Ben Carson's departure from the GOP presidential race means the quartet of remaining Republicans on the debate stage Thursday night get more time for attacks as Donald Trump treads a path to the GOP nomination and his three rivals try to trip him up. Cheered on by many Republican leaders, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and John Kasich are racing the primary clock to March 15, likely their last chance to stop Trump in a series of winner-take-all contests.
Say something often enough — like "97 percent of climate scientists agree" — and people will tend to believe it. Add the concept of identification, in which like-minded people gravitate toward one another, and a movement, a shared narrative, can be created.
The psychological principles of repetition and identification are two tactics used in both political organizing and brainwashing. And they are hallmarks of the fossil-fuel divestiture movement, which is in play on more than 1,000 universities and colleges.
