2020 US Presidential Election (aka: The Trump Coronation)

Overheal

His Press Secretary is the new poster child for mail in voting.

She goes to the podium to spew screed about MIV but has done so 11 times since she first started voting in 2010.

https://lawandcrime.com/2020-election/white-house-press-secretary-kayleigh-mcenany-blasts-vote-by-mail-but-has-voted-by-mail-at-least-11-times/

Kellyanne Conway, meanwhile, gaffed her way into admitting this fake mail in voting outrage is just to attack Biden

https://www.mediaite.com/news/kellyanne-conway-admits-opposition-to-mail-in-voting-is-to-hurt-biden-in-hilariously-incoherent-rant/

MadYaker

MadYaker wrote: »

Are Fox News not the press? Breitbart didn’t exist back then as far as I’m aware.

You don’t seem to think that trumps behaviour should have a bearing on how he is treated. I’m curious to know why that is?

No other US president has behaved the way he does.

They are the press. And I disagree with their obvious bias. Bias should have no place in news reporting.

George Bush ( jr and SR) were serial liars and were less than truthful in their pursuit of war. Obama was not as clean cut you seem to think he was, Clinton certainly was no Saint.

Trump is certainly an anomaly because of his use of social media and his engagement with the media (and the media's engagement with him).

Just because his idiosyncratic ways, doesn't mean that his actions are less or more nefarious than those of his predecessors.

It's a very strange time

walshb

Deleted User wrote: »

They are the press. And I disagree with their obvious bias. Bias should have no place in news reporting.

George Bush ( jr and SR) were serial liars and were less than truthful in their pursuit of war. Obama was not as clean cut you seem to think he was, Clinton certainly was no Saint.

Trump is certainly an anomaly because of his use of social media and his engagement with the media (and the media's engagement with him).

Just because his idiosyncratic ways, doesn't mean that his actions are less or more nefarious than those of his predecessors.

It's a very strange time

You can poke holes in any leader that led the U.S.

To not acknowledge and realise that Trump is so far removed from any sense of normalcy is just obtuseness. He is a complete outlier. A raging megalomaniac nut.

rossie1977

Deleted User wrote: »

I'm sorry...the press ripped him to shreds or fox news and breitbart did?

CNN, NY Times were extremely critical of him constantly.

We never heard the end of drone strikes, benghazi, emails, ruling by executive order from main stream press while Obama was president.

Trump has more executive orders, more luxury golf trips, more civilian deaths by drone strikes yet not a peep from msm.

For a full year the NY Times warned Obama not to sign ACA into law unless he had full Republican support. Trump and the Republicans try to ram a new health law in without anyone reading it and NYT don't say a word..

I remember that almost all other major outlets ridiculed (rightly so) the criticism of those.

Obama was far from clean cut. But he was glorified on talk shows and late night shows. He was in no way scrutinised in the same manner trump has been.

What personal scandals did Obama have prior to becoming president?

What real scandals occurred during Obamas presidency?

Not a single member of Obamas team was indicted let alone sent to prison during his 8 year term.. Whereas there have been 100 or so indictments for members of Trumps and a number of prison sentences in 3 years.

Trump is a gob****e. Absolutely. But to compare his treatment to any other political figure is absurd.

If Trump ran as a Democrat do you think he would be nominee or be president?

Do you think if bin Laden had been buried at sea with the doctored photo had happened in Trump's tenure that it would have been widely accepted?

If Trump had killed the most wanted man in US history he would have been declared the greatest human to ever live by his supporters, Republicans, right wing media and hailed an national hero by the rest of the press. No doubt in my mind.

The fact that you think the Dijon mustard "scandal" is comparable to anything trump has faced is proof for my argument and not yours.

No it proves that the opposite. A completely inconsequential thing like that or tan suit was a national scandal under Obama. With Trump sleeping with a porn star while his wife was pregnant and then paying to cover it up makes headlines for one day then forgotten about by the press.

If that was Obama I can't imagine the consequences. He certainly wouldn't have been president come the end of that week!

walshb

walshb wrote: »

You can poke holes in any leader that led the U.S.

To not acknowledge and realise that Trump is so far removed from any sense of normalcy is just obtuseness. He is a complete outlier. A raging megalomaniac nut.

I have acknowledged that trump is certainly a unique case. His treatment from, and use of, the media is unprecedented and is going to have repercussions for many years.

He is not a normal president. Yet he is the most transparent one we have seen. Whether that proves to be good or bad in the long term is unknown.

B00MSTICK

Deleted User wrote: »

Trump is a gob****e. Absolutely.

This is Trump's biggest issue. Trump is not a politician. He is not a good public speaker, he is not eloquent. He is crass and boorish. He speaks without thinking things through (no doubt this is part of his appeal to some).
He is, as you put it, a gob****e.

However, imagine for a second he wasn't.
Imagine he didn't take to Twitter in fits of rage, or post utter tripe constantly. Imagine he could keep to the script during briefings and had some tact/political guile.
Imagine he didn't do half the idiotic stuff he has done and wasn't a narcissist. Imagine he didn't call people names and engage in childish d**k waving contests.

Would he have the same scrutiny? What if his biggest faux pas was being fond of hamberders before bedtime. The world wouldn't care. The media might try and push it but people wouldn't care.

Back to reality and take the day after the inauguration - the whole "biggest crowd ever, bigger than Obama's" saga.
Was it a stupidly minor detail of no significance in the grand scheme of things? YES! but why even say it!? 100% unnecessary to comment on it at all but he can't help himself. Undoubtedly the media want to go after him, but he makes it so easy for it to happen and it makes the mental gymnastics his supporters have to perform that little bit more difficult.

If behind the scenes he acted exactly the same, pushed the same agendas and made the same decisions but just wasn't so completely unsuited to the position he'd get off much lighter.

I will agree that the media regardless of political bias will exaggerate the issues but at the same time we are unlikely to see someone as obviously ignorant as him on possibly either side at least in the short term.

Deleted User wrote: »

George Bush ( jr and SR) were serial liars and were less than truthful in their pursuit of war. Obama was not as clean cut you seem to think he was, Clinton certainly was no Saint.

I have no doubt that they did some seriously shady, morally dubious and self serving acts but at least they hid it! Much more difficult to run a story when there isn't a recorded press conference or Tweet incriminating yourself.
Very much a case of "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt."

duploelabs

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I have acknowledged that trump is certainly a unique case. His treatment from, and use of, the media is unprecedented and is going to have repercussions for many years.

He is not a normal president. Yet he is the most transparent one we have seen. Whether that proves to be good or bad in the long term is unknown.

Transparency is definitely not Trump's forte, exactly how many witnesses did he block during the impeachment trial? Why do you think he did that considering 'he is the most transparent one we have seen'

PropJoe10

Deleted User wrote: »

I have acknowledged that trump is certainly a unique case. His treatment from, and use of, the media is unprecedented and is going to have repercussions for many years.

He is not a normal president. Yet he is the most transparent one we have seen. Whether that proves to be good or bad in the long term is unknown.

Are you having a laugh? Tax returns? Impeachment trial witnesses? He's transparent alright, but not in the way that you seem to be suggesting.

Kermit.de.frog

What a man child

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0527/1143066-trump-social-media/

Quin_Dub

notobtuse wrote: »

In the US...



https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/05/26/coronavirus-death-toll-is-heavily-concentrated-in-democratic-congressional-districts/

Mother nature trying to tell us something regarding survival of the fittest, or simply something a campaign will use in the lead up to the election?

Might it be more likely due to the fact that Urban areas are far more likely to be impacted by a Pandemic over Rural areas and that in the US , Urban areas tend to vote Democrat?


The Lowest 10% are all in the back-ass of nowhere - It's got nothing to do with Republicans doing something better than Democrats , certainly not at the congressional district level.

walshb

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What a man child

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0527/1143066-trump-social-media/

Yes....

Like I said....a madman running wild........this is what the U.S. have in charge...

MadYaker

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I have acknowledged that trump is certainly a unique case. His treatment from, and use of, the media is unprecedented and is going to have repercussions for many years.

He is not a normal president. Yet he is the most transparent one we have seen. Whether that proves to be good or bad in the long term is unknown.

Ok now you have to be taking the piss. I get the feeling this is the first us president you’ve paid any attention to because that’s the only way you could believe that to be the case.

MadYaker

MadYaker wrote: »

Ok now you have to be taking the piss. I get the feeling this is the first us president you’ve paid any attention to because that’s the only way you could believe that to be the case.

Sorry, I can see how my use of the word transparency may have been wrong. What I meant was that he has no filter, is unapologetic for his behaviour etc

I was in no way saying that he was transparent with regards tax records etc.

It was a poor choice of words on my part.

irishproduce

Kermit.de.frog wrote: »

What a man child

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0527/1143066-trump-social-media/

He is seriously concerned by the actions of Twitter targeting his posts to undermine him.
He would never have been able to get a fair shake to reach out to his voters from the MSM and so by using Twitter he bypassed them and communicated directly to his people. The fact he had twitter available is one of the most significant points on his journey to be president. Whatever about the ridiculousness of some of his posts, at least they're not being mangled by the MSM as far as he is concerned.
Now twitter are targeting his posts to undermine him, he was always likely to react.
Twitter operate with the privelage of the grace from state protection from things like legal responsibility for content they host on platform.

I think this is a warning shot to the social media liberals to be honest. A warning that you operate with loose enough restrictions on your activity because the state allows it.
Interfere in social activity such as undermining the conservative voice, means you will be challenged.

I'd be of conservative persuasion myself. And I'm aware the social media space is full of liberals. I'm ok with that. They tend to be progressive and creative and bring better innovation.
However, when they overstep the mark, in the pursuit of their social objectives, it's good that he's there to challenge them.
And challenge them he will.

Messing with him could cost them a fortune and lost resources. They need to be more careful meddling in stuff like high end politics.

Quin_Dub

irishproduce wrote: »

He is seriously concerned by the actions of Twitter targeting his posts to undermine him.
He would never have been able to get a fair shake to reach out to his voters from the MSM and so by using Twitter he bypassed them and communicated directly to his people. The fact he had twitter available is one of the most significant points on his journey to be president. Whatever about the ridiculousness of some of his posts, at least they're not being mangled by the MSM as far as he is concerned.
Now twitter are targeting his posts to undermine him, he was always likely to react.
Twitter operate with the privelage of the grace from state protection from things like legal responsibility for content they host on platform.

I think this is a warning shot to the social media liberals to be honest. A warning that you operate with loose enough restrictions on your activity because the state allows it. Interfere in social activity such as undermining the conservative voice, means you will be challenged.

I'd be of conservative persuasion myself. And I'm aware the social media space is full of liberals. I'm ok with that. They tend to be progressive and creative and bring better innovation. However, when they overstep the mark, in the pursuit of their social objectives, it's good that he's there to challenge them.
And challenge them he will.

Messing with him could cost them a fortune and lost resources. They need to be more careful meddling in stuff like high end politics.

It really isn't though - The Ratio of Left/Right/Centre on Social Media or anywhere else is about the same as the ratio "in the wild" as it were.

It's the same with the "Main Stream Media" thing - It's main stream for a reason , because it's how most people think.

In the US context , "Conservatives" complain that their stuff isn't as widely seen as "Liberal" stuff - There's a simple reason for that , it's simply just not as popular - It's not a systemic filtration or blacklisting or any of the other Conspiracy theories out there.

Business delivers what the market demands - If there was a large body of people or opinions out there that weren't being represented then someone would offer the Service so they could make money off them.

irishproduce

irishproduce wrote: »

He is seriously concerned by the actions of Twitter targeting his posts to undermine him.
He would never have been able to get a fair shake to reach out to his voters from the MSM and so by using Twitter he bypassed them and communicated directly to his people. The fact he had twitter available is one of the most significant points on his journey to be president. Whatever about the ridiculousness of some of his posts, at least they're not being mangled by the MSM as far as he is concerned.
Now twitter are targeting his posts to undermine him, he was always likely to react.
Twitter operate with the privelage of the grace from state protection from things like legal responsibility for content they host on platform.

I think this is a warning shot to the social media liberals to be honest. A warning that you operate with loose enough restrictions on your activity because the state allows it.
Interfere in social activity such as undermining the conservative voice, means you will be challenged.

I'd be of conservative persuasion myself. And I'm aware the social media space is full of liberals. I'm ok with that. They tend to be progressive and creative and bring better innovation.
However, when they overstep the mark, in the pursuit of their social objectives, it's good that he's there to challenge them.
And challenge them he will.

Messing with him could cost them a fortune and lost resources. They need to be more careful meddling in stuff like high end politics.

I agree to a point.

I think twitter took a very huge misstep in deciding to flag tweets by trump. That has set a precedent which is undeniably going to cause them huge ramifications. As I pointed out yesterday, comments about issues such as transgenderism, gender identity, religion and a plethora of other things sit within the remit of unverifiable.

Do I think the president of America should be using Twitter the way he does? No.

Do I think he should be held to a higher standard? I'm not sure but I'd err on the side of caution and say yes.

Social media, if it has rules, the rules should apply to everyone. Regardless of status, occupation, nationality, sexuality. The decision to mark trump's posts as needing a fact check is unnecessarily opening them up to accusations of bias.

I think trump's use of twitter is wrong and a president should be above firing warning shots (I feel the need to repeat that before I am labelled a trump supporter again) but twitter have **** the bed here.

Quin_Dub

Quin_Dub wrote: »

It really isn't though - The Ratio of Left/Right/Centre on Social Media or anywhere else is about the same as the ratio "in the wild" as it were.

It's the same with the "Main Stream Media" thing - It's main stream for a reason , because it's how most people think.

In the US context , "Conservatives" complain that their stuff isn't as widely seen as "Liberal" stuff - There's a simple reason for that , it's simply just not as popular - It's not a systemic filtration or blacklisting or any of the other Conspiracy theories out there.

Business delivers what the market demands - If there was a large body of people or opinions out there that weren't being represented then someone would offer the Service so they could make money off them.

I disagree. I think you'll find that most people are led by the media into thinking that the opinion they espouse is the most common opinion and people fall into line and pretend that that is the way they feel too, and will parrot common talking points online.

The media has an agenda and it isn't coincidence that most mainstream media all spout the same rhetoric. It isn't because what the public want to hear, it's because the public become conditioned to hearing.

But in private they have different opinions but don't want to be ostracized by promoting their beliefs.

That's why in my opinion every opinion poll had trump losing in 2016 by a landslide. People were afraid to admit they would vote for him because of his daily slaughter from "news" programmes and late night talk show monologues

Montage of Feck

Current Democratic party policies aren't much different from Bush snr., the real shift in American politics is from the Republicans into the loony fringes.

notobtuse

Who knew Twitter was run by a bunch of heevahavas.

In one fell swoop they not only destroyed their protection under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act that provides platforms like Twitter immunity from liability for what users post on the platform, they brought the wrath of the President of the US down upon on them for their highly questionable and subjective ‘fact-check.'

Twitter should have looked at the lawsuit brought by Republican National Committee (RNC), the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), and the California Republican Party against Governor Gavin Newsom of California for illegally capitalizing on the coronavirus crisis to unilaterally change California voting laws, and 'cited many experts and news reports demonstrating the abuse vote by mail enables.' The GOP makes a strong case in the lawsuit. Hell, Twitter probably did but Trump Derangement Syndrome must have caused them to act in haste without any clear thinking. (I wonder if Twitter can use the temporary insanity defense when the libel lawsuits start coming in?)

Trump has tweeted he will not allow Twitters interference in the 2020 Presidential election to happen.

“[Twitter] is now interfering in the 2020 Presidential Election. They are saying my statement on Mail-In Ballots, which will lead to massive corruption and fraud, is incorrect, based on fact-checking by Fake News CNN and the Amazon Washington Post. Twitter is completely stifling FREE SPEECH, and I, as President, will not allow it to happen!”

“Republicans feel that Social Media Platforms totally silence conservatives voices. We will strongly regulate, or close them down, before we can ever allow this to happen. We saw what they attempted to do, and failed, in 2016. We can’t let a more sophisticated version of that happen again,” he tweeted. “Just like we can’t let large scale Mail-In Ballots take root in our Country. It would be a free for all on cheating, forgery and the theft of Ballots. Whoever cheated the most would win. Likewise, Social Media. Clean up your act, NOW!!!!”

There is not much Trump can probably do to Twitter unless the laws governing Twitter are changed, which requires an act of Congress. But Trump can use the bully pulpit to encourage people to now sue Twitter for libel as they’ve destroyed their Section 230 protection. So unless Twitter starts to fact-check all ‘questionable’ political tweets, and not just ones from conservatives and republicans, they’re in for a world of hurt.



In related news I’ll be voting in our primary next week, and I’ll be doing so IN-PERSON, not by mail. So hurry up and get your digs in against me quickly because by voting in-person it’s inevitable I’ll contract COVID19 and die... or so says our lovely liberal democrats governors, who think they’re kings and queens and disregard the fact that governors do not have the authority to change election laws because that responsibility rests with their legislatures.

amdublin

notobtuse wrote: »

..... because by voting in-person it’s inevitable I’ll contract COVID19 and die... or so says our lovely liberal democrats governors, who think they’re kings and queens and disregard the fact that governors do not have the authority to change election laws because that responsibility rests with their legislatures.

A shot of bleach with your morning covfefe, you'll be grand

Overheal

Voting in person because Trump told you mail in votes were bad. Trump does it. His people do it. But you have to do it to prove some grand point: to own the libs.

Lmao

notobtuse

Deleted User wrote: »

I agree to a point.

I think twitter took a very huge misstep in deciding to flag tweets by trump. That has set a precedent which is undeniably going to cause them huge ramifications. As I pointed out yesterday, comments about issues such as transgenderism, gender identity, religion and a plethora of other things sit within the remit of unverifiable.

Do I think the president of America should be using Twitter the way he does? No.

Do I think he should be held to a higher standard? I'm not sure but I'd err on the side of caution and say yes.

Social media, if it has rules, the rules should apply to everyone. Regardless of status, occupation, nationality, sexuality. The decision to mark trump's posts as needing a fact check is unnecessarily opening them up to accusations of bias.

I think trump's use of twitter is wrong and a president should be above firing warning shots (I feel the need to repeat that before I am labelled a trump supporter again) but twitter have **** the bed here.

Trump uses Twitter perfectly. In the past republicans had to deal and placate to the democrat loving mainstream media in order to get any positive stories and information out. Twitter allows Trump to bypass the biased media who hates him, and go directly to the public in a humorous and informative manner. And it causing the democrat’s media handmaidens heads to collectively explode.

Trump is probably is somewhat of a political genius because he has done something that no other republican was able to accomplish before him... get his message out without the biased and hateful media middleman. He has taught republicans how to fight in the modern era. Not bad for a political novice... Not bad at all.

notobtuse

amdublin wrote: »

A shot of bleach with your morning covfefe, you'll be grand

Maybe... It beats the need for Advil and Tums from reading the majority of posts here.

extra gravy

notobtuse wrote: »

and go directly to the public in a humorous and informative manner.

Trump is probably is somewhat of a political genius

Hahaha thanks for the chuckle!

TheRepentent

President Turd is gunning for twitter now cos they pulled him up on the sh1te he posts. Would love it if they would properly enforced their policies and kick the muppet of the platform.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0527/1143066-trump-social-media/

notobtuse

TheRepentent wrote: »

President Turd is gunning for twitter now cos they pulled him up on the sh1te he posts. Would love it if they would properly enforced their policies and kick the muppet of the platform.

https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2020/0527/1143066-trump-social-media/

How many liberals, democrats and progressives has Twitter 'fact-checked?'

Overheal

notobtuse wrote: »

How many liberals, democrats and progressives has Twitter 'fact-checked?'

You tell us?

notobtuse

notobtuse wrote: »

Trump uses Twitter perfectly. In the past republicans had to deal and placate to the democrat loving mainstream media in order to get any positive stories and information out. Twitter allows Trump to bypass the biased media who hates him, and go directly to the public in a humorous and informative manner. And it causing the democrat’s media handmaidens heads to collectively explode.

Trump is probably is somewhat of a political genius because he has done something that no other republican was able to accomplish before him... get his message out without the biased and hateful media middleman. He has taught republicans how to fight in the modern era. Not bad for a political novice... Not bad at all.

I suppose my main issue with his use of twitter is that it comes across as childish at times and gives his opposition ammunition to fire such accusations at him.

It further drives a wedge between the two sides.

I do understand however that it does seem an effective and almost exclusive way to bypass the bias of the outlets that choose to paint anything and everything he says in a negative light so I admit it's a dual edged sword.

I'd prefer it not to be this way but I am aware that because of the way media (both social and traditional) operate, it is something that is here to stay.

Politics, politicians and the media have always been dirty, it just seems even more obvious due to the actions of all concerned.

Calling trump a genius is a little hyperbolic but there is no denying that in the face of his treatment by the media, he is playing his hand as well he could.

ancapailldorcha

notobtuse wrote: »

How many liberals, democrats and progressives has Twitter 'fact-checked?'

How many have they had to fact check? How many of them have made such stupid claims as thinking that injecting bleach is a good way to deal with a viral infection.

Quin_Dub

Deleted User wrote: »

I disagree. I think you'll find that most people are led by the media into thinking that the opinion they espouse is the most common opinion and people fall into line and pretend that that is the way they feel too, and will parrot common talking points online.

The media has an agenda and it isn't coincidence that most mainstream media all spout the same rhetoric. It isn't because what the public want to hear, it's because the public become conditioned to hearing.

But in private they have different opinions but don't want to be ostracized by promoting their beliefs.

That's why in my opinion every opinion poll had trump losing in 2016 by a landslide. People were afraid to admit they would vote for him because of his daily slaughter from "news" programmes and late night talk show monologues

But they simply didn't - That's just another Trump talking point as part of the war on the media and facts. The polls didn't get the result wrong just like he didn't win by a landslide.

In the early stages Clinton had a solid lead that Trump steadily closed and the last rounds of polls just before the election were pretty much spot on in terms of Votes captured Nation-wide and given that the differential between the two was within the margin of error they were quite accurate.

You can see the historical data here

The suggestion that the polls were inaccurate is just plain wrong , not dissimilar to the same incorrect viewpoints about the Brexit result.