DKos:for f*ck's sake, lefties, Louise Mensch is not your gahtdamb bloody f*cking friend!

[SecularMotion]

Apparently this needs to be freaking said, bloody fecking hell. Said, again, that is. Subir already done fucking told some of y’all but in that instance he chose to be far more polite than perhaps he should have been.

So I’ll say it again: Louise Mensch is not your fucking friend, lefties, and those of you breathlessly reporting her tweets here on GOS are fucking gullible as shit.

Do we need a brief primer on her? Okay!

She was born, somewhat privileged, in Westminster. She went to some pretty nice schools. When she became an adult she wrote a few novels in a genre called chick lit. People knock her for this. I don’t. She’s really pretty good at writing fiction. Ooops, did I throw some shade there? Sorry, that was bitchy of me. Seriously though, she’s a good writer of fiction.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/5/12/1661585/-for-f-ck-s-sake-lefties-Louise-Mensch-is-not-your-gahtdamb-bloody-f-cking-friend

[pnwmom]

1. In this war, the enemy of our enemy is our ally. She's our ally.

And whoever wrote this piece lost me with the first item in the list.'

No, she did NOT say the unrest in Ferguson was caused by the Russians. She said that the protests by the people of Ferguson were the natural and justified reaction to the murder. But it is a FACT that several days after the protests began, people in Ferguson said that outsiders arrived and that's when the protests got violent. Mensch thinks some of those outsiders were encouraged by Russian "active measures." And since Clint Watts testified to the Senate about Russian "active measures" being involved in protests in the US, including in Black lives matter protests, Mensch's theory makes as much sense as anything.

Then, at the very end, he also slams Claude Taylor, an American who worked for Bill Clinton and in 3 political campaigns. Taylor reported on the existence of the Grand Juries weeks before Comey acknowledged them.

I see no reason to take the word of some anonymous guy on Kos, as opposed to two allies who are willing to stake their names and reputations on the stories they're reporting.

[Madam45for2923]

3. Yep! She is our ally!

I am firmly on camp Louise.

Find the writer of that piece curious and suspect.

[lillypaddle]

9. Thank you!

Took the words out of my mouth.

[brush]

12. Boy, the long knives are out for her. Wonder what's in for the knife ...

because they sure are trying hard slime her.

[LaydeeBug]

24. Thank you. This all day long. nt

[Charlotte Little]

33. Spot on...

...I'm following Mensch on Twitter and remember Joy Reid throwing shade at her over the BLM tweets Louise put out. But you're right - she never said BLM wasn't legit but that Russians were planting violent protesters to make the BLM movement seem like it was full of thugs. Louise was actually very respectful of BLM and supportive. Reid over-reacted. I LOVE Joy Reid, so I could see both arguments. And since then, Joy featured Claude Taylor on her show with respect to the Grand Juries. Claude was the first to report and he was right. Was some of what he and Louise saying a bit off? - yup. But they are getting this info 2nd and 3rd hand. People need to chill with both of them. Either follow them or don't. But neither are hurting anyone.

[bobbieinok]

2. Tim Hunt

See pharyngula blog on the whole Tim Hunt mess. When I saw at Wikipedia how vehemently she supported him, I began backing off from her stories.

[pnwmom]

4. I agree, she got Hunt wrong. But she was RIGHT about James Comey -- that despite the mistakes

he'd made last year, he was seriously pursuing Trump/Russia.

And it's too bad more people didn't believe her. I could never understand why some Dems were calling for him to resign or be replaced. What did they think would happen? That Donald Trump would appoint someone better? The chance of the happening was zero.

But enough Dems piped up to demand his resignation that DT has been able to use that as cover. And a lot of less-informed voters don't understand why the Dems are unhappy to see Comey go, since so many were complaining about him before.

Mensch, OTOH, knew Comey was working to get to the bottom of Russia/Trump. We all should have listened.

ON EDIT: She was also right about Edward Snowden. That's why she has the intelligence connections she has. She developed some trust with them when she saw through Snowden from the beginning -- unlike too many on the American left.

[Madam45for2923]

5. Gosh! There you are making sense again.

[grantcart]

10. and I and half of DU was right about those two and we don't invent

high placed sources , the same key "in the know guys" who pass up Acosta and the others because they are tired of famous credible reporters getting all the traffic and want to punk the internet AND leak at the same time.

[pnwmom]

26. Funny I don't remember you or anyone in DU or anywhere else who reported

on the October FISA warrant on Alfa bank and US persons.

What I do remember is Mensch reporting this -- and being quickly confirmed by the BBC and The Guardian, and then McClatchy. But months later for the rest of the media.

[Me.]

27. And...

She was the first or one of the first to bring forth the importance of the British Dossier

[grantcart]

28. The problem is that particular specific revelation would only be significant if all of her

specific recommendations came true which they have not.

The greater fallacy in the Mensch and Taylor con is that it is premised on valuable sources not following the pattern that is well established: Credible intelligence sources don't a) leak to a single source b) do leak to known credible actors in the media. This is for two reasons: they want to make sure that they aren't burned by an amateur who might accidentally reveal their source but more important they want the information that they are risking their careers for to resonant and echo around so that it will be widely dispersed. There is no currency in a source leaking to a single outlet and having everyone wonder about the validity.

An observant person will notice that important well founded leaks will start with a single revelation and be confirmed by other respected sources in a few hours so that the discussion isn't about the validity of the leak but about the importance of the information.

There are, however, many wannabees who make speculative "revelations" because they think that they are helping whip up fever, or they are attention whores, or both.

If Mensch or Taylor were fielding real leaks from real sources then they would be quickly confirmed by the leaker to other credible sources quickly and that never happens.

All of Acosta's or WSJ reports on leaks are confirmed and considered valid within hours of the original leak. Mensch makes dozens of speculative "leaks" all of which are based on known likely scenarios and some will be confirmed but that proves nothing. The only proof would be if all of her "leaks" are confirmed. She has achieved her primary objective and that is to be the center of attention.

The fact that she had a couple of "leaks" proved and dozens not proved doesn't mean that she has credible sources but that she actively spreads rumors. She is not a credible conduit for high level actors who want to have a public platform to pass information. That doesn't mean that every rumor she has passed on is untrue, a distinction that is too subtle for some to grasp.

[pnwmom]

30. She WAS quickly confirmed by the BBC and the Guardian. They're probably not real to you, either. n/t

[Charlotte Little]

34. Please provide...

...links/source/info for this statement: "The fact that she had a couple of "leaks" proved and dozens not proved..."

Also, don't call them cons. They aren't conning anyone. If they're proven to be fake, they'll be ridiculed and ostracized, especially Claude, who NO ONE knew of before now. It's far more difficult for me to buy that they're both (and John Schindler) conning twitter followers than it is for me to believe that they do have sources. But like I've said - 2nd and 3rd hand sources. I doubt actual IC/FBI members are talking directly to either one. But somebody is leaking. And they may be leaking to the fringe because the MSM doesn't bite. Proof of that? The dossier. It was known of back before the election, but the media wouldn't bite.

We're in a different world now. Nothing is normal. Don't expect the rule of thumb. You'll be missing the whole hand for the fingers...

[seaglass]

6. Not a fan. I don't follow her at all because I don't think she is credible and I try to stay away

from CT and fake news. Plus she is an idiot on Gamergate. We need to be discerning and I think these points in the article are worth consideration:



1. Is that person a reporter for a legitimate news outlet?

2. If this person tweets a claim attributed to an anonymous source, do they follow that claim up with any reporting?

3. Does this person have credentials relevant to the subject matter they’re discussing?

4. Are this person’s claims drastically out of step with what’s currently being reported?

5. Why would a high-level official leak to this specific person?

6. Am I only tweeting this because it makes me feel good?

[womanofthehills]

21. Louise reports it and then MONTHS LATER, the "legitimate news outlets" reports whatever

You have to be kidding (5. Why would a high-level official leak to this specific person?) -- hello this is psycho f**king Donald Trump we are talking about -- I think this fact alone is motivation for leaks. Louise obviously has a close friend in IC.

Louise Mensch@LouiseMensch
When saying "xyz is far fetched" folks, please consider that DONALD TRUMP is in the White House patribotics.blog/2017/05/13/tru...

[bigtree]

7. she's a good source for some things

...maybe not for others.

I'm not looking for a friend, just info, and I can determine the legitimacy of it as it comes.

[Cha]

8. Sounds reasonable.. she's apparently had enough

accurate information to come to that conclusion.

[crosinski]

17. Yup. DU-ers are a headstrong group.

I don't like being 'advised' on who I should not read. One of the commenters of that journal entry said they enjoyed her writing like it was fan fiction, and I think that's why I like reading it too.

However, I do kind of hope that she has some information that's the truth. If it turns out that she's just been enjoying writing fiction about one of the most horrible times in American history, to an audience of democrats like me, hungry for the facts about a Russian hacked election to be exposed, and she just accidentally writes things that are half way true, then that will be a sad thing. But that's life 'eh?

[L. Coyote]

20. We also have a large cadre of Russian and Freeper trolls.

It is interesting to Deja DU once in a while and see how people reacted to Mensch when we first referenced her on DU:

FBI has FISA warrant for Trump secret server connected to Russia.

Of course, even those who did got shut down as this thread started to go yuugely viral on election day (see view count) when the hackers shut down DU.

Are we losing sight of how #TrumpRussia started? With the investigation of who hacked the DNC.

[moriah]

25. I'm not saying who you should read, and I hope others aren't.

But rumors are just that until further information comes out.

Remember, I advocate watching state-run news so you know the propaganda people are seeing in that country. If I suggested anywhere that people shouldn't read, watch, or listen to information sources that wasn't my intention.

But I evaluate a state-run news source's reliability partially on the fact it's state run. I evaluate unsourced anonymous statements to journalists with the most reputable journalists being at the top of the trustworthy list, but still less so than a named source or a court document. I feel that "RUMINT" is being pretty accurate by saying it's rumor. I've seen people admit that's the class of information they're sharing and feel that's at least honest.

Read everything. Just be discerning in what you accept as fact.

[Johnny2X2X]

11. Details

She posts 10 outrageous predictions and 1 of them turns out to be partly true and people say, "oh, she must have some good sources."

Her tweets reek of someone who reads posts on the internet and then tweets them as inside info. When it comes to the news, restraint and integrity need to be used so trust can be gained. Mensch is the type of news generator we dont need to elevate. It's what passes on Free Republic as legit, posts and tweets that the readers "hope" are true.

Shes doing harm to our side.

[L. Coyote]

18. That is what I call a Fake Post because it isn't true and it is hyperbolic.

It is like Fake News, except it is just some anonymous comment on the internet, so it needs a much lower designation.

Please link your stats spreadsheet on all her tweets?

[Charlotte Little]

35. Nope

She is NOT doing harm to "our side." FFS, she's a right-wing conservative. Don't like her, ignore her.

[OnDoutside]

13. I really don't get what almost amounts to a concerted campaign of negativity towards her from some

here. One should always not take what anyone says as gospel (even here), without first balancing the probabilities, HOWEVER, she's doing a hell of a lot to take the fight to Trump. For that at least, I'm happy to read her stuff.

[womanofthehills]

14. DKos - "Louise Mensch IS NOT A NUTTER, and she may be the reason why Biglygate is big- league"

However, it seems increasingly clear that Mensch landed an extraordinary scoop that had eluded the best investigative journalists in the US.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/20/1635812/-Louise-Mensch-is-not-a-Nutter-and-she-may-be-the-reason-why-we-are-Democrats-and-love-Metallica

[ucrdem]

15. She's a Tory working for News Corp? If this is true

in fact if ANY of this is true I'd keep my distance from this source. And the "Comey is really our white hat friend" stuff is just ridiculous.

[melman]

31. Yes she is a Tory and she works for News Corp

Both of those things are absolutely true.

And you're right, the whole thing about 'Trump firing Comey proves Mensch was right that Comey's
a good guy' is absolutely ridiculous.

[ucrdem]

32. Thanks! It looks like Snopes doesn't think highly of her reporting either:

I found 3 fact checks on her, all from April, all judged to be BS:

Fact Check
Does Russia Have ‘Kompromat’ on Jason Chaffetz?
Apr 19th, 2017 A claim that Russians have compromising information on Rep. Jason Chaffetz appears to be unfounded.

Fact Check
Were Black Lives Matter Protests in Ferguson Funded by Russia?
Apr 10th, 2017 Twitter sleuths alleged that the racial justice movement was funded by the Putin administration, but offered no proof.

Fact Check
Chaffetz to Resign Due to Sex and Russian Money Laundering Scandals?
Apr 24th, 2017 There is no proof that the Utah Republican is facing multiple looming scandals.

http://www.snopes.com/?s=Louise+Mensch

Not that Snopes is infallible or that she doesn't write interesting tweets, which I wouldn't know, but to elevate Comey into some kind of hero, or to expect that he would handle the investigation into Russian interference any more fairly or honestly than he handled the Clinton investigation, seems like lunacy.

[L. Coyote]

16. One reason why today is Assault Louise Day in spades., new big scoop. Gorsuch RECUSED?

More news breaking every day, a pace difficult to keep up with, even without the behind the scenes news. Gorsuch RECUSED?
With a secret FISA court having jurisdiction, the Supreme Court is involved and Roberts is the lead jurist.
It seems Gorsuch cannot be in the loop. Note Mensch is taking a careful approach and reporting frankly:

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[ucrdem]

19. That Trump photo looks like a bad photoshop.

Okay it's kind of funny but it really should be captioned, especially if it's supposed to be from the New Yorker.

[womanofthehills]

22. Link

http://www.newyorker.com/business/adam-davidson/the-senate-starts-to-look-at-trumps-businesses

[ucrdem]

23. Fine but the caption should have been in the Tweet.

I realize Twitter has space limitations but the New Yorker is supposed to have standards. Basically that entire Tweet is about as journalistic as a DU lounge thread.

[BannonsLiver]

29. She's a crank

It couldn't be more obvious if someone hired a sky writer.

[rockfordfile]

36. I went on to the website Daily KOS and it seems that person posting that is a nut

Louise is good on somethings. She's a right winger. I don't agree with her political side.

Just like anywhere else use your thinking skills. Think of all the crazy Bernie Sander and Jill Stein things said by their supporters in places.