hotair--2020-09-13--Will the Jets and the rest of the league play football or politics?

For quite a few years now , on the first Sunday of football season , you ’ ve been used to seeing something of an annual tradition here at Hot Air .
This would be the day when Ed Morrissey and I would kick off our yearly contest of reviewing the week ’ s games and picking some winners .
It was a fun way to stay involved with our teams ’ ups and downs ( more downs for me as a Jets fan ) and many of you chimed in with your own predictions as well .
But this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be doing it , so I figured I ’ d let you know upfront .
This isn ’ t any sort of protest we ’ re launching .
It ’ s just that both of us have lost our enthusiasm for focusing on the NFL after all of the discord that ’ s been happening and neither of us felt like doing it this year .
My apologies to anyone who was looking forward to it .
With that out of the way , I will still be watching at least the first @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Or at least the start of it , anyway .
In addition to being a hard habit to break after roughly half a century , I ’ ll confess to being curious about how the Jets , the rest of the individual teams and the league as a whole are handling both the pandemic and the social unrest that ’ s managing to ruin so many things these days .
The Jets will be playing the Bills in an empty stadium due to New York State COVID regulations .
The Bills can ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first two home games .
After that , the question will be revisited .
I also want to see what ’ s going to happen during the National Anthem .
Any regular readers already know my feelings on the subject , but the Jets have been rather coy about it .
As of Thursday , the team was saying that a final decision wouldn ’ t be made until Saturday morning .
But now it ’ s Sunday and I still haven ’ t seen any reports in the usual sports news outlets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the players will be wearing patches on their uniforms honoring Betty Wold Johnson .
Other teams are making their own choices .
The Miami Dolphins will be staying inside the locker room during the playing of “ both ” National Anthems .
( The entire league will be playing a “ Black National Anthem ” ahead of the Stars Spangled Banner .
Spoiler alert : The country has one National Anthem and it was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814 . )
The NFL isn ’ t a government agency so they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It doesn ’ t bother me .
And frankly , the Dolphins ’ choice to keep the players in the locker room is among the most sensible I ’ ve heard thus far .
But protesting our flag and our Anthem is another matter .
Back in May , the team ’ s CEO told the press that he was “ fine ” with it if anyone wanted to protest .
He went one step further , saying that he would pay the fines of any of his players who were penalized for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ before Roger Goodell caved entirely , and now there won ’ t be any fines for anything it seems .
As of only a couple of hours before game time , I still don ’ t know what I ’ ll be doing going forward .
Maybe it depends on how the Jets handle themselves .
A part of me still wants to separate these issues and just ignore the political showboating on the sidelines and get on with watching the sport ( and the team ) that I ’ ve loved for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of disinterest that led Ed and me to stop doing the weekly NFL open threads will carry over to the game and the team .
I stopped watching baseball after the big strike in the 90s and really never looked back .
I ’ ve never followed any other professional sports closely , if at all .
Football was my only obsession in the sports world .
How would I feel if I just walked away ?
As I said… I don ’ t know yet .
I ’ ll give this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ plays out .
And I ’ m sure all of you will be similarly making your own choices .
But if I ’ m done with football , it will be a real shame .
I ’ m old enough to remember Joe Namath pulling off a miracle and winning the Super Bowl .
That ’ s a lot of water under the bridge .

For quite a few years now, on the first Sunday of football season, you’ve been used to seeing something of an annual tradition here at Hot Air. This would be the day when Ed Morrissey and I would kick off our yearly contest of reviewing the week’s games and picking some winners. It was a fun way to stay involved with our teams’ ups and downs (more downs for me as a Jets fan) and many of you chimed in with your own predictions as well. But this year we’re not going to be doing it, so I figured I’d let you know upfront. This isn’t any sort of protest we’re launching. It’s just that both of us have lost our enthusiasm for focusing on the NFL after all of the discord that’s been happening and neither of us felt like doing it this year. My apologies to anyone who was looking forward to it.
With that out of the way, I will still be watching at least the first Jets game of the 2020 season. Or at least the start of it, anyway. In addition to being a hard habit to break after roughly half a century, I’ll confess to being curious about how the Jets, the rest of the individual teams and the league as a whole are handling both the pandemic and the social unrest that’s managing to ruin so many things these days. The Jets will be playing the Bills in an empty stadium due to New York State COVID regulations. The Bills can’t have fans for at least the first two home games. After that, the question will be revisited.
I also want to see what’s going to happen during the National Anthem. Any regular readers already know my feelings on the subject, but the Jets have been rather coy about it. As of Thursday, the team was saying that a final decision wouldn’t be made until Saturday morning. But now it’s Sunday and I still haven’t seen any reports in the usual sports news outlets and the team website only says that the players will be wearing patches on their uniforms honoring Betty Wold Johnson.
Other teams are making their own choices. The Miami Dolphins will be staying inside the locker room during the playing of “both” National Anthems. (The entire league will be playing a “Black National Anthem” ahead of the Stars Spangled Banner. Spoiler alert: The country has one National Anthem and it was written by Francis Scott Key in 1814.) The NFL isn’t a government agency so they can play whatever songs they like. It doesn’t bother me. And frankly, the Dolphins’ choice to keep the players in the locker room is among the most sensible I’ve heard thus far.
But protesting our flag and our Anthem is another matter. Back in May, the team’s CEO told the press that he was “fine” with it if anyone wanted to protest. He went one step further, saying that he would pay the fines of any of his players who were penalized for kneeling. Of course, that was before Roger Goodell caved entirely, and now there won’t be any fines for anything it seems.
As of only a couple of hours before game time, I still don’t know what I’ll be doing going forward. Maybe it depends on how the Jets handle themselves. A part of me still wants to separate these issues and just ignore the political showboating on the sidelines and get on with watching the sport (and the team) that I’ve loved for my entire life. But perhaps the sense of disinterest that led Ed and me to stop doing the weekly NFL open threads will carry over to the game and the team.
I stopped watching baseball after the big strike in the 90s and really never looked back. I’ve never followed any other professional sports closely, if at all. Football was my only obsession in the sports world. How would I feel if I just walked away? As I said… I don’t know yet. I’ll give this a little time and see how it plays out. And I’m sure all of you will be similarly making your own choices. But if I’m done with football, it will be a real shame. I’m old enough to remember Joe Namath pulling off a miracle and winning the Super Bowl. That’s a lot of water under the bridge.


hotair--2020-09-13--Love means you never have to say ... Sunday reflection

Peter approached Jesus and asked him , “ Lord , if my brother sins against me , how often must I forgive ?
As many as seven times ?
” Jesus answered , “ I say to you , not seven times but seventy-seven times .
That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants .
When he began the accounting , a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount .
Since he had no way of paying it back , his master ordered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his wife , his children , and all his property , in payment of the debt .
At that , the servant fell down , did him homage , and said , ‘ Be patient with me , and I will pay you back in full.
’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan .
When that servant had left , he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount .
He seized him and started to choke him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you owe.
’ Falling to his knees , his fellow servant begged him , ‘ Be patient with me , and I will pay you back.
’ But he refused .
Instead , he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt .
Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened , they were deeply disturbed , and went to their master and reported the whole affair .
His master summoned him and said to him , ‘ You wicked servant !
I forgave you your entire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant , as I had pity on you ?
’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt .
So will my heavenly Father do to you , unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.
” Readers of a certain age will get the joke in the headline , which comes from a treacly film called Love Story .
The 1970 film is definitely a product of its time , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ story all the way to the inevitably tragic ending .
About the most memorable thing about the film is the line , “ Love means you never have to say you ’ re sorry , ” which not only got rated as a top-20 movie quote by the American Film Institute , it also got adapted into a song by The Sounds of Sunshine that played endlessly on top-40 radio for a while .
In fact , it became so ubiquitous that one of Love Story ‘ s stars , Ryan O ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What ’ s Up , Doc ?
two years later .
Barbra Streisand says the line to him at the end of the film , O ’ Neal blinks twice , and says , “ That ’ s the dumbest thing I ’ ve ever heard.
” In reality , we often owe most of our apologies to the ones we love most .
That ’ s because we open ourselves most to them ( and they to us ) , leaving us at our most vulnerable .
Because we have not been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a fallen world , we injure each other emotionally whether or not we intend to do so .
Sometimes we may even be unaware of the damage we do , the injustices that get created .
The only way to demonstrate that awareness and to try to repair it is to ask forgiveness , and to actually forgive when asked — or sometimes even when not asked .
Peter asks this question in a very interesting way , too .
He does not ask whether disciples of Christ owe forgiveness in one instance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Biblically , the number seven represents completion or perfection .
Seven appears repeatedly within scriptures in this sense , and Peter would likely have understood that .
When Peter asks whether seven times is sufficient , he is asking Jesus if seven instances are enough to achieve perfection .
Jesus makes it clear that perfection in this instance has no limit at all .
In the version above , Jesus calls on Peter to forgive seventy-seven times ; in the King James translation , Jesus answers , “ I do not say @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but up to seventy times seven.
” Either way , the point is that perfection goes well beyond previous human understanding .
This demonstrates just how critical forgiveness is when it comes to salvation .
If one followed the law by its letter rather than its spirit , it would be easy enough to tally seven times we let someone off the hook for their sins , and then feel self-righteous enough to condemn them ever afterward .
That ’ s much more difficult with 77 times , or 490 times , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gospel .
It ’ s very clear in Jesus ’ answer that He isn ’ t prescribing a particular number at all , but instead demanding that our forgiveness become perpetual , no matter how many offenses take place .
Why are we called to this level of perfection in forgiveness ?
As Jesus explains in His parable , that is the measure of love to which we aspire in salvation .
Furthermore , it is not a metric to be met on a ledger but a level of loving to which we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ into it .
This parable speaks volumes about hypocrisy and its consequences , but also to a failure to see past the law to grasp the spirit of love and mercy .
In fact , it ’ s a failure to see past one ’ s self in terms of love , or more concisely , the lack of forgiveness for others is really being trapped in self-love rather than engaging in the Lord ’ s love , which abundantly embraces all .
Our first reading from Sirach touches on this formation issue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are hateful things , ” the prophet declares , “ yet the sinner hugs them tight.
” Those replace love and mercy in our heart because we have not yet rid ourselves of that overarching self-love from which sin operates .
Even more , we have not formed ourselves to trust in the Lord and to see others as our brothers and sisters in His family .
We hold them tight because we want to order our own hearts and make our own condemnations , replacing the Lord in our hearts with our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I ’ m sorry ” come into this ?
If sincerely given , it recognizes that a harm has been done by us , and it also allows the other person to overcome that wrath and anger .
It is not just restorative to ourselves , but also to those we love .
This is why we confess our sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness , too .
It is not enough merely to be sorry in our heart ; we must take action to restore the relationship by purposefully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Apologizing is an action and commits us to repentance , rather than passively ignoring the hurt and damage we have done by simply and silently feeling bad about it for a while .
If the Lord , who can see into our hearts , requires that kind of restoration , it ’ s clear that our brothers and sisters will need that too .
The miracle of salvation is that the Lord will accept that repentance and offer forgiveness each time , no matter how often we stumble , as long as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ To form ourselves for eternal life in His presence , we must learn to do the same .
Even for radio stations who still play that song fifty years later .
The front-page image is a detail from “ Appearance on the Mountain in Galilee , ” Duccio di Buoninsegna , c. 1308-11 .
On display at the Museo dell ’ Opera Metropolitana del Duomo .
Via Wikimedia Commons .
“ Sunday Reflection ” is a regular feature , looking at the specific readings used in today ’ s Mass in Catholic parishes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ only my own point of view , intended to help prepare myself for the Lord ’ s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion .
Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here .

This morning’s Gospel reading is Matthew 18:21–35:
Peter approached Jesus and asked him, “Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times. That is why the kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. When he began the accounting, a debtor was brought before him who owed him a huge amount. Since he had no way of paying it back, his master ordered him to be sold, along with his wife, his children, and all his property, in payment of the debt. At that, the servant fell down, did him homage, and said, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back in full.’ Moved with compassion the master of that servant let him go and forgave him the loan. When that servant had left, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount. He seized him and started to choke him, demanding, ‘Pay back what you owe.’ Falling to his knees, his fellow servant begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay you back.’ But he refused. Instead, he had the fellow servant put in prison until he paid back the debt. Now when his fellow servants saw what had happened, they were deeply disturbed, and went to their master and reported the whole affair. His master summoned him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you your entire debt because you begged me to. Should you not have had pity on your fellow servant, as I had pity on you?’ Then in anger his master handed him over to the torturers until he should pay back the whole debt. So will my heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”
Readers of a certain age will get the joke in the headline, which comes from a treacly film called Love Story. The 1970 film is definitely a product of its time, from its its star- and class-crossed lovers story all the way to the inevitably tragic ending. About the most memorable thing about the film is the line, “Love means you never have to say you’re sorry,” which not only got rated as a top-20 movie quote by the American Film Institute, it also got adapted into a song by The Sounds of Sunshine that played endlessly on top-40 radio for a while.
In fact, it became so ubiquitous that one of Love Story‘s stars, Ryan O’Neal, parodied it in his film What’s Up, Doc? two years later. Barbra Streisand says the line to him at the end of the film, O’Neal blinks twice, and says, “That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”
In reality, we often owe most of our apologies to the ones we love most. That’s because we open ourselves most to them (and they to us), leaving us at our most vulnerable. Because we have not been perfected, and because we live in a fallen world, we injure each other emotionally whether or not we intend to do so. Sometimes we may even be unaware of the damage we do, the injustices that get created. The only way to demonstrate that awareness and to try to repair it is to ask forgiveness, and to actually forgive when asked — or sometimes even when not asked.
Peter asks this question in a very interesting way, too. He does not ask whether disciples of Christ owe forgiveness in one instance, but in seven. Why seven? Biblically, the number seven represents completion or perfection. Seven appears repeatedly within scriptures in this sense, and Peter would likely have understood that. When Peter asks whether seven times is sufficient, he is asking Jesus if seven instances are enough to achieve perfection.
Jesus makes it clear that perfection in this instance has no limit at all. In the version above, Jesus calls on Peter to forgive seventy-seven times; in the King James translation, Jesus answers, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Either way, the point is that perfection goes well beyond previous human understanding.
This demonstrates just how critical forgiveness is when it comes to salvation. If one followed the law by its letter rather than its spirit, it would be easy enough to tally seven times we let someone off the hook for their sins, and then feel self-righteous enough to condemn them ever afterward. That’s much more difficult with 77 times, or 490 times, either way one wishes to translate this Gospel. It’s very clear in Jesus’ answer that He isn’t prescribing a particular number at all, but instead demanding that our forgiveness become perpetual, no matter how many offenses take place.
Why are we called to this level of perfection in forgiveness? As Jesus explains in His parable, that is the measure of love to which we aspire in salvation. Furthermore, it is not a metric to be met on a ledger but a level of loving to which we must form ourselves in order to enter into it. This parable speaks volumes about hypocrisy and its consequences, but also to a failure to see past the law to grasp the spirit of love and mercy. In fact, it’s a failure to see past one’s self in terms of love, or more concisely, the lack of forgiveness for others is really being trapped in self-love rather than engaging in the Lord’s love, which abundantly embraces all.
Our first reading from Sirach touches on this formation issue as well. “Wrath and anger are hateful things,” the prophet declares, “yet the sinner hugs them tight.” Those replace love and mercy in our heart because we have not yet rid ourselves of that overarching self-love from which sin operates. Even more, we have not formed ourselves to trust in the Lord and to see others as our brothers and sisters in His family. We hold them tight because we want to order our own hearts and make our own condemnations, replacing the Lord in our hearts with our own will.
So where does saying “I’m sorry” come into this? If sincerely given, it recognizes that a harm has been done by us, and it also allows the other person to overcome that wrath and anger. It is not just restorative to ourselves, but also to those we love. This is why we confess our sins to God and ask Him for forgiveness, too. It is not enough merely to be sorry in our heart; we must take action to restore the relationship by purposefully repenting of the wrongs we have committed. Apologizing is an action and commits us to repentance, rather than passively ignoring the hurt and damage we have done by simply and silently feeling bad about it for a while. If the Lord, who can see into our hearts, requires that kind of restoration, it’s clear that our brothers and sisters will need that too.
The miracle of salvation is that the Lord will accept that repentance and offer forgiveness each time, no matter how often we stumble, as long as we sincerely repent for our sins. To form ourselves for eternal life in His presence, we must learn to do the same. Even for radio stations who still play that song fifty years later.
The front-page image is a detail from “Appearance on the Mountain in Galilee,” Duccio di Buoninsegna, c. 1308-11. On display at the Museo dell’Opera Metropolitana del Duomo. Via Wikimedia Commons.
“Sunday Reflection” is a regular feature, looking at the specific readings used in today’s Mass in Catholic parishes around the world. The reflection represents only my own point of view, intended to help prepare myself for the Lord’s day and perhaps spark a meaningful discussion. Previous Sunday Reflections from the main page can be found here.


hotair--2020-09-13--Another billionaire TV star would like to be president now

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the political waters , secure in the knowledge that the race has come down to President Trump versus Sleepy Joe Biden , someone else has to come along and try to muddy things up .
But for once , we ’ re not talking about Kanye West , though he ’ s still trying to get his foot in the door for some reason .
No , in this case we ’ re talking about yet another person looking to buy their way into a presidential bid , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that name sounds familiar to you ( confession : it didn ’ t to me ) , it may be because he was a child actor who starred in a couple of the Mighty Ducks movies as well as a television series called First Kid .
Or you may know him for his shocking success in investing his Hollywood cash into cryptocurrencies and racking up quite the fortune .
He announced his candidacy on the 4th of July but was a bit overshadowed because that was the same day that Kanye threw his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kanye seemed to dither , Pierce has been hard at work .
He ’ s on the ballot in at least 15 states and he may make it onto as many as five more before all the deadlines expire .
So what does he think he has to offer ?
He tried to explain it to the New York Post this week .
After acting , Pierce got into bitcoin , internet gaming and other tech ventures where he made his fortune .
Now the 39-year-old single father of two daughters with two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to the presidential campaign trail .
“ Whether we go left or right , it doesn ’ t feel like we are making progress or going forward as a country .
We need … game-changing change .
It is time to upgrade the operating system of America .
America 2.0 , ” Pierce told The Post , adding that neither Trump or Biden have a real “ grasp of technology.
” “ I think that neither candidate really connects with the younger generations , ” Pierce said .
“ I am not hearing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am not hearing anything that really inspires me .
I am hearing a lot of negativity.
” Pierce doesn ’ t sound completely delusional , but his overall plan falls into two stages , one extremely short-term and the other very much suggesting he ’ s in this for the long haul .
He knows that he ’ s not on the ballot in enough states to win enough electoral college votes on November 3rd to be elected outright .
But he suggested during the interview that if he could win enough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he could prevent both Trump and Biden from getting to 271 .
Then the election would be tossed to the House of Representatives , where he somehow envisions himself as “ a compromise candidate.
” Well , I suppose you need to dream big when you ’ re a 39-year old billionaire .
But color me skeptical to say the least .
Even if he fails , however , Pierce is saying that he ’ s in this for the next 40 years .
His real goal is to help build a viable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House won ’ t always be occupied by a Republican or a Democrat .
That ’ s another dream shared by many people , but it never really pans out , does it ?
After all , the Libertarians have been trying for decades and they ’ ve never come close to shaking thing up at the national level .
Of course , Pierce may be able to glom onto some existing third party and try to ramp it up .
( He ’ s on the Independence Party ticket in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The real question is whether he can have any impact on the general election .
He ’ s putting tens of millions of dollars of his own money where his mouth is and buying advertising time in a number of key states .
He clearly has some money to burn and he ’ s hiring experienced consultants to help him develop a following .
It may sound crazy , but look how far Bloomberg moved the primary polling in several states in only a month or so by flushing massive amounts of cash @ @ @ @ @ @ @ something similar ?
He considers himself to be more progressive than Joe Biden , so he ’ s far more likely to drain votes away from Uncle Joe than the President .
In a state like Wisconsin or Pennsylvania , could that be enough to make a difference ?
In any event , to get an idea of what style of advertising Pierce is going with , here ’ s one of his first offerings , found at his campaign website .
It ’ s actually pretty well done .

Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the political waters, secure in the knowledge that the race has come down to President Trump versus Sleepy Joe Biden, someone else has to come along and try to muddy things up. But for once, we’re not talking about Kanye West, though he’s still trying to get his foot in the door for some reason. No, in this case we’re talking about yet another person looking to buy their way into a presidential bid, and his name is Brock Pierce.
If that name sounds familiar to you (confession: it didn’t to me), it may be because he was a child actor who starred in a couple of the Mighty Ducks movies as well as a television series called First Kid. Or you may know him for his shocking success in investing his Hollywood cash into cryptocurrencies and racking up quite the fortune. He announced his candidacy on the 4th of July but was a bit overshadowed because that was the same day that Kanye threw his hat in the ring. But where Kanye seemed to dither, Pierce has been hard at work. He’s on the ballot in at least 15 states and he may make it onto as many as five more before all the deadlines expire. So what does he think he has to offer? He tried to explain it to the New York Post this week.
After acting, Pierce got into bitcoin, internet gaming and other tech ventures where he made his fortune. Now the 39-year-old single father of two daughters with two different women is pivoting once again — to the presidential campaign trail. “Whether we go left or right, it doesn’t feel like we are making progress or going forward as a country. We need … game-changing change. It is time to upgrade the operating system of America. America 2.0,” Pierce told The Post, adding that neither Trump or Biden have a real “grasp of technology.” “I think that neither candidate really connects with the younger generations,” Pierce said. “I am not hearing from either candidate any real vision. I am not hearing anything that really inspires me. I am hearing a lot of negativity.”
Pierce doesn’t sound completely delusional, but his overall plan falls into two stages, one extremely short-term and the other very much suggesting he’s in this for the long haul. He knows that he’s not on the ballot in enough states to win enough electoral college votes on November 3rd to be elected outright. But he suggested during the interview that if he could win enough states in a very close election, he could prevent both Trump and Biden from getting to 271. Then the election would be tossed to the House of Representatives, where he somehow envisions himself as “a compromise candidate.”
Well, I suppose you need to dream big when you’re a 39-year old billionaire. But color me skeptical to say the least.
Even if he fails, however, Pierce is saying that he’s in this for the next 40 years. His real goal is to help build a viable thrid party in the United States so the White House won’t always be occupied by a Republican or a Democrat. That’s another dream shared by many people, but it never really pans out, does it? After all, the Libertarians have been trying for decades and they’ve never come close to shaking thing up at the national level. Of course, Pierce may be able to glom onto some existing third party and try to ramp it up. (He’s on the Independence Party ticket in New York State this year.)
The real question is whether he can have any impact on the general election. He’s putting tens of millions of dollars of his own money where his mouth is and buying advertising time in a number of key states. He clearly has some money to burn and he’s hiring experienced consultants to help him develop a following. It may sound crazy, but look how far Bloomberg moved the primary polling in several states in only a month or so by flushing massive amounts of cash into his campaign. Could Pierce do something similar? He considers himself to be more progressive than Joe Biden, so he’s far more likely to drain votes away from Uncle Joe than the President. In a state like Wisconsin or Pennsylvania, could that be enough to make a difference?
In any event, to get an idea of what style of advertising Pierce is going with, here’s one of his first offerings, found at his campaign website. It’s actually pretty well done.


hotair--2020-09-13--Two sheriff's deputies ambushed, shot in LA county

Some grim news comes to us out of Los Angeles County this morning , though we probably shouldn ’ t be all that surprised .
Two Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies were shot multiple times inside their patrol car last night in what ’ s being described as a completely unprovoked , ambush-style attack .
Both were taken into surgery at a local hospital and are thankfully expected to survive .
Making the incident even more offensive is that the entire thing was caught on a local security camera and it took place only a couple of blocks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And the Sheriff has a pretty good idea as to what prompted the ambush .
( WaPo ) Two Los Angeles County sheriff ’ s deputies were shot multiple times Saturday , apparently in an ambush without provocation , while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference that the 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy both underwent surgery Saturday evening .
Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago , he said .
The wounded deputies were able @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Villanueva , whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest , expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the officers .
This attack took place in Compton .
Yes , that ’ s the same community featured in the movie Straight Outta Compton and the NWA rap song of the same name .
Compton has one of the highest per capita crime rates of any community of any size in the nation and is infamous for its rampant gang activity .
But that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ simply some random incident of gang activity .
It ’ s certainly not unusual for gang members or other criminals to get into a shootout with the police in an effort to avoid arrest , but this was something entirely different .
The attacker walked up to the deputies ’ patrol car completely unprovoked and just opened fire on them through the open window of the vehicle .
This was nothing short of an attempted assassination of two law enforcement officers .
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said , “ It pisses me off .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” The Sheriff is expressing “ frustration ” over rampant anti-police sentiment throughout the city and in other cities across the nation .
It ’ s true that much of the anger may be coming from people either protesting incidents of lethal use-of-force by the police or taking advantage of the protests to riot and create mayhem .
But the unrest is being stoked by politicians and activists who are all too willing to blame the police for everything and demand “ reforms ” to a system of law enforcement few of them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around constantly raising doubts about the integrity of the police and fomenting anger against them , how long was it going to be until someone did something like this ?
Particularly if that person is from a neighborhood that generally doesn ’ t have much trust in law enforcement to begin with , perhaps it was almost inevitable .
This incident is eerily similar to the ambush murders of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City in 2014 .
An investigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown while protests of those two incidents were roiling cities around the nation .
We ’ ve been hearing too many rallying cries of “ F*** The Police ” during the recent riots , sounding much more like a call to war than a protest .
Apparently there have been people listening and taking that message to heart .

Some grim news comes to us out of Los Angeles County this morning, though we probably shouldn’t be all that surprised. Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were shot multiple times inside their patrol car last night in what’s being described as a completely unprovoked, ambush-style attack. Both were taken into surgery at a local hospital and are thankfully expected to survive. Making the incident even more offensive is that the entire thing was caught on a local security camera and it took place only a couple of blocks from the local sheriff’s station. And the Sheriff has a pretty good idea as to what prompted the ambush. (WaPo)
Two Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies were shot multiple times Saturday, apparently in an ambush without provocation, while sitting in their patrol car at a Metro rail station. Sheriff Alex Villanueva said in a late-night news conference that the 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy both underwent surgery Saturday evening. Both graduated from the academy 14 months ago, he said. The wounded deputies were able to radio for help, he said. Villanueva, whose department has come under fire during recent protests over racial unrest, expressed frustration over anti-police sentiment as he urged people to pray for the officers.
This attack took place in Compton. Yes, that’s the same community featured in the movie Straight Outta Compton and the NWA rap song of the same name. Compton has one of the highest per capita crime rates of any community of any size in the nation and is infamous for its rampant gang activity.
But that doesn’t mean that this was simply some random incident of gang activity. It’s certainly not unusual for gang members or other criminals to get into a shootout with the police in an effort to avoid arrest, but this was something entirely different. The attacker walked up to the deputies’ patrol car completely unprovoked and just opened fire on them through the open window of the vehicle. This was nothing short of an attempted assassination of two law enforcement officers.
Sheriff Alex Villanueva said, “It pisses me off. It dismays me at the same time.”
The Sheriff is expressing “frustration” over rampant anti-police sentiment throughout the city and in other cities across the nation. It’s true that much of the anger may be coming from people either protesting incidents of lethal use-of-force by the police or taking advantage of the protests to riot and create mayhem. But the unrest is being stoked by politicians and activists who are all too willing to blame the police for everything and demand “reforms” to a system of law enforcement few of them seem to understand.
If you go around constantly raising doubts about the integrity of the police and fomenting anger against them, how long was it going to be until someone did something like this? Particularly if that person is from a neighborhood that generally doesn’t have much trust in law enforcement to begin with, perhaps it was almost inevitable.
This incident is eerily similar to the ambush murders of NYPD officers Rafael Ramos and Wenjian Liu by Ismaaiyl Abdullah Brinsley in the Bedford–Stuyvesant neighborhood of New York City in 2014. An investigation revealed that Brinsley was supposedly acting in revenge for the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown while protests of those two incidents were roiling cities around the nation.
We’ve been hearing too many rallying cries of “F*** The Police” during the recent riots, sounding much more like a call to war than a protest. Apparently there have been people listening and taking that message to heart.


hotair--2020-09-14--Los Angeles "protesters" hope the officers who were shot "will die"

Yesterday we looked at the horrific ambush attack on two Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Deputies who are currently hospitalized and struggling for their lives .
One might imagine that such a scene would give everyone time to pause and consider that just perhaps things had gone a bit too far , right ?
That might be true for some , but obviously not for all .
At the hospital where the deputies have been fighting to survive , supposed BLM protesters showed up , but it wasn ’ t to show solidarity with the wounded officers .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital ’ s emergency unit , shouting about how they hoped that the deputies would die .
( NY Post ) Anti-police protesters descended on a Los Angeles hospital where two deputies were fighting for their lives after being ambushed and shot in the head — chanting , “ we hope they die , ” according to officials .
The sick chants came outside as the two rookie officers — one a 31-year-old mother of a six year-old boy — were still fighting for their lives after being “ critically injured ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the caught-on-camera ambush in Compton .
“ To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling ‘ We hope they die ’ referring to 2 LA Sheriff ’ s ambushed today in # Compton : DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL , ” Los Angeles County Sheriff ’ s Department tweeted early Sunday .
Here ’ s a bit of video that James Woods highlighted , showing precisely how despicable these “ peaceful protesters ” are .
CONTENT WARNING : Repeated use of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ phrase “ aired out ” means to be shot .
Do you still want to have a conversation about the “ peaceful protesters ” at this point ?
Two deputies who were sitting in their squad car not interacting with anyone in the community were ambushed and shot to the point where they are fighting for their lives .
They had been on the job for only a short period of time , with no complaints about any negative interactions with the community .
And there are people blocking access to the hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are saying they hope they die .
Meanwhile , residents are celebrating in the streets over the ambush shooting of two law enforcement officers .
Is this doing honor to George Floyd or any other suspects involved in injurious or lethal use-of-force incidents with the police ?
Is this something to be celebrated ?
Where does this story end ?
When the police are being ambushed and assassinated in the streets and elected officials are taking the side of the rioters who are fomenting anger against law enforcement , the unfolding story takes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the local governmental entities will not stand up for law and order , we ’ re on a path toward Mad Max territory .
And I seriously don ’ t think any of you want to see what the end of that road looks like .
In the meantime , the search continues for the shooter and a sizable reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest .
Authorities were continuing to search Monday for a gunman who walked up to a parked sheriff ’ s squad car and opened fire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputies in an ambush recorded on surveillance video .
Officials asked for the public ’ s help in identifying the gunman in a weekend ambush after officials offered a $ 100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest .
The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery after the shooting Saturday evening and were expected to recover , Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday .
Is it possible that this wasn ’ t part of the general anti-cop bias in the community being fomented by elected officials and activists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that this was an underage shooter who was performing some sort of gang initiation ritual .
I suppose we can ’ t rule anything out until we find the little monster and get to question him .

Yesterday we looked at the horrific ambush attack on two Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputies who are currently hospitalized and struggling for their lives. One might imagine that such a scene would give everyone time to pause and consider that just perhaps things had gone a bit too far, right? That might be true for some, but obviously not for all. At the hospital where the deputies have been fighting to survive, supposed BLM protesters showed up, but it wasn’t to show solidarity with the wounded officers. They were blocking traffic into and out of the hospital’s emergency unit, shouting about how they hoped that the deputies would die. (NY Post)
Anti-police protesters descended on a Los Angeles hospital where two deputies were fighting for their lives after being ambushed and shot in the head — chanting, “we hope they die,” according to officials. The sick chants came outside as the two rookie officers — one a 31-year-old mother of a six year-old boy — were still fighting for their lives after being “critically injured” as they sat in their patrol car in the caught-on-camera ambush in Compton. “To the protesters blocking the entrance & exit of the HOSPITAL EMERGENCY ROOM yelling ‘We hope they die’ referring to 2 LA Sheriff’s ambushed today in #Compton: DO NOT BLOCK EMERGENCY ENTRIES & EXITS TO THE HOSPITAL,” Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department tweeted early Sunday.
Here’s a bit of video that James Woods highlighted, showing precisely how despicable these “peaceful protesters” are. CONTENT WARNING: Repeated use of the n-word and violence. Apparently the phrase “aired out” means to be shot.
Here’s the reaction of an eyewitness to the ambush of two Deputies shot in the head in #Compton. The victims are in the background. No one is going to help them. Vote like your life depends on it. #BlueLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/tE8NH5YZvm — James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 13, 2020
Do you still want to have a conversation about the “peaceful protesters” at this point? Two deputies who were sitting in their squad car not interacting with anyone in the community were ambushed and shot to the point where they are fighting for their lives. They had been on the job for only a short period of time, with no complaints about any negative interactions with the community. And there are people blocking access to the hospital, these so-called “protesters” who are saying they hope they die.
Meanwhile, residents are celebrating in the streets over the ambush shooting of two law enforcement officers. Is this doing honor to George Floyd or any other suspects involved in injurious or lethal use-of-force incidents with the police? Is this something to be celebrated?
Where does this story end? When the police are being ambushed and assassinated in the streets and elected officials are taking the side of the rioters who are fomenting anger against law enforcement, the unfolding story takes a very dark turn indeed. If the local governmental entities will not stand up for law and order, we’re on a path toward Mad Max territory. And I seriously don’t think any of you want to see what the end of that road looks like.
In the meantime, the search continues for the shooter and a sizable reward has been offered for information leading to an arrest.
Authorities were continuing to search Monday for a gunman who walked up to a parked sheriff’s squad car and opened fire, critically wounding two Los Angeles County deputies in an ambush recorded on surveillance video. Officials asked for the public’s help in identifying the gunman in a weekend ambush after officials offered a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. The 31-year-old female deputy and 24-year-old male deputy underwent surgery after the shooting Saturday evening and were expected to recover, Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva said Sunday.
Is it possible that this wasn’t part of the general anti-cop bias in the community being fomented by elected officials and activists? Maybe. One alternate theory is that this was an underage shooter who was performing some sort of gang initiation ritual. I suppose we can’t rule anything out until we find the little monster and get to question him.


hotair--2020-09-14--Lefties organizing "war room" to eliminate the filibuster next year if Biden wins

My first thought upon reading this was that it ’ s potentially potent turnout fuel for Trump this fall , a way for him to finally convince voters that kindly old Grandpa Joe actually *is* the greater of two evils on the ballot .
With Democrats in charge of the Senate and the filibuster gone , Biden would be out of procedural excuses for resisting the left ’ s demands for major progressive legislation .
Why not a Green New Deal ?
And sweeping gun control ?
And mass amnesty ?
And Medicare for All ?
They ’ d have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s stopping them ?
Then I remembered that most Americans are in a perpetual civic coma , with not the faintest idea of what the filibuster is .
Possibly Trump could educate them in time for the election but I wouldn ’ t bet on it .
Arcane Senate procedure typically isn ’ t the stuff of which surprise victories are made .
Still , I think it ’ s worth him talking about this if only to put Biden on the defensive .
Either Sleepy Joe will scare a few centrists by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or he ’ ll infuriate lefties by insisting that he doesn ’ t .
Why isn ’ t Trump playing this up ?
Democratic insiders are assembling a coalition behind the scenes to wage an all-out war on the Senate filibuster in bullish anticipation of sweeping the 2020 election and passing an ambitious progressive agenda… “ Our goal is to lift the filibuster higher on progressives ’ agendas in advance of November and help them make it clear to a future President Biden and Senate leadership that they expect and demand speedy Senate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accept more gridlock , delays and excuses , ” [ organizer Eli ] Zupnick said .
“ We are going to be very focused on the need for speedy action.
” … “ If President Biden wants to get things done , he can ’ t play around with the filibuster , ” [ Harry ] Reid told NBC News , arguing that Americans will no longer accept a supermajority Senate threshold for action .
“ So I think that should be the first item of business with a Senate majority which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ filibuster.
” Reid isn ’ t the only retired party chieftain egging the party on to nuke what ’ s left of the filibuster .
Remember that Obama encouraged them to do so as well at John Lewis ’ s funeral , referring to it as a “ Jim Crow relic.
” I don ’ t think they ’ ll have the numbers to do it , at least not at first .
The Cook Political Report currently favors the GOP to flip one blue seat ( Doug Jones ’ s ) and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Martha McSally ’ s ) .
There are also six Republican-held seats rated as pure toss-ups .
If Democrats swept them all , they ’ d end up with a 53/47 advantage next year , which *might* give them an outside chance at the 50 votes they ’ d need — plus Kamala Harris ’ s vote as VP — to get rid of the filibuster .
In theory .
But think this through .
How many of the Dems who just unseated Republican incumbents will want to go balls-to-the-wall on moving an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seats by ( probably ) narrow margins ?
There are already two Dems in the Senate , Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema , who ’ ve said they won ’ t support eliminating the filibuster , which means Schumer likely starts with just 51 votes in a realistic best-case scenario .
Maaaaaybe their opposition will soften if Republicans spend Biden ’ s first year in office filibustering everything in sight .
But Manchin and Sinema have an incentive to resist hard-left legislative maneuvers given the partisan realities of their home states .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in North Carolina , Georgia , Iowa , and Montana will have the same incentive .
Democratic leaders will also be reluctant to see the filibuster go for reasons well explained by Luke Thompson in this piece published last month .
How come ?
Simple : The filibuster is a way for the party to not only avoid passing polarizing left-wing policies that might come back to haunt them in the midterms but to blame Republicans for the failure of those bills instead of accepting responsibility themselves .
No sense in bringing the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the filibuster is still around , right ?
Those damned GOPers will just block it !
Make the filibuster go away , though , and suddenly Schumer , Pelosi , and Biden are all on the hook for what doesn ’ t happen — or what does .
The Senate would immediately come to look a lot more like the House , where the speaker rules with an iron fist .
In a purely majoritarian Senate , the majority leader becomes the gatekeeper for lawmaking .
Anything that reaches the floor of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ relatively little deliberation , as the need to build consensus went out the window .
At least in the short term , this would likely make lawmaking even more polarized than it already is .
To put this in concrete terms : Chuck Schumer , newly empowered , would have to navigate treacherous political waters with a deftness he has not , to date , shown .
Likewise , individual senators would face countervailing political pressures , pressures that would pit their general-election prospects squarely against the priorities of the partisans in their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ learn to pressure the speaker of the House , either to temper extreme House bills or to write legislation as an opening bid for bargaining .
Conference committees would become the primary sites for legislating .
Without a filibuster , a bill that failed to pass a Democratic Senate would be squarely the fault of Chuck Schumer and any members of his caucus who voted no .
Those members would be stuck facing an enraged progressive wing back home , doubtless with primary challenges to follow .
And what if Schumer cobbled together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like Manchin and Sinema would face an enraged centrist and conservative general electorate the next time they sought reelection .
Pelosi would suddenly have the headache of trying to water down legislation in the House , not wanting AOC-style proposals to pass and end up putting Schumer in a pickle in the Senate .
Centrist House Dems would also agonize over what to do .
Right now they can shore up their progressive cred by supporting certain lefty bills , confident that those bills will die quietly in the Senate and they ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
With Dems in charge of the Senate and the filibuster gone , those House centrists will suddenly have to start beating back lefty initiatives — and risking their own primary challenges .
And Sleepy Joe ?
Thompson imagines a scenario in which a new red wave sweeps Republicans back into power in the House and Senate in 2022 .
Without a filibuster , the Democratic Senate minority would be unable to block GOP legislation from reaching Biden ’ s desk .
President Joe would suddenly be forced to issue vetoes , some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nature of the legislation .
He might pay for it in 2024 , assuming he runs again .
So , the bad news : Given the near-term political forecast , nuking the filibuster might produce some major progressive policy gains as timid congressional Dems opt to protect their left flanks .
The good news : It could benefit the GOP longer-term as they return to power .
And hey , if you like the idea of politicians having to sack up and actually show their cards on legislation instead of engaging in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ invite the other party to kill their own bills , then losing the filibuster is for you .
Congress has been awfully boring the past 10 years .
A filibuster-less Senate would be very much not boring .
And House and Senate turnover in purplish jurisdictions would likely begin to accelerate .
What could go wrong ?
Here ’ s McConnell earlier today warning Dems not to “ disfigure ” the Senate next year by going nuclear .
One wonders if he ’ ll still feel this way if , against all odds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the House .
You think POTUS is going to sit quietly by for four more years as McConnell lets Senate Dems filibuster his entire agenda into oblivion ?

My first thought upon reading this was that it’s potentially potent turnout fuel for Trump this fall, a way for him to finally convince voters that kindly old Grandpa Joe actually *is* the greater of two evils on the ballot. With Democrats in charge of the Senate and the filibuster gone, Biden would be out of procedural excuses for resisting the left’s demands for major progressive legislation.
Why not a Green New Deal? And sweeping gun control? And mass amnesty?
And Medicare for All? They’d have the votes in theory. What’s stopping them?
Then I remembered that most Americans are in a perpetual civic coma, with not the faintest idea of what the filibuster is. Possibly Trump could educate them in time for the election but I wouldn’t bet on it. Arcane Senate procedure typically isn’t the stuff of which surprise victories are made.
Still, I think it’s worth him talking about this if only to put Biden on the defensive. Either Sleepy Joe will scare a few centrists by admitting that he wants the filibuster gone or he’ll infuriate lefties by insisting that he doesn’t. Why isn’t Trump playing this up?
Democratic insiders are assembling a coalition behind the scenes to wage an all-out war on the Senate filibuster in bullish anticipation of sweeping the 2020 election and passing an ambitious progressive agenda… “Our goal is to lift the filibuster higher on progressives’ agendas in advance of November and help them make it clear to a future President Biden and Senate leadership that they expect and demand speedy Senate rules reform in 2021 and will not accept more gridlock, delays and excuses,” [organizer Eli] Zupnick said. “We are going to be very focused on the need for speedy action.”… “If President Biden wants to get things done, he can’t play around with the filibuster,” [Harry] Reid told NBC News, arguing that Americans will no longer accept a supermajority Senate threshold for action. “So I think that should be the first item of business with a Senate majority which is Democratic — to get rid of the filibuster.”
Reid isn’t the only retired party chieftain egging the party on to nuke what’s left of the filibuster. Remember that Obama encouraged them to do so as well at John Lewis’s funeral, referring to it as a “Jim Crow relic.”
I don’t think they’ll have the numbers to do it, at least not at first. The Cook Political Report currently favors the GOP to flip one blue seat (Doug Jones’s) and Democrats to flip one red one (Martha McSally’s). There are also six Republican-held seats rated as pure toss-ups. If Democrats swept them all, they’d end up with a 53/47 advantage next year, which *might* give them an outside chance at the 50 votes they’d need — plus Kamala Harris’s vote as VP — to get rid of the filibuster. In theory.
But think this through. How many of the Dems who just unseated Republican incumbents will want to go balls-to-the-wall on moving an ultra-left agenda, having just won their seats by (probably) narrow margins? There are already two Dems in the Senate, Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, who’ve said they won’t support eliminating the filibuster, which means Schumer likely starts with just 51 votes in a realistic best-case scenario. Maaaaaybe their opposition will soften if Republicans spend Biden’s first year in office filibustering everything in sight. But Manchin and Sinema have an incentive to resist hard-left legislative maneuvers given the partisan realities of their home states. The Democrats looking to pull upsets this fall in North Carolina, Georgia, Iowa, and Montana will have the same incentive.
Democratic leaders will also be reluctant to see the filibuster go for reasons well explained by Luke Thompson in this piece published last month. How come? Simple: The filibuster is a way for the party to not only avoid passing polarizing left-wing policies that might come back to haunt them in the midterms but to blame Republicans for the failure of those bills instead of accepting responsibility themselves. No sense in bringing the Green New Deal up for a vote when the filibuster is still around, right? Those damned GOPers will just block it! Make the filibuster go away, though, and suddenly Schumer, Pelosi, and Biden are all on the hook for what doesn’t happen — or what does.
The Senate would immediately come to look a lot more like the House, where the speaker rules with an iron fist. In a purely majoritarian Senate, the majority leader becomes the gatekeeper for lawmaking. Anything that reaches the floor of the Senate would presumably become law with relatively little deliberation, as the need to build consensus went out the window. At least in the short term, this would likely make lawmaking even more polarized than it already is. To put this in concrete terms: Chuck Schumer, newly empowered, would have to navigate treacherous political waters with a deftness he has not, to date, shown. Likewise, individual senators would face countervailing political pressures, pressures that would pit their general-election prospects squarely against the priorities of the partisans in their primary electorates… The Senate majority leader would learn to pressure the speaker of the House, either to temper extreme House bills or to write legislation as an opening bid for bargaining. Conference committees would become the primary sites for legislating.
Without a filibuster, a bill that failed to pass a Democratic Senate would be squarely the fault of Chuck Schumer and any members of his caucus who voted no. Those members would be stuck facing an enraged progressive wing back home, doubtless with primary challenges to follow. And what if Schumer cobbled together 50 votes for passage? Then senators like Manchin and Sinema would face an enraged centrist and conservative general electorate the next time they sought reelection. Pelosi would suddenly have the headache of trying to water down legislation in the House, not wanting AOC-style proposals to pass and end up putting Schumer in a pickle in the Senate. Centrist House Dems would also agonize over what to do. Right now they can shore up their progressive cred by supporting certain lefty bills, confident that those bills will die quietly in the Senate and they’ll never have to answer for them. With Dems in charge of the Senate and the filibuster gone, those House centrists will suddenly have to start beating back lefty initiatives — and risking their own primary challenges.
And Sleepy Joe? Thompson imagines a scenario in which a new red wave sweeps Republicans back into power in the House and Senate in 2022. Without a filibuster, the Democratic Senate minority would be unable to block GOP legislation from reaching Biden’s desk. President Joe would suddenly be forced to issue vetoes, some of which may be unpopular depending on the nature of the legislation. He might pay for it in 2024, assuming he runs again.
So, the bad news: Given the near-term political forecast, nuking the filibuster might produce some major progressive policy gains as timid congressional Dems opt to protect their left flanks. The good news: It could benefit the GOP longer-term as they return to power. And hey, if you like the idea of politicians having to sack up and actually show their cards on legislation instead of engaging in some elaborate kabuki in which they basically invite the other party to kill their own bills, then losing the filibuster is for you.
Congress has been awfully boring the past 10 years. A filibuster-less Senate would be very much not boring. And House and Senate turnover in purplish jurisdictions would likely begin to accelerate. What could go wrong?
Here’s McConnell earlier today warning Dems not to “disfigure” the Senate next year by going nuclear. One wonders if he’ll still feel this way if, against all odds, Trump wins reelection *and* Republicans retake the House. You think POTUS is going to sit quietly by for four more years as McConnell lets Senate Dems filibuster his entire agenda into oblivion?


hotair--2020-09-14--Today's deep question: Does photo prove Biden uses teleprompter to answer live questions?

That ’ s not actually the deepest question , or even the second-deepest , but all of this hinges on what this screen shot demonstrates .
In the middle of an interview with James Corden in April , Biden held up a picture of his two sons and himself from years ago , a picture with a glass frame .
The reflection on the glass appears to show text on a teleprompter directly across from the frame — evidence that campaign officials are dictating Biden ’ s answers during these virtual Q & As .
The Trump campaign “ pounced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to say , after Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo refused to answer a question about Biden ’ s use of a teleprompter last week : Vice President Joe Biden appeared to reveal he was using a teleprompter during a TV interview in April , holding a framed photo in front of the camera and that revealed a reflection of what appears to be text from a teleprompter .
The moment came during Biden ’ s interview with James Corden in late April , with the clip going viral on Twitter on Saturday .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ grab a framed photo of himself and his two sons .
He holds the large photo in front of the camera , revealing a reflection of a display screen showing both Corden and what appears to be teleprompter text .
This April footage from a reliably softball interview with Corden only really became relevant because of this exchange last week .
Ducklo accused Baier of being a tool of the Donald Trump campaign for even asking the question of whether Biden was being coached during live interviews .
Note , however , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ though Baier gives him plenty of opportunity to deny it : This leads to Deeper Question # 2 : Will other media outlets start asking Ducklo and the campaign about this ?
If there was any indication that Donald Trump couldn ’ t handle himself in a live interview without aides feeding him the answers over a teleprompter , it would likely get wall-to-wall coverage along with another round of endorsements for an exercise of the 25th Amendment .
( Some Trump supporters , on the other hand , might like the idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a script . )
If Biden can ’ t think nimbly enough to keep up with James Corden , then that ’ s a real problem in terms of his ability to handle the duties of Leader of the Free World .
Besides , when media outlets interview Biden , don ’ t they want to know whether they ’ re talking to Biden himself or one of his handlers ?
They have a vested interest in getting an answer to this question , whether they acknowledge it or not .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Do voters actually care ?
Democrats didn ’ t in their primary , and it ’ s not like they didn ’ t have options .
In the 2016 cycle , the Clintons locked out everyone early on , leaving socialist crank Bernie Sanders the only outlet for anti-establishment populists in the party .
In the 2020 cycle , primary voters nominated Biden despite having more than a dozen other viable options in the field .
Team Trump seems to think general-election voters will care more about Biden ’ s competency , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that proposition .
Voters seem mostly motivated by the two men themselves — mainly in opposition to each other .
As long as Biden ’ s the alternative to Trump , voters opposed to Trump won ’ t care about teleprompters .
And as long as Trump is the alternative to Biden , voters opposed to Biden won ’ t care about presidential Twitter rants .
This won ’ t change that calculus for more than a handful of voters , at best , even if it serves as a good marker for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , one has to wonder what year Biden thinks this is … and this is a prepared speech .
Bring on the teleprompters !

That’s not actually the deepest question, or even the second-deepest, but all of this hinges on what this screen shot demonstrates. In the middle of an interview with James Corden in April, Biden held up a picture of his two sons and himself from years ago, a picture with a glass frame. The reflection on the glass appears to show text on a teleprompter directly across from the frame — evidence that campaign officials are dictating Biden’s answers during these virtual Q&As.
The Trump campaign “pounced,” as the media are wont to say, after Biden spokesman TJ Ducklo refused to answer a question about Biden’s use of a teleprompter last week:
That reflection… Joe Biden was using a teleprompter for an interview with James Corden. pic.twitter.com/wqBrhqNVHW — Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) September 12, 2020
Vice President Joe Biden appeared to reveal he was using a teleprompter during a TV interview in April, holding a framed photo in front of the camera and that revealed a reflection of what appears to be text from a teleprompter. The moment came during Biden’s interview with James Corden in late April, with the clip going viral on Twitter on Saturday. The interview proceeds normally until Biden decides to grab a framed photo of himself and his two sons. He holds the large photo in front of the camera, revealing a reflection of a display screen showing both Corden and what appears to be teleprompter text.
This April footage from a reliably softball interview with Corden only really became relevant because of this exchange last week. Ducklo accused Baier of being a tool of the Donald Trump campaign for even asking the question of whether Biden was being coached during live interviews. Note, however, that Ducklo never answered the question, even though Baier gives him plenty of opportunity to deny it:
This leads to Deeper Question #2: Will other media outlets start asking Ducklo and the campaign about this? If there was any indication that Donald Trump couldn’t handle himself in a live interview without aides feeding him the answers over a teleprompter, it would likely get wall-to-wall coverage along with another round of endorsements for an exercise of the 25th Amendment. (Some Trump supporters, on the other hand, might like the idea of getting the president to stick to a script.) If Biden can’t think nimbly enough to keep up with James Corden, then that’s a real problem in terms of his ability to handle the duties of Leader of the Free World. Besides, when media outlets interview Biden, don’t they want to know whether they’re talking to Biden himself or one of his handlers? They have a vested interest in getting an answer to this question, whether they acknowledge it or not.
However, this cuts directly into Deepest Question: Do voters actually care? Democrats didn’t in their primary, and it’s not like they didn’t have options. In the 2016 cycle, the Clintons locked out everyone early on, leaving socialist crank Bernie Sanders the only outlet for anti-establishment populists in the party. In the 2020 cycle, primary voters nominated Biden despite having more than a dozen other viable options in the field.
Team Trump seems to think general-election voters will care more about Biden’s competency, but there seems to be little evidence for that proposition. Voters seem mostly motivated by the two men themselves — mainly in opposition to each other. As long as Biden’s the alternative to Trump, voters opposed to Trump won’t care about teleprompters. And as long as Trump is the alternative to Biden, voters opposed to Biden won’t care about presidential Twitter rants. This won’t change that calculus for more than a handful of voters, at best, even if it serves as a good marker for media bias.
On the other hand, one has to wonder what year Biden thinks this is … and this is a prepared speech. Bring on the teleprompters!


hotair--2020-09-14--Catherine Herridge: Memo indicates Peter Strzok approved his own draft to open the Crossfire Hurrica

Catherine Herridge: Memo indicates Peter Strzok approved his own draft to open the Crossfire Hurricane investigation

Catherine Herridge obtained an Electronic Communication ( EC ) via Judicial Watch which announced the launch of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation .
The memo was drafted by Trump-hating FBI agent Peter Strzok and also states it was approved by Strzok .
Herridge suggests that may be a problem .
“ Former senior FBI agent tells @ CBSNews that same person drafting + signing off on an ‘ EC ’ is unusual + may violate the ‘ DIOG ’ or Domestic Investigations Operations Guide which is the roadmap/rule book for FBI agents .
Based on “ DIOG , Crossfire Hurricane appears @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ because it involved a political candidate/organization – DIOG states these cases should be brought to attention ‘ FBI HQ + other DOJ officials ’ It ’ s worth noting that there ’ s no need to intuit that this was a “ Sensitive Investigative Matter ” because the front page of the EC clearly labels it as such .
But NY Times reporter Charlie Savage argued that while it ’ s true a “ Sensitive Investigative Matter ” has to be approved by higher ups , in this case it was .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ report which says that Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director Bill Priestap approved the investigation .
That seems straightforward enough but if Priestap approved the investigation why isn ’ t his name on the EC ?
Isn ’ t that what the “ approved by ” line is there for ?
Maybe there ’ s a perfectly reasonable answer to that question based on how the FBI normally does its paperwork , but given the significance of this document it ’ s worth asking .
The document really does make it look as if Strzok @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s also worth keeping in mind that both AG Barr and John Durham said last December that they had disagreements with IG Horowitz on exactly this point , i.e whether or not the opening of the investigation was properly predicated : On Monday , when the Justice Department ’ s inspector general , Michael E. Horowitz , rejected one of Mr. Trump ’ s main attacks on the F.B.I .
and declared the bureau had adequate reason to investigate the Trump campaign ’ s ties to Russia , Mr. Barr again stepped in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ F.B.I .
instead should not have opened the investigation in 2016 .
“ The F.B.I .
launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that , in my view , were insufficient to justify the steps taken , ” he said… John H. Durham , a federal prosecutor whom Mr. Barr appointed to run a separate criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation , backed Mr. Barr ’ s findings in his own highly unusual statement .
“ Last month , we advised the inspector @ @ @ @ @ @ @ some of the report ’ s conclusions as to predication and how the F.B.I .
case was opened , ” Mr. Durham said .
That doesn ’ t necessarily mean that this document has anything to do with what Durham has uncovered .
Still , given that this is not yet a settled matter and won ’ t be until we see what Durham ’ s investigation has turned up , there ought to be a bit of hesitation on the part of reporters to cite the IG report as conclusive on this @ @ @

Catherine Herridge obtained an Electronic Communication (EC) via Judicial Watch which announced the launch of the Crossfire Hurricane investigation. The memo was drafted by Trump-hating FBI agent Peter Strzok and also states it was approved by Strzok. Herridge suggests that may be a problem.
“Former senior FBI agent tells @CBSNews that same person drafting + signing off on an ‘EC’ is unusual + may violate the ‘DIOG’ or Domestic Investigations Operations Guide which is the roadmap/rule book for FBI agents. Based on “DIOG, Crossfire Hurricane appears to fall under ‘Sensitive Investigative Matter’ because it involved a political candidate/organization – DIOG states these cases should be brought to attention ‘FBI HQ + other DOJ officials’
#Durham GET FOCUSED: Agent Strzok memo, known as an "EC" or electronic communication opened FBI Russia probe "Crossfire Hurricane" on July 31, 2016. NOTE: This "EC" obtained through @JudicialWatch shows Strzok drafted + approved it + Durham is investigating whether “Crossfire pic.twitter.com/tFjp2U9DMn — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 14, 2020
is the roadmap/rule book for FBI agents. Based on “DIOG,” Crossfire Hurricane appears to fall under "Sensitive Investigative Matter" because it involved a political candidate/organization – DIOG states these cases should be brought to attention “FBI HQ + other DOJ officials" — Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) September 14, 2020
It’s worth noting that there’s no need to intuit that this was a “Sensitive Investigative Matter” because the front page of the EC clearly labels it as such. But NY Times reporter Charlie Savage argued that while it’s true a “Sensitive Investigative Matter” has to be approved by higher ups, in this case it was. He highlighted this bit of the IG report which says that Counterintelligence Division Assistant Director Bill Priestap approved the investigation.
The reason @CBS_Herridge put this insight on Twitter rather than in a @CBSNews article is that Strzok's supervisor Priestap signed off on opening the Crossfire Hurricane case in line with the DIOG, per the IG report. https://t.co/Fn4XDzruEu pic.twitter.com/BlzQ6Fa1aZ — Charlie Savage (@charlie_savage) September 14, 2020
That seems straightforward enough but if Priestap approved the investigation why isn’t his name on the EC? Isn’t that what the “approved by” line is there for? Maybe there’s a perfectly reasonable answer to that question based on how the FBI normally does its paperwork, but given the significance of this document it’s worth asking. The document really does make it look as if Strzok approved his own draft.
It’s also worth keeping in mind that both AG Barr and John Durham said last December that they had disagreements with IG Horowitz on exactly this point, i.e whether or not the opening of the investigation was properly predicated:
On Monday, when the Justice Department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, rejected one of Mr. Trump’s main attacks on the F.B.I. and declared the bureau had adequate reason to investigate the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia, Mr. Barr again stepped in, issuing a statement saying that the F.B.I. instead should not have opened the investigation in 2016. “The F.B.I. launched an intrusive investigation of a U.S. presidential campaign on the thinnest of suspicions that, in my view, were insufficient to justify the steps taken,” he said… John H. Durham, a federal prosecutor whom Mr. Barr appointed to run a separate criminal investigation into the origins of the Russia investigation, backed Mr. Barr’s findings in his own highly unusual statement. “Last month, we advised the inspector general that we do not agree with some of the report’s conclusions as to predication and how the F.B.I. case was opened,” Mr. Durham said.
That doesn’t necessarily mean that this document has anything to do with what Durham has uncovered. Still, given that this is not yet a settled matter and won’t be until we see what Durham’s investigation has turned up, there ought to be a bit of hesitation on the part of reporters to cite the IG report as conclusive on this particular point.


hotair--2020-09-14--Politics at work? Sunday night NFL ratings down big since last year in early data

We ’ re still waiting for the final ratings as I write this at 3 p.m .
ET .
The preliminary ratings don ’ t include the west coast , which is important to note since the L.A. Rams were involved in last night ’ s game .
The final ratings could be considerably bigger when California ’ s numbers are added in .
But I doubt it .
Los Angeles hates football .
The only difference between the empty seats yesterday and the empty seats at Rams games in years past is that yesterday fans had an excuse to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ good early for the fully woke NFL : Even with the usual ratings gold of Jerry Jones ’ team on the field , the NFL and NBC didn ’ t get that win – at least not in the early numbers .
Despite two teams with big national followings , SNF snared a 4.7 in early ratings among adults 18-49 and 14.81 million viewers last night .
In numbers certain to change , that ’ s a fall of 28 % in the demo and a hard decline of 23 % in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the the September 8 , 2019 SNF season debut… To add further context , last year ’ s opener , a 33-3 pummeling of the Pittsburgh Steelers by then reigning Super Bowl champs the New England Patriots , went on to pull in an audience of 22.2 million on NBC , which was pretty much even with SNF ’ s 2018 season premiere .
That 2019 figure inched up to 22.7 million when digital platform viewing was added in .
“ Two teams with big national followings ” ?
The Rams don @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , bro .
What ’ s interesting about this is that Thursday night ’ s season opener at Kansas City — the one where fans booed during the moment of silence for racial unity — also saw a ratings decline from last year .
That game , a rematch of an AFC playoff game from earlier this year and a contest of marquee quarterbacks , was down 12 percent ratings-wise from the 2019-20 season opener .
Could it be that fans are simply oversaturated with sports right now ?
Deadline noted last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for eyeballs with NBA and NHL playoff games , something that never happened in years past since those sports finished their seasons during the summer .
But there was no competition for the Rams and the Cowboys last night ( besides baseball , which is standard in September ) .
The NBA and NHL each finished their games in the afternoon , before kickoff .
And although fans have an unusually large sports menu to choose from right now , football is football .
How to explain that steep ratings drop-off ?
Could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Morning Consult : Note which group has seen the largest negative shift .
As football has turned woker , Trump fans say they ’ re much less interested than they used to be .
Although , weirdly , anti-Trumpers have shifted in the same direction , nearly as strongly .
I can ’ t make heads or tails of that .
Maybe it ’ s a pandemic thing , i.e .
Democrats have nothing against the NFL , they ’ re just distracted by getting through this nightmare and not paying attention to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But that ’ s hard to square with the rest of the data : Why would strong anti-Trumpers be more allergic to the league due to COVID worries than those who view the president somewhat favorably or unfavorably are ?
I ’ m tempted to conclude that lefties feel alienated by the NFL because it ’ s *not woke enough .
* To wit : It could be that some progressives are holding out for Reid and especially Kaepernick himself to be signed before coming back to the game , although I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how many lefties is Kaepernick ’ s status really an issue so urgent that they ’ d lose interest in the sport until he ’ s back on the field ?
Meh .
We probably shouldn ’ t confuse the poll results above with actual behavior .
Although ratings are down , they ’ d be down much further if everyone who had supposedly lost interest in the sport were tuning out .
Some fans are still watching , although possibly less intently than they used to .
Not all of the games @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by the way .
I ’ ll leave you with this .
The sheer novelty of watching Old Man Brady play his 80th season in another team ’ s uniform made the Bucs/Saints game a ( small ) winner for Fox , if not for the Bucs themselves .

We’re still waiting for the final ratings as I write this at 3 p.m. ET. The preliminary ratings don’t include the west coast, which is important to note since the L.A. Rams were involved in last night’s game. The final ratings could be considerably bigger when California’s numbers are added in.
But I doubt it. Los Angeles hates football. The only difference between the empty seats yesterday and the empty seats at Rams games in years past is that yesterday fans had an excuse to stay away.
Anyway, not lookin’ good early for the fully woke NFL:
Even with the usual ratings gold of Jerry Jones’ team on the field, the NFL and NBC didn’t get that win – at least not in the early numbers. Despite two teams with big national followings, SNF snared a 4.7 in early ratings among adults 18-49 and 14.81 million viewers last night. In numbers certain to change, that’s a fall of 28% in the demo and a hard decline of 23% in sets of eyeballs from the early numbers of the the September 8, 2019 SNF season debut… To add further context, last year’s opener, a 33-3 pummeling of the Pittsburgh Steelers by then reigning Super Bowl champs the New England Patriots, went on to pull in an audience of 22.2 million on NBC, which was pretty much even with SNF’s 2018 season premiere. That 2019 figure inched up to 22.7 million when digital platform viewing was added in.
“Two teams with big national followings”? The Rams don’t even have a local following, bro.
What’s interesting about this is that Thursday night’s season opener at Kansas City — the one where fans booed during the moment of silence for racial unity — also saw a ratings decline from last year. That game, a rematch of an AFC playoff game from earlier this year and a contest of marquee quarterbacks, was down 12 percent ratings-wise from the 2019-20 season opener.
Could it be that fans are simply oversaturated with sports right now? Deadline noted last week that the Chiefs/Texans game had to compete for eyeballs with NBA and NHL playoff games, something that never happened in years past since those sports finished their seasons during the summer.
But there was no competition for the Rams and the Cowboys last night (besides baseball, which is standard in September). The NBA and NHL each finished their games in the afternoon, before kickoff. And although fans have an unusually large sports menu to choose from right now, football is football. How to explain that steep ratings drop-off?
Could it be … politics? New from Morning Consult:
Note which group has seen the largest negative shift. As football has turned woker, Trump fans say they’re much less interested than they used to be. Although, weirdly, anti-Trumpers have shifted in the same direction, nearly as strongly. I can’t make heads or tails of that. Maybe it’s a pandemic thing, i.e. Democrats have nothing against the NFL, they’re just distracted by getting through this nightmare and not paying attention to the league the way they used to. But that’s hard to square with the rest of the data: Why would strong anti-Trumpers be more allergic to the league due to COVID worries than those who view the president somewhat favorably or unfavorably are?
I’m tempted to conclude that lefties feel alienated by the NFL because it’s *not woke enough.* To wit:
While the NFL runs propaganda about how they care about Black Life, they are still actively blackballing Eric Reid (@E_Reid35) for fighting for the Black community. Eric set 2 franchise records last year, and is one of the best defensive players in the league. https://t.co/KQXTaOCcnU — Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) September 13, 2020
It could be that some progressives are holding out for Reid and especially Kaepernick himself to be signed before coming back to the game, although I find that hard to believe. For how many lefties is Kaepernick’s status really an issue so urgent that they’d lose interest in the sport until he’s back on the field?
Meh. We probably shouldn’t confuse the poll results above with actual behavior. Although ratings are down, they’d be down much further if everyone who had supposedly lost interest in the sport were tuning out. Some fans are still watching, although possibly less intently than they used to.
Not all of the games this weekend were a bust ratings-wise, by the way. I’ll leave you with this. The sheer novelty of watching Old Man Brady play his 80th season in another team’s uniform made the Bucs/Saints game a (small) winner for Fox, if not for the Bucs themselves.


hotair--2020-09-14--Former Facebook employee claims she was left alone to deal with manipulative behavior by politicians

Former Facebook employee claims she was left alone to deal with manipulative behavior by politicians around the world

A former Facebook employee named Sophie Zhang has written a 6,600 word memo outlining the frequent inauthentic behavior she saw on the site in support of politicians around the world .
According to Zhang , she worked for three years on the Facebook Site Integrity fake engagement team .
In practice that meant that she often had to decide what to do about coordinated activity that was obviously set up to bolster various politicians .
She claims she was usually left to decide on her own which efforts to influence elections were pulled down and which were left alone .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ manager she worked with suggested she was a “ part-time dictator.
” With no oversight whatsoever , I was left in a situation where I was trusted with immense influence in my spare time , ” she wrote .
“ A manager on Strategic Response mused to myself that most of the world outside the West was effectively the Wild West with myself as the part-time dictator – he meant the statement as a compliment , but it illustrated the immense pressures upon me.
” A former Facebook engineer who knew her told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discovering fake account networks on the platform .
“ She ’ s the only person in this entire field at Facebook that I ever trusted to be earnest about this work , ” said the engineer , who had seen a copy of Zhang ’ s post , and asked not to be named because they no longer work at the company .
Buzzfeed , publishers of the Steele Dossier , have chosen not to publish the full memo because it contains personal information , but they offered a summary of some of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s just a sample but the claim she ’ s making is that the company has its employees focusing on the largest offenders which in practice means that they spend most of their time dealing with the Facebook equivalent of spam .
Because the political operations are smaller they often don ’ t get the same attention .
Zhang was fired this month and posted the memo on her last day .
So I guess you could make a pretty good case she ’ s a disgruntled employee .
However , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was any bad intent by Facebook : So it ’ s not a case of Facebook being intentionally doing something wrong , more a case of bad actors taking advantage of the opportunity Facebook creates to mislead people .
Frankly , I ’ m not sure there ’ s any way to unring that bell .
Facebook exists and if it ceased to exist tomorrow some similar company would step into that space to provide the same service .
We ’ re always going to have bad people looking to abuse their power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ media .
We already have a lot of misleading TV ads out there doing the same thing .
In short , this problem isn ’ t going away .
I guess we can decide it ’ s Facebook ’ s problem to solve but asking a social media company to solve the problem of bad people with bad intent seems a bit hopeless to me .

A former Facebook employee named Sophie Zhang has written a 6,600 word memo outlining the frequent inauthentic behavior she saw on the site in support of politicians around the world. According to Zhang, she worked for three years on the Facebook Site Integrity fake engagement team. In practice that meant that she often had to decide what to do about coordinated activity that was obviously set up to bolster various politicians. She claims she was usually left to decide on her own which efforts to influence elections were pulled down and which were left alone. It got to the point where a manager she worked with suggested she was a “part-time dictator.”
With no oversight whatsoever, I was left in a situation where I was trusted with immense influence in my spare time,” she wrote. “A manager on Strategic Response mused to myself that most of the world outside the West was effectively the Wild West with myself as the part-time dictator – he meant the statement as a compliment, but it illustrated the immense pressures upon me.” A former Facebook engineer who knew her told BuzzFeed News that Zhang was skilled at discovering fake account networks on the platform. “She’s the only person in this entire field at Facebook that I ever trusted to be earnest about this work,” said the engineer, who had seen a copy of Zhang’s post, and asked not to be named because they no longer work at the company.
Buzzfeed, publishers of the Steele Dossier, have chosen not to publish the full memo because it contains personal information, but they offered a summary of some of the things Zhang alleges in it:
It took Facebook’s leaders nine months to act on a coordinated campaign “that used thousands of inauthentic assets to boost President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras on a massive scale to mislead the Honduran people.” Two weeks after Facebook took action against the perpetrators in July, they returned, leading to a game of “whack-a-mole” between Zhang and the operatives behind the fake accounts, which are still active.
In Azerbaijan, Zhang discovered the ruling political party “utilized thousands of inauthentic assets… to harass the opposition en masse.” Facebook began looking into the issue a year after Zhang reported it. The investigation is ongoing.
Zhang and her colleagues removed “10.5 million fake reactions and fans from high-profile politicians in Brazil and the US in the 2018 elections.”
That’s just a sample but the claim she’s making is that the company has its employees focusing on the largest offenders which in practice means that they spend most of their time dealing with the Facebook equivalent of spam. Because the political operations are smaller they often don’t get the same attention.
Zhang was fired this month and posted the memo on her last day. So I guess you could make a pretty good case she’s a disgruntled employee. However, Zhang apparently isn’t alleging there was any bad intent by Facebook:
In another part of her memo, Zhang said she wanted to push back on the idea that Facebook was run by malicious people hoping to achieve a particular outcome. That was not the case, she wrote, attributing actions to “slapdash and haphazard accidents.”
So it’s not a case of Facebook being intentionally doing something wrong, more a case of bad actors taking advantage of the opportunity Facebook creates to mislead people. Frankly, I’m not sure there’s any way to unring that bell. Facebook exists and if it ceased to exist tomorrow some similar company would step into that space to provide the same service. We’re always going to have bad people looking to abuse their power by trying to deceive people via the media. We already have a lot of misleading TV ads out there doing the same thing. In short, this problem isn’t going away. I guess we can decide it’s Facebook’s problem to solve but asking a social media company to solve the problem of bad people with bad intent seems a bit hopeless to me.