DonViejo
DonViejo's JournalThis 'Conservative News Site' Trended on Facebook, Showed Up on Fox News—and Duped the World
How do Marco Chacon’s fake articles and ‘leaked memos’—which parody the craziest alt-right conspiracies—keep fooling the conservative press and Trump’s followers?
BEN COLLINS
10.28.16 1:15 AM ET
Marco Chacon had only spent about $20 on his conservative news website, RealTrueNews, when he heard his words in prime time on Fox News’ The Kelly File. “Yeah,” Chacon said. “That was an accident.”
Just as he’d done for the last few months, Chacon had read the latest explosive conservative news—this time it was Hillary Clinton’s leaked speeches to Wall Street banks—and typed up an imagined transcript of his own.
“So in the transcript, she’s explaining Bronies to the Goldman Sachs board of directors,” said Chacon. “Do you know what Bronies are?” Bronies are hard-core, usually adult fans of the cartoon My Little Pony.
“In this one, (Bronies) are part of a threat of subalterns who are going to take over the election. And people believe all this,” he said. “And I’m just… I’m telling people, ‘How can you believe this!?’”
Somewhere in the middle of that block of text about My Little Pony, Chacon’s transcript contained the phrase “bucket of losers,” attributed, falsely of course, to Clinton, which legitimate conservative news websites picked up as real.
Sure enough, by 9 p.m. that day, Trace Gallagher was on Fox News telling viewers that Clinton had “apparently called Bernie Sanders supporters a ‘bucket of losers.’” (Megyn Kelly later apologized after the Clinton campaign vehemently denied Clinton said it.)
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http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2016/10/28/the-man-who-duped-trumpkins-fox-news.html
Will Trump Keep America Safe? Marco Rubio Won't Say
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who has maintained his support for Donald Trump, dodged questions from reporters on Thursday about the Republican nominee's ability to lead and be a role model for young Americans.
Reporters asked Rubio if Trump would keep the country safe as president, and he would not say, according to CNN.
"The military is what keeps us safe," Rubio responded, according to CNN. "We have to rebuild our military and (Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton) is a supporter of the defense cuts and the sequester which would be damaging to our country."
The Florida senator also avoided answering questions about whether Trump would be a good role model for children. "People know I have strong disagreements with both candidates in this race," he replied, according to CNN. "I think Hillary Clinton would be a terrible role model in terms of the things she has done while in office. She destroyed emails and evidence while she was under investigation. And her policies are bad too."
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http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/rubio-dodges-trump-questions
Pence: 'I've Never Heard' Talk About Discouraging Democratic Turnout
Source: Talking Points Memo
By CAITLIN MACNEAL Published OCTOBER 28, 2016, 8:34 AM EDT
Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence was taken aback Friday morning when asked about a Thursday report detailing the Donald Trump campaign's tactics to discourage Democratic voters from casting their ballot for Hillary Clinton.
On MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Bloomberg's John Heilemann noted that a Trump campaign official told Bloomberg Businessweek that the campaign has "three major voter suppression operations under way." The adviser detailed how the campaign is trying to turn African-Americans, women, and other Democratic voters against Clinton.
"Is that okay, for your campaign to be involved in voter suppression?" Heilemann asked Pence.
"Number one, I haven't read the article," Pence replied. "That's offensive to me, that kind of language. It's not our operation. Donald Trump and I want every American who has the opportunity to vote to vote in this election. And that's our message, is to tell the American people that this country really belongs to them."
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Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/pence-offensive-trump-campaign-voter-suppression
Beneath The Rancor, Social Security’s Future Is On The Ballot
Reuters
October 27, 2016 12:34 pm
By Mark Miller
CHICAGO (Reuters) – The future of Social Security is on the ballot this year – not that you could tell by the U.S. presidential debates, or by any other aspect of this rancorous, sensational election.
But 67 percent of registered voters rank Social Security as a “very important” part of their voting decision this year – just behind the economy, terrorism, gun policy and immigration, according to the Pew Research Center.
And so it should be. Social Security is the most important retirement benefit for most American workers – it provides at least half of the income for 48 percent of retired couples, and for 71 percent of single seniors, according to the Social Security Administration. Also, Social Security benefits kept 22.1 million seniors, working-age adults and children out of poverty in 2015 according to an analysis of Census data released this week by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.
But Social Security’s retirement and disability trust funds are forecast to be depleted in 2034. At that point, benefits would be cut an estimated 21 percent, unless Congress takes action.
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http://www.nationalmemo.com/social-securitys-future/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sd&utm_medium=email
The Trump Files: How His Huge Election Con Went Down
David Cay Johnston
October 28, 2016 6:00 am
David Cay Johnston, a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter, is the author of The Making of Donald Trump.
How did a vulgar, ignorant, racist, sexist blowhard come to be adored by tens of millions of Americans, many of whom believe he will save America, which he promises to do by overriding our Constitution?
The answer lies in the art of the con and the general failure of my peers in national journalism — with a few notable exceptions — to vet the candidate.
Donald Trump has done a masterful job of selling an image of himself that is contradicted by the public record including court and regulatory documents, his books and speeches and other verifiable evidence.
So as an antidote, here are some solid facts — a sort of quick tour of my book The Making of Donald Trump, which comes with 44 pages of source notes.
Overseas my book is getting more attention — and far more serious attention — than at home, which speaks volumes about the decline of serious journalism in America. The German language edition is titled Die Akte Trump, which translates as The Trump File.
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http://www.nationalmemo.com/the-trump-files-how-his-huge-election-con-went-down/?utm_campaign=website&utm_source=sd&utm_medium=email
U.S. economy surges to strongest growth in two years
Source: The Washington Post
By Ana Swanson October 28 at 8:35 AM
The U.S. economy grew at its strongest pace in two years in the third quarter, according to government data released Friday morning.
Between the months of July and September, the nation’s gross domestic product grew at an annualized rate of 2.9 percent. The reading surpassed expectations of economists surveyed by Bloomberg, who had forecast annual growth in the quarter of 2.6 percent.
The reading showed the nation’s economy bouncing back following months of sluggish economic growth. Economic growth has been below 1.5 percent for the previous three quarters.
The data, released by the Commerce Department, showed that the rebound was driven by exports and business ordering to rebuild their inventories. Consumer spending, which has driven growth this year, moderated somewhat.
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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/10/28/u-s-economy-surges-to-strongest-growth-in-two-years/
Rudy Giuliani is 2016’s Mr. Deplorable - By Eugene Robinson
If Donald Trump’s presidential campaign were one of his beauty pageants, instead of a “Miss Congeniality” consolation prize there would have to be a “Mr. or Ms. Deplorable.” According to my score card, the winner is Rudy Giuliani.
Trump is the master of ceremonies, so he’s ineligible. The competition among his enablers — to see who can most thoroughly squander credibility and reputation — has been fierce. There are so many worthy candidates for the Deplorable sash that it’s a shame only one aide or surrogate can win.
Begin with Mike Pence, a committed Christian, who disingenuously tells audiences that his running mate — known to be a bully, a bigot, a misogynist and a libertine — is “a good man.” Pretty deplorable.
Then there’s Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, who let Trump steal his party and then became one of Trump’s vassals. Allowing the traditions and honor of the party of Lincoln to be so horribly debased is definitely deplorable.
Chris Christie might get some points for his self-inflicted double humiliation: First he got embarrassed by Trump in the primaries, then he became the first also-ran to give the usurper his endorsement. Christie is smart; he must see Trump for the dangerous ignoramus he is. He has told friends that he hoped Trump could be taught and molded. Whatever his motive, history will judge Christie’s role among Trump’s inner circle as both cynical and deplorable.
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/rudy-giuliani-is-2016s-mr-deplorable/2016/10/27/b6378e2a-9c7a-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html?utm_term=.2fa2f1ff9cea&wpisrc=nl_headlines&wpmm=1
Marijuana Vote in California May Herald End of Prohibition Era
Source: Bloomberg
October 28, 2016 — 5:00 AM EDT
U.S. voters next month in five states, including bellwether California, are poised to expand the legal use of recreational marijuana to almost a quarter of the American population, a move that could prove to be one of the most consequential shifts in U.S drug policy since the 1930s.
Passage in California, where polls show it has wide support, would make pot legal along the entire West Coast and give momentum to efforts to lift the ban nationwide. The state, the most populous in the U.S. with 39 million residents, was the first to allow medical marijuana two decades ago. In all, nine states will consider marijuana-related ballot measures on Nov. 8, which could more than double the $7 billion market for pot products by 2020.
“If this passes in California, and particularly if it passes in the other four states, it’s lights out for marijuana prohibition,” said Troy Dayton, chief executive officer of The Arcview Group, an Oakland-based firm whose 550 investor members have poured $85 million into 131 cannabis companies.
Attitudes toward legalizing marijuana in the U.S. may have reached a tipping point. Opinion polls show a majority of Americans support it. That’s a dramatic shift from decades past -- partly the result of a new generation reaching voting age and nearly half the adult population trying pot. Failed drug policies that jail nonviolent users and growing evidence that it’s less harmful than cigarettes and alcohol have fueled calls for a change.
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Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-10-28/marijuana-vote-in-california-may-herald-end-of-prohibition-era
It's All About Trump
The election has become a referendum on Donald Trump and that's probably just what he wants.
By Kenneth T. Walsh | Contributor
Oct. 28, 2016, at 6:00 a.m.
Donald Trump is moving aggressively to discredit his critics and cast himself as an underdog battling the forces of the status quo. He is attempting to emerge as a billionaire with working-class sensibilities. This apparently will be his final argument leading up to the Nov. 8 election.
Lagging in the polls both nationally and in key battleground states, Trump has turned increasingly negative, even desperate, according to his critics. His stream of invective never ends, with a special riff complaining about how so many forces are conspiring against him, especially the news media. "The media is entitled, condescending and even contemptuous of people who don't share their elitist views," Trump told a rally in St. Augustine, Fla. this week. Without getting specific, he condemned those who "rig the media " and added: "They can wield absolute power over your life, your economy and your country."
The New York Times this week published a list of "281 people, places and things Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter," one of his favorite ways of communicating with the country. The list is breathtaking in its scope and harshness. He called Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton "weak," "totally incompetent as a manager and leader," said she "has no strength or stamina," and added: "Corruption is what she's best at." He also called her "crooked" more than 100 times, and said she is "perhaps the most dishonest person to have ever run for the presidency." He ridiculed President Barack Obama, calling him "the worst president in U.S. history," said he "doesn't have a clue," and dismissed him as an "incompetent leader."
Negativity has become his trademark. He regularly calls Clinton "Crooked Hillary" and says he wants to throw her "in jail" if he wins the presidency. He labels as liars the women who have stepped forward to accuse him of unwanted sexual advances, and says ominously that he will sue them if he wins. He has made derogatory comments about other women, undocumented workers from Mexico and fellow Republicans who have criticized him, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. He has mocked a disabled reporter. He frequently says the mainstream media are dishonest and sleazy. He maligns the democratic process as unfair because, he argues, the election is "rigged" against him.
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http://www.usnews.com/news/the-report/articles/2016-10-28/the-presidential-election-is-all-about-trump?emailed=1&src=usn_thereport
Progressive group tries to inject Wells Fargo scandal into House races
By David Weigel October 27 at 7:22 PM
The Working Families Party, a progressive organization founded in New York but expanding its reach with every election, is spending in three usually Republican congressional districts in an attempt to nationalize the election around something new: the Wells Fargo scandal.
The ad, versions of which are running against Reps. Scott Garrett (R-N.J.), Sean P. Duffy (R-Wis.) and French Hill (R-Ark.), hammers each incumbent for supporting the Financial Choice Act, one of many bills that has slid through the House of Representatives with no chance of making it through the Senate. Pushed by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-Tex.), chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, the bill would scale back the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, a creation of the Dodd-Frank financial reform act that Republicans have painted as yet another out-of-control bureaucracy.
Flipping the script, the Working Families Party portrays the CFPB — correctly — as the organization that exposed a pattern of Wells Fargo employees creating fake bank accounts in customers’ names to meet aggressive sales goals.
“He voted to cripple the agency that uncovered the crooked scam,” says the narrator in an ad aimed at Garrett. “To roll back consumer protections that stop predatory lending. And to let the credit card companies charge more every time you swipe.”
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https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/27/progressive-group-tries-to-inject-wells-fargo-scandal-into-house-races/?wpisrc=nl_politics&wpmm=1
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Name: DonGender: Male
Hometown: Massachusetts
Home country: United States
Member since: Sat Sep 1, 2012, 03:28 PM
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