Smear campaigns work by pressuring elected officials into caving

Evidence

The partisan penumbra means that Republican officials have a presumptive advantage in comparison to Democrats or nonpartisan civil servants in refuting conspiracist claims. Their corrections are more likely to elicit trust from conservatives and Republicans in the electorate. But what we see today are elected Republican officials who, instead of speaking truth, calculate that their own electoral survival and the success of their favored policies are better ensured by acquiescing to conspiracism. There is a virtually united front of elected officials, donors, and partisan activists. And so, representatives placate, avoid questions, refrain from comment, utter platitudes, and remain silent. Some affirm conspiracist claims themselves. — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 329 (#complicates, via linked claim)

To what extent the hands of members of Parliament were tied is shown by the case of Scheurer-Kestner, one of their better elements and vice-president of the senate. No sooner had he entered his protest against the trial than Libre Parole proclaimed the fact that his son-in-law had been involved in the Panama scandal. See Herzog, op. cit., under date of November, 1897. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 2153 (#expands, via linked claim)

Not public opinion—not even the opinion of a Mayor and Governor—but raw power would determine whether Moses stayed on as president of the Fair, and of power he still had more than enough. On the Fair board were dozens of the most powerful men in the city and state. Moses handled them like unruly children. — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4516 (#contradicts, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Attack ads in judicial elections routinely distort candidates’ actual records — G. Alan Tarr, Judicial Process and Judicial…, 590; Parliamentarians were silenced by smear tactics linking them to scandals. — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 2153; Appointed authority officials are immune to public and electoral pressure — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the…, 4516 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Parliamentarians were silenced by smear tactics linking them to scandals. #expands (1.00) — Hannah Arendt, The Origins of Totalitarianism, 2153
• Appointed authority officials are immune to public and electoral pressure #contradicts (1.00) — Robert A. Caro, The Power Broker, 4516
• Party officials uniquely positioned to rebut conspiracism instead acquiesce for electoral survival #complicates (1.00) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 329
• Elected officials know better yet dignify debunked conspiracy claims #complicates (1.00) — Russell Muirhead and Nancy L. Rosenblum, A Lot of People Are Saying, 235