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… not even Donald Trump would have gone that far.
Mick, you have to be kidding. Or you are much more naïve than I thought. This is peanuts compared to what Trump does — what he has always done. This kind of thing is literally his M.O. — except he does it much more egregiously and is personally involved.
Trump regularly tries to manipulate the media — and usually succeeds. I’ll lay out a number of examples below, but the list is almost endless, so these are just a few:
Do you remember his ‘man of the people’ Chick-fil-A appearance earlier this year? Trump was greeted by a Black woman who enthusiastically hugged him, creating a viral moment that was widely shared as evidence of his support among Black voters. It turned out that the ‘spontaneous’ encounter was orchestrated by Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative Republican operative who works with Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens.
The Fox headline of course dutifully parroted the talking point: “Trump meets everyday Americans at Chick-fil-A”
She actually goes around to different events and does photo-ops with Trump so that the Trump campaign can post “Truths” about their “grassroots” support by the black community because there’s a black lady in the photo. On almost every road trip to an event or rally, the Trump campaign sets up an excursion to a fast food restaurant either before or after his speech and plants a bunch of activists there.
In September 2020, Trump held what was advertised as a union worker event in Michigan. It turned out that the event was held at a non-union plant, and many of the attendees were paid actors rather than actual union workers. The event was intended to create the impression of strong union support for Trump, which was misleading.
He did the same thing earlier this year at a staged event in Michigan which was presented as a rally for union members, specifically targeting auto workers. The event took place at a non-union facility, and many attendees were not union members but employees of the company that hosted the event. The AFL-CIO released the following statement about it:
“Having to pay twenty grand to rent a non-union facility because nobody wanted to host your event is literally so embarrassing. Trump’s whole bit is that he supports blue-collar Americans and wants to protect auto jobs but he couldn’t even find a real auto worker to hold up a rally sign. Scabbing has truly never looked so desperate.”
He’s done these thing so many times, it’s becoming hard to keep track and not mix them up. He did the same thing in 2023, for example, which you can read about here: https://newrepublic.com/post/175834/trump-uaw-michigan-speech-autoworkers-fake.
Then there was the time a few months ago where Donald Trump visited a bodega in Harlem that was portrayed as a spontaneous engagement — intended to create the appearance of support from the local black community. He shows up and there are people chanting his name. Of course, it later emerged that (surprise!) this event was carefully staged. The crowd that greeted him was organized by the New York Young Republican Club — just another attempt to deceptively manipulate the media.
Trump did something similar recently at a black church in Detroit. The event, which included a staged “roundtable” discussion, was more of a performance than a genuine grassroots gathering. The questions were canned and the audience was filled with people who had no affiliation with the church and were probably Republican activists: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-crowds-fill-the-pews-for-trumps-visit-to-black-church-in-detroit.
Did you hear about the time the Trump campaign essentially ambushed a black-owned barber-shop with a bait and switch? The owner agreed to host a “black businesses roundtable”, but was never told it was a Trump campaign political event. Sure enough, Trump called into the event, trying to give himself the veneer of black “grassroots” support. Needless to say, the owner was humiliated and livid.
Do you remember some of the odd stories in the 2016 campaign? Some of them were ridiculous and obviously bullshit. But many gullible people gave credence to them. Some of them were even posted on the old CEB. I remember one of you started a thread about the stories questioning Hillary Clinton’s health — suggesting that she was seriously ill, near death, and unfit to serve as president.
Surprise: it turns out that these stories were made up out of whole cloth and published by Trump’s friend, David Pecker, with input and full knowledge of Trump. Some of the others you may recall included “Ben Carson’s violent past”; or the story about Ted Cruz’s father, who was supposedly linked to the JFK assassination — a story Trump repeated during the campaign, despite knowing it was total bullshit; or the fake rumors about Marco Rubio’s extra-marital affairs; etc., etc.
Lets not forget Trump’s “catch and kill” scheme, where he worked with his media buddy David Pecker to help him avoid scrutiny over damaging stories. Pecker testified about this in exchange for immunity in Trump’s New York fraud case, for which he was convicted earlier this year.
Then there are those odd times recently where Trump has been repeatedly caught waving to nobody: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-waving-video-nobody-1914619 He’s been doing this at least half a dozen time recently. The only explanation is that it’s performative behavior meant to suggest he’s got some big crowd of fans fawning over him. It’s probably not an accident that it has coincided with his obsession with Kamala’s crowd sizes. In any case, it’s another attempt to use fakery to manipulate the election narrative.
But of course Trump gets graded on a curve by conservatives and the msm. If the Harris campaign j-walks, it’s a scandal; if Trump commits fraud it’s just Trump being Trump. No big deal. Where was the outrage about this — or at least an acknowledgement that Trump’s entire persona is a carefully fabricated sales pitch that depends on manipulating the media and making up bullshit stories? Instead, let’s pretend to be outraged by some staffer on Kamala’s campaign who j-walked on the Google platform.
For those of you who ignore the constant lies and manipulation by Trump and his campaign, please spare me the pearl clutching.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
… not even Donald Trump would have gone that far.
Mick, you have to be kidding. Or you are much more naive than I thought. This is peanuts compared to what Trump does — what he has always done. This kind of thing is literally his M.O. — except he does it much more egregiously and is personally involved.
Trump regularly tries to manipulate the media — and usually succeeds. I’ll lay out a number of examples below, but the list is almost endless, so these are just a few:
Do you remember his ‘man of the people’ Chick-fil-A appearance earlier this year? Trump was greeted by a Black woman who enthusiastically hugged him, creating a viral moment that was widely shared as evidence of his support among Black voters. It turned out that the ‘spontaneous’ encounter was orchestrated by Michaelah Montgomery, a conservative Republican operative who works with Charlie Kirk and Candace Owens.
The Fox headline of course dutifully parroted the talking point: “Trump meets everyday Americans at Chick-fil-A”
She actually goes around to different events and does photo-ops with Trump so that the Trump campaign can post “Truths” about their “grassroots” support by the black community because there’s a black lady in the photo. On almost every road trip to an event or rally, the Trump campaign sets up an excursion to a fast food restaurant either before or after his speech and plants a bunch of activists there.
In September 2020, Trump held what was advertised as a union worker event in Michigan. It turned out that the event was held at a non-union plant, and many of the attendees were paid actors rather than actual union workers. The event was intended to create the impression of strong union support for Trump, which was misleading.
He did the same thing earlier this year at a staged event in Michigan which was presented as a rally for union members, specifically targeting auto workers. The event took place at a non-union facility, and many attendees were not union members but employees of the company that hosted the event. The AFL-CIO released the following statement about it:
“Having to pay twenty grand to rent a non-union facility because nobody wanted to host your event is literally so embarrassing. Trump’s whole bit is that he supports blue-collar Americans and wants to protect auto jobs but he couldn’t even find a real auto worker to hold up a rally sign. Scabbing has truly never looked so desperate.”
He’s done these thing so many times, it’s becoming hard to keep track and not mix them up. He did the same thing in 2023, for example, which you can read about here: https://newrepublic.com/post/175834/trump-uaw-michigan-speech-autoworkers-fake.
Then there was the time a few months ago where Donald Trump visited a bodega in Harlem that was portrayed as a spontaneous engagement — intended to create the appearance of support from the local black community. He shows up and there are people chanting his name. Of course, it later emerged that (surprise!) this event was carefully staged. The crowd that greeted him was organized by the New York Young Republican Club — just another attempt to deceptively manipulate the media.
Trump did something similar recently at a black church in Detroit. The event, which included a staged “roundtable” discussion, was more of a performance than a genuine grassroots gathering. The questions were canned and the audience was filled with people who had no affiliation with the church and were probably Republican activists: https://www.thedailybeast.com/white-crowds-fill-the-pews-for-trumps-visit-to-black-church-in-detroit.
Did you hear about the time the Trump campaign essentially ambushed a black-owned barber-shop with a bait and switch? The owner agreed to host a “black businesses roundtable”, but was never told it was a Trump campaign political event. Sure enough, Trump called into the event, trying to give himself the veneer of black “grassroots” support. Needless to say, the owner was humiliated and livid.
Do you remember some of the odd stories in the 2016 campaign? Some of them were ridiculous and obviously bullshit. But many gullible people gave credence to them. Some of them were even posted on the old CEB. I remember one of you started a thread about the stories questioning Hillary Clinton’s health — suggesting that she was seriously ill, near death, and unfit to serve as president.
Surprise: it turns out that these stories were made up out of whole cloth and published by Trump’s friend, David Pecker, with input and full knowledge of Trump. Some of the others you may recall included “Ben Carson’s violent past”; or the story about Ted Cruz’s father, who was supposedly linked to the JFK assassination — a story Trump repeated during the campaign, despite knowing it was total bullshit; or the fake rumors about Marco Rubio’s extra-marital affairs; etc., etc.
Lets not forget Trump’s “catch and kill” scheme, where he worked with his media buddy David Pecker to help him avoid scrutiny over damaging stories. Pecker testified about this in exchange for immunity in Trump’s New York fraud case, for which he was convicted earlier this year.
Then there are those odd times recently where Trump has been repeatedly caught waving to nobody: https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-waving-video-nobody-1914619 He’s been doing this at least half a dozen time recently. The only explanation is that it’s performative behavior meant to suggest he’s got some big crowd of fans fawning over him. It’s probably not an accident that it has coincided with his obsession with Kamala’s crowd sizes. In any case, it’s another attempt to use fakery to manipulate the election narrative.
But of course Trump gets graded on a curve by conservatives and the msm. If the Harris campaign j-walks, it’s a scandal; if Trump commits fraud it’s just Trump being Trump. No big deal. Where was the outrage about this — or at least an acknowledgement that Trump’s entire persona is a carefully fabricated sales pitch that depends on manipulating the media and making up bullshit stories? Instead, let’s pretend to be outraged by some staffer on Kamala’s campaign who j-walked on the Google platform.
For those of you who ignore the constant lies and manipulation by Trump and his campaign, please spare me the pearl clutching.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
This was explained ad nauseam. Most Californians saw this as a last resort. It was a response to Texas and other red state gerrymandering. Newsom explained this before Texas finalized their plans and before they bent over backwards for Trump, who said he was “entitled” to five more seats in Texas.
Prop 50 would not have been pursued if Texas simply acted in good faith, which literally required doing nothing. But they went ahead with their new redistricting maps, so California responded.
But instead of blaming Texas for initiating this latest race to the bottom, you blame California for responding? It’s hard to take the faux outrage seriously when there’s not even a simple mention of Texas or any of the numerous red states that have been redrawing maps for years now, often unlawfully.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Mick. Democrats have voted almost unanimously to limit money in politics over many congressional bills. I detailed that in another thread. Republicans, on the other hand, have blocked these efforts almost unanimously. But Democrats aren’t going to unilaterally disarm.
i would be thrilled to get Soros and any other rich Democratic donors to fuck off. But until Republicans agree to that, as well, then sorry, not sorry.
your outrage should be at all the conservatives who blocked the efforts to get money out of politics. But you dutifully vote for them every cycle and spend your time defending them. So forgive me if I’m not that sympathetic about Soros donating to something you don’t like.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Old new, but I haven’t been here for a while: Maxwell was moved to club fed. Had to get special permission.
totally not suspicious. All very normal.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Sorry. I guess this site doesn’t render quotes well from an iPad. They looked fine when I posted.
suffice to say, non conservatives are no longer welcome at the pentagon.
All hail the dear leader. Praise be upon him.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
California is trying to do it in response to Texas. If you are following this, Newsom made it quite clear he didn’t want to do this and wouldn’t unless Texas lubed up and bent over for Trump after he demanded it. But Texas released their map, so Newsom is following suit.
Democrats don’t want gerrymandering. They have set up independent councils and have tried to take the high road. Certainly far more than Republicans. There have been several Congressional votes recently where Democrats tried to get rid of gerrymandering. But of course Republicans voted these down on 100% party lines. Some recent history:
Congress considered several bills to eliminate partisan gerrymandering. The only ones that reached a vote were the For the People Act in 2019 and again in 2021. Both times, the House passed the bill almost entirely along party lines: in 2019, Democrats voted 234 to 0 in favor while Republicans voted 193 to 0 against, and in 2021, Democrats voted 220 to 0 in favor while Republicans voted 210 to 0 against. When the Senate took up the measure in 2021, it failed on a 50/50 split, with every Democrat voting yes and every Republican voting no.
Other bills addressing gerrymandering, such as the Freedom to Vote Act, the Open Our Democracy Act, and the Fair Representation Act, were introduced but never advanced to floor votes. I’m sure you can guess: these were killed in committee or filibuster by Republicans.
if you listen to Newsom or any other Democrat pushing for this now in California, they have made it quite clear they don’t want to do this, but don’t want to unilaterally surrender to Republicans who have no qualms about it. They have said they would support a ban on gerrymandering if Republicans would agree (not holding my breath). But in the meantime they need to fight fire with fire.
I don’t know if it will work out for Newsom or other Democrats. But when you see Republicans clutching their pearls over what Newsom is doing, please understand it’s just crocodile tears.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
As I said, probably a long shot. But I’d guess the odds of a Congressional “investigation” are reasonably high. Now that Hunter Biden’s laptop is irrelevant, some other bullshit will no doubt require a year or two of Congressional hearings.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Crime is down in DC. But Trump needs to normalize this fascist crap so it seems routine when he sends the brownshirts to intimidate everyone in other blue cities. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s Trump’s own DOJ (and I do mean his own in a literal sense):
Violent Crime in D.C. Hits 30 Year Low
And, no, these stats aren’t manipulated. You can’t hide murders, for example, which are down 32%.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Multiple statewide surveys, including the Public Policy Institute of California’s (PPIC) recurring voter polls, show that NPP voters in California lean Democratic by a clear margin in federal races. In PPIC’s July 2024 survey, 54% of NPP voters said they would vote for the Democratic candidate for U.S. House, 33% for the Republican, and the rest undecided or for other parties. Not quite 2 to 1, but close enough.
On the “17:13” figure you’re referencing from Pew — that’s a national split of independents leanings, not California-specific. California’s electorate is significantly different from the national average. In a solidly blue state, independents here tilt more Democratic than independents nationwide. Voting data from recent elections, which reflects actual ballots cast, shows that California NPP voters break toward Democrats. So while your national figure is probably accurate, it doesn’t reflect how California independents actually vote in congressional elections.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
Was I ever defending inflation in 2022? Please point me to those comments. I’ll do you a favor and quote myself:
Biden didn’t do himself any favors and spent too much, as well.
Biden is no longer President. I was critical of him many times. Trump is President now. And he is enacting insane economic policies while his cheerleaders engage in magical thinking, pretending it will all work out fine.
Do you think these tariffs are some 4-D chess move? What happened to the 90 deals in 90 days?
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
What does the government sending thugs Newsom’s press conference have to do with enforcement?
Seriously, is there nothing you won’t defend?
Can you not simply admit this is insane authoritarianism instead of engaging in whataboutism and semantics about brownshirts?
There’s really no comparison between what the Trump administration is doing and Antifa. The administration is the federal government. It has the legal authority, the money, the military, the courts, and the police to enforce its will on the entire country.
Antifa is not even a formal organization. It’s a loose collection of activists. They can’t pass laws and can’t order the police or military to do anything. Whatever actions they take, whether it is showing up at rallies, shouting people down, or damaging property, are limited and don’t have the force of law behind them.
Authoritarian tactics from the top down, such as mass detention, politicized prosecutions, civil service purges, and surveillance, can strip away rights across the board. Antifa might break the law or intimidate individuals, but they do not control the justice system.
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
I’m waiting for the update. It’s going to get much worse, but here’s a sneak preview:
I’m still mystified that you guys think Trump has discovered some secret economic formula that eluded the world’s economists for the last 100 years. As if implementing insanely high tariffs is not inflationary.
I mentioned a few months ago that it would take a few months to start feeling it. Economies don’t change on a dime, so to speak. There was a nice dead-cat bounce in the stock market and some of the numbers, as people rushed to stock up on supplies, to weather the storm while hoping Trump would not actually suicide the U.S. economy. Some companies have also been eating the extra costs. But reality will sink in soon. Corporations can’t hold out forever and keep swallowing the tariffs. And the pre-tariff supplies will run out.
Weren’t there supposed to be 90 deals in 90 days? It’s been well over 90 days. What happened to those deals?
When you understand "the deep state" simply refers to the rule of law, it makes much more sense.
