A group called “Lion of Judah,” led by self-described Republican opposition researcher Joshua Standifer, is traveling the nation to recruit Christians to “key positions of influence in government like Election Workers.”

  • Flax@feddit.uk
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    2 months ago

    What’s dark about encouraging people to work as election workers? Shouldn’t both sides be doing this?

    • geekwithsoul@lemm.eeOP
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      2 months ago

      Read the article. These aren’t dispassionate citizens doing their civic duty, these are folks going in with a preset agenda to sow chaos.

      The group plans to stop what they believe will be widespread election fraud in November as “the first step on the path to victory this Fall.”

      and

      To spread the gospel during his “Courage Tour,” Standifer has traveled with Christian nationalist preachers and pro-Trump figures to sow fear about election fraud in swing states, including Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, and Michigan.

      • Flax@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        What’s wrong with preventing election fraud? If anything, wouldn’t having Conservative Christians be part of the count not reassure people that fraud isn’t taking place? Or am I too British to understand

        • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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          There has been no election fraud proven in the last election and no reason to think there will be any in this election, at least not from the Democrats. The right has endlessly claimed that Trump lost in 2020 because of fraud and despite filing more than 60 cases alleging fraud, they were not able to provide any evidence. Every single case one of those cases was lost or tossed out by the judge.

          If election fraud were an issue, stopping it would be a good thing, but it isn’t an issue. This is a conservative boogieman used to scare foolish people into breaking the law and committing election fraud to help Trump win.

          • Flax@feddit.uk
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            2 months ago

            Wouldn’t having trumpy people watching it not increase their confidence in the result?

            • Boddhisatva@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              I’m afraid not. The Trump supporters are so convinced that the democrats are cheating that they see conspiracies every where they look. Last time, partizan observers saw wheeled ballot containers under a table and reported it as suitcases of ballots being illegally counted. Surveillance footage showed nothing untoward actually happened, but the claims went viral among trump supporters who needed no more evidence than the initial claims.

              Sending in hordes of ill-informed, poorly trained observers who will jump at shadows is a recipe for chaos. They will claim that every ballot counter who so much as scratches their nose is somehow trying to steal the election from Trump, again without any evidence at all. In fact, these people are the worst choice for observers because, as highly religious people, they are inclined to trust their beliefs rather than observable facts.

              • Flax@feddit.uk
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                2 months ago

                Isn’t the allegation though that the dems are doing the interference?

        • TheHiddenCatboy@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I suspect you are too British to understand why we are so fucked over here. My British friend and my Canadian friends have much the same problem.

          Team Pepe (Trump’s team) are on a holy mission to beat the Devil out of US politics. To be clear, the Devil is the Democratic Party. This is not hyperbole. One of the largest factions behind Trump is the QAnon faction, that literally believes Democrats are baby-eating, baby-fucking Satan worshippers that meet in the basement of a pizza parlour that has no basement and plan the Satanic takeover of all of society.

          In pursuit of this ‘existential battle of Good vs. Evil’, complete with capital letters, anything is permissible. It’s a holy war to them, and we’re the satanic hoards coming to take their way of life from them. They aren’t here to prevent possible election fraud. They are absolutely sure that there is election fraud because we are the Devil, and the Devil cheats. They’re here to make sure none of us votes because none of our votes are legitimate in their eyes. They don’t care that we’re legally entitled to vote. If we win on Election Day, it’s because the Devil cheated, not because more people said they want us than Team Pepe.

          I hope this clears things up for you.

          • Flax@feddit.uk
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            2 months ago

            This is not hyperbole. One of the largest factions behind Trump is the QAnon faction, that literally believes Democrats are baby-eating, baby-fucking Satan worshippers

            Tbf I have seen leftists on here talk about worshipping Satan and how great they think Satan is

            • MrPoopbutt@lemmy.world
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              2 months ago

              This is tongue in cheek and reactionary to Christians overstepping bounds. The satanic temple, for example, doesn’t actually believe in Satan.

        • geekwithsoul@lemm.eeOP
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          2 months ago

          If they were going in with an open mind, there’s no problem. Actual voter fraud is an amazingly rare occurrence and gets found out immediately 99.999% of the time already. But these folks are coming in with their minds made up that large scale fraud is occurring all over the place and what you end up with is voter intimidation and disenfranchisement of voters.

          This is actually by design with these folks. They want to scare off minorities, legal immigrants, and folks who are transgendered, etc.

    • blackbelt352@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      You’d have a point if this were good faith encouragement of civic duty, but it’s not, it’s a surreptitious attempt to gain control over the mechanisms of power at the expense of everyone else.

    • czech@lemm.ee
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      In the same speech in Wisconsin, Standifer described the strategy to train Christians as election workers as “a Trojan horse.”

        • casmael@lemm.ee
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          2 months ago

          “Hey guys do you want this cool wooden horse? It’s full of Greeks, irritated, sunburned Greeks, armed to the teeth and really really pissed off”

    • teamevil@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Any religious organization that wants to influence politics needs their Tax exempt status removed retroactively to their origin. You don’t get to have a say if you’re not paying.

      • Flax@feddit.uk
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        2 months ago

        I agree. An organisation like this trying to influence politics should pay tax.

        • teamevil@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          Yeah but make it painful… religion gets to run their scam because they are not supposed to directly involve themselves in government, especially not dictate social morals.

          Of course there is the argument that religion has always been a part of government, but never directly has …

          .wow, I am surely dense for just realizing it, but there are unscrupulous folks who are utilizing religion as the vehicle to unwind every single middle class social advancement since the new deal and the Great depression both social and racial.

          We’re headed towards another Great depression (I fear) and the right seems to be doing all they can to ensure that we stays subservient to the few that can pay us.

          Having spent the last 30+ years in a very racially/economically diverse area, the “monochromatic” future some folks desperately desire is really gross and makes me disappointed in a bunch of people…open your minds…life is significantly more fun with variety.

          Sorry didn’t mean to rant, I agree too, but I think they should Super pay.

          • Flax@feddit.uk
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            2 months ago

            So a religious pressure group should pay more tax than an ordinary right wing group or a leftist group? Isn’t that religious discrimination? What if they’re humanists