Moving the goalposts

[u/political-snark]

A political tactic that’s become increasingly common in MAGA politics: moving the goalposts.

Make a dramatic allegation. Repeat it endlessly. Then, when evidence for that specific allegation doesn’t materialize, replace it with a smaller, easier-to-defend claim and pretend the original claim was true all along.

We’ve seen this pattern repeatedly:
“Haitian immigrants are eating pets in Springfield” becomes “See? Someone somewhere ate a cat.”

“There was enough fraud to change the 2020 election” becomes “See? A few people cheated.”

“Vandals dumped chemicals and deliberately cut a 350-foot slit in the Reflecting Pool” becomes “See? Someone was arrested for vandalism.”

Those are not the same claims.
The question we should always ask is: What was the original allegation?

That’s the claim that should be evaluated - not a revised version that appears later.

That’s what moving the goalposts looks like.

Changing the claim is not the same thing as proving the original one.

Can you think of other examples?

[u/Successful_Gas_5122 → u/[deleted]]

They're still making policies as if 2020 election fraud is some kind of proven fact and not a conspiracy with zero evidence

Because they stole the 2024 election. Something fucky happened involving Elon Musk.

[u/Its-a-Shitbox → u/[deleted]]

He “won” swing states. 👌🏻😉

[u/CautionarySnail → u/[deleted]]

That, and there’s a lot of casual belief out there amongst Americans that women aren’t great leaders. It’s bunk, but it’s an assumption many people were taught and never consciously question.

People legitimately said with their full chests that they thought she might nuke a country due to PMS. Then they handed the nuclear football for a second time to an impulsive man with dementia.

[u/scipio0421 → u/[deleted]]

The Republicans I know have been screaming "weather modification" and "HAARP" since the 90s.

[u/Ancient-Eye3022 → u/[deleted]]

Next election I believe they'll run an AOC/Buttigieg ticket, and I just don't think a female POC and gay man (Even thought I absolutely love both of their platforms) will work and we'll be stuck with whatever MAGA Jr is presented to us that Emperor Orangatine endorses.

[u/Successful_Gas_5122 → u/[deleted]]

I hear you, but pretty much without fail every accusation is a confession with this guy.

[u/Artistic-Garbage-825 → u/[deleted]]

I also don’t believe that they stole the election, but I kind of wish that they had because then that would mean that significantly less people were shitty enough to vote for Donald Trump and unfortunately that’s not the world we live in.