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Lecture 12: The War on Science, Data, and Expertise — How the GOP Undermines Truth to Win Power

Danny Mays
  Part 1: Introduction — When Truth Becomes the Enemy In a healthy democracy, truth matters. Science guides public policy. Experts help us understand complex issues. Data drives decisions that affect health, education, economics, and the environment. But in recent decades, the Republican Party has launched a war against facts themselves. From climate change denial and pandemic misinformation to attacks on universities and scientific institutions, the GOP has actively eroded public trust in expertise. This isn’t accidental. It’s strategic. If truth is negotiable, then power goes to the best storyteller, not the best-informed decision-maker. In this lecture, we’ll explore how the Republican war on science and expertise serves a broader authoritarian agenda. We will unpack: Why undermining expertise consolidates control. How the GOP frames knowledge as elitism. The role of think tanks, conservative media, and disinformation campaigns. The consequences for democracy, public health, and...
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Lecture 11: The War on Public Institutions — How the GOP Undermines Schools, Unions, and Media

Danny Mays
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  Learning Objectives By the end of this lecture, students will be able to: Understand the Role of Public Institutions Explain how public education, labor unions, and independent media contribute to equality, accountability, and democratic strength in society. Identify GOP Rhetoric and Strategies Recognize and analyze the recurring Republican narratives and legislative tactics aimed at weakening public institutions. Trace Historical Developments Describe the historical progression of GOP-led efforts against public institutions, from the Reagan era through the Trump administration. Analyze the Impact of Privatization and Deregulation Examine how defunding and privatizing public services consolidates power in private hands and erodes democratic oversight. Deconstruct Culture War Narratives Understand how emotional and cultural wedge issues are used to justify institutional erosion and distract from economic and political agendas. Evaluate the Long-Term Consequ...
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Lecture 10: How Republican Economic Policy Enriches the Few While Exploiting the Many

Danny Mays
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  Part 1: Introduction — The Illusion of Prosperity For decades, the Republican Party has branded itself as the party of prosperity, business, and "fiscal responsibility." They promise to lower taxes, shrink government, and unleash the power of the free market. On the surface, this sounds appealing — especially to working Americans who want to keep more of what they earn and see the economy thrive. But beneath that branding lies a hard truth: Republican economic policy consistently prioritizes the wealthy and corporations while leaving everyday people behind. Their policies create massive wealth gaps, gut essential public services, and funnel taxpayer dollars upward — all while selling the illusion that it's helping the middle class. This lecture will deconstruct that illusion. We’ll walk through the GOP’s economic playbook, expose its impact on working families, and explain how rhetoric is used to justify policies that benefit the few at the expense of the many. I. The C...
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Lecture 9: Manufacturing the Enemy — How the GOP Invents Threats to Justify Power

Danny Mays
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  🔹 Learning Objectives: By the end of this lecture, learners will be able to: Identify the key strategies the GOP uses to manufacture social or political threats. Analyze the psychological effects of fear-based messaging on public opinion. Deconstruct GOP rhetoric that reframes marginalized or dissenting groups as "enemies." Examine historical and current examples of threat inflation used to consolidate power. 5 Apply critical thinking tools to spot and defend against manufactured outrage and fear tactics. Part 1: The Strategy of Fear-Based Politics 🔹 Introduction: The Politics of the Imagined Threat Fear is one of the most powerful motivators in human psychology. It bypasses logic, triggers instinct, and drives people toward protection, often at the cost of liberty. The Republican Party, particularly in the post-Reagan era, has mastered the use of manufactured threats as a strategic tool to maintain political dominance, energize its base, and frame opp...
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