The Rise of BlueAnon

Republicans are often derided as a party of conspiracy theorists. But what if the Left’s conspiratorial thinking is even more unhinged?

Virtually all mainstream media experts, pundits, and late-night talk-show hosts claim that conservatives are a bunch of unhinged conspiracy theorists. Entire teams of journalists take deep dives into the creepy underbelly of the conservative Internet to root out the latest right-wing nuttery, giving fringe voices far more attention than they could ever find otherwise.

There’s just one big problem: It’s not just Republicans who get caught up in conspiracy theories.

In The Rise of BlueAnon, David Harsanyi argues that the American Left has been consumed by conspiratorial thinking. From the claims that we’re only an election away from living in The Handmaid’s Tale, to panic that the world will end in 12 years from a climate catastrophe, Democrats have been plagued with unfounded fears and theories. As for election denial, Democrats have been accusing Republicans of stealing elections since Reagan defeated Carter. And it is Democrats who have spread the most successful conspiracy theory in American history: The Trump-Russia collusion myth.

This book doesn’t argue that Republicans, conservatives, or right-wing populists are immune from conspiratorial thinking. But it does show that Democrats aren’t immune either. And unlike those on the Right, conspiracy theories on the Left are rarely kept in check by mainstream institutions. This book endeavors to provide that accountability.