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Tag: 2016
October 14, 2024
William Upton
Data
Election 2024

Harris’s Attempts to Lean Into Her Black Identity Are REALLY Not Working.

Support for Democrats among black voters is seeing a significant decline, according to new election survey data. An October New York Times/Siena national poll of black voters reveals a potentially catastrophic drop in support for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, compared to Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump is seeing his margins increase, inching up into the double digits.

During the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton won black voters by an estimated 85-point margin—capturing 92 percent of the demographic. Similarly, Joe Biden won black voters by an estimated 81-point margin. Conversely, Trump only won 7 percent of the black vote in 2016 and 9 percent in 2020. However, the NYT/Siena data suggests Trump is now on pace to win 15 percent of the black vote, with Kamala Harris only capturing 78 percent—a historically low margin of just 63 points.

Concerningly for Harris, her 63-point margin among black voters is down from even that of Biden before he dropped out of the presidential race in July. Before his ouster, 74 percent of black voters said they would cast their ballot for Biden in November.

In a close presidential race, margins among any voter demographic could potentially swing the election. The notable shift in the black vote could have a major impact on the outcome in states like Michigan, Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

Faced with eroding black support, Kamala Harris has tapped former President Barack Obama to hit the campaign trail in an effort to improve her margins. In one of Obama’s first events for Harris, the Democrat former president shamed black men who refuse to support Harris—accusing them of sexism.

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Support for Democrats among black voters is seeing a significant decline, according to new election survey data. An October New York Times/Siena national poll of black voters reveals a potentially catastrophic drop in support for the 2024 Democratic Party presidential nominee, Kamala Harris, compared to Joe Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump is seeing his margins increase, inching up into the double digits. show more
September 11, 2024
Election 2024
Politics

Deplorables 2.0: Pelosi Says 30% of Republicans ‘Homophobic, Sexist, Racist.’

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claims 30 percent of Republicans refuse to support Democratic Party candidates because of their views on women, race, and LGBTQ issues. Speaking with podcast host Kara Swisher at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival, the California Democrat insisted that these voters will never cast a ballot for Democrats, which is why the 2024 presidential race between former President Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris is so close.

“There are people who will never be, shall we say, inclined to support Democrats because of – they just have a different orientation toward women, people of color, LGBTQ, you know, they just are not ever going to be there,” Pelosi told Swisher before continuing: ” So, say that’s about like 30 percent or something like that… of the Republicans.”

“And then you have very, very rich people who do not really want to pay taxes or have any regulation of clean air, clean water, any of that. So you have to deal with that,” the former Democrat Speaker noted regarding campaign fundraising, adding: “Now, it’s not as many very, very rich people, but it’s a lot of money that goes into a campaign.”

During the discussion, Pelosi seemed to suggest that Democrats should respect but still ignore the concerns of this large bloc of American voters. She told Swisher, “They have fear of globalization. They saw the factory down the road move overseas. They’re fearful of innovation.”

Addressing former President Trump directly, the 84-year-old Democrat who is running for re-election insisted he is a “snake oil salesman.”

Pelosi’s remarks are reminiscent of similar comments made by Hillary Clinton during the 2016 presidential election in which she labeled half of Trump’s political base as a “basket of deplorable” and cited similar perceived prejudices listed by the former Speaker.

WATCH: 

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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) claims 30 percent of Republicans refuse to support Democratic Party candidates because of their views on women, race, and LGBTQ issues. Speaking with podcast host Kara Swisher at the 2024 Texas Tribune Festival, the California Democrat insisted that these voters will never cast a ballot for Democrats, which is why the 2024 presidential race between former President Donald J. Trump and Kamala Harris is so close. show more
russia collusion
August 26, 2024
William Upton
NatSec
Politics

Russia Hoax Hobbled U.S. Foreign Policy, Admits Top Trump Critic.

The long-debunked Russia collusion hoax against former President Donald J. Trump hurt U.S. foreign policy, according to former National Security Advisor turned public Trump critic H.R. McMaster.

Robert Mueller’s special counsel investigation—peddled by top Democrats and also every major media outlet in the world—undermined the Trump White House’s efforts to handle issues with Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, McMaster admitted in an excerpt of his new book published by the Wall Street Journal this weekend.

“Since Trump’s election, Democrats and others opposed to Trump kept looking for evidence of collusion or corruption with Russians or for compromising information—such as that in the discredited Steele dossier, a document filled with false allegations about Trump that was funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and presented to the FBI as fact,” McMaster wrote, concluding: “All this had created opportunities for the Kremlin.”

McMaster goes on to explain that the corporate media‘s constant favorable coverage of the Russia collusion hoax pushed by the Democrats enabled the Russian government to actively meddle in U.S. foreign policy interests. Additionally, McMaster explains that the politicization of Russia’s intelligence activities during the 2016 election by Democrat lawmakers allowed Russia to push narratives that were used to drive wedges between White House officials and hamper efforts to constrain Putin‘s own foreign policy goals.

The revelations in McMaster’s memoir further confirm allegations that Russia‘s intent during the 2016 election and after was to sow discord in the United States—and not to support one presidential candidate or another. Consequently, the Russia collusion hoax—pushed by Democrats in weeks, months, and years after the 2016 election—provided ample opportunities for the Russians to continue to meddle in American interests by undermining public trust.

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The long-debunked Russia collusion hoax against former President Donald J. Trump hurt U.S. foreign policy, according to former National Security Advisor turned public Trump critic H.R. McMaster. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Now see if this were the Democrats being harmed by a hoax like this, they would use McMasters’s comments as the jumping-off point for a fresh Congressional investigation and subpoena literally everyone involved in peddling this lie
for exclusive members-only insights
Now see if this were the Democrats being harmed by a hoax like this, they would use McMasters’s comments as the jumping-off point for a fresh Congressional investigation and subpoena literally everyone involved in peddling this lie show more
for exclusive members-only insights
May 30, 2024
Lawfare
News

The FBI Lovers Who Tried to Stop Trump in 2016 Are Dropping Their ‘Privacy Violations’ Lawsuit Against the DOJ.

Former FBI official Lisa Page has reached a tentative settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding her allegations of privacy violations due to the release of her text messages with fellow agency official Pete Strzok. These texts were exchanged during the 2016 presidential election cycle and exposed their concerted opposition to Donald Trump’s election.

Page’s lawsuit stemmed from the DOJ‘s public release of her communications with Strzok, with whom she was involved in an extramarital relationship. The text messages became a focal point during political debates and investigations into potential bias within the FBI.

According to a court filing on Tuesday, the tentative agreement will, if approved by the presiding judge, resolve the five-year-old case in which Page sought financial damages of at least $1,000 for alleged FBI privacy violations. Further details on the settlement were not provided. Meanwhile, Strzok, who was dismissed from the FBI, has yet to settle his lawsuit, in which he is seeking back pay and reinstatement to his position.

The release of the text messages has been heavily scrutinized, impacting both Page’s and Strzok’s careers and reputations. The resolution of Page’s case may close one chapter of the protracted legal proceedings related to the 2016 election and the FBI‘s internal conflicts.

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Former FBI official Lisa Page has reached a tentative settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) regarding her allegations of privacy violations due to the release of her text messages with fellow agency official Pete Strzok. These texts were exchanged during the 2016 presidential election cycle and exposed their concerted opposition to Donald Trump’s election. show more
May 3, 2024
William Upton
Election Integrity

Noncitizens ARE Voting — And Are 3x More Likely to Vote Democrat.

Noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections despite the Biden government and corporate media claims to the contrary — and are three times more likely to vote for the Democrats. Noncitizens are often able to register and cast ballots due to negligence by election workers or registration drives sponsored by government agencies. A series of criminal cases involving ballots cast by immigrants in North Carolina has revealed some concerning data regarding the frequency of noncitizen voting and which political party they often support.

Federal prosecutors have brought charges against 37 noncitizens who voted in North Carolina’s 2016 election. By a three-to-one ratio, these individuals supported Democrats over Republican candidates. The noncitizens cast 99 ballots in multiple elections dating back as far as 1996. Most of the noncitizen voters only participated in federal elections, with only a handful of ballots cast in local races.

According to one of the federal attorneys who handled most of the North Carolina prosecutions, election officials appeared to register noncitizens they believed would likely support Democrat candidates. In one instance, a noncitizen’s voter registration was accepted only after it became clear he intended to vote for Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.

One of the noncitizens charged, Eloy Alberto Zayas-Berrier, has been in the United States since 1980. Zayas arrived as part of the Mariel boatlift, which saw over 100,000 Cuban nationals land on American shores. In 2016, Zayas showed up at an early voting location and presented his government-issued work permit to an election worker who allowed him to register as a Democrat and cast a ballot.

A recent incident in South Carolina saw a noncitizen receive multiple voter registration forms after filing for public assistance with the state’s Medicaid office.

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Noncitizens are voting in U.S. elections despite the Biden government and corporate media claims to the contrary — and are three times more likely to vote for the Democrats. Noncitizens are often able to register and cast ballots due to negligence by election workers or registration drives sponsored by government agencies. A series of criminal cases involving ballots cast by immigrants in North Carolina has revealed some concerning data regarding the frequency of noncitizen voting and which political party they often support. show more
February 14, 2024
NatSec

REPORT: Obama Intel Chiefs Recruited Foreign Agents to Spy on Trump.

A report released on Tuesday revealed that under the Obama administration, the United States Intelligence Community (US IC) directed its foreign allies to spy on Donald Trump and his associates well before the FBI’s “Crossfire Hurricane” investigation in 2016 into alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia.

The joint report by veteran journalists Michael Shellenberger, Matt Taibbi, and Alex Gutentag, citing sources close to a House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HSPCI) investigation, stated– the US IC requested that its “Five Eyes” allies — the UK, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand — surveil Trump and his associates and share any information gathered. Obama’s CIA Director, John Brennan, identified 26 Trump associates for surveillance and manipulation, an assignment confirmed by a source within the US IC.

While it was earlier suggested that the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) was the key informant in the Trump-Russia collusion hoax, sources refute this claim, stating instead that the US IC asked its foreign affiliates to target Trump’s associates. These individuals were allegedly considered easy targets due to their lack of experience in dealing with disinformation or intelligence operatives.

Individuals targeted by the US IC reportedly included Michael Flynn, former Defense Intelligence Agency head, and Carter Page, a Trump foreign policy advisor. In one instance, Trump aide George Papadopoulos was approached by Maltese professor Josef Mifsud, who House Democrats on the Intelligence Committee claimed was “Kremlin-linked.” In reality, Mifsud was “a professor who really worked for MI6,” according to one source.

This kind of intelligence gathering is illegal under U.S. law unless a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant is obtained. The bombshell report will likely increase concerns about U.S. intelligence interference in the 2024 election.

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A report released on Tuesday revealed that under the Obama administration, the United States Intelligence Community (US IC) directed its foreign allies to spy on Donald Trump and his associates well before the FBI's "Crossfire Hurricane" investigation in 2016 into alleged Trump campaign collusion with Russia. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
For years and years, Trump said over and over, “They spied on my campaign,” specifying, “Obama spied on my campaign,” and a whole lot more
for exclusive members-only insights
For years and years, Trump said over and over, “They spied on my campaign,” specifying, “Obama spied on my campaign,” and a whole lot more show more
for exclusive members-only insights
February 1, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024
News
Politics

Trump Zeroes In On Critical Union Voters.

The support of union households across Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada increasingly appears to be the critical swing vote in the 2024 presidential election. An ‘arms race’ is underway between President Joe Biden’s and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns to secure the votes of rank-and-file union members. However, data shows that former President Trump may hold an early edge.

Just before the 2020 election, internal polling conducted by POLITICO showed a near dead-heat between Biden and Trump with 48 and 47 percent of the union vote, respectively. A similar trend is emerging in polling data heading into the 2024 election. Former President Donald Trump and President Biden have shown to be tied at 47 percent each among union voters, according to a recent poll. The erosion of union support for Democrats, as well as Republican gains under Trump, in large part explains the former President’s consistent lead in swing-state polling.

Trump Prioritizes Union Workers.

Trump has made it a point to court union voters this election cycle. During the United Auto Workers (UAW) strike last year, he traveled to Michigan, where he delivered a historic policy speech laying out his “Patriotic Protectionism” agenda. During the strike, the former President expressed a certain degree of solidarity with the auto workers and noted Biden’s electric car mandates were hurting the American auto industry.

Despite UAW president Shawn Fain announcing the union will back Biden, rank-and-file members indicate they’re willing to break for Trump.

The Michigan speech was followed by Trump sitting down with Teamsters union leader Sean O’Brien late last year. That meeting was followed up earlier this week with the former President sitting down again with O’Brien and rank-and-file Teamsters members to discuss his agenda should he retake the White House. When asked about a potential Teamsters endorsement, Trump said: “Stranger things have happened.”

Union Votes Can Swing Key States.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the United States has 14.2 million union members. During the 2020 election, former President Trump saw significant gains among union households in Ohio and Pennsylvania — with the former President only narrowly losing the latter to Biden. In Wisconsin and Michigan, however, Joe Biden was able to hold his vote margins among union members, heading off Trump’s efforts to flip both states in his favor again.

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The support of union households across Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Nevada increasingly appears to be the critical swing vote in the 2024 presidential election. An 'arms race' is underway between President Joe Biden's and former President Donald Trump's campaigns to secure the votes of rank-and-file union members. However, data shows that former President Trump may hold an early edge. show more
November 28, 2023
William Upton
Politics

Previous Republican Campaigns Say Iowa ‘Faith CEO’ Bob Vander Plaats Solicited Cash For Endorsements.

Pay-to-play accusations are nothing new for Iowa evangelical political operative Bob Vander Plaats, who recently endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shortly after receiving a check for $95,000 from his campaign. Similar situations have played out in Iowa over the past several campaign cycles.

Vander Plaats was accused of selling his endorsement to Rick Santorum’s presidential campaign during the 2012 Republican presidential primary, with Santorum himself admitting the Iowa evangelical leader said he needed cash to make the most out of the endorsement.

“What he talked about was he needed money to promote the endorsement and that that would be important to do that.”

– Rick Santorum.

During the 2008 Republican primary, Mitt Romney’s campaign says Vander Plaats offered an endorsement in exchange for financial support. When the Romney team refused, Vander Plaats endorsed Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

Vander Plaats appears to ‘launder’ the contributions for endorsements through ‘sponsorships’ and ‘advertisements’ in his Family Leader Foundation’s literature and events. Former Vice President Mike Pence’s 2024 presidential campaign was approached about making a $25,000 contribution in exchange for an ad in a booklet. Marc Short, a Pence campaign adviser, said they determined the contribution was a waste of donor money and declined.

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Pay-to-play accusations are nothing new for Iowa evangelical political operative Bob Vander Plaats, who recently endorsed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis shortly after receiving a check for $95,000 from his campaign. Similar situations have played out in Iowa over the past several campaign cycles. show more