Curtains for Moms for Liberty: The fallout of a rape charge shows the far-right group is floundering

MicroWave@lemmy.world to politics @lemmy.world – 366 points – Curtains for Moms for Liberty: The fallout of a rape charge shows the far-right group is floundering
salon.com

At first, there was little that was surprising about a report that Christian Ziegler, the husband of Moms for Liberty co-founder Bridget Ziegler, is under police investigation in Sarasota, FL following a rape allegation. The modus operandi of Moms for Liberty and their allies is implying, often outright falsely accusing, everyone from drag queens to school librarians of being sexual predators. Lurid finger-pointing from conservatives is often, as most folks have figured out by now, a form of psychological projection. It hasn't even been two weeks since the release of a similar story outing a Philadelphia organizer for Moms of Liberty for his 2012 conviction of sexual abuse of a 14-year-old boy.

The speed with which the Zieglers are being tossed overboard is fascinating because it wasn't that long ago that the couple were some of the biggest rising stars in the GOP, especially in Florida.

Just as predictable were the details dug up by local reporters for the Florida Trident that the alleged victim told police "that she and both Zieglers had been involved in a three-year consensual three-way sexual relationship." The report alleges she had been alone with Christian Ziegler, who is also the chair of the Florida GOP, the night of the alleged rape. Time and again, we have seen this story play out: The self-appointed guardians of everyone else's sexual morality often have rather exotic sex lives of their own. Just ask Jerry Falwell Jr.

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Moms for Liberty might be done, but the People behind it aren't! They'll be back in another election cycle or two with a different name, maybe a slightly different message.

We must always stay Vigilant against them and their message!

They will not wait that long. The iron is hot now. They will strike now.

Yeah I was thinking the name wasn't really important to the group working, I could be wrong but I sort of assumed most people didn't really know the group name pushing all the crap they do at the local level. Heck a new name makes it sound like more people want the same thing and the idea is popular. I bet it barely phases their efforts, hopefully people vote otherwise though. For the record I'm in Canada so I only see the big news stories about them, I could be wildly incorrect on all of this.

I think branding still has a notable effect though. We know deplatforming and bans work online for instance, even though the Nazis hypothetically could build replacements. I think the dissolution of a group may have a more significant impact than we think.

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The Republican champion is a man who a judge determined was guilty of sexual assault and then clarified that it only wasn't rape because of the narrow definition of rape in New York State law.

So I have no idea why this would make Moms for Liberty flounder. Rape is openly acceptable to Republicans now.

Grab em by the pussy…

It still pisses me off no end that the "liberal media" helped enable the RW talking point that it was all about "locker room talk" and that donnie used a swear or something.

Their real problem is that the woman he raped was in a long term polyamorous relationship with him and his wife. I'm sure they think that sometimes straight men can't help themselves in the presence of temptation, but this was gay and infidelity, both of which are evil.

In fact, their policies reward rapists by forcing their victims to carry their offspring.

They don't care.

Things like this have never stopped religious #fascists.

They are hypocrites & use their hypocrisy as a display of power to show the rest of us that the rules don't apply to them.

I mostly agree, which is why Falwell Jr is such an unusual example, because his ass got ejected pretty quick. That organization actually got rocked by revelations for once.

No real consequences though. They are all literally still rich & powerful & continue to use their fortune to tug on the levers of power behind the scenes.

Well yeah, they already had money and were offered more to gtfo. But they’re not in charge of that university anymore, and its reps still struggle with that as part of its history now.

How's Liberty College doing?

Depends on who you ask about it. Some students give the impression it’s all going great, others don’t want to be associated with it, but didn’t have other options lined up, or it’s too much hassle to transfer out at this stage, etc. Still others did drop them and went somewhere else. All my news from there is secondhand from people I know in the area at the point, and we’re all outsiders so it’s difficult to know what’s actually going on (which isn’t much different than before.)

Weird, the Moms for Fascism group had calls coming from INSIDE the house?

Imagine that.

Much clutching at pearls for Florida Republicans right now. Just thoughts and statements, mind you. No action.

Don’t get too excited.

Something worse will come and fill the void.