The Method to my Madness

"Though this be madness, yet there is method in't" — Hamlet, Act 2, Scene 2

Even by Alabama standards, this election cycle has been a mess.

It’s going to get worse.

We’re a handful of days out from the runoffs, and some of these campaigns are beyond desperate — and it shows.

Vicious mudslinging? That started weeks ago.

Lying like lazy dogs in the sun? It’s politicians — of course they’re lying.

Attacks and counter attacks? Accusations followed by rebuttals and counterattacks? Same old, same old.

Propaganda thinly disguised as polling? It’s expected, because it always happens. Most polls you see are nothing but propaganda anyway. At some point I’ll have to write up that little piece, to talk more about that, but not today.

And the worst propaganda of all? Actually, that’s debatable. Is it the commercials, which are carefully crafted to manipulate you every second you’re exposed to them? Or is it the campaign press releases, sent out to manipulate the media into manipulating you?

Having been involved in creating both over the years, I’d have to say that’s a tough call. But, let’s just focus on press releases now. “Commercials” is a two-day seminar with PowerPoints, so maybe later.

Here’s how it usually goes with press releases:

A campaign has a particular point to make on an issue. The Writer bangs out the first draft, and the staff and candidate suggest changes until it’s finally approved, formatted and sent out.

That’s the nice version. The reality usually isn’t like that, but let’s pretend it is.

The press release gets sent out to the press list — all the outlets you think might pick up the story. For major candidates, this is a long list. For minor candidates and minor races? It may still be a long list, but the “delete without reading” rate is considerable. Again, let’s pretend the release actually gets read.

Most outlets take the press release, rewrite it to fit their style and audience (and bias), and the story is released.

That story is at best a translation from the original. At worst, it’s…well, use your imagination. Spin. Viewpoint. Bias. Whatever term you’d like to use.

What you read is a more-or-less slanted reproduction of blatant propaganda, that sometimes has only a passing relationship to the original.

That’s the way the system works. And, that’s why I decided to disrupt that system, to let the people see what the campaigns want them to see directly.

There are those who argue this is lazy. There’s some truth to this, but there is time and effort involved in the formatting for the platform, so it’s not terribly lazy.

There are those who say that outlets should present these stories “properly,” giving added context, background and meaning to the story. This is a fair point of view, and I’ve been known to do this, as anyone who’s bothered to click on the reference links I’m (in)famous for putting into pieces can attest.

Fewer than 5% of you do that, btw. Sometimes I wonder why I even bother….

The problem with that comes when you blur the line between News and Opinion — and that’s a line I try not to cross. I don’t always succeed — no one in this business does, all the time — but at least I do try. Unlike some we could all name…

But here’s another approach: why not let people see exactly what the campaigns put out? Let the people see what’s coming from all sides, then make up their own minds. Why not just do a copy/paste of campaign press releases, and publish them just as they are?

Can this be confusing? Contradictory? Yes, and yes.

Does it require the citizenry to actually think about things, rather than just be good little vote-bots? Yes, it does.

Here’s what nobody else will tell you: these campaigns are terrified that you’ll do just that. The thought that you might start to think for yourself — instead of just absorbing what you’re told to think — fills them with horror. Even worse, you might not vote the way you’re told to vote, and they certainly can’t have that!

And the mere thought of that fills me with schadenfreude.

I’m not pulling aside the curtain. I’m tearing it down and setting it on fire.

I’m giving you a look at what the campaigns are putting out. No translations. No interpretations. No spin, subtle shading or spoon-feeding. I’m letting you see exactly what each campaign is saying, and trusting you to pick up on the parts that don’t match. The subtle, as well as the blatant, twists of facts into attacks. The careful wording. The blatant lies and half-truths that slither out.

I’ve been doing this for weeks, as things have been getting nastier and nastier, and for some of you it’s been working. You’re starting to catch on, and you’re telling others.

And just in case you missed it: if a post on this site says “Staff Editor” with a tag line of “from the (candidate) campaign? Odds are, it’s a faithful reproduction of what came in the email. And if I attach a screenshot? That’s just another way of saying “pay attention!”

The truth is as corrosive to lies as lies are to the truth.

I’m giving you the information, straight from the source.

Make of it what you will.

Dr. Bill Chitwood is the Managing Editor of ALPolitics.com. He is the author, under his nom de guerre Doc Contrarian, of Beyond MAGA: From Trump campaign slogan to political movement to restoring the Republic. He identifies as Conservatarian Contrarian and a staunch Constitutional Originalist. He enjoys being called a First Amendment Nazi — mainly because he is.

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