Doomsday By Design: Examining The Online Left's War Against Merrick Garland

Twitter is a funny animal.

As someone who has been on the site for roughly 5 years, I can say that confidently. It's a social media tool that has revolutionized the way in which we communicate with the outside world. Originally using only 140 characters, Twitter forced us to think creatively about what we wanted to say and how we wanted to say it. The site initially grew in popularity when celebrities joined and gained followers. Then, businesses followed suit, using the app to reach current and prospective customers. Finally, the rest of us joined and navigated the site in a way that we saw fit. Many gravitated toward an area of personal interest, whether it was science, entertainment, politics, or any other niche area where we found ourselves most comfortable. We added people we felt were worth following including both experts in the field and also those from all walks of life who just so happened to share a particular passion for the topic at hand. At the end of the day, we had created our own universe, complete with those we found agreeable while removing, either by blocking or muting, those with whom we disagreed or found offensive in any way, shape, or form. 

This past week has been a particular challenge for those of us on the political side of the bird app.

Despite there being much good-natured posting about how Joe Biden miraculously saved Christmas, the past few days have seen an uptick on doomsday posting, the likes of which hasn't been seen since the August Afghanistan withdrawal. Blue Checkmarks, as they've come to be called, have become Department of Justice experts overnight, seemingly convinced that Attorney General will not now nor will he ever indict Donald Trump or any of those who participated in the January 6th insurrection. The pessimism has reached record lows and several staples of Democratic Twitter have publicly proclaimed Merrick Garland to be an unmitigated disaster, the likes of which make him one of the worst Attorneys General in United States history. The seething hatred of Merrick Garland these past few days is unlike anything we've seen. All of a sudden, Democratic Twitter has become awash in disdain for a man who was appointed to his job just over 8 months ago.

Sadly, Twitter has become a 21st-century version of ancient Roman prophets proselytizing outside the Colosseum. Each orator now feels he or she has a built-in audience and must out-do their next-door neighbor (think of the scene in Life of Brian when Brian must compete with the crazies on each side for public attention). Having an audience means you now have the ability to engage in groupthink and to win your audience over to your side while also finding ways to keep your audience expanding. Commenting each and every day on the Biden Administration's accomplishments might be worthwhile, but it won't gin up outrage that could lead to an uptick in followers. However, if you are screaming from the rooftops for Merrick Garland to DO SOMETHING!!!!1 each and every time news comes out about the January 6th insurrection, then that plays on to people's emotions. As we've seen with 74 million Trump supporters, outrage is a powerful tool and it is one that is now being weaponized by Blue Checkmarks in very much the same manner. If they can paint Merrimack Garland as a do-nothing Attorney General, then they can build their name and their brand at the exact same time. It's a win-win without any consequences for the Twitter users in question and in an online world where accountability is nonexistent, it can lead to increased popularity and online engagement without a single repercussion. 

But like those in ancient Rome, we have a choice. We don't have to submit to the doomsday prophecies of modern-day snake oil salesmen, no matter how reliable they may have been in the past. It might not make a huge difference to the big shot with 250,000 followers to lose a single one of us, but in distancing ourselves from these people, we are creating a much more healthy online environment for our own mental health and wellbeing. Instead of becoming frustrated and angry with each doomsday post, we instead can surround ourselves with those who share our heartfelt optimism. With those who understand that the arc of the moral universe bends slowly toward justice. And with those who know that just because Merrick Garland isn't providing hourly updates on his Twitter feed, that doesn't mean that he and his team at the United States Department of Justice aren't working tirelessly behind the scenes toward prosecuting Donald Trump and his cabal of criminals. 

We live in a society that expects instant gratification. Blue Checkmarks seek that gratification to justify their online presence. But they are not experts. They do not have sources in the Department of Justice. They are not legal scholars. Hell, for all we know, half of them might not even be living in the United States and could very well be part of a foreign social media disinformation campaign. Whatever their intentions may be, these people are not to be trusted. The truth is that, like us, they simply don't know what Merrick Garland knows. Everything they are saying is conjecture, designed to elicit a strong emotional response from those of us who want to see Trump and his cohort held responsible for their crimes. Yet Merrick Garland is not on Twitter, nor should he be. He and his team and working, diligently, to gather all the facts. This investigation is unprecedented: an attack on the United States involving a then-serving President of the United States, nearly 100 elected members of Congress, white supremacists, right-wing radio personalities, the wife of a United States Supreme Court Justice, and over 1,000 American citizens who physically attacked our nation's Capitol. The scope and scale of this investigation make Watergate look like a graffiti incident outside the local middle school. It is not the kind of investigation that ends in just over 8 months nor should it. This needs to be the type of investigation that is air-tight and is done in a way that nails everyone involved for the crimes they have committed. Merrick Garland and his staff know that if you come at the king, you'd best not miss. 

Blue Checkmarks know all this, of course. But rather than explaining it in this way, they'd much rather gin up anger and resentment that things aren't moving faster. Not only is this intellectually dishonest, it's also a form of voter suppression. By implying that Merrick Garland isn't doing his job, what's being implied is that Joe Biden didn't do his job when he nominated him. It's implying that there will be no accountability under a Biden-Harris Administration. And it's implying that without justice, Trump will run again and when he wins a second term it will be the end of our democracy as we know it.

That's it. That's their shtick. Creating hopelessness based on an arbitrary timeline posed to the sitting Attorney General of the United States. It's clickbait 101, aimed at disenfranchising those of us who want and demand justice for what the Trump Administration did to this country. 

But we see them. We see their ruse. We not only remove these Blue Checkmarks from those that we follow but we also must counter their narrative. We're fighting a two-front war for democracy with Republicans on the right and bad actors on the left. These Blue Checkmarks are chaos agents and whether they're doing it intentionally or unintentionally is anybody's guess. So it's up to us, the faithful, to keep hope alive. We cannot function in a democracy that no longer trusts the Department of Justice to hold wrongdoers accountable. If we collectively reach that conclusion, then fascism has won. We cannot allow that to happen. We cannot allow Blue Checkmarks to continue to undermine public confidence in our institutions. It is up to us, all of us, to continue to push back against these bad actors. We know Merrick Garland is working for the greater good. We know this because Joe Biden knew this and you don't install someone to the nation's highest legal position without having full confidence in the person you select for the job. Any criticism against Merrick Garland is by default criticism against Joe Biden and the American legal system as a whole. To undermine confidence in all 3 is to directly play into Republican hands. 

And giving Republicans any additional ammunition is the last thing we ought to be doing.