(MAGA hat in shadows – photo: R Nial Bradshaw/LLC license) Parler, the conservative/uncensored alternative to Twitter, is having some issues after breaking out of the gate to much fanfare. The new social media platform was the shizzle for a second as it was the most downloaded app in the US in the beginning of November. A month later, the app had fallen to #587 according to App Annie. (screen capture via App Annie) From Vice:
A month later, the app’s popularity has plummeted as downloads and daily active user numbers have fallen off dramatically — and now even some of the most influential figures in the QAnon community are criticizing it.
The company announced on Nov. 12 that its membership had almost doubled since the election a week earlier, from 4.5 million to 8 million.
But once people got there, they found that it wasn’t really much fun.
The platform bills itself as “a non-biased, free speech social media focused on protecting user’s rights,” but in reality, it has become an echo chamber of right-wing ideologies and extremist views. Many conservatives have grown tired of Parler because there’s no one with an opposing point of view to argue with.
Additionally, there’s a reported influx of pornography because the app’s lax moderation policies make it easy for adult entertainment folks to bombard the users there.
Donald Trump was apparently so upset the Supreme Court didn’t hand him the election (as he’d planned) that he refused to come down to his own White House holiday party superspreader event. But he did make time for a Twitter rant…because of course. It’s worth pointing out that Team Trump lost dozens and dozens of baseless lawsuits in trying to steal the election. He lost in federal courts, appellate courts, and now the Supreme Court wouldn’t even let his peeps in the door. He lost to conservative, Republican-appointed judges, he even lost to judges he appointed. It’s time, Donnie. It’s time to find some dignity. #TrumpMeltDown quickly began trending on Twitter.
At the White House Christmas Party, guests were informed about 10 minutes ago that the president won't be joining them to make remarks.
I WON THE ELECTION IN A LANDSLIDE, but remember, I only think in terms of legal votes, not all of the fake voters and fraud that miraculously floated in from everywhere! What a disgrace!
Who is a worse governor, @BrianKempGA of Georgia or @dougducey of Arizona??? These are two RINO Republicans who fought against me and the Republican Party harder than any Democrat. They allowed states that I won easily to be stolen. Never forget, vote them out of office!
The Supreme Court had ZERO interest in the merits of the greatest voter fraud ever perpetrated on the United States of America. All they were interested in is “standing”, which makes it very difficult for the President to present a case on the merits. 75,000,000 votes!
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined a bid from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to nullify the ballots of millions of voters in four battleground states that went in favor of President-Elect Joe Biden. From the Washington Post:
The court’s unsigned order was short: “Texas has not demonstrated a judicially cognizable interest in the manner in which another state conducts its elections. All other pending motions are dismissed as moot.”
Trump, who has appointed three of the court’s nine members, has long viewed the Supreme Court as something of an ace-in-the-hole, and called for the justices to display “courage” and rescue him in post-election litigation.
Just about every legal expert with two brain cells to spark together predicted this would be the outcome for Paxtons’ woeful attempt to curry favor with Trump. Many of the 100+ Republican members of Congress who publicly supported the woeful attempt have said off the record that they knew the lawsuit wouldn’t go anywhere but they felt it was a “loyalty test” to the Trumpster and wanted to avoid any future fire from the Donald. Paxton is currently under federal investigation himself, and many say he was trying to finagle a presidential pardon with his leg humping.
If the Supreme Court shows great Wisdom and Courage, the American People will win perhaps the most important case in history, and our Electoral Process will be respected again!
Defeat. Dismissed. Denied. That’s the resounding and unequivocal answer Donald Trump and his craven cronies get from the Supreme Court. But the effort was, and remains, dangerous, dire, and fundamentally undemocratic.
It’s done. Even the three justices Trump put on the Supreme Court believed the case he called “perhaps the most important case in history” was worthless, not even worthy of a hearing
TIME named President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris as its Person of the Year. From the profile:
Biden had the vision, set the tone and topped the ticket. But he also recognized what he could not offer on his own, what a 78-year-old white man could never provide: generational change, a fresh perspective, and an embodiment of America’s diversity.
For that, he needed Kamala Harris: California Senator, former district attorney and state attorney general, a biracial child of immigrants whose charisma and tough questioning of Trump Administration officials electrified millions of Democrats.
The Vice President has never before been a woman, or Black, or Asian American. “I will be the first, but I will not be the last,” Harris says in a separate interview. “That’s about legacy, that’s about creating a pathway, that’s about leaving the door more open than it was when you walked in.”
In an age of tribalism, the union aims to demonstrate that differences don’t have to be divides.
Conservative radio host/columnist Erick Erickson Conservative pundit Erick Erickson has had enough of the faux fawning by fearful Republicans over Donald Trump’s seemingly endless attempts to further embarrass himself and his loss in the 2020 presidential election. The latest development to irritate Mr. Erickson is the laughable lawsuit Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, has filed which asks the Supreme Court to interfere in the handling of elections in four other states – states Trump lost. From the New York Times:
The state of Texas filed an audacious lawsuit in the Supreme Court on Tuesday against four other states, asking the justices to extend the Dec. 14 deadline for certification of presidential electors.
The suit, filed by the state’s attorney general, Ken Paxton, said Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin had engaged in election irregularities that require investigation, and it asked the court to “enjoin the use of unlawful election results without review and ratification by the defendant states’ legislatures.”
Of course, Texas has no standing to insist on how those four states determine their own elections. You might have heard of “state’s rights?” Erickson calls out the bs:
Ken Paxton, the Attorney General of Texas, is under a federal investigation and would love a presidential pardon. His lawsuit is just more performative leg humping by someone desperate to curry favor with President Trump.
The various attorneys general who have joined his lawsuit all want to either get re-elected or seek higher office. Joining the lawsuit gives them some measure of ring kissing or protection from any rabid Trump supporters who wanted a “just fight” moment.
I personally think my company should pay me workers compensation for brain damage for having to read that lawsuit and related filings. It really is one of the stupidest bits of performative leg humping we have seen in the last five years. These attorneys general are willing to beclown themselves and their states all to get in good with the losing presidential candidate.
A 21-year-old bisexual Trump supporter spent the majority of 2020 impersonating relatives of Donald Trump on Twitter and in doing so appears to have scammed thousands of dollars from LGBTQ Trumpers.
The New York Times spoke with Josh Hall, who lives in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, about his wild Twitter ride which included pretending to be Robert Trump, brother to the president; 14-year-old Barron Trump, the Donald’s son; and just last month Trump’s sister, Elizabeth Trump Grau.
Hall not only fooled hundreds of thousands of Trump fans – collectively accruing over 160,000 followers – but even tricked Trump himself, who just last month posted an article about his ‘sister’ who had announced she was joining Twitter to support her brother’s fight to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
“Thank you Elizabeth,” tweeted the Donald. “LOVE!”
(screen capture)
Except, “Elizabeth” was actually Mr. Hall cloaked behind the fake Twitter account. Trump’s tweet is still on his account at this writing.
In an interview with the New York Times, Hall admitted he was stunned to have fooled Trump. “I was like, ‘Oh, my goodness. He actually thinks it’s his sister.”
Hall shared with the Times that he became interested in politics and Donald Trump four years ago. “I kind of thought he was like a clown at first,” he said. “But the more I heard him talk, I realized: Yeah, he says kind of off-the-wall things, but I do agree with what he’s saying.”
Energized by Trump’s heated rhetoric, Hall began to dream of becoming a conservative talk-radio host. In an attempt to develop an online presence, he fought with liberals on Twitter and launched a “public figure” page on Facebook.
He also self-published a short e-book titled Hall Nation which shared his “38 essential rules” for living a happy life. As a Trump supporter, the first rule isn’t surprising: “Insults are a good thing.”
In real life, Hall apparently found it difficult to hold down a job moving from hotel clerk to sandwich maker, and eventually delivering food for Door Dash.
But online, he was learning to establish a small following. That journey was curtailed when he found himself banned from Twitter for creating multiple accounts as different people. “Once I got banned from Twitter, my attitude was kind of like, ‘What the hell, I’m just going to have fun now,’” he told the Times.
So, he began creating fake accounts posing as well-known people in the political sphere.
(screen capture via NY Times)
He started with a parody account of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich who had received a pardon from Trump. That account garnered upward of 26,000 followers before it was deleted by Twitter.
Hall returned with more accounts pretending to be Dr. Birx from the White House Coronavirus Task Force at one point, and then Trump’s brother, Robert.
Through all of this, Hall claims “There was no nefarious intention behind it. I was just trying to rally up MAGA supporters and have fun.”
It was during his fake “Robert Trump” phase that he used the account to promote his own new Twitter account, @TheBiTrumpGuy, and his fake group, “Gay Voices for Trump.”
He even encouraged Trumpers (as “Robert Trump”) to donate to a GoFundMe campaign organized by Hall that was purported to support “field organizing, events and merchandise.” The fundraiser brought in $7,384.
(screen capture via NY Times)
Hall says he “never got the funds” from the crowdfunding campaign, but GoFundMe tells the Times the money was withdrawn by an account named Josh H.
All in all, it’s a timely tale of how much disinformation there is on social media. And a serious reminder to not believe everything you see on social media.
Head over to the New York Times to read the full accounting.
First, there was the wave of coronavirus infections among White House staffers and aides. Then, Donald Trump tweeted that his lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, has been diagnosed as COVID-19 positive. Today, we hear another Team Trump lawyer, Jenna Ellis, has also tested positive for the virus. From Axios:
President Trump’s lawyer Jenna Ellis has informed associates she tested positive for the coronavirus, multiple sources tell Axios, stirring West Wing fears after she attended a senior staff Christmas party on Friday.
Driving the news: There are concerns about the potential for another White House superspreader event, though it was unclear whether Ellis posed a risk when she attended. Ellis declined to confirm the diagnosis to Axios.
Ellis showed up to the White House senior staff party in the East Wing on Friday as the guest of Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro and was not seen wearing a mask, according to sources who attended the indoor event.
So many folks in Trump’s camp getting diagnosed – it’s almost as though they are doing something wrong…?
Breaking Axios: Trump lawyer Jenna Ellis has informed associates she has coronavirus, multiple sources tell Axios. https://t.co/2J5R1tdNGp
Trump flack Kayleigh McEneny Kayleigh McEneny, who is employed by taxpayers as the White House press secretary and at the same time Donald Trump’s failed reelection campaign, called out Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp while inadvertently acknowledging that President-elect Joe Biden won the election. “You have the power to call in a special legislative session because right now if we lose these two Senate seats, guess who’s casting the deciding vote in this country for our government? It will be Kamala Harris. Call for the special legislative session. Governor Kemp can also threaten the budget of the secretary of state – there’s plenty he can do.”
Dead-ender Kayleigh McEnany yells at GA Gov. Kemp on Fox News: “You have the power to call in a special legislative session because right now if we lose these two Senate seats, guess whose casting the deciding vote in this country for our government? It will be Kamala Harris.” pic.twitter.com/IW2o55ohWs
This is racketeering. The powers of the White House do not include authority over how states run elections. Georgia held a lawful, Constitutional election. Using WH office of any kind to pressure others to corrupt that process is criminal abuse of office.
I think this is the result of raising children and calling them princess’ all their lives. A sense of entitlement in all that they do in life. Undermine democracy because you lost? Of course you can princess.
Clearly Kayleigh doesn’t know math or law. Even if Kemp decided to do what they are asking(he can’t), it wouldn’t put Biden below 270 or Trump up to 270. Biden didnt need Georgia to win. It’s just ice cream on the peach cobbler.
The horror! What if Dems control the Senate so there’s no gridlock — and a Covid Relief Bill actually gets passed — helping millions of Americans who are struggling, through no fault of their own. Rich people gonna be mad! This is awful!
Donald Trump, Gov. Brian Kemp Even after making the Governor of Georgia his punching bag, Donald Trump reportedly called on Gov. Brian Kemp this morning asking him to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election in his state. From the Washington Post:
President Trump called Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Saturday morning to urge him to persuade the state legislature to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the state and asked the governor to order an audit of absentee ballot signatures, the latest brazen effort by the president to interfere in the 2020 election.
Hours before he was scheduled to hold a rally in Georgia on behalf of the state’s two GOP senators, Trump pressed Kemp to call a special session of the state legislature to get lawmakers to override the results and appoint electors that would back him, according to a person familiar with the conversation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe the private call.
He also asked the governor to demand an audit of signatures on mail ballots, something Kemp has previously noted he has no power to do.
Trump went on to question whether Kemp was a real Republican in a tweet wherein he publicly called on the governor to permit the ‘simple signature verification.’ But Georgia state law prohibits the governor from interfering in elections. After Kemp responded to Trump’s tweet saying he’s publicly called for the signature audit in the past, Trump came back at Kemp again. In related news, the Trump campaign lost legal challenges in six states on Friday.
As I told the President this morning, I’ve publicly called for a signature audit three times (11/20, 11/24, 12/3) to restore confidence in our election process and to ensure that only legal votes are counted in Georgia. #gapolhttps://t.co/xdXrhf1vI2
Some news items you might have missed: • Edge Media: A new report published by the Washington Post suggests that President-elect Joe Biden may have won the 2020 election because of higher LGBTQ voter turnout. • Pew Research: A new poll shows 60% of American adults say they will get vaccinated for the coronavirus, up from 51% in September. • CNBC: Sidney Powell, who has already been booted from the Trump legal team, asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to order Georgia officials to “preserve all data on the Dominion System” and allow “Republican Electors to audit” that system in 10 counties. Finding it has no jurisdiction to hear the appeal, the 11th Circuit Court sent the Kraken lawsuit back to its cage in the District Court.
Breaking: A federal appellate court has rejected Sidney Powell and Lin Wood’s appeal in the so-called Kraken case filed in Georgia. https://t.co/atqc5WIrNJ
• Nevada Independent: A Carson City District Court judge rejected a legal request to award the state’s six electoral votes to Donald Trump. Judge James Russell ruled that he found the evidence offered by the Trump campaign to have “little to no value,” and failed to provide under any standard of proof that the campaign’s long list of alleged fraud and vote irregularities could be backed up under any evidentiary standard. • Detroit Free Press: Team Trump also lost in Michigan today as well. The court chastised the campaign for dragging its feet on the appeal, said the certification of Michigan’s election results by the Board of State Canvassers in the interim had made the lawsuit moot, and said that if the Trump campaign wanted to challenge the results it could have requested a recount, but it did not. • WXKY Radio: New York Young Republicans hoped to keep the New Jersey location of their annual fundraiser a secret but were outed by folks tweeting from the party. Jersey City chief prosecutor Jake Hudnut responded to a tweet by an attendee taunting New York Gov. Cuomo to “come and get me” by tweeting “Gov. Cuomo may not be able to ‘come and get’ you, but I can.”
