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I'm pretty sure most people have not a clue just how widespread this method of disseminating lies is, but I can tell you from personal experience that it is huge. I run an IT shop and have worked on many peoples systems, including their emails. I can always tell a right winger from the collection of "liemails" they have in their inbox. Drilling in the ANWR, Obama's lack of patriotism, Michelle's racism etc. You name it, there exists an email purporting to tell the truth.
I once received the Obama with his hands down by his sides while the national anthem was played liemail from a right wing acquaintance. He had cc'ed the entire list, so magically, I had access to all the other people who he considered with him and were probably right wingers.
I did a reply all and mocked every facet of the email, ending with a call for all Republicans to "vote for Hillary since she has her hand over her heart in a perfectly patriotic stance".
There was stony silence, followed by one emailer telling me to remove her and 3 other names from my "mailing list".
And so they closed ranks, and I was out of the circle. But it was enlightening and terrifying. We are dealing with a very closed minded group of people here who feed on their own self-caused ignorance. These are the same people who grew up listening to Rush Limbaugh on the radio (how can you check on the veracity of his outlandish statements while sitting in a car driving to work?)
This is the future of politics, and as long as they breath the fetid air of ignorance, they'll continue believing what they WANT to believe in, and keep delivering us disasters like Bush.
How does the intelligent left respond? Do we start releasing bogus official sounding emails about McCain and his wife? What will this turn into?
At some point, we need another Mr. Welch/Senator McCarthy moment. The exchange is amazing to watch (http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/welch-mccarthy.html), unfortunately, there is no McCarthy anyone can turn to to ask if they have left no sense of decency.
