where the fuck was the media when Santos was running for office

[gopiscrap]

also where the fuck was his opponents oppositional research while he was/she was campaigning against Santos

[onecaliberal]

1. It ran in local media.

[herding cats]

4. One local paper, right?

They didn't have it all but they did have some. That plus an editorial in something, maybe Newsweek?

I'm thinking I read this in the NYT as an attempt at a mea culpa?

Does this sound accurate?

[onecaliberal]

6. It ran in the Times, and either Chris or Lawrence were talking about how local Dems

Were trying to get the media attention before the election. One problem is the fraud on the right is so widespread and the investigative media is so sparse of not interested in reporting the facts.

[tenderfoot]

2. Yammering on about gas prices, crime, Hershel Walker, the red wave.

They knew.

[dem4decades]

5. If it was anything like our local news it was all about inflation.

The price of turkeys, and that kind of bullshit.

[TheRealNorth]

9. Yup

Because the media thinks help putting a con artist into power is going to fix inflation.

[Tetrachloride]

3. the local or state Democratic party was out to lunch

Any Google search should have found the story

or

they had the story and ate their lunch.

[W_HAMILTON]

18. You are very wrong.

The Democratic Party and his Democratic challenger did uncover all of this and published essentially all of their oppo research on the guy.

Problem is, no one in the media -- and apparently the constituents of his district -- didn't give a damn at the time.

So, the actual answer is the one you failed to list: Democrats did their due diligence and raised a stink, but those in the media -- as they so often do -- chose to run with the Republican-driven manufactured narratives rather than report on actual news of this crazed pathological liar in the lead-up to the midterms.

[lapucelle]

19. I worked the Nassau County congressional races.

In our talking points we made the case for Bob Zimmerman and warned voters about Santos's sketchy background.

One local newspaper covered the oppo research in depth. It wound up endorsing Zimmerman despite the fact that it has a long record of generally endorsing Republicans.

The Leader Told You So: US Rep-Elect George Santos is a Fraud - and Wanted Criminal

In a story first broken by the North Shore Leader over four months ago, the national media has suddenly discovered that US Congressman-elect George Santos (R-Queens / Nassau) - dubbed "George Scam-tos" by many local political observers - is a deepfake liar who has falsified his background, assets, and contacts. He is fact a wanted petty criminal in Brazil.

The New York Times published a lengthy expose on Santos this week detailing that virtually everything Santos has said, filed and published about himself is a lie.

Santos claims to be a "wealthy man" in corporate finance, who owns mansions in Oyster Bay and the Hamptons; was a graduate of Baruch College and attended New York University; lost four co-workers in the 2016 mass shooting at the Pulse gay nightclub massacre; has millions in cash assets - and even spoke at local Synagogues claiming he is Jewish. All lies.

Instead, Santos is a really just a petty criminal from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is currently wanted in Brazil on criminal charges of committing elder fraud and check forgery. He stole checkbooks from the elderly patients of his late mother - who was a home healthcare nurse - and forged the checks to steal merchandise, according to prosecutors in Brazil.

https://www.theleaderonline.com/single-post/the-leader-told-you-so-us-rep-elect-george-santos-is-a-fraud-and-wanted-criminal
https://www.theleaderonline.com/single-post/endorsement-robert-zimmerman-for-us-congress-ny3
https://www.theleaderonline.com/single-post/santos-filings-now-claim-net-worth-of-11-million

[RockRaven]

7. From what I've seen elsewhere on DU, local media and the opponent both spoke out about

some of his bullshittery. Nobody cared to listen or repeat the issues they raised, apparently.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. +1

[Laura PourMeADrink]

10. But they said the standard is what I read, that he was a bad

R

Not like he was a lunatic crazy liar?

And D opp research didn't uncover the magnitude.

So what happens in NY? Do they put another R in?

We may be better off with nutcase?

[purr-rat beauty]

11. well....what do you expect?

they waited until he was a REAL story.

they don't care if he won or lost (psst, they wanted him to win)

[myohmy2]

12. they...

...were sucking his ass...

...the corporate media loves sucking MAGAt puke ass...

...would you want to upset the billionaires...?

...

[SoCalDavidS]

13. The NY Democratic Party Was As Deficient As The FL Democratic Party nt

[TheRealNorth]

15. That is becoming my impression as well....

The only difference is that NY is a 60-40 state, and Democrats can lose 10 points and still manage to win statewide.

But yeah, someone better check the head of the fish to see if there is any rotting, because its beginning to smell.

[lapucelle]

29. What does that even mean?

This part:

But yeah, someone better check the head of the fish to see if there is any rotting, because its beginning to smell.

[TheRealNorth]

30. It means....

Whenever a institution/body of people/association begins to become dysfunctional and/or corrupt, the cause is usually the people at the top.

[lapucelle]

33. In what way is the Nassau County Democratic Committee dysfunctional and/or corrupt?

I'm asking as a member.

[W_HAMILTON]

20. Maybe so, but not because of this.

As has been stated elsewhere and MULTIPLE TIMES when people make this same accusation against Democrats regarding the Santos situation, the Democrats (and his Democratic challenger) did their job and knew all about this man's pathological lies prior to the election. So, what was the problem? As is often the case, the media who refused to report on it then like they are finally reporting on it now.

[lapucelle]

28. Here in NY, DSA and WFP are pushing the "blame the Democratic Party,

not the Republicans and press" narrative.

[TheRealNorth]

32. If party leaders in NY....

Knew that Santos was corrupt, yet failed to make that an issue, then that seems to be failure of the Campaign and/or Party.

You can't rely on the MSM to do your opposition research for you. Investigative Reporting is mostly dead.

[lapucelle]

36. We did our opposition research. We published the 87 page document on line

the day after the primary (August 23).

On August 23, we also sent press releases notifying the media of the availability of the oppo research document.

In the press release, we included a bulleted list of instances of Santo's dishonesty and gaps in his resume. We included a link to the oppo research document.

Local party officials and Bob Zimmerman repeatedly spoke to their contacts in the media throughout the campaign, trying to get some traction for the North Shore Leader stories and the oppo research document.

Bob Zimmerman tweeted the Northshore Leader stories (with links) throughout the campaign.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here's what grunts like me did on the ground:

We sent out mailers that included the oppo research bullet points.

When we trained phone bankers, we included talking points concerning Santos's dishonesty and sketchy background.

When we knocked on doors, we made the case for Zimmerman and the case against Santos.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[RainCaster]

14. Asleep at the wheel

[lapucelle]

16. I worked the ground game for that race.

Zimmerman's campaign retweeted all of the North Shore Leader's stories about Santos.

The oppo book was available online on August 23. Zimmerman's campaign sent a press release with highlights to local, regional, and national outlets that same day. The Zimmerman campaign continued to alert press contacts throughout the general election campaign.

The press wasn't interested. They were pushing their their CRIME! CRIME! CRIME! story line, and besides, they were convinced that Santos wouldn't win. The media was as negligent in this instance as they were during the 2016 general.

Here are two interesting reads for some background on how a complacent press helped get Santos elected.

George Santos and How Opposition Research Really Works

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/22/opinion/george-santos-oppo-research-dccc.html

A tiny paper broke the George Santos scandal but no one paid attention

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2022/12/29/north-shore-leader-santos-scoop/

[lapucelle]

17. In August 2022, the DCCC published its 87 page oppo research book on George Santos.

It was posted online immediately following Santos's August 23 primary win and available to anyone who bothered to access it.

In addition, the DSCC issued a press release the same day that highlighted key findings of the oppo research team, including Santos's failure to file requisite financial disclosure documents, his multiple evictions, his ties to the Harbor City Capital ponzi scheme, and his unexplained post-2020 dramatic increase in personal wealth.

Both the Republican Party and the media careerists have been very busy pointing fingers at the Democratic Party, as if we are the ones responsible for the candidacy of George Santos and the failure to report (and further investigate) candidate Santos's shady background.

And for some reason, folks keep insisting that New York Democrats are to blame

https://dccc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/George-Santos-Research-Book.pdf
https://dccc.org/the-case-against-george-santos/

[W_HAMILTON]

22. Yep. And the only reason it is gaining traction now is because the media finally decided to care.

People should stop blaming Democrats and put the blame where it squarely belongs: Republicans for nominating this pathological lying piece of shit and the media for refusing to report on his many lies back then. And probably some blame should go to the constituents of that district as well, since the information was out there, just not as easily and readily found then as it is now because, once again, the media finally decided his lies were worth reporting.

[lapucelle]

27. Thank you for this.

A few times when I was canvassing, voters actually said to me "If he (Santos) was involved in crooked deals, why isn't it on the news?"

[TheRealNorth]

35. But isn't part of an election campaign....

To define the issues and/or problems with your opponent. Instead of relying on the media to do it for you?

[lapucelle]

37. What makes you think we Nassau Democrats did not do that? N/T

[UTUSN]

21. The NY Post was busy on Hunter.

[W_HAMILTON]

25. Yep. And the more reputable media that should know better...

...was busy reporting on the right-wing's obsession with Hunter -- both sides and all that jazz! -- as well as other GOP-driven narratives like crime and inflation and the impending red wave!!1! while belittling Democratic-backed stories like the importance of the abortion ruling, the fight for our democracy, and, oh yeah, the Santos situation.

[GGoss]

23. Here Ya Go...

Small, local paper uncovered and reported George Santos scandal before November election - PBS

Link: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/small-local-paper-uncovered-and-reported-george-santos-scandal-before-november-election

[malaise]

24. A lot of it was known and exposed in the Leader

https://www.democraticunderground.com/100217503521

[Hortensis]

26. Right where they were when "Evil Hillary" was running.

Mirror-image situation, of course. Since she was a Democrat and a woman, most MSM and especially the NYT focused intensive negative coverage on her, while carefully avoiding answering huge questions about her main opponents that would have allowed the election to stay on track, instead of changing the course of history.

The NYT, and others, are in the same place BEFORE this election because the NYT still helps elect Republicans. They waited until AFTER the election to report on him, and on other stories that would have hurt the GOP.

But as said, some media did report on Santos before, including a local paper that covers that district for its voters.

And so did the local Democratic Party.

Truthtellers ignored by those who weren't interested and now are embarrassed. One hopes.

[Uncle Joe]

31. They were selling shit.

Thanks for the thread gopiscrap

[LAS14]

34. The local newspaper was right there doing its job.

But nobody pays attention to local newspapers anymore. They're dying. Very scary.