Anatomy of a political thread

  1. Shocking news article accusing one politician of something bad
  2. A “Here, Here” agreement with a call for resignation, court-martial, imprisonment, or impeachment
  3. The article is dismissed as being “taken out of context” or “a pack of lies”
  4. The author of the article is accused of bias
  5. The author is attacked on a personal level (“He’s a fat slob”)
  6. Someone quotes the dictionary
  7. Someone brings up some wrongdoing (real or perceived) of a politician from the opposing party, arguing “at least he’s not as bad as this guy”
  8. Someone copies and pastes a 5 page op-ed piece into the thread
  9. Someone starts a rebuttal with the word “Fact:”
  10. An ominous quote is cited. Bonus points if it’s by George Orwell or Hermann G