Remember how the GOP and law enforcement said kids were going to get 'rainbow fentanyl?'

The opioid crisis continues relatively unabated. Four years of a Republican-controlled government led to nothing positive in the way of better public health outcomes for Americans. In the Republican Party’s defense, like every other “issue” they enjoy scaring the base about, they had no plan to do anything about said “issue.” In doing nothing, they were able to enjoy no results. What “no results” provides conservative politicians and political pundit hacks is a chance to continue to fearmonger during the following election cycle.

The way this works is that conservatives, law enforcement, and the like look for a single story or fact that allows them to generate a mythology of baseless conclusions of epic end of days proportions. In the case of the potent drug fentanyl—a drug that has seen an uptick in overdose-related deaths in recent years—all that was needed was a story about multi-colored pills of the drug being produced and a drug smuggler who was busted trying to hide his smuggled drugs in candy packages. Law enforcement makes an erroneous claim that this could have turned, somehow, into a child bringing this stash into his school and giving it to other kids. 

As we approach the midterms, Republicans like RNC chair Ronna McDaniel went on the news airways to promote the idea that “rainbow fentanyl” could be put into children’s “Halloween baskets” this Oct. 31 night. Like razor blades in apples before them, like the caravan of Central American terrorists coming to take your jobs, nothing ever materialized. You know what scary story did materialize? Reproductive rights were completely rolled back.

Boo!

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