Author Topic: US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP (Read 7193358 times)

May 16, 2017 Alexios Mantzarlis

Fake news stories are often extremely easy to debunk. Fact-checking “Pope Francis endorses Donald Trump” required little more than an analysis of papal interviews and an email to the Vatican press office. Some fakers don’t even bother writing up an article to back up their hoax headlines.

Yet by the time fact-checkers arrive on the scene of a fake, it may be too late to correct the perceptions of thousands who saw the headline bouncing around their News Feeds.

Maarten Schenk, a Flemish developer, thinks he has built a tool that can reduce the head start that fakers enjoy over debunkers. Much like Tweetdeck, Trendolizer lets users populate columns that update automatically from selected sources. Unlike Tweetdeck, these sources are not tweets but links with many Facebook likes.

Quote

Silverman has tried out Trendolizer and expects to subscribe to the service soon. He thinks Trendolizer is “not just a fact-checkers’ tool” and is mostly interested in the fingerprinting features that will help his team maintain a database of suspect sites.

For users to get the most out of the tool, however, he thinks users will have to take the time to build source sets that are relevant to the areas they want to monitor. “People need to know what they are looking for,” he said.

This is a key challenge of debunking fake news: You never really know where the next big viral story will come from next. Inaccurate claims by public figures come from more predictable places like speeches, TV interviews, press briefings, Twitter. Viral hoaxes, on the other hand, can come seemingly from nowhere.

The debunking site Snopes has also tested Trendolizer. Founder David Mikkelson said that “in general, fact-checkers do need tools that will help them spot misinformation faster.”

Unless working fact-checkers actually deploy the tool as part of their workflow it will be hard to evaluate to what extent Trendolizer can actually deliver faster spotting of fakes and faster debunking. At $350 per month, it may also be too expensive for some smaller fact-checking organizations. Regardless, Trendolizer points to a future where fact-checkers track misinformation in a more systematic manner.

https://www.journalism.co.uk/news/lead-stories-is-debunking-misinformation-starting-to-trend-on-social-media/s2/a701180/

Quote

Posted: 16 March 2017 By: Catalina Albeanu

Debunking misinformation and disinformation online is now a point of focus for many news organisations across the world, whether the teams consist of specialised fact-checkers or reporters who are taking on a new task.

The small team behind Lead Stories, a website highlighting trending stories on social media, moved towards debunking popular articles online a couple of months ago.

Maarten Schenk, who developed Trendolizer, the search tool powering Lead Stories, spoke to Journalism.co.uk about his process of finding these articles and looking for red flags that might point out they have no basis in fact.

Trendolizer, which is backed by Alan Duke and Perry Sanders, tracks between 300,000 and 400,000 links per day, assessing the number of likes they receive per hour to determine their popularity.

Schenk set up a “fake news” dashboard designed with separate columns in a similar manner to Tweetdeck.

His searches are based on lists of “prank websites”, political clickbait sites with “two or three words in all caps” in the headline, straight up satire sites, and partisan left and right wing websites.

"A lot of the sites have hidden disclaimers," explained Schenk, adding that for political clickbait websites, an easy way to check whether the source quoted in the text is legitimate is by searching for a particular quote on other news websites known to be trustworthy.

Quote

Lead Stories has been linked to as a source of debunks by the BBC and BuzzFeed.

At this stage, access to Trendolizer is priced at request, although a network of websites by Schenk, such as StoryTide or Trump Tide, publish links to the top 30 stories on a number of topics at any given time.

He is also hoping to find new partners for Trendolizer, to help expand its reach. "If we get 500 likes, we haven't made a dent in the story," he said.

http://get.trendolizer.com/

I can't believe the DNC lied to me.

benjipwns · « **Reply #42908 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:12:41 AM »

wait even more...

https://tech.eu/news/distractify-trendolizer/

Quote

February 24th, 2014.

U.S.-based Distractify, one of those digital media startups that are all about making content go as viral as possible (à la Upworthy, Viral Nova and BuzzFeed), has made a small acquisition.

The company, which was founded by 21-year old Quinn Hu, has picked up a site called Trendolizer, which started out as a hobby project.

The deal terms are undisclosed.

Trendolizer was started by Belgian native Maarten Schenk as a hobby project. Schenk, who studied at the University of Antwerpen and previously worked on Movable Type at Six Apart, will join Distractify as its ‘lead data engineer’.

Trendolizer automatically detects (potentially) popular stories, videos, links and whatnot, collecting a large number of links from a variety of sources (Reddit, Twitter, etc.) and then employing the Facebook API and a ranking algorithm to find out which ones are currently trending.

That’s obviously very valuable technology and expertise for a site like Distractify, which makes a living out of making content go viral.

According to a recent profile on Distractify, the site attracted 21 million unique visitors worldwide in November 2013 alone (after launching a month earlier).

In the same month, Schenk notes that Trendolizer reached 400,000 visitors.

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/lead-stories/

Quote

History

Founded in 2015, Lead Stories is a fact checker and hoax/rumor debunker that uses the International Fact-Checking Network fact-checkers’ code of principles as a guide for all fact checking. According to their about page “Lead Stories is mainly written by Maarten Schenk and Alan Duke. Maarten is based in Europe (Belgium) while Alan is in the United States of America (California). Administrative and legal affairs are handled by Perry R. Sanders of Sanders Law Firm in Colorado Springs.”

More from the about page: “Since February 2019 we are actively part of Facebook’s partnership with third party fact checkers. Under the terms of this partnership we get access to listings of content that has been flagged as potentially false by Facebook’s systems or its users and we can decide independently if we want to fact check it or not. In addition to this we can enter our fact checks into a tool provided by Facebook and Facebook then uses our data to help slow down the spread of false information on its platform. Facebook pays us to perform this service for them but they have no say or influence over what we fact check or what our conclusions are, nor do they want to.”

Funded by / Ownership

According to their about page Lead Stories LLC is a Colorado company formed by Maarten Schenk (Belgium), Alan Duke (California), Perry R. Sanders (Colorado) and John C. Goede (Florida). The company is self-funded with no outside investors and relies on advertising revenue and license fees for the use of the Trendolizer™ engine and is also funded with revenue derived from Facebook’s third party fact checking partnership.

no no no no no i can't believe this, i put so much faith in the TRENDOLIZER

team filler · « **Reply #42909 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:15:45 AM »

https://twitter.com/philosophrob/status/1183831553933238275

benjipwns · « **Reply #42910 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:19:02 AM »

i can't believe* that politico dude didn't even google "trendolizer" because these were all on the first page of results

*FACT CHECK: he can

team filler · « **Reply #42911 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:30:15 AM »

https://twitter.com/TheYoungTurks/status/1184334046916071426

OnlyRegret · « **Reply #42912 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:49:30 AM »

Queens unite, only Madam Presidents I can see

https://twitter.com/marwilliamson/status/1182292830452142085

benjipwns · « **Reply #42913 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:53:31 AM »

Marianne's moment actually is one thing that feels like so long ago

OnlyRegret · « **Reply #42914 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:57:46 AM »

#wontforgether

team filler · « **Reply #42915 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:01:03 AM »

https://twitter.com/justjokesfolks/status/1184333611283238912

curly · « **Reply #42916 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:02:41 AM »

Quote from: filler on October 16, 2019, 01:04:42 AM

https://twitter.com/TulsiGabbard/status/1184333041830912006

I do appreciate Tulsi for diverting the stupidest Bernie supporters away from him

Mandark · « **Reply #42917 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:06:19 AM »

Feel like Tulsi's getting mostly Bernie supporters who were into Ron Paul in 2012 (no offense Cats³).

edit: ahahaha I posted this before going back through the last few pages, I award myself 10 points.

benjipwns · « **Reply #42918 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:22:24 AM »

Ron Paul in 2008.

CatsCatsCats · « **Reply #42919 on:** October 16, 2019, 07:32:55 AM »

2012

Anyway I voted for Obama both times, so blow me with your smug sniping, have you ever actually supported a candidate here or just the smell of your own farts?

Transhuman · « **Reply #42920 on:** October 16, 2019, 07:49:11 AM »

benjipwns · « **Reply #42921 on:** October 16, 2019, 08:02:45 AM »

https://twitter.com/theBGrass/status/1184299237095493633

Cauliflower Of Love · « **Reply #42922 on:** October 16, 2019, 08:26:31 AM »

Quote from: Stro on October 16, 2019, 08:01:42 AM

I just want to point out

Bing >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Google for images and video (especially porn, but not just porn)

Also I've gotten probably $2000 of free shit from Bing Rewards over the years by spending 2 minutes in the morning clicking the all the news links without reading any of them.

What

Cauliflower Of Love · « **Reply #42923 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:37:53 AM »

Imagine Bernie's cabinet made up of:

AOC, Warren, Harris. Tusli, & the Squad.

Bernie could be the first woman president.

kingv · « **Reply #42924 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:39:53 AM »

One last debate takeaway. Listening to Cory Booker, and Mayor Pete is also striking.

Cory sounds about 10x gayer than Pete. He sounds like Barack Obama’s feminine side and needs to code switch or something and awaken his inner homo thug. Spit 16 bars or chew a toothpick, or put a bandana in his pocket that shows he’s a top into fisting.

You can be gay and run for President, but you can’t run for President and be a fekkit.

james · « **Reply #42925 on:** October 16, 2019, 09:59:46 AM »

Quote from: Cauliflower Of Love on October 16, 2019, 09:37:53 AM

Imagine Bernie's cabinet made up of:

AOC, Warren, Harris. Tusli, & the Squad.

Bernie could be the first woman president.

No no no, silly Cauli. REAL politicians only use women and people of color as props

benjipwns · « **Reply #42926 on:** October 16, 2019, 10:33:13 AM »

Trent Dole · « **Reply #42927 on:** October 16, 2019, 11:04:57 AM »

Hah that's what the msm said last debate and the center looked like the worthless trash they are then. I slept through this new one but apparently everyone just kept saying what they already had during the one prior basically.

Mandark · « **Reply #42928 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:16:00 PM »

Quote from: CatsCatsCats on October 16, 2019, 07:32:55 AM

2012

Anyway I voted for Obama both times, so blow me with your smug sniping, have you ever actually supported a candidate here or just the smell of your own farts?

clearly you missed where I wrote "no offense"

but it's okay, I forgive you

team filler · « **Reply #42929 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:26:30 PM »

mandi! aren't you excited about da squad endorsing bern dog!?

benjipwns · « **Reply #42930 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:29:12 PM »

https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1184137347832729606

Cauliflower Of Love · « **Reply #42931 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:34:35 PM »

Quote from: benjipwns on October 16, 2019, 12:29:12 PM

https://twitter.com/notcapnamerica/status/1184137347832729606

Tripon · « **Reply #42932 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:37:35 PM »

benjipwns · « **Reply #42933 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:45:44 PM »

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/cuomo-signs-law-aimed-weakening-trump-s-pardon-power-closes-n1065151

Quote

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a measure Wednesday that would allow the state to pursue charges against people who have received a presidential pardon — a law seen as a direct shot at President Donald Trump.

Quote

The New York Assembly and Senate passed the bill to end the so-called "double jeopardy loophole" in May. The newly signed law creates a narrow exception in the state's double jeopardy law, which prohibits the prosecution of a person who's been tried for the same crime by the federal government.

...

The new exception allows state prosecutors to pursue investigations into any pardoned individual who served in a president's administration, worked directly or indirectly to advance a presidential campaign or transition, or worked at a nonprofit or business controlled by a president, and whose alleged criminal activity took place in New York. The law also allows for investigations to be opened or continued into anyone who was pardoned for the president's benefit.

...

James has said the law was necessary because double jeopardy "exists to prevent someone from being charged twice for the same crime, not to allow them to evade justice altogether."

"We have a responsibility to ensure that individuals who commit crimes under New York state law are held accountable for those crimes," James said in a statement Tuesday.

"This critical new law closes a gaping loophole that could have allowed any president to abuse the presidential pardon power by unfairly granting a pardon to a family member or close associate and possibly allow that individual to evade justice altogether. No one is above the law, and this commonsense measure will provide a reasonable and necessary check on presidential power today and for all presidents to come."

So how does this prevent someone from being charged twice for the same crime?

james · « **Reply #42934 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:49:35 PM »

Benji what I said is clear and I wont answer any additional questions

benjipwns · « **Reply #42935 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:50:08 PM »

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/16/politics/cory-booker-rosario-dawson-constructive-criticism-cnntv/

Quote

Washington (CNN)Sen. Cory Booker's girlfriend Rosario Dawson wants him to show more of his personality while he campaigns for the Democratic presidential nomination, the New Jersey senator said Wednesday.

"She's the best. Because she lifts me up and she also gives me some incredibly good constructive criticism at the end," Booker said of the actress and activist to CNN's John Berman on "New Day."

"Look, she wants more of me," he said after Berman asked what some of the criticism was. "She says I'm at my best when I show my humor. Let people feel my spirit. Because the issues are really important but at the end of the day, this country needs someone who brings a spirit of civility and spirit of, frankly, unity."

"She just said have more fun, relax even more and let people see that spirit," he added.

The comments came hours after Booker joined 11 of his rivals at the fourth primary debate, hosted on Tuesday by CNN and The New York Times in Westerville, Ohio. Though Booker has participated in the previous debates, Tuesday night's marked Dawson's first time at a debate this cycle. The senator told Berman that it was good to have her present and noted that she "has a great relationship" with the other candidates.

Nintex · « **Reply #42936 on:** October 16, 2019, 12:51:46 PM »

Quote

In response to criticism of his decision to pull U.S. troops out of Syria, President Trump said "It's not our problem" and that "they've got a lot of sand over there. There's a lot of sand they can play with."

https://twitter.com/atrupar/status/1184490870965448706
He's right you know

team filler · « **Reply #42937 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:10:51 PM »

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1184514939970641925

Take that!

benjipwns · « **Reply #42938 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:15:52 PM »

Peter

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1184265751953395712

spoiler (click to show/hide)

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1184430916057419776

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1184259759257673733

https://twitter.com/peterdaou/status/1184258298863931392

[close]

Madrun Badrun · « **Reply #42939 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:31:45 PM »

Booker is darting Rosario Dawson? Why isn't this dude doing better in the polls? He's clearly a winner.

james · « **Reply #42940 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:41:37 PM »

I think they've managed to top themselves

https://twitter.com/kenklippenstein/status/1184502366588035072

Nintex · « **Reply #42941 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:45:53 PM »

Peak woke is assigning a gender to climate change.

james · « **Reply #42942 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:51:07 PM »

Quote from: shosta on October 16, 2019, 01:47:41 PM

Wtf is up with that second point? Who doesn't know about retailpocalypse?

tHeRes eViDenCe reTaiL iS inCreaSinG

Now excuse me while I browse the everything must go section at Forever 21

Nintex · « **Reply #42943 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:53:26 PM »

Retail is booming

Trent Dole · « **Reply #42944 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:59:39 PM »

There's an insane amount of retail space per person in the States, things need to thin out a bit. Stores are never going to fully die.

james · « **Reply #42945 on:** October 16, 2019, 01:59:46 PM »

Quote from: Nintex on October 16, 2019, 01:53:26 PM

Retail is booming

A segment collapse does make a boom noise, so you are correct

Now excuse me while I browse the latest release of Sears and Kmarts closing

https://www.businessinsider.com/sears-kmart-stores-closing-list-2019-10

Cauliflower Of Love · « **Reply #42946 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:00:24 PM »

darting

kingv · « **Reply #42947 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:06:22 PM »

https://twitter.com/factcheckdotorg/status/1184476678971674624

Get his ass!

kingv · « **Reply #42948 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:09:00 PM »

Their whole twitter feed is gold. Every single one is splitting hairs.

james · « **Reply #42949 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:13:26 PM »

Quote from: kingv on October 16, 2019, 02:09:00 PM

Their whole twitter feed is gold. Every single one is splitting hairs.

FACT CHECK: Kingv claimed that the whole twitter feed is gold. In fact, the twitter feed is comprised of ones and zeros which together form pictures and words.

FACT CHECK: Kingv claimed that the twitter feed is splitting hairs, when it is actually making pedantic corrections using words

Cauliflower Of Love · « **Reply #42950 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:15:25 PM »

Quote from: kingv on October 16, 2019, 02:06:22 PM

https://twitter.com/factcheckdotorg/status/1184476678971674624

Get his ass!

This shit again?

Nintex · « **Reply #42951 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:16:06 PM »

They're just a bunch of lying socialists

nachobro · « **Reply #42952 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:24:51 PM »

who could have expected some bullshit "fact checking" from a group funded by a Reagan admin billionaire?

Occam · « **Reply #42953 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:25:38 PM »

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/10/16/opinion/debate-winners.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage

Pretty unanimous in how much they disliked Gabbart.

Quote

Elizabeth Warren

Charles Blow (10/10) — Elizabeth Warren is now the clear front-runner, even if the polls are not there. Everyone seemed to know it. She took fire from all sides. And she responded solidly, adroitly, even brilliantly at points.

Jamelle Bouie (7/10) — To the extent that there’s a front-runner, it’s Warren, and she was the target of virtually everyone. She had moments of weakness — her answers on health care are a real vulnerability — but she withstood the heat well enough.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (8/10) — She had a weak explanation for how she would pay for Medicare for All but seemed to gain her footing when it came to taxing the wealthy. She was grounded, compelling and assertive.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — Apart from her weird non-answers on Medicare and taxes, in her first front-runner debate, she was fine. But hardly untouchable, and not quite as great as her press coverage.

Michelle Goldberg (6/10) — I’m irritated by the demands that Warren give the right a talking point by saying she’ll raise middle-class taxes to pay for Medicare for All. But her inability to finesse those demands scares me to death.

Nick Kristof (8/10) — Strong on wealth tax, evasive on Medicare financing, inevitably took hits as others ganged up on her as the new front-runner.

Daniel McCarthy (8/10) — Bruised but unbeaten. Her health care plan attracted skepticism over how she intends to pay for it, but she kept her cool and knows what she wants to accomplish. She’s a candidate working-class America might go for, and she sounds like a Democrat.

Melanye Price (8/10) — She is unsinkable. They were all attacking her. She stood up to them without breaking a sweat.

Mimi Swartz (8/10) — She held her own again, didn’t get flustered and didn’t need to get lost in convoluted dodges. “Thank you, President Obama” did the job.

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — She came across as an academic mired in her usual talking points.

Pete Wehner (4/10) — In an era when politicians are despised she’s showing us that she’s a quintessential politician: evasive, canned, rehearsed. She feigned shock at the charge that she’s “punitive” toward billionaires and corporations. I’m not sure why.

Will Wilkinson (8/10) — Her stoutly poised defense against relentless attacks solidified the perception that the race is now Warren’s to lose. Refusing to say she’d raise taxes to pay for M4A hurt her in the debate but will help her in the race.

Bernie Sanders

Charles Blow (6/10) — Sanders is the dean of the stage. His legacy is secure. But it feels that his moment has passed. At times he felt like the Cal Naughton to Warren’s Ricky Bobby from “Talladega Nights”: His answers served only to help Warren. Slingshot!

Jamelle Bouie (9/10) — For a guy who just had a heart attack, Bernie was feisty, energetic and occasionally very funny. Not just the best performance of the night but probably his best debate performance thus far.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (9/10) — He was the toughest and most genuine candidate. His frustration with the state of health care, climate change and wealth inequality reflected the frustration of average Americans who are desperate for radical change.

Ross Douthat (7/10) — Seemed fit, vigorous, very much himself: More “with it” than Biden, more straightforward than Warren. And the AOC endorsement as the capper!

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — It’s nice to see that after his heart attack he’s exactly the same as ever.

Nick Kristof (6/10) — Admirable passion and authenticity. But didn’t resolve doubts about his age or stem the progressive drift to Warren.

Daniel McCarthy (7/10) — He has the same passion, same energy, same disregard for policy details as before the heart attack. And he was right to highlight his cooperation with Senator Mike Lee against the Saudi war in Yemen.

Melanye Price (6/10) — He needed to show Democratic voters that he was healthy enough to stay in the race. He did that by answering questions about his health head-on.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — Less crazy angry uncle and more kind angry uncle this time around. Sharper than Big Joe throughout.

Tanzina Vega (7/10) — He appeared lower on energy — though not on policy — than usual.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — This debate is the first time I think I’ve seen him smile. He also actually struck a grace note, and it happened in response to a question about his heart attack. The rest of the time he was the old Bernie.

Will Wilkinson (8/10) — Sanders did not seem a bit infarcted, made the case for tax hikes Warren studiously evaded, and drew blood in his dissenting account of Biden’s record of “getting things done.”

Pete Buttigieg

Charles Blow (6/10) — Buttigieg came raring for a fight. Sometimes he was smart and informed — in his exchange with Warren on health care. But at other times he came across as condescending — in his gun control exchange with O’Rourke. Buttigieg was the diet soda of the stage: a smart, responsible choice with an unpleasant aftertaste.

Jamelle Bouie (6/10) — If Buttigieg wasn’t as good as he was during the foreign policy segment this would be two points lower only because he lets people call him “Mayor Pete” onstage.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (5/10) — He did himself a huge disservice by trying to portray himself as potential commander in chief — he came across as cold, rehearsed and unnecessarily argumentative.

Ross Douthat (7/10) — Much improved, picked an effective fight with Warren early, helped his (shaky) case to be included in the Top 4.

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — Not sure why he got into a heated exchange with Beto. But he dominated on foreign policy, and he’s right about expanding the Supreme Court.

Nick Kristof (8/10) — Dazzling at his best, uneven in other answers. Made an effective case to moderates.

Daniel McCarthy (7/10) — Bizarre plan to pack the Supreme Court notwithstanding, he was the strongest Republican onstage. Not my kind of Republican, but the kind that Democrats might do well to welcome.

Melanye Price (3/10) — He’s not the Democratic wunderkind anymore.

Mimi Swartz (6/10) — He had to look like a grownup and did, for the most part. Smacked down Beto, sir, yes sir!

Tanzina Vega (8/10) — Mayor Pete was on fire tonight.

Pete Wehner (10/10) — He was terrific, from taking on Warren for her evasiveness to hammering O’Rourke, from his impassioned defense of American honor to his insistence that Democrats think beyond Trump. If Democrats were smart, they’d recognize the potential of his appeal. They probably won’t.

Will Wilkinson (8/10) — He went to the mat for moderation, waging precision attacks on pie-in-the-sky radicalism to his left. Gambling that “good enough” is good enough for Democratic voters isn’t a bad bet.

Amy Klobuchar

Charles Blow (4/10) — Still standing in the middle of the road watching the cars whiz by.

Jamelle Bouie (5/10) — She loves jokes and thinks your plans aren’t going to work. A candidate for conservative Democrats and NeverTrump Republicans and no one else.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (4/10) — She tried to paint herself as the perfect moderate but only appeared to want the world the way it is.

Ross Douthat (7/10) — Probably her best night, albeit still with some cringe one-liners. If there’s an opening for a credible non-Biden moderate, she helped herself. If.

Michelle Goldberg (8/10) — This was her best debate, especially on opioids, anti-trust and abortion rights.

Nick Kristof (9/10) — Her best debate so far. Feisty and effectively presented herself as a moderate alternative to Biden.

Daniel McCarthy (5/10) — She’s running to be Biden’s VP and made a good case for herself as a Democrat who can win red districts. She has more confidence and projects more competence than the other also-rans.

Melanye Price (1/10) — She is working so hard to win Republicans and Independents that she is losing Democrats.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — Much livelier, much feistier. But wow, that death ray stare!

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — She came out swinging, but she lacks that wow factor.

Pete Wehner (8/10) — She had her best debate by far. She took aim at Warren and hit the mark; at the close she spoke movingly about Senator McCain.

Will Wilkinson (7/10) — Klobuchar put in her strongest, liveliest performance to move up in the moderate lane. She gets a bit quavery when she’s passionate, though.

Cory Booker

Charles Blow (5/10) — I like Booker’s high-mindedness, but his head gets so far up in the clouds that he forgets that the fight is on the ground.

Jamelle Bouie (5/10) — Constantly admonishing the debaters about debating each other gets old very quick.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (5/10) — He spent more time trying to make the stage a “safe space” than articulating a vision for America. If he believes that a politics of passivity and “let’s just all get along” one-liners will keep him in the race, he is wrong.

Ross Douthat (6/10) — Solid as ever, still in search of a clear justification for why voters should choose him.

Michelle Goldberg (9/10) — He always excels at these things and it never seems to matter.

Nick Kristof (9/10) — Eloquent and unifying, and gets credit for raising child poverty. He lifted the debate.

Daniel McCarthy (3/10) — An echo, not a choice: outspoken on abortion, but no more so than others. He spent an inordinate amount of time lamenting the party’s in-fighting, i.e., its real debate. Is he running for school counselor?

Melanye Price (5/10) — Sometimes he seems more like a referee than a primary candidate.

Mimi Swartz (6/10) — Mr. Inspirational. Mr. Hopeful. Mr. Conciliatory. But how does he get to the next level? The Office of Reproductive Freedom?

Tanzina Vega (5/10) — He was both the peacemaker and the vegan.

Pete Wehner (4/10) — Robert Bork is “laughing in his sleep”? What an awkward, unfortunate line. An office for reproductive freedom? Uh, no. He also sounded pained that Democrats are criticizing Democrats in a presidential primary, which they do every four years.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — Booker ably performed the role of very concerned debate guidance counselor.

Kamala Harris

Charles Blow (5/10) — Something just isn’t jelling. Harris always has a couple of zingers in her quiver, but they just didn’t do it for me on this debate stage.

Jamelle Bouie (6/10) — At her best, Harris is as sharp as a Hattori Hanzo blade. And there were moments where she cut through questions with ease. But her exchange about Twitter with Warren was inexplicable and a real low point.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (5/10) — She thinks people of color are going to embrace her business-as-usual politics, vote against their own collective interests and forget her shameful prosecutorial record as long as she invokes Maya Angelou. She is misinformed.

Ross Douthat (4/10) — Her attempt to shame Warren over the question of whether Twitter should suspend Trump was just another weird choice in her candidacy’s weird decline.

Michelle Goldberg (5/10) — She didn’t get nearly enough time, which made her decision to dwell on Trump’s Twitter account all the more baffling.

Nick Kristof (5/10) — Some great answers but lost me by picking a fight over Trump tweets.

Daniel McCarthy (4/10) — When she spontaneously spoke out for abortion rights, she set herself apart with her passion and commitment. But mostly she sounds annoyed and affected. Discipline is her strength — she commands her facts and figures — but empathy is her weakness.

Melanye Price (4/10) — She is performing a version of powerful leadership that I don’t really buy.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — Even with sanded edges, she managed to hang tough. But like so many others, she needs a breakout issue.

Tanzina Vega (7/10) — Her use of the “she/her” pronoun when referring to the future president was suave.

Pete Wehner (4/10) — Good grief: She spoke as if kicking Trump off Twitter is now a national priority and the most important issue of her campaign. Her campaign continues to lose altitude — fast.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — Harris showed flashes of strength, but her intensity can collapse into a casualness both charming and weird. Her attack on Trump’s Twitter account was odd.

Joe Biden

Charles Blow (7/10) — Bless his heart. It feels like he’s just hanging on for dear life. At moments, it felt like he vanished, not just because it wasn’t his time to speak but because his aura of invincibility is flickering like a candle in a hurricane. But he yelled in his closing, so there’s that.

Jamelle Bouie (3/10) — At the halfway point I had Biden at about a 5 or 6 but then he tried to claim credit for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and yelled at Warren about it. It was one of the most unbecoming moments of the primary thus far.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (3/10) — Biden’s unintelligibility proved that he remains a logical choice only for Americans who prefer a figurehead statesman to a truly effective leader. America is moving on.

Ross Douthat (5/10) — Without the front-runner’s halo, he seemed to fade until a closing scrap with Sanders and Warren. Expect his poll numbers to be stable again.

Michelle Goldberg (6/10) — Seeing him struggling to express himself is deeply anxiety-provoking, like watching someone walk a tightrope drunk. What does “clipping coupons in the stock market” mean?

Nick Kristof (5/10) — Strong on foreign policy and always seems decent and honorable — but also rambling and unfocused. Didn’t fend off Senator Warren.

Daniel McCarthy (6/10) — He doesn’t drive the debate, doesn’t stand out for his ideas, struggles with words and struggles to explain his son’s foreign income. And “the most shameful thing” in recent foreign policy history would actually be the Iraq war that Biden voted for.

Melanye Price (3/10) — He casts himself as an old-school prize fighter, but he comes off as just old-school.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — He stayed in the game until the fourth quarter for the first time, with no record player references. Fielded Hunter questions well enough, but his last stab at Warren translated onscreen as “Listen here, little lady.”

Tanzina Vega (6/10) — His frustration with the current president was palpable. It’s the Joe Biden that older centrist Democrats like.

Pete Wehner (5/10) — He once again showed that he starts O.K. and gets worse — more confused and louder. Also, the fact of the matter is that “the fact of the matter” is a phrase that shouldn’t be used more than a dozen times in a debate.

Will Wilkinson (5/10) — He was peppy but often tongue-tied. His petulance in the late exchange with Warren drew an unfavorable contrast with her stinging restraint.

Julián Castro

Charles Blow (4/10) — He seemed chastened by the blowback from going after Biden in the last debate. But his non-confrontational style came across as cowed. He reverted to the “cordial candidate” I dubbed him when I interviewed him in December.

Jamelle Bouie (7/10) — Castro’s answer on gun violence and police violence was one of the most sophisticated things I’ve heard from a candidate. He’s been a solid, impressive debater, but too bad he isn’t doing better in the polls.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (4/10) — Castro was competent, clear and thoroughly uncompelling.

Ross Douthat (3/10) — The most unmemorable performance on the stage.

Michelle Goldberg (7/10) — “Police violence is also gun violence” was one of the more memorable lines of the night.

Nick Kristof (5/10) — Always smart, but less relevant in this debate.

Daniel McCarthy (2/10) — He’s charisma-deficient and made no mark on the debate. Yet he sets a benchmark for “garden-variety politician” that two others failed to meet.

Melanye Price (5/10) — His comment that “police violence is also gun violence” will resonate with many black and Latinx voters.

Mimi Swartz (7/10) — More thoughtful, more serious, less snippy, but still needs an issue to separate him from the pack.

Tanzina Vega (7/10) — He was the only candidate to mention Atatiana Jefferson, a black woman who was shot and killed in her home last weekend by a white police officer.

Pete Wehner (3/10) — It was his worst debate. He was flat and forgettable. Enough said.

Will Wilkinson (5/10) — A solid performance with a handful of strong responses, but he failed to make a mark.

Andrew Yang

Charles Blow (3/10) — I like to hear Yang explain his proposals, but in repeated tellings they feel more and more narrow. Like the “MATH” lapel pin.

Jamelle Bouie (7/10) — I personally think Yang is a shallow candidate whose only saving grace is his ability to stay on message. But he’s able to do that very well, and that’s not nothing.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (5/10) — He presented himself as a pragmatic and highly competent businessman, but America is not a start-up.

Ross Douthat (5/10) — I just fundamentally like him, but he’s probably wrong about the automation problem and since that’s his core pitch I can’t help getting frustrated.

Michelle Goldberg (4/10) — The Democratic National Committee really needs to tighten the qualifying rules for these debates.

Nick Kristof (6/10) — Leadership on economic malaise and on drug policy, but not obviously ready for the White House.

Daniel McCarthy (5/10) — Remember the 999 plan? Andrew Yang is this year’s Herman Cain, a somewhat likeable technocrat with one big, not-very-good idea. The rest of what he says is an Economist editorial.

Melanye Price (1/10) — He is very smart and asks interesting questions that would be fun to debate at a social gathering, but they’re not the kind of questions that make me want to vote for him.

Mimi Swartz (3/10) — Here’s the deal. I will have you to dinner and let you talk as long as you want if you will withdraw.

Tanzina Vega (5/10) — This one note candidate won’t cut through the congressional gridlock.

Pete Wehner (6/10) — He showed he’s got one of the most interesting, creative and idiosyncratic minds on the debate stage. Not only does he believe that we are in the Fourth Industrial Revolution; he is not going to let you forget it.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — Yang’s Freedom Dividend spiel has made U.B.I. an issue candidates must take a position on. He was a source of good sense on wealth taxes, but unnecessarily alienated faithful Bing users.

Beto O’Rourke

Charles Blow (5/10) — I still love O’Rourke on gun control, but he has to grow his national appeal.

Jamelle Bouie (4/10) — Very strange for Beto to go after his rivals for “dividing America” while simultaneously calling for gun confiscation and an end to tax exempt status for churches who disagree with his politics.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (6/10) — He proved he would be the perfect successor to Obama in the bygone era of the beloved Everyman politician who is concerned, but it is just that — bygone.

Ross Douthat (2/10) — To me, as unbearable as ever. Your response may be more positive, but then you’d be wrong.

Michelle Goldberg (4/10) — Seriously? You’re going to call Elizabeth Warren “punitive”?

Nick Kristof (5/10) — Eloquently reminded us that he’s an excellent candidate — for the Senate.

Daniel McCarthy (1/10) — Only his call for confiscating AR-15 and AK-47 rifles stands out. But he couldn’t say how he would even identify the gun owners, let alone how he would forcibly take their guns.

Melanye Price (3/10) — He lost important ground in the last debate because of his support for mandatory gun seizures. He couldn’t get any of it back.

Mimi Swartz (5/10) — It’s been a long road back, and he’s halfway there. But Elizabeth Warren? Punitive?

Tanzina Vega (5/10) — His place is really in Congress, not on the world stage.

Pete Wehner (4/10) — He preached unifying the country and reaching out to people who don’t agree with you within a week after he said that as president he’d target charities, churches and religious organizations for holding views different than his on same-sex marriage. One suggestion: Don’t use Spanish when you’re answering a question about Russia.

Will Wilkinson (6/10) — The Gen X conscience of the nation bested Mayor Pete in an earnestness showdown over gun control, but he doesn’t know how to close the sale.

Tulsi Gabbard

Charles Blow (2/10) — Hard pass. No ma’am …

Jamelle Bouie (2/10) — The best way to show the world you aren’t an apologist for Assad is not to robotically repeat the same pro-Assad phrase for five minutes.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (2/10) — It seems she should fully embrace her isolationist tendencies and distaste for mainstream media and run on the Republican ticket.

Ross Douthat (4/10) — Sought, and conspicuously didn’t find, a defining conflict with Warren to match her earlier blow to Harris. Her pronunciation of “Mayor Pete” was her best moment.

Michelle Goldberg (2/10) — You don’t prove you’re not an Assad apologist by robotically repeating his talking points. Why couldn’t she have boycotted?

Nick Kristof (2/10) — Not a player tonight and weak on Syria, but glad she (and Sanders) mentioned Yemen.

Daniel McCarthy (6/10) — You’d hardly think she was in the debate, but she got to repeat the phrase “regime-change wars.” She didn’t flinch from the implications of what opposing such wars means in Syria and confronts Democrats with an acid test of their antiwar bona fides, and most of them fail.

Melanye Price (1/10) — It’s hard to understand how she continues to meet the requirements to get on the debate stage.

Mimi Swartz (2/10) — Cool under fire, even when she sounded like a lunatic. But who brags about a friendship with Trey Gowdy?

Tanzina Vega (2/10) — She threatened to boycott the debate. She should have stayed home.

Pete Wehner (2/10) — She employed an odd debate strategy, which is to list all the negative things that others have said about her and then answer in an aggrieved tone. She also picked a weird moment to come to the defense of the Assad regime.

Will Wilkinson (4/10) — Gabbard shored up her status as Trump voters’ favorite Democrat.

Tom Steyer

Charles Blow (2/10) — I have appreciated Steyer’s drive against Donald Trump from the beginning, but why on earth is he running for president? As Keke Palmer would say, “sorry to this man.”

Jamelle Bouie (1/10) — Very clear why Steyer had to buy his way onto this stage.

Bianca Vivion Brooks (1/10) — I tried, but the idea that a hedge fund investor who effectively bought his way into this debate could have any legitimate commentary on issues like wealth inequality was laughable.

Ross Douthat (1/10) — Was it worth it, Tom? How much did you spend for this magic moment?

Michelle Goldberg (4/10) — His campaign is an idiotic waste of money that he could spend on actually helping to defeat Trump. At least he brought up climate change, an issue at least as important as Ellen’s friendship with George W. Bush.

Nick Kristof (5/10) — Much of what he said was smart, but just wasn’t really a player.

Daniel McCarthy (1/10) — Far from making a case for capitalism, he showcases the billionaire as conformist mediocrity.

Melanye Price (1/10) — It’s unfair to voters watching these overly-long debates to have a new player this late in the game.

Mimi Swartz (4/10) — O.K. but no.

Tanzina Vega (3/10) — Who? The lone billionaire on the stage that wants to be fair to workers and take on corporations. Pass.

Pete Wehner (2/10) — Donald Trump has already shown us that being a billionaire doesn’t qualify a person to be president. But just in case you forgot that, Tom Steyer decided to remind you on Tuesday night.

Will Wilkinson (5/10) — Living proof that billionaires who find billionaires problematic do exist. Fine, but what does he think he’s doing there?

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #42954 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:33:30 PM »

Quote from: nachobro on October 16, 2019, 02:24:51 PM

who could have expected some bullshit "fact checking" from a group funded by a Reagan admin billionaire?

FACT CHECK: FactCheck.org has won four Webby Awards in the Politics category, in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Occam · « **Reply #42955 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:34:51 PM »

I formatted it.

james · « **Reply #42956 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:38:36 PM »

Quote

Elizabeth Warren is now the clear front-runner, even if the polls are not there

THATS NOT HOW POLITICS WORKS!

team filler · « **Reply #42957 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:40:18 PM »

https://twitter.com/PolishPatriotTM/status/1184524515604418568

abc news annihilated

james · « **Reply #42958 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:50:15 PM »

Another roach caught running for the border

Quote

Fourth defendant in Giuliani associates’ case arrested at New York airport

David Correia, the fourth defendant in a campaign finance case involving business associates of President Trump’s personal lawyer Rudolph W. Giuliani, was arrested Wednesday morning at a New York City airport, officials said.

Correia has been charged with participating in a scheme to use foreign money to build political support for a fledgling recreational marijuana business in Nevada and other states, according to an indictment unsealed last week that also charged Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman with conspiracy and making false statements to campaign finance regulators.

The other three defendants were quickly arrested by the FBI, but Correia’s whereabouts have been unclear until Wednesday morning. Correia is expected to make a brief court appearance Wednesday, and all four defendants are due to appear before a judge Thursday morning.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/fourth-defendant-in-giuliani-associates-case-arrested-at-new-york-airport/2019/10/16/2c3ea19e-f024-11e9-89eb-ec56cd414732_story.html

For fucks sake, everyone knows you flee by land!

Joe Molotov · « **Reply #42959 on:** October 16, 2019, 02:51:46 PM »

Trump build the wall, now they can't get away.

News:

Author Topic: US Politics Thread |OT| SAD TRUMP (Read 7193358 times)