Campaign messaging, concerts & Can't Let It Go
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, we tell stories about when things change. Like for this guy, David, whose entire life took a sharp, unexpected, and very unpleasant turn. And it did take me a while to realize it's basically because the monkey pressed the button. That's right. Because the monkey pressed the button. Surprising stories every week, wherever you get your podcasts.
If you take a listen to some Republican campaign messaging this election cycle, you might hear something that feels like a bit of a throwback, namely anti-Muslim messaging and a lot of it. So why is it making a comeback now? And what are other politicians saying about it? It's the NPR Politics Podcast. I'm Danielle Kurtzleben. I cover the White House.
I'm Barbara Sprint. I cover Congress.
And I'm Tamara Keith. I cover politics. And we are taping this podcast on Friday, September 18th at 1235 p.m. Eastern Time. So, Barbara, you have been looking into this kind of Republican messaging I mentioned on the midterm campaign trail. What has stood out to you?
Yeah, two things. The rhetoric from some politicians and then the ads themselves on state level, local level. Let's start maybe with the rhetoric.
Why are Republican candidates reviving anti‑Muslim rhetoric in 2024 campaign ads?
Sure. I spoke with folks at the Center for the Study of Organized Hate, and they actually did some like data digging in this. And they found that after Abdullah Syed won his primary in Michigan... And after Zarmamdani won his election in New York City for the mayor's race, anti-Muslim rhetoric skyrocketed among GOP politicians. And we have seen this, like probably a lot of us have seen some of these tweets. I mean, there's one from Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville, who posted within hours of El-Sayed winning that primary tweet. that he's a terrorist. I think he said, quote, a radical Islamist who will do everything he can to destroy America. He's just one example, but it is indicative of the type of messaging that we are seeing, both anti-Muslim and anti-Arab, from many Republican lawmakers over the last few years.
And I think we all know, like, especially over the last two decades, there have, of course, been these chapters of intense anti-Muslim sentiment in the country. What I think is notable now is that there is a sort of language shift in the way that we're seeing this play out from the tropes of Muslims as a security threat to a civilizational threat. And, you know, it's not hard to go and find that. Nancy Mace has talked about this. She had a post that read something like every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse and a threat to both national security and our republic, that is a notable shift.
Right. So there's a lot that you're getting at there. And I want to drill down on one thing you mentioned, which are ads, because ads are where candidates really crystallize their messages. So what are we hearing in the candidates' advertisements?
Yeah. Well, I've watched a lot of them. And there are a lot of these like strong anti-Muslim sentiments. Honestly, it feels sort of like a trailer for a movie. And, you know, I say that not to be trite because this is quite serious with real ramifications for people, but that's how it sounds. And it does kind of show you the way that this fear-mongering is being displayed. Let's take a listen to what some of these ads have actually sounded like.
Radical Islam is taking root in Texas. Radical Islam is incompatible with the West.
They don't think we deserve the right to exist as Americans or as Christians. They
hate our
way of life
and want Sharia law. Oklahoma is next.
There's a lot of themes of, like, our way of life is at stake. And, you know, the narratives within this have roots in the Great Replacement, which is a conspiracy theory that white populations in Western countries use are being replaced by non-white populations for political purposes. And we know that this has real consequences. There have been deadly attacks in, gosh, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, El Paso, San Diego. I mean, sadly, the list goes on and on that have all been sort of inspired or driven by this conspiracy theory.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:00–1:16
2
Why are Republican candidates reviving anti‑Muslim rhetoric in 2024 campaign ads?
1:16–9:30
3
What specific language shifts are seen in GOP anti‑Muslim messaging?
9:30–12:32
4
How are state‑level Republican ads using fear‑mongering about Islam?
12:32–20:52
5
What did the GOP midterm convention reveal about anti‑Muslim themes?
20:52–32:50