Right Wing’s Matt Drudge Suggests Feds Lying About Hurricane ‘To Make Exaggerated Point on Climate’
The Right Wing Reveres The Drudge Report. This Explains So Much.
Matt Drudge, who for nearly two decades has been the go-to “news” source for the right wing, is pushing a dangerous Hurricane Matthew conspiracy theory. Drudge offered one tweet that credited “the deplorables,” aka the far right and the alt-right, with the stupidity, but unabashedly joined them in the second:
The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) October 6, 2016
Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE?
— MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) October 6, 2016
Of course, even Rick Scott, the Republican governor of Florida, has point-blank urged well over a million to evacuate and said Hurricane Matthew is so severe, it “will kill you.” But there are now, apparently, Hurricane Matthew truthers, and it seems Drudge is leading the charge.Â
Vox didn’t mince words: “Matt Drudge’s latest conspiracy theory is not just stupid — it’s dangerous.”
Drudge’s conspiracy-mongering is a dangerous game. More than 1.5 million people live in the evacuation zone for Matthew. It’s already difficult to get people to take evacuation warnings seriously — so difficult that emergency managers have a slew of haunting tricks to drive home the danger of hurricanes, including asking people to write their Social Security numbers on their arms if they’re staying behind so that their bodies can be identified.
The implication of Drudge’s tweet is that resisting evacuation isn’t a bad, self-destructive move but a brave way for “deplorables†to stand up for the government. That’s not just stupid — it could very well be deadly.
Conspiracy theorist and idiot Alex Jones joined in:
.@DRUDGE This is exactly why they want to eradicate free speech… so you can’t question official #globalwarming narrative. #altright #Trump https://t.co/udznluuBQO
— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) October 6, 2016
Some on Twitter pointed out just how dangerous it is to tell millions of people that maybe the hurricane isn’t as bad as the experts say:
This is a deeply disturbed conspiracy that could actually get people killed.
My God. https://t.co/aiHAJfBKNb
— Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) October 6, 2016
Drudge is a force in American politics in part because people like @MarkHalperin support him. They should be held accountable.
— Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) October 6, 2016
this is not just a stupid tweet, it also is potentially dangerous https://t.co/c3lljlu27a
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) October 6, 2016
I truly cannot believe that Drudge and his pals on the right are trying to unskew the Hurricane. Great work, folks.
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) October 6, 2016
The continued power @drudge over much of the media needs to stop https://t.co/SoeVxWSlQr
— Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias) October 6, 2016
drudge siren finally living up to its name, luring people into dangerous waters with its reassuring song
— Alexandra Petri (@petridishes) October 6, 2016
Tomorrow Drudge will look at all the people who died after believing him about Mathew and will blame their deaths on black people
— TBogg (@tbogg) October 6, 2016
If you were still taking @DRUDGE @DRUDGE_REPORT seriously, this should put that to rest. He cares more about his traffic than your life.
— Sarah Rumpf (@rumpfshaker) October 6, 2016
The 100 families in Haiti are starting to wonder why Drudge would under-exaggerate the hurricane’s intensity to grasp for a political point. https://t.co/24GKcCzbNt
— Matt Viser (@mviser) October 6, 2016
So, Drudge appears to be completely unaware of hurricane hunter aircraft and satellite measurements pic.twitter.com/A8G4kanxQW
— Jon Passantino (@passantino) October 6, 2016
To be clear, Hurricane Matthew is already responsible for well over 100 deaths. Will Drudge be responsible for more?Â
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