This word from the anonymous New York Times op-ed may prove Mike Pence wrote it

[Gothmog]

Link to tweet

[Blue Owl]

1. That's the mother lode

n/t

[C_U_L8R]

2. Fascinating.

I've never used the word 'lodestar' in my life - so I know I didn't write that op-ed.

[Funtatlaguy]

6. Me either and I love words. Like Trump, I have lots of them.

[C_U_L8R]

9. The best ones, I'm sure :-)

[hlthe2b]

3. Highly rec reading entire rawstory article... compelling...

Well, if it is Pence, I guess he gets points for writing it, loses most of them for doing so anonymously, and even more for the self-serving motivations that are likely at least partially in play.

Still, he has a few points earned, I think.

[oberliner]

7. It's not a Raw Story article - it's a series of tweets from Dan Bloom

[hlthe2b]

16. Did you REALLY just post that? (eyeroll big time). The link is at the bottom of the tweet

and is to an entire article that yes includes the tweets. Rawstory is a news aggregator after all:
the embedded link is https://www.rawstory.com/2018/09/word-anonymous-new-york-times-op-ed-may-prove-mike-pence-wrote/#.W5BjyF72xQo.twitter

[oberliner]

24. The link is to a series of tweets

Raw Story often takes someones tweets and strings them together - puts on a clickbait headline - and gets people to click on their garbage website.

The totality of what is in the Raw Story "article" is a series of tweets from Dan Bloom.

[hlthe2b]

25. I'm not awarding Rawstory a pulitzer. As I said it is an article based on those tweets

and includes discussion/content not contained within the tweets--thus an article.

Obviously you have a hangup with Raw story and other news aggregators Fine. I don't necessarily disagree, but get a grip, oberliner. This is hardly something to jump all over me or some other Duer about.

[yardwork]

14. I am completely unimpressed with the op-ed.

I read it. It's a bunch of drivel. Self-congratulatory, self-justifying, Republican normalizing, greedy drivel. Full of praise for destruction of the environment, theft of wealth from the people to the very richest, and all the other "good" things the writer praises.

It's impossible for me to describe the nausea I feel at this piece of drivel.

[hlthe2b]

19. Its value is that it makes it harder for admin to write off the claims in the Woodward book

[yardwork]

20. How does that help us?

[hlthe2b]

22. Do you honestly not think there might not be some fence-sitting indies who will be freaked out by

this and just might be even more convinced they need to vote for Dems in the midterms?

How can anything that shows an emerging consensus that Trump is unfit for the office be unhelpful?

[yardwork]

27. I see it as normalizing the Republicans.

It's the beginning of the Republican Party distancing themselves from Trump, now that they have everything they wanted.

[hlthe2b]

28. that is an issue that concerns me too, but I disagree on it being the point here.

[yardwork]

31. I think it's the whole reason for the op-ed piece.

[hlthe2b]

21. well, it obviously wasn't written by anyone who leans dem/progressive as would be expected.

[oberliner]

4. Pence doesn't write his own speeches

[unblock]

10. That's covered in the article. He's used it earlier

[oberliner]

26. It's not an article

It's a guy tweeting.

And Pence doesn't write his own speeches. All of the times he is cited in the tweets using the word are from pre-written speeches and statements, not written by him.

[unblock]

41. Well, he notes that he's been using the word as far back as 2001,

And his current speechwriter is new as of last year. So he's used it through more than one speechwriter.

[uponit7771]

5. Mathew's just mentioned the "lodestar" word in passing. Pence looks sleazy, wouldn't doubt he's ...

... stabbing Red Don in the back wanting to distance himself from the Kremlin KKKlan

[unblock]

8. Alternatively, it would be a great way to frame pence.

Though it's not likely anyone in the White House is anywhere near that clever....

[C_U_L8R]

17. Interesting. Could be.

It's such a glaring identifier - someone actually trying to be anonymous might not use such unique language.

[KayF]

33. I've heard they actually do this

that sources in this White House word their quotes to sound like other people. Insanity.

[wishstar]

11. "Lodestar" was used by Kissinger in describing McCain at the funeral, so does not prove Pence

Several Trump Admin officials attended or watched the funeral and would have heard that term lodestar, so just because Pence used it in a speech is no proof that he wrote the editorial

[GusBob]

12. Pence wouldn't go to the NYT and they wouldn't take him

No way.

Someone picked the word up at McCains funeral

In fact McCains funeral caused this

[whathehell]

32. They would certainly "take" the Vice President of the United States.

Not sure where you're getting that one.

[GusBob]

36. They wouldn't take an op Ed from him. No way

[whathehell]

37. Your reasoning?

[GusBob]

38. Conflict of interest

Trump goes, Pence gets in

No way they want any part of that

Pence didn't write it anyway

[whathehell]

39. "Pence didn't do it anyway"

You know this how?

[GusBob]

46. Well if the Vice President of the United States came to the NYT

With this information, do you honestly believe they would keep it secret?

Just because of one word people are saying Pence

Pence would have gone to Fox News for cover. If it was Pence trying to get the job, that would be a coup.

[Gothmog]

50. Here's Pence saying #Lodestar eight times, going back to 2001. I'm just saying!

Link to tweet

[torius]

13. just misdirection n/t

[dsc]

15. It can't be him unless the Times is being dishonest about why anonymity was granted

Pence can't lose his job.

[marybourg]

18. There are computer programs

that compare anonymous writings to attributed writings.

[madinmaryland]

23. FUCK PENCE. He is nearly as deep into this SHIT as tRump is.

FUCK PENCE. He needs to be exiled to Russia as quickly as tRump.

[TwistOneUp]

29. Hear here!

Pence has his own deep shit regarding his adventures in Guatemala with funding regime change and abuse of office. I wouldn't put it past him to do an "Et tu, Brutus" moment, tho...

[Nay]

42. Yeah, that -- plus if Pence is so goddamned worried, why doesn't he start impeachment

proceedings, one of the two ways we can get rid of the orange asshole?? If Pence DID write that, then he's an effin' coward for not doing the one thing he could actually do that would make a difference.

[oasis]

30. Naw. He'd be below my top 20 picks as the person. nt

[Me.]

34. Red Herring?

[NightWatcher]

43. A shiny object for us to chase

[Jersey Devil]

54. You don't have to be too tricky to throw "lodestar" in to make people jump

The op ed was well written and anyone who can write that well certainly also knows how to throw in a little hip swivel to throw off the tacklers.

[Me.]

55. Exactly

there's been a lot of that going on

[oldtime dfl_er]

35. Somewhere in the back of my mind

I recall someone - was it Bannon? -- saying they often used words and phrases in tweets, memos, etc of other people so that those other people would get fingered for something Bannon (or whoever) said. Anyone else recall this?

[Sedona]

40. It can't be Pence, he can't be fired

NYT says

"The Times today is taking the rare step of publishing an anonymous Op-Ed essay. We have done so at the request of the author, a senior official in the Trump administration whose identity is known to us and whose job would be jeopardized by its disclosure. "

Pence would have to be impeached. Trump can't fire him.

[phylny]

44. Smart! n/t

[GusBob]

47. The op-Ed claims to be written by a "political appointee"

Is Pence such?

[Gothmog]

49. But does pence know that he cannot be fired?

[Sedona]

56. I'm sure the NYT does... nt

[malaise]

45. Tweety said that too n/t

[Gothmog]

48. From my twitter feed

Link to tweet

[dchill]

51. If it's Pence, then I agree with Trump!

He should resign.

[empedocles]

52. Pence in the VP slot easier to knock out with charges

then the next in line successor to the POTUS.

[cwydro]

53. If I was trying to hide my identity in a written piece-

I would use words and style associated with others.

[enid602]

57. Pray for Pence

Poor Pence. I can’t imagine what Trump will do to him once this sets in. I sure hope ole Pence is clean, as Trump will likely air any dirty laundry.

[Gothmog]

58. Omarosa says explosive NY Times op-ed came from Pence's Office in extremely combative radio intervie

Link to tweet