2014-02-21/From the fringe to the Hill

• when: 2014-02-21
• author: Steve Benen
• source: The MaddowBlog
• topics: Conservoidism Dinesh D'Souza conspiracy theories Alex Jones
• keywords
• link: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/the-fringe-the-hill
• title: From the fringe to the Hill
• summary: It's alarmingly common to hear congressional Republicans repeat some deeply odd conspiracy theories. But more often than not, the theories didn't start on Capitol Hill; they just ended up there.

Last April, I laid out the flight plan, showing the trajectory of these theories: they start with the off-the-wall fringe, then get picked up by more prominent far-right outlets, then Fox News, then congressional Republicans.

Now note the Dinesh D'Souza conspiracy theory. It started with Alex Jones and Drudge. It was then picked up by Limbaugh. And then Fox News. And now four members of the U.S. Senate.

It is one of the more striking differences between how the left and right deal with wild political accusations: for conservatives, strange ideas effortlessly seep into the mainstream.