"Back in 2017, white supremacists marched in Charlottesville, Va., carrying torches and chanting, 'You will not replace us' and 'Jews will not replace us.' Decent Americans recoiled at the undeniable echo of Nazi Germany.
"That rhetoric has been resonating ever since in the right wing, repackaged lately in what’s known as 'replacement theory,' espoused by conservative media figures like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. And it has seeped into the mainstream political discourse in the Capital Region, where Rep. Elise Stefanik has adapted this despicable tactic for campaign ads.
"Ms. Stefanik isn’t so brazen as to use the slogans themselves; rather, she couches the hate in alarmist anti-immigrant rhetoric that’s become standard fare for the party of Donald Trump. And she doesn’t quite attack immigrants directly; instead, she alleges that Democrats are looking to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants in order to gain a permanent liberal majority, or, as she calls it, a 'permanent election insurrection.' [snip]
"The idea of America as a melting pot is not some idealistic fiction of the left; it is part of the foundation of this nation’s greatness. It is in this country’s best interests to bring those millions of people who are here illegally but living honest, productive lives out of the shadows and give them a path to citizenship — an idea even some Republican lawmakers once supported before Mr. Trump and his ilk poisoned the debate.
"If there’s anything that needs replacing in this country — and in the Republican party — it’s the hateful rhetoric that Ms. Stefanik and far too many of her colleagues so shamelessly spew." -- (our emphasis) an editorial in the Albany, NY, Times-Union, from September 17, 2021, demolishing Rep. Elise "Stepped In It" Stefanik, the chair of the House Republican caucus, for her bigoted demagoguery over immigration and "replacement theory" rhetoric. Nearly 8 months later, we're seeing that the Buffalo mass murderer was apparently motivated by that "replacement theory" nonsense.
Then, just days ago, she tweeted a despicable, QAnon-originated message that "pedo grifters" in the White House and among House Dems were sending pallets of baby formula for immigrant babies, rather than addressing the shortage in America. She's been touching all of the right-wing fever swamp's bases.
To answer the Times-Union's question from 2021, clearly there's no limit.
BONUS: There's now a website that parodies Stefanik's support for "replacement theory."
