as Guardians for Democracy.
These members make small, monthly gifts of $5, $10, or even $25. Their steady, regular donations provide a reliable base of resources to help us plan and budget for those necessary long-term efforts to fight election disinformation, no matter what form it takes.
John, becoming a Guardian for Democracy is one of the most impactful ways you can show your support for our important work – and ensure we’ll be able to continue defending democracy in 2022, 2024, and beyond >>
And to welcome and thank you for joining this special group of Common Cause supporters by April 30th, we’d like to send you a copy of Robert Reich’s new book, The System: Who Rigged It, How We Fix It.
Sorry, I can’t become a sustaining member at this time, but I’d still like to make a one-time gift to help battle these threats to democracy >>
John, this week, we got a reminder of why our fight against disinformation and election sabotage is so important – and the counterattacks we’ll surely face from those bad actors who’ve built their followings by spreading disproven lies.
I hope you’ll stand with us by becoming a Guardian for Democracy, ensuring continued support for our ongoing fight to protect election officials and our political system against their determined falsehoods.
Truth matters,
Emma Steiner, Disinformation Analyst
and the rest of the team at Common Cause
1) https://bongino.com/ep-1754-a-2020-election-earthquake
2) https://apnews.com/article/2022-midterm-elections-voting-rights-technology-business-social-media-f5ba340c7a98f6f058fb3afac74a26bb
