#saw a post on Twitter speculating that Jason changed the ending

[goodmorninglovelies42]

Just thinking about Ted Lasso as Dorothy and Beard, Nate, and Roy as the Scarecrow, the Lion, and the Tin Man. Have we done this yet?

[littlemissclandestine]

Why I think Russell Adler is going to make a comeback in COD 2024

WARNING⚠️: Contains spoilers for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2

Disclaimer: This is all just speculation on my behalf of course. I've just tried piecing stuff together for fun because Russ is one of my fave BO characters even though he's a bitch but i need more Adler content stat. <33

Let's get into it peeps. HEAR ME OUT.

Buckle up. Gonna be one hell of a ride folks 🤪

We'll start off with some random/background info.

Russ was born on February 12th 1937 so that would make him 53/54 in the Gulf War era. This actually isn't that old because if you think about it, Woods was about to turn 51 in 1981 during the Cold War campaign. What's a few more years?

We last saw Adler in action post-campaign in Warzone 1.0 cinematics but we've been kept in the dark about Adler's whereabouts post-1984 (after being brainwashed and killing Stitch LOL).

This meanie in a beanie wasn't forgotten about, oh no. He appears in the new cinematic intros on startup for both MWII (2022) and MWIII (2023). See below:

He was also featured twice in the 20 year anniversary video for Call of Duty whereas COD Ghosts didn't even get an appearance (ouch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL_w5HmxsPI

I personally believe Adler was a great addition to the Black Ops roster and is essentially the new Black Ops 'cover boy' now. Would be such a shame and a missed opportunity not to include a character like him in the upcoming COD. One who is morally grey, does whatever he deems necessary to get the job done - a bit like Cpt. Price in MW. Got the COD fans riled up about him brainwashing and pulling the trigger on Bell too - he's already got the spotlight in both a good and bad way.

Now, let's explore my main reasoning as to why I think Mr Shades 2.0 is most likely coming back in late 2024...

🎖️First up: Gulf War mission list 🔫

Here are some of the campaign missions that will be featured in Black Ops Gulf War. Obviously, this is subject to change, however, going off what we have, look closely...

Credit: @MWIIINTEL on Twitter/X

Safehouse guys...SAFEHOUSE. Takes you right back to Cold War, doesn't it? Ugh the potential.

🕵️ Next up: The campaign for COD 2024 will dive into the CIA's role/the Black Ops timeline 🕘

I took the following snippet from this official article.

From this, we know there will be a huge focus on the CIA and who's a CIA clandestine special officer? Mhm, you guessed it - Russell Adler.

Now, according to the events of BO2, it's evident which characters have the possibility of returning out of our original BO trio - Jason Hudson, Frank Woods and Alex Mason.

💫 Alex is presumed dead after Frank shot him so he's out the picture in '90/91 until 2025 when they canonically meet again.

🪵 Woods would be in his 60s during this time too so I'll let you decide whether that's too old for him to be in GW.

Edit: Woods got SPAS-12'd in the kneecaps on Dec 20th 1989 by Raul Menendez so uh...yeah

🧊 Hudson died on Dec 20th 1989 at the hands of Raul Menendez.

Feel free to check out this website (Call of Duty Wiki) for an outline of the events after CW to remind yourself. Here's a link to the Black Ops timeline from there.

➡️ Gulf War being a direct sequel to Cold War and what that could mean 💉

That brings me onto the rest of the safehouse crew. Since GW is a direct sequel to CW, it would make sense for some characters to carry over if possible:

We, as the player/Bell, get to choose whether Park or Lazar die (or both lovebirds) in 'End of the Line'. It's highly unlikely they'll return unless the devs make one decision canon maybe.

There could be a chance we see Sims again given his bond with Adler (Da Nang etc.), his age (late 40s in GW) and his status (alive).

That leaves the man himself, Russ. Everything from his age to the fact he's CIA and was the deuteragonist in COD 2020's campaign just makes sense for him to have at least a lil cameo or even a larger role, don't you think?

📱Finally: Hints from official posts 🔎

This post from Call of duty's official Instagram account kind of sealed the deal for me.

Oh lookie - they dropped syringe-lover's famous line in a zombies post. Why would COD just drop it so casually like that without a reason and years after CW came out? They could've said absolutely anything else but no, this was purposeful.

And that's all for this episode guys and gals!

Thank you for reading!! 🫂

Do what you will with all this information but I have concluded in my silly little brain that scarface is coming back.

How he's only in one game is beyond me. Won't get a character like him ever again. Seems like a cliché war dude at first glance but dig a little deeper into the details of the CW campaign, peel back the layers and get into his psychology and WOWZERS.

Am I delusional? Most definitely.

But the possibility he might be returning...that little bit of hope is enough for me and i won't shut up about it.

This will age horribly if he isn't in GW. Forgive me for feeding your delusions too in that case. Please?

What are your thoughts? Feel free to share them! 😊

------

EDIT: Y'ALL IT'S HAPPENING 😭😭

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 18, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

It is still early days, and the picture of what is happening in Afghanistan now that the Taliban has regained control of the country continues to develop.

Central to affairs there is money. Afghanistan is one of the poorest countries in the world, with about half its population requiring humanitarian aid this year and about 90% of its people living below the poverty line of making $2 a day.

The country depends on foreign aid. Under the U.S.-supported Afghan government, the United States and other nations funded about 80% of Afghanistan’s budget. In 2020, foreign aid made up about 43% of Afghanistan’s GDP (the GDP, or gross domestic product, is the monetary value of all the goods and services produced in a country), down from 100% of it in 2009.

This is a huge problem for the Taliban, because their takeover of the country means that the money the country so desperately needs has dried up. The U.S. has frozen billions of dollars of Afghan government money held here in the U.S. The European Union and Germany have also suspended their financial support for the country, and today the International Monetary Fund blocked Afghanistan’s access to $460 million in currency reserves.

Adam M. Smith, who served on the National Security Council during the Obama administration, told Jeff Stein of the Washington Post that the financial squeeze is potentially “cataclysmic for Afghanistan.” It threatens to spark a humanitarian crisis that, in turn, will create a refugee crisis in central Asia. Already, the fighting in the last eight months has displaced more than half a million Afghans.

People fleeing from the Taliban threaten to destabilize the region more generally. While Russia was happy to support the Taliban in a war against the U.S., now that its fighters are in charge of the country, Russia needs to keep the Taliban’s extremism from spreading to other countries in the area. So it is tentatively saying supportive things about the Taliban, but it is also stepping up its protection of neighboring countries’ borders with Afghanistan. Other countries are also leery of refugees in the region: large numbers of refugees have, in the past, led countries to turn against immigrants, giving a leg up to right-wing governments.

Canada and Britain are each taking an additional 20,000 Afghan women leaders, reporters, LGBTQ people, and human rights workers on top of those they have already volunteered to take, but Turkey—which is governed by strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan—is building a wall to block refugees, and French President Emmanuel Macron asked officials in Pakistan, Iran, and Turkey to prevent migrants reaching their countries from traveling any further. The European Union has asked its member states to take more Afghan refugees.

In the U.S., the question of Afghan refugees is splitting the Republican Party, with about 30% of it following the hard anti-immigrant line of former president Donald Trump. Others, though, especially those whose districts include military installations, are saying they welcome our Afghan allies.

The people fleeing the country also present a problem for those now in control of Afghanistan. The idea that people are terrified of their rule is a foreign relations nightmare, at the same time that those leaving are the ones most likely to have the skills necessary to help govern the country. But leaders can’t really stop the outward flow—at least immediately—because they do not want to antagonize the international community so thoroughly that it continues to withhold the financial aid the country so badly needs. So, while on the streets, Taliban fighters are harassing Afghans who are trying to get away, Taliban leaders are saying they will permit people to evacuate, that they will offer blanket amnesty to those who opposed them, and also that they will defend some rights for women and girls.

The Biden administration is sending more personnel to help evacuate those who want to leave. The president has promised to evacuate all Americans in the country—as many as 15,000 people—but said only that we would evacuate as many of the estimated 65,000 Afghans who want to leave as possible. The Taliban has put up checkpoints on the roads to the airport and are not permitting everyone to pass. U.S. military leaders say they will be able to evacuate between 5000 and 9000 people a day.

Today, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley tried to explain the frantic rush to evacuate people from Afghanistan to reporters by saying: “There was nothing that I or anyone else saw that indicated a collapse of this army and this government in 11 days.” Maybe. But military analyst Jason Dempsey condemned the whole U.S. military project in Afghanistan when he told NPR's Don Gonyea that the collapse of the Afghan government showed that the U.S. had fundamentally misunderstood the people of Afghanistan and had tried to impose a military system that simply made no sense for a society based in patronage networks and family relationships.

Even with Dempsey’s likely accurate assessment, the statement that U.S. military intelligence missed that a 300,000 person army was going to melt away still seems to me astonishing. Still, foreign policy and national security policy analyst Dr. John Gans of the University of Pennsylvania speculated on Twitter that such a lapse might be more “normal”—his word and quotation marks—than it seems, reflecting the slips possible in government bureaucracy. He points out that the Department of Defense has largely controlled Afghanistan and the way the U.S. involvement there was handled in Washington. But with the end of the military mission, the Defense Department was eager to hand off responsibility to the State Department, which was badly weakened under the previous administration and has not yet rebuilt fully enough to handle what was clearly a complicated handoff. “There have not been many transitions between an American war & an American diplomatic relationship with a sovereign, friendly country,” Gans wrote. “Fewer still when the friendly regime disintegrates so quickly.” When things started to go wrong, they snowballed.

And yet, the media portrayal of our withdrawal as a catastrophe also seems to me surprising. To date, at least as far as I have seen, there have been no reports of such atrocities as the top American diplomat in Syria reported in the chaos when the U.S. pulled out of northern Syria in 2019. Violence against our Kurdish allies there was widely expected and it indeed occurred. In a memo made public in November of that year, Ambassador William V. Roebuck wrote that “Islamist groups” paid by Turkey were deliberately engaged in ethnic cleansing of Kurds, and were committing “widely publicized, fear-inducing atrocities” even while “our military forces and diplomats were on the ground.” The memo continued: “The Turkey operation damaged our regional and international credibility and has significantly destabilized northeastern Syria.”

Reports of that ethnic cleansing in the wake of our withdrawal seemed to get very little media attention in 2019, perhaps because the former president’s first impeachment inquiry took up all the oxygen. But it strikes me that the sensibility of Roebuck’s memo is now being read onto our withdrawal from Afghanistan although conditions there are not—yet—like that.

For now, it seems, the drive to keep the door open for foreign money is reining in Taliban extremism. That caution seems unlikely to last forever, but it might hold for long enough to complete an evacuation.

Much is still unclear and the situation is changing rapidly, but my guess is that keeping an eye on the money will be crucial for understanding how this plays out.

Meanwhile, the former president of Afghanistan, Ashraf Ghani, has surfaced in the United Arab Emirates. He denies early reports that he fled the country with suitcases full of cash.

—-

Notes:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/18/world/asia/ashraf-ghani-uae-afghanistan.html

https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/afghanistan/overview

https://asiatimes.com/2021/08/the-root-of-russias-fears-in-afghanistan/

https://www.sigar.mil/pdf/quarterlyreports/2021-07-30qr-section2-economic.pdf#page=14

https://www.reuters.com/article/usa-afghanistan-funding-int/u-s-other-aid-cuts-could-imperil-afghan-government-u-s-watchdog-idUSKBN2B72WJ

https://www.dw.com/en/eu-will-have-to-talk-to-taliban-but-wary-of-recognition/a-58890698

https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/08/17/treasury-taliban-money-afghanistan/

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2021/08/18/business/afghanistan-lithium-rare-earths-mining/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-taliban-afghanistan-putin/2021/08/17/af53a9ec-ff4c-11eb-87e0-7e07bd9ce270_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/18/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-live-updates/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/aid-groups-warn-of-possible-refugee-crisis-in-afghanistan-far-beyond-western-evacuation-plans/2021/08/18/0d7094fc-0058-11ec-825d-01701f9ded64_story.html

https://www.npr.org/2021/06/21/1008656321/how-does-the-u-s-help-afghans-hold-on-to-gains-while-withdrawing-troops

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/08/18/afghanistan-kabul-taliban-live-updates/

https://www.reuters.com/world/canada-accept-20000-vulnerable-afghans-such-women-leaders-human-rights-workers-2021-08-13

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/11/07/us/politics/memo-syria-trump-turkey.html

https://www.politico.com/news/2021/08/18/afghan-refugee-debate-fractures-gop-506135

​​https://www.cnn.com/2021/08/18/politics/us-must-rely-on-taliban-for-evacuation/index.html

John Gans @johngansjrFrom what I'm seeing and hearing, the reasons for the mess in Afghanistan might be far more 'normal' than many are suspecting/suggesting -- driven more by typical pathologies in government & Washington. More to be learned. But a few thoughts. 1/x

533 Retweets2,195 Likes

August 18th 2021

https://www.npr.org/2021/08/15/1027952034/military-analyst-u-s-trained-afghan-forces-for-a-nation-that-didnt-exist

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[sometimesrosy]

I hate seeing things like this “Someone on reddit (a huge bellarke fan) has had infos on s6 regarding bellarke. She said it was someone she trusts and that unfortunately the person made it clear that bellarke wasn't happening this season, if not ever. She said she completely lost hope... so yeah, low your expectations” I know better than to believe fleakers on reddit or twitter from GOT but it still gets you down knowing you can’t completely disregard it until the season airs

Anonymous said:A reliable moderator on Reddit said she has an insider and so far Bellarke isn’t in Jason’s plans and she was told Bellarke isn’t happening in s6 if not ‘ever’. I really know i shouldn’t believe in things like this, that don’t have open source or sumn but I feel so down. I still have hope I can’t accept that they put all those scenes or dialogues for nothing

Okay. So that’s two on the same topic. So this is going around again…. Three different asks now. And one nagging ask declaring i won’t answer their first. And it’s all bugging me.

*sigh* fine.

honestly i wish y’all just wouldn’t read it. but i should get it out. and you should know why I don’t buy those rumors and understand that I have reasons, I did research when they first came out. I went back to the text. And I have been watching the source of that rumor for literal YEARS now, so I’ve made some analysis on the way she works. I think we all forget that this is the internet, and we know what you said last year, how many times your theories were wrong, and who you blamed when they turned out to be wrong. None of this I say here is being said lightly and I wish I didn’t have to say it, but I think more harm has come from letting these rumors stand without challenging them. So. I guess I should do it, even though I don’t want to. The other option is to just wash my hands of fandom all together. I guess I’m too stubborn. fine. This is going to be a mess because I wrote it all day long, trying to get it out, planning on deleting it, getting new asks, having conversations with people, taking things out, adding others. And I’m just gonna post it and let it go without editing anymore.

I am not delusional. I am not naive. I am not a blind bellarke shipper. I am JUST trying to stick to the text and watch the show. I AM critical, but that does not mean I am negative. I am looking to UNDERSTAND the show on screen. And when rumors or writer commentary doesn’t fit with what I see in the show, I put them aside and do not take them as confirmation of anything.

I have been sitting on this answer all day trying to figure out how to answer it, because it gets pretty negative about… well… about one particular person and I am trying to keep out of drama and mind my own business and stick to the text and my corner of fandom. But I’m so tired of this all the time. 

I just went to reddit to find out why it’s coming back and who this redditor is and what they said. So I couldn’t find it in the 100 reddit, but it was in bellarke reddit. I don’t know know WHO that moderator is, although it might be someone I know, who I know listens to the person who started the original rumor, and even if it isn’t him, it’s still pretty clear to me that’s where this new wave of negativity is coming from.

 I have been avoiding speaking out on this particular rumor because I did my research when it first showed up and tracked it back to a person I had a meta argument with YEARS ago. And because of that, I’ve been careful to not say too much about it because it ends up sounding like I have a grudge. But it’s too much now. It isn’t fair that this stuff goes around because someone decides they are all knowing and understand everything better than everyone else and they think it’s a good idea to spread bad feelings as “confirmation.”

First of all, I don’t do gossip. I do canon. I analyze canon and stories and film and visuals and symbolism. Whatever someone says outside of canon, I consider it and see how it reflects upon canon. The more official it is, the more I take it seriously. Someone having an unnamed source with no written confirmation of what they said? And then DECLARING their interpretation of undocumented source material to be ACTUAL CANON CONFIRMATION? No. That’s called gossip and rumor and innuendo and interpretation and speculation. NONE OF THAT IS CANON CONFIRMATION.

I am at about third hand here, one person told me what she said about what the inside source said, so I cannot confirm anything I say as truth. But I want to explain the stuff I heard, and why I have decided that, far from confirmation against Bellarke, it actually sounds to me like confirmation FOR bellarke. It’s about interpretation, confirmation bias, point of view, rumors, fears, and ego.

As far as I can tell, someone who is an insider, who is in the know about the writers room said something along the lines of, 

“The writer’s room used to argue all the time about whether or not to write romantic bellarke, and now they don’t argue about it anymore.”

The person to whom this was told interpreted that to mean that it was CONFIRMED that Bellarke was dead and JR was NOT GOING TO DO BELLARKE AT ALL. RIP. 

Even if the source who said this is a good, honest source, that’s not what was said. At all. That was an INTERPRETATION of the statement, which seems to be strongly influenced by prior assumptions. The statement is saying they decided. That means it could go EITHER one way or the other. EITHER they’re giving up on Bellarke OR they’re committing to it so no arguments needed.

And I don’t understand that interpretation. Because it means that this source of gossip believes that season 5 had absolutely no romance in it. That there was nothing romantic about bellarke to argue about NOT doing.

But in season 5 we had 2199 calls to Bellamy, She must be important to you/She is. Sexy hug. The hostage taker and his girlfriend. Clarke jealous of B/E kissing. TWICE. Another traitor who you love. I always cared about bellamy. Love is not a weakness. Don’t make the same mistake I made when I betrayed you.  Go save him. Do you know how much she cares about you? She called you every day. Bellamy inviting her to the bridge and then giving her the romantic “look back” before he leaves. Waking up ONLY Bellarke. Marper charging them with care of their child (that’s not romance that’s MARRIAGE) and facing the new world in each other’s arms, TOGETHER. 

I mean, maybe one of those things could be taken out of context and read as romantic when it’s not intended to be, but all of them, one after another? on and on? No. That’s evidence that supports a romantic storyline.

If they CHOSE to not do romantic Bellarke, then there would be NO explicitly romantic moments, Clarke would NOT be compared to Echo in Bellamy’s feelings. They would NOT have used the daily letter trope. The camera would not have closed in on his hand by so much skin and his lips brushing her shoulder. Clarke would NOT have been jealous– a shot that CLOSELY echoed when she saw finn and raven kissing, an explicitly romantic/jealous parallel to a canon love triangle.

 And if they had changed their minds about romantic bellarke, they would have wrapped up the 2199 calls as NOT romantic at that fireside. They would have had Bellamy tell Clarke he poisoned Octavia to save Clarke’s life, and it was no big deal. They would have had Clarke tell Echo that Bellamy was her best friend, like a brother to her. But instead, they leave all these things unsaid, unspoken, still to be discovered. There are ACTIVELY open romantic Bellarke plots, especially because Bellamy HAS to either choose Echo and NOT Clarke, or he has to break up with Echo and see what can happen with Clarke, because he loves them both, as stated by Octavia. Or he could keep them both like Finn did. WHICH takes us back to romantic storyline anyway. Not endgame, but romance definitely. Which, EVEN if they have decided to go with endgame B/E STILL makes Bellarke part of a romance. Bellarke was a canon romance in season 5. Love triangle. C/B/E.

The writers CHOSE to put that stuff in there. They CHOSE to announce Bellamy’s love for Clarke as a tipping point for a major MAJOR plot and character moment. If they were clear about NOT putting romance in, they wouldn’t have done that. They would certainly not leave the storylines OPEN and in need of resolution. LIke with Supergirl, where Kara and James kissed and then did a 180 and were like, “nah let’s just be friends, HEy do you think that bland white creep is cute?” They tanked karolsen for a new ship. THIS is not happening on The 100. They did not tank Bellarke. They brought it in tighter and made it more immediate and brought other people into the the story and are forcing the need to CONFRONT the feelings they have for each other, because Bellamy is not going to be able to pretend he doesn’t feel that, when his girlfriend is there, and he SHOULDN’T be feeling it at all.

 If they were in the middle and TEASING bellarke and not intending to make it GO romantic, or delaying it and intending to make it go there, they would still be arguing about it being too much or not enough or whatever. 

However, if they put all that in there WITHOUT arguing, that means the plan, for everyone, is to do romantic Bellarke. It means they’ve already started. 

They know how to do platonic. Raven and Bellamy are platonic. When THEY stood at that window looking into the future of a planet, they DID NOT TOUCH. Platonic. When Bellamy refused to leave Raven behind, it was the memory of CLARKE that made it painful, and Raven jollied him out of it by calling him names and lying to him. NOT romantic. If they had decided to NOT do Bellarke and NOT tease romance or foreshadow it, they know how not to make it romance. Which includes NOT comparing your love for her to your canon girlfriend. 

NOW TWO people have declared the source to be a good source. And this has been the problem with this rumor, because this person has a lot of authority within fandom, has been involved with production, has a broad audience and does indeed talk to people. SO she is seen as an authority that cannot be questioned.

There is no authority that cannot be questioned about their opinion. 

And I have had significant interaction with this person that calls into question her interpretations, her judgment, and her authority. I once called her a hypocrite because she said I could not possibly know authorial intent, because SHE knew authorial intent and I was wrong. Which, as a teacher, just pisses me the hell off, because she’s basically saying that only certain people are able to understand story, people with authority like hers. She was gatekeeping my interpretation. And, like, my JOB was to teach kids how to think for themselves and come up with interpretations. And that’s what I try to do here. Come up with my interpretations, show you how i got there, encourage you to come up with your own and back them up. I mean if you agree with me, great, but it’s fiction. We all get to interpret things. The better our analysis, the better we can defend it. To just flat out say that she was the authority and SHE knows and can tell everyone what to think? No.

So I guess that’s why I’m going all in on this. I wrote this this morning when I was ranting, but not sure I’d post the vague blog because I try not to be negative. But then I got the second ask so it’s all coming around again, and I already avoided speaking out about it the first time. And that didn’t make it go away. She’s still acting as an authority who knows everything and all she has to do is say it is confirmed, and other people take it as truth because she said it. It’s not like it will cause a rift in fandom. The fandom is in pieces anyway, and anyone who believes her thinks I’m delusional and an embarrassment, according to the anons I get, But I’m going to put this under the cut in the hopes that most people are too lazy to click more. But whatev, she’s not my friend, she doesn’t respect me I don’t respect her. And this whole gossip horror was the nail in my fandom coffin when it first came up a few months ago. I’m not naming names but if you know what’s happening or what happened the first time, you know the story. 

I hope this is too long and y’all won’t read it. This is why I have been sitting on this post all day, but I keep getting asks and I’m getting so angry.

I know who said that, and i never trust her interpretations, because she spent season 3 telling us all, definitively, that Lxa was the hero now, CLarke was the Love Interest, and CL was endgame because it was *pretty,* and we had no right to think CL was dark. First of all, pretty does not equal good, and hasn’t been assumed so for like idk a hundred years? But worse, that I had NO RIGHT, to look at it any other way but a beautiful love story. (incidentally silencing abuse victims.) That we COULD NOT understand authorial intent, did not have the ability to do so, but she did, and we were wrong. And not allowed to say anything else.

 When she doesn’t understand something in the show, she doesn’t bother trying to understand the story that JR is telling, she just says that he’s a bad writer. When she DOES understand something in the story, she says the writers are so bad that they didn’t do it on purpose, and it’s only because she’s so smart and clever that she figured out their underlying psychological misogyny that they didn’t know they were writing into the story. That’s the Finn as “Nice Guy” storyline. 

When the writers actually TELL her that they LITERALLY meant what she saw and they are surprised the fandom missed it, she again goes back to blaming the writers for not being clear enough. When she was TOLD that the CL story in polis was a dark story of Clarke’s psychology and she MISSED it, she AGAIN blamed the writers for not being clear and then. And THEN. Get this. Blamed the fandom for never looking critically at the CL story in POLIS, For only seeing it as pretty, unless they were screaming ABUSE.  Remember when I told you she told me I didn’t have a right to my interpretation and she was silencing abuse victims? So. Yeah. She’s referring to me, and those of us who were talking about that seriously, as abuse survivors or psychology students.

Anonymous said:She’s not the only one that claimed Bellarke is never happening. [XX] had some insider too as i remember and tweeted something along those lines of the moderator from Reddit publicly. {XX] is reliable enough and she said something like they aren’t planning canon but I don’t wanna put pressure on her I only saw her tweet she is not a part of fandom drama she’s a part of presskru.

Yeah. I’m not saying her name. That’s her. I’ve spent all morning trying to write my thoughts on this, and on what I’ve seen her do in this fandom for three years. And I found that reddit thread and I’m pretty sure that the mod’s “reliable source” is that woman who is NOT a reliable source. She’s a biased source who does not check her theories against the canon because she’s more interested in hearing herself talk and being right than in actually understanding the story. 

Being part of presskru does not mean she is right. The press writing about this show has OFTEN been wrong. DO you remember season 3 at ALL? Some of those people were still writing reviews in season 5 where Clarke and Bellamy did not exist almost. They were trying to rewrite the show as Octavia-Raven-Diyoza centered. She was part of the completely inaccurate interpretations of season 3. Just because someone tells you they are an authority that does not mean you should take what they say without questioning them. QUESTION EVERYTHING. 

She is not reliable. She has had consistently bad speculation and has interpreted this show ABSOLUTELY incorrectly MANY times. And when she’s wrong, she says the problem is with the story and the writers, not her meta. She refuses to question her own interpretations or even, really, to check it to the canon show. She believes Bellarke is dead so when someone said something, she IMMEDIATELY decided she had to tell EVERYONE that Bellarke was confirmed dead. This whole rumor comes from her.  From her unreliable interpretations and confirmation bias.

Please, don’t take my word for it. Go back over her meta and her speculation. See what she says when the writers tell her to her face that she was wrong, and how she is friends with them until she is facing fandom and then she calls them all bad writers and the show a bad show and the story making no sense. When really, she the show just WENT OVER HER HEAD AND SHE MISSED IT. Every time she calls a writer a bad writer, you can just assume that she did some lazy analysis, jumped to conclusions, and when the story didn’t do what she thought it should, decided the fault was with the writers, the story, the characters, or, well hell, why not just blame me. I did after all say CL was abusive. And that’s why she didn’t bother looking into the symbolism of Clarke’s character development in polis. 

Someone told her something, when she knows the whole cast and crew are on lockdown, and she ran to twitter and started telling everyone that she had insider information and she knew the truth. That is not reliable. That is HIGHLY suspect and arrogant and lacks any sort of honor. She needed to be the one who had insider knowledge, so she decided to hurt a whole fandom. She HURT people, because she HAD be the one to know the truth. She was NOT concerned with anyone else and did NOT allow them to be happy shipping their ship. 

As far as I can tell, her interpretation of what someone told her is par for the course for her, had nothing to do with the canon, and everything to do with fandom drama, ego, confirmation bias, and the desire to be the authority and have everyone think she’s the shit.

I do not think she’s the shit. Sorry. I think she is an irresponsible writer claiming authority and using it to control those around her. Worse, she’s a teacher. And as a writer and a teacher, that makes me ANGRY. She can’t bully me into following her, or convince me that she’s smarter than me and make me hang on her every word, and so she blocked me a long time ago. But I’ve tried to help people understand the story and come up with their own interpretations and she’s actively gone out of her way to claim her authority to kill a whole ship and fandom. Am I biased? YOU BET. But that bias means I pay very close attention to what she says. And what she says, is suspect.

Please don’t send me any more asks about gossip, rumors or drama. And definitely don’t send me any asks about her. 

I would prefer to talk about CANON, literature, film, science fiction, character development, symbolism, storytelling, and Bellarke.

[sunshineweb]

The Power of Visual Thinking

Value Investing Almanack (VIA) Special Offer: VIA, our premium newsletter that subscribers call “the best resource on Value Investing in India,” which was closed for new subscriptions for the past few months, is now accepting new members, and at a very special 55% discount, or Rs 9,000 off the base price! Click here to join now.

* * * Here is your latest Saturday newsletter, where I share the latest updates from the site, an idea worth thinking about, few stories you shouldn’t miss, and a question for you. Let’s get started.

Safal Niveshak Updates Just in case you missed, here are a couple of recent posts on the site –

30 Big Ideas from Seth Klarman’s Margin of Safety (Special Report) (Corrected and with new download links)

The Best Books: Recommended Reading List

Regret Missing the Rally in Stocks? Now What?

Imagine! Here’s a note from Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk –

Visual thinking is a great way to understand complex or potentially confusing information, and also a way to organize your thoughts and improve your ability to think and communicate.

Imagine someone talking to you, and starting with the word – “Imagine…”

You are completely hooked, isn’t it?

Consider this excerpt from Richard Feynman’s The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, where his father helps him visualize about dinosaurs –

We had the Encyclopedia Britannica at home and even when I was a small boy my father used to sit me on his lap and read to me from the Encyclopedia Britannica, and we would read, say, about dinosaurs and maybe it would be talking about the brontosaurus or something, or tyrannosaurus rex, and it would say something like, ‘This thing is twenty-five feet high and the head is six feet across,’ you see, and so he’d stop and say, ‘let’s see what that means. That would mean that if he stood in our front yard he would be high enough to put his head through the window but not quite because the head is a little bit too wide and it would break the window as it came by.’ Everything we’d read would be translated as best as we could into some reality and so I learned to do that – everything that I read I try to figure out what it really means, what it’s really saying by translating.

Then consider how Warren Buffett visually convinced me why gold was a bad investment…

I will say this about gold. If you took all the gold in the world, it would roughly make a cube 67 feet on a side… Now for that same cube of gold, it would be worth at today’s market prices about $7 trillion dollars – that’s probably about a third of the value of all the stocks in the United States… For $7 trillion dollars… you could have all the farmland in the United States, you could have about seven Exxon Mobils, and you could have a trillion dollars of walking-around money… And if you offered me the choice of looking at some 67-foot cube of gold and looking at it all day, and you know me touching it and fondling it occasionally…Call me crazy, but I’ll take the farmland and the Exxon Mobils.

I’ve tried my hands at visual thinking this way –

You may want to check out my Wall of Ideas for more such examples of visual thinking.

Now, visual thinking is not a new lesson that I would attribute to Elon Musk. But imagine the kind of businesses he is building, to save the world, which he had originally visualized when he was under ten years of age.

When it comes to investing, you can avoid yourself a lot of pain by just visualizing your life after you’ve lost a lot of money trading and speculating in the stock market. If the visuals unnerve you, don’t do anything that would get you into such a situation. That’s also the concept of inversion.

I personally used visual thinking when I was deciding about quitting my job to start Safal Niveshak to help small investors become better at their investment decision making. Of course, when I had started planning my future after a job, the first visual was that of – not being successful in my future work, getting over my savings, and having to return to a job.

But another visual I saw was of helping people, enjoying the freedom of doing things my way, and spending a lot of time with my family. And I thank my stars that this was more powerful than the visual of losing everything.

A Few Stories You Shouldn’t Miss

We Begin Our Lives as Growth Stocks, But End Our Lives As Value Stocks (Of Dollars And Data)

The Bargain Hunter’s Dilemma (Barry Ritholtz)

What I Read, and Why (Jason Zweig)

Why I’m Losing Hope in India (Andy Mukherjee)

Last Refuge of License Raj (Anand Sridharan)

Here’s How to Give Thanks—Not Once a Year—but Every Day (Ryan Holiday)

Happiness Won’t Save You (NY Times)

Meditations

History may not repeat itself, but some of its lessons are inescapable. One is that in the world of high and confident finance little is ever really new. The controlling fact is not the tendency to brilliant invention; the controlling fact is the shortness of the public memory, especially when it contends with a euphoric desire to forget.

~ John Kenneth Gailbraith

On the surface it seems that the present moment is only one of many, many moments. Each day of your life appears to consist of thousands of moments where different things happen. Yet if you look more deeply, is there not only one moment, ever? Is life ever not “this moment?”

This one moment – Now – is the only thing you can never escape from, the one constant factor in your life. No matter what happens, no matter how much your life changes, one thing is certain: it’s always Now.

Since there is no escape from the Now, why not welcome it, become friendly with it?

~ Eckhart Tolle

A Question for You When you get better at what you do, you can make a bigger impact and solve bigger problems. That gives you more satisfaction. And also more income.

Ask yourself this question – How can I get better at what I do?

* * * That’s about it from me for today.

If you liked this post, please share with others on WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, or just email them the link to this post.

If you are seeing this newsletter for the first time, you may subscribe here.

Stay safe.

Regards, Vishal

* * * Value Investing Almanack (VIA) Special Offer: VIA, our premium newsletter that subscribers call “the best resource on Value Investing in India,” which was closed for new subscriptions for the past few months, is now accepting new members, and at a very special 55% discount, or Rs 9,000 off the base price! Click here to join now.

The post The Power of Visual Thinking appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

The Power of Visual Thinking published first on https://mbploans.tumblr.com/

[newsintodays-blog]

NFL notebook: Helmet rule remains unchanged after league review

New Post has been published on http://newsintoday.info/2018/08/23/nfl-notebook-helmet-rule-remains-unchanged-after-league-review/

NFL notebook: Helmet rule remains unchanged after league review

Despite a review by the NFL competition committee, there will be no changes to the controversial helmet rule established in the spring, NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent announced Wednesday.

FILE PHOTO: Dec 24, 2017; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) is hit in the helmet by the Seattle Seahawks free safety Earl Thomas (29) at AT&T Stadium. Erich Schlegel-USA TODAY Sports

The committee held a conference call in which feedback from players, coaches and game officials was reviewed.

“The committee resolved that there will be no changes to the rule as approved by clubs this spring,” Vincent said, “which includes no additional use of instant replay. The committee also determined that inadvertent or incidental contact with the helmet and/or facemask is not a foul.”

The rule — which penalizes a player for lowering the helmet with intent to initiate contact — has been a source of confusion and frustration for players, coaches and fans alike through the first half of the preseason. Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer even opined Monday that the rule might end up costing people jobs.

—Dallas Cowboys center Travis Frederick announced he has been diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a rare auto-immune disorder, and is uncertain when he will be able to play.

Frederick posted a statement on Twitter, saying the diagnosis came after “a very extensive examination and discovery process over the past few weeks.”

Frederick has seen multiple neck-and-spine specialists after sustaining a series of stingers in his shoulder and neck area during training camp. He saw a specialist in Los Angeles last week after having “several (stingers) over the course of a couple days,” and was scheduled to see more specialists this week in Dallas after experiencing another stinger Monday.

—The New York Jets are one of more than a dozen teams to reach out to the Oakland Raiders to express interest in trading for defensive end Khalil Mack, the New York Daily News reported.

The report adds that Oakland has not given any interested teams permission to discuss a new contract with Mack, who has held out of all of training camp while seeking a new deal. That permission would presumably be the final step to any deal, assuming the Raiders decided to trade Mack and could agree with a team on compensation.

ESPN reported last week there is “no end in sight” to Mack’s holdout, which included the entirety of the offseason program as well. Entering the fifth-year option of his rookie deal, the 2016 Defensive Player of the Year will make $13.85 million. He is likely seeking to become the highest-paid defender in NFL history at more than $20 million annually.

—Green Bay Packers wide receiver Randall Cobb is being shopped in trade discussions around the league, former NFL personnel man Michael Lombardi said on The Ringer’s GM Street podcast.

Entering the final year of his contract — in which he is due $8.6 million in salary — Cobb was rumored as a possible release candidate this spring, but the older Jordy Nelson was let go instead. Cobb, who turned 28 Wednesday, will count $12.7 million against the Packers’ cap this season, a figure that would be reduced to $3.65 million in dead money if he is traded (or, for some reason, released).

Dec 10, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws a pass as Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) defends in the first half at Arrowhead Stadium. Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports

Many have speculated the Packers could be interested acquiring Mack from Oakland, but no substantive reports have linked the two teams.

—One move the Raiders reportedly have made is signing free agent cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to multiple media outlets. Rodgers-Cromartie told ESPN earlier in the day that he visited the team and his workout “went great.”

The 32-year-old had visited the Washington Redskins in March and the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month since being released in the spring by the New York Giants, with whom he spent the last four years.

—Five days after leaving a preseason game with what many feared was a broken collarbone, Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron has returned to limited practice work.

Coach Sean McDermott told reporters the plan is to ease McCarron — whose collarbone was found to be intact after further testing — back into practice and see how he feels with increased activity. McDermott said McCarron has “general soreness right now” in his right (throwing) shoulder, but the team doesn’t feel the need to sign another quarterback at the moment.

McCarron appears unlikely to play in Sunday’s third preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals, which rookie first-rounder Josh Allen will start, with Nathan Peterman working in afterward. Meanwhile, running back LeSean McCoy is day-to-day while dealing with a groin/hip injury, the coach said.

—Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley was back at practice for the first time in more than a week, albeit on a limited basis. Barkley had missed the last eight practices after straining a hamstring.

“Felt good, felt good to actually get to participate in (individual drills) a little bit and practice drills,” Barkley told reporters afterward. “Feeling strong and continuing to strengthen it.”

Head coach Pat Shurmur has been cautious about rushing Barkley back and is focused on having him ready for Week 1. Per Shurmur, Barkley was limited to individual drills in practice Wednesday.

—New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is wearing a new helmet for the first time in more than a decade this season, but the change has been mostly seamless so far.

“I really like it,” Brady told reporters of his new helmet. “It’s been a good transition, a smooth transition, which is all I can ask for.”

Brady is one of a few prominent quarterbacks who had previously used helmets that are now on the NFL’s disallowed list.

—As quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Packers work toward an extension, the quarterback insists he’s “not trying to screw” the team when it comes to staying competitive. In a wide-ranging interview with ESPN Radio’s “Wilde and Tausch” airing in multiple segments this week, Rodgers termed his situation with the Packers as a “partnership.”

Slideshow (3 Images)

Rodgers, 34, still has two years remaining on his contract. His $22 million annual average, which was the highest in NFL history when the deal was signed in April 2013, now ranks 10th among NFL quarterbacks. Rodgers can make a little more than $20.5 million this season and $21.1 million in 2019 before his contract expires, including roster and workout bonuses.

—Safety George Iloka signed with the Vikings less than a week after his release by the Bengals. “I’m in a good situation here. I’m where I’m wanted and where I want to be,” Iloka said.

Terms of the deal weren’t immediately available, but Iloka said he signed a one-year deal. ESPN later reported it is a veteran’s minimum deal for $790,000, plus a $90,000 signing bonus.

Iloka, 28, was released in a cost-cutting move as the Bengals trimmed $5.3 million in salary and roster bonuses for 2018. The Vikings are familiar with Iloka, who played for Zimmer for two seasons when Zimmer was the Bengals’ defensive coordinator.

—Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim has returned to the team after serving a five-week suspension following his July arrest for driving under the influence.

Keim, who has been with organization for 20 years and served as GM since 2013, said it was “torture” being away from the team and called his experience “extremely humbling and embarrassing beyond belief.”

—San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman says he will play in the team’s third preseason game Saturday against the Indianapolis Colts, his first game action since tearing his Achilles last November.

Also dealing with a strained hamstring sustained in camp, Sherman said, “Those things are feeling great. … I could have played last week.”

MORE COMINGS AND GOINGS

The Patriots announced the release of wide receiver Kenny Britt, the third prominent subtraction from the position group this month alone. The Patriots released Jordan Matthews with an injury settlement on Aug. 1, five days after injury-plagued wideout Malcolm Mitchell was waived. … The Kansas City Chiefs released veteran running back Charcandrick West, leaving Kareem Hunt and Spencer Ware to share the bulk of the workload out of the backfield to begin the season. West, 27, had only 72 yards on 18 carries last season, but was a key member of the special teams. …

Kicker Cairo Santos will be released by the Jets because injuries have made it impossible for the team to get a good look at him in camp, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported. The Jets claimed Jason Myers off of waivers from the Seahawks on Tuesday and were scheduled to audition recently released Vikings kicker Kai Forbath. … Defensive end Charles Johnson is retiring from the NFL after 11 seasons. A third-round pick in 2007, Johnson spent his entire career with the Carolina Panthers before being released in February. …

The 49ers announced the retirement of defensive tackle Cedric Thornton and the signing of defensive tackle Chris Jones to take the vacant roster spot. Thornton, 30, joined the team on a one-year, $915,000 deal this offseason after spending 2017 with the Buffalo Bills.

—Field Level Media

Our Standards:The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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[melindarowens]

Trump super PAC launches $100M blitz

With Zach Montellaro and Daniel Strauss

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro’s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day’s most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

Story Continued Below

ON OFFENSE — “Trump super PAC launches $100M blitz,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “President Donald Trump’s super PAC is drawing up plans to spend $100 million on an all-out push to sell tax reform and elect pro-Trump Republicans in 2018. The group, dubbed America First Action, is expected to host a fundraiser in the coming months that will be attended by Vice President Mike Pence and is in talks with the administration to get Trump to headline an event. It has tapped oil and gas mogul Harold Hamm, a Trump ally whose net worth exceeds $11 billion, to boost its fundraising campaign. And it is recruiting major Republican Party donors across the country. Last week, America First officials met with top Trump advisers at the White House to begin mapping out a multi-million dollar campaign to promote tax reform and discuss how the legislative battle is likely to play out. But the stepped-up activity, which strategists revealed in interviews for the first time, is an abrupt change for the super PAC.” Full story.

— “Bannon-backed Kelli Ward gets Senate endorsement for Arizona seat from Sen. Rand Paul,” by USA Today’s Eliza Collins: “Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kelli Ward got her first Senate endorsement Wednesday from Kentucky’s Rand Paul.” Full story.

ON THE HILL — “Senators to Facebook, Google, Twitter: Wake up to Russian threat,” via POLITICO’s Li Zhou, Nancy Scola and Ashley Gold: “Senators from both parties blasted Facebook, Google and Twitter for failing to grasp the magnitude of Russia’s interference in the U.S. presidential election, but some Republicans sought to blunt Democratic concerns that the meddling helped Donald Trump win the White House.”

— “These Are the Ads Russia Bought on Facebook in 2016,” via The New York Times’s Scott Shane. Full story.

MESSAGE DISCIPLINE — “Pelosi moves to muzzle Trump impeachment talk,” by POLITICO’s Heather Caygle: “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi offered a forced smile recently when asked on MSNBC about a Tom Steyer-sponsored ad calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. ‘That’s a great ad,’ Pelosi said twice, before rushing to plug the Democrats’ ‘Better Deal’ economic agenda as the TV hit wrapped up. Pelosi played it off, but privately she was peeved. She told lawmakers at a Democratic leadership meeting soon after that she had reached out to the Democratic megadonor to tell him that his $10 million ad campaign was a distraction. (A source close to Steyer says he hasn’t spoken with Pelosi since the ad launched.) Pelosi is eager to show her party can govern — in contrast to the chaos surrounding Trump — and believes that a reputation as the ‘No Drama Democrats’ is key to taking back the House in 2018 and whisking her backing into the speaker’s chair.” Full story.

—”Nancy Pelosi Has Trump Right Where She Wants Him,” by POLITICO’s Edward-Isaac Dovere. Full story.

FIRST IN SCORE — WEB WARS — “House Majority PAC digital ads hit Ryan in five districts,” by Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: “House Majority PAC, Democrats’ main House outside group, is launching digital ads in five districts that target Republican members for their support for House Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda. The ads go after Republican incumbents in battleground districts: California Rep. Steve Knight, Iowa Rep. Rod Blum, Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin, Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop and Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis. The ads will run on Facebook and other platforms starting today.” Watch the ads here: CA-25, IA-01, ME-02, MI-08 and MN-02. Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 5.

Days until the 2018 election: 369.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

NEW THIS A.M. – Bridge releases audio of Gillespie calling Northern Virginia “enemy territory:” American Bridge, the Democratic opposition research group, released audio of Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie labeling the vote-rich, Democratic-leaning Washington, D.C., suburbs as “enemy territory” during a closed-door GOP fundraiser in September. “Our guy is out there, working the streets. I saw him working the Metro Station just the other day,” Mark Obenshain, the fundraiser’s host, is heard saying in the audio. “I do, a little bit into enemy territory, but working it,” Gillespie responds with a laugh. Listen here.

‘HER OWN TIGHTENING HOUSE RACE’ — “Utah Republican fuels speculation Hatch will retire,” by POLITICO’s Colin Wilhelm: “A Utah Republican added fuel to speculation that Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will retire and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney may run for the seat. While on their way to the House floor, Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) told another House Republican she expected Hatch, 83, to retire in 2018 at the end of his current term. Love said she would not run for Hatch’s seat. The exchange took place in front of a POLITICO reporter. ‘No, but Hatch isn’t sticking around,’ Love said when asked whether she would run for the Senate if Hatch steps down. ‘We’re trying to get Mitt,’ Love added, referring to Romney. … Hatch spokesperson Matt Whitlock responded to an inquiry about Hatch’s status with a dig at Love, who’s expected to have a competitive reelection race.” Full story.

NEW CANDIDATE ROLLOUTS — “Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine Jumps in 2018 Governor’s Race,” by Sunshine State News’ Allison Nielsen: “Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is hoping to take his mayoral experience all the way to the Florida Capitol, announcing his intentions to run for Florida governor in Miami Wednesday morning. … Levine has outraised his fellow Democrats in spite of jumping into the race much later than his opponents. He’s pumped more than $2.5 million of his own money into a $4.7 million pot for his political committee, All About Florida.” Full story.

— “Former Memphis [Doctor] Rolando Toyos enters race for Corker’s Senate seat,” by Commercial Appeal’s Ryan Poe: “ Dr. Rolando Toyos, founder and CEO of the Toyos Clinic with locations in the Memphis and Nashville metros, will enter the race to succeed Bob Corker in the U.S. Senate. Toyos, who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for Shelby County Commission in 2010, announced his bid on a new website and in a YouTube video last week.” Full story.

DEEP DIVE — “A Post-Obama Democratic Party in Search of Itself,” by The New York Times Magazine’s Robert Draper: “[T]he Democrats’ path back from the wilderness is not a short one. No president since Ronald Reagan has won the presidency as convincingly, twice over, as Obama did — but those victories papered over an extraordinary decline in his party that became suddenly unignorable on Nov. 9, 2016. The Democratic National Committee today is an understaffed, demoralized bureaucracy. It has raised less than half of what its Republican counterpart has taken in so far this year. (Other party organizations — the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — are faring better.).” Full story.

ANOTHER CANDIDATE — “Ninth Democrat joins race for nomination to challenge Rep. Comstock,” by The Washington Post’s Jenna Portnoy: “A former federal prosecutor has joined the crowded field of Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) next year. Paul Pelletier, who spent nearly 27 years with the Justice Department, is the ninth Democrat to join a midterm race that could be among the nation’s most competitive.” Full story.

MORE VIRGINIA NEWS — Gillespie releases new ad linking Northam to sex offenders: “Republican Ed Gillespie’s gubernatorial campaign is out with another ad linking Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s support of rights restoration to a convicted sex offender. The ad puts the focus on the sex offender featured in previous Gillespie ads.” Full story.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t think you get it.” — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to technology general counsels who testified on Russian interference in the 2016 election, POLITICO reported.

Source link

source https://capitalisthq.com/trump-super-pac-launches-100m-blitz/ from CapitalistHQ http://capitalisthq.blogspot.com/2017/11/trump-super-pac-launches-100m-blitz.html

[everettwilkinson]

Trump super PAC launches $100M blitz

With Zach Montellaro and Daniel Strauss

The following newsletter is an abridged version of Campaign Pro’s Morning Score. For an earlier morning read on exponentially more races — and for a more comprehensive aggregation of the day’s most important campaign news — sign up for Campaign Pro today. (http://www.politicopro.com/proinfo)

Story Continued Below

ON OFFENSE — “Trump super PAC launches $100M blitz,” by POLITICO’s Alex Isenstadt: “President Donald Trump’s super PAC is drawing up plans to spend $100 million on an all-out push to sell tax reform and elect pro-Trump Republicans in 2018. The group, dubbed America First Action, is expected to host a fundraiser in the coming months that will be attended by Vice President Mike Pence and is in talks with the administration to get Trump to headline an event. It has tapped oil and gas mogul Harold Hamm, a Trump ally whose net worth exceeds $11 billion, to boost its fundraising campaign. And it is recruiting major Republican Party donors across the country. Last week, America First officials met with top Trump advisers at the White House to begin mapping out a multi-million dollar campaign to promote tax reform and discuss how the legislative battle is likely to play out. But the stepped-up activity, which strategists revealed in interviews for the first time, is an abrupt change for the super PAC.” Full story.

— “Bannon-backed Kelli Ward gets Senate endorsement for Arizona seat from Sen. Rand Paul,” by USA Today’s Eliza Collins: “Arizona GOP Senate candidate Kelli Ward got her first Senate endorsement Wednesday from Kentucky’s Rand Paul.” Full story.

ON THE HILL — “Senators to Facebook, Google, Twitter: Wake up to Russian threat,” via POLITICO’s Li Zhou, Nancy Scola and Ashley Gold: “Senators from both parties blasted Facebook, Google and Twitter for failing to grasp the magnitude of Russia’s interference in the U.S. presidential election, but some Republicans sought to blunt Democratic concerns that the meddling helped Donald Trump win the White House.”

— “These Are the Ads Russia Bought on Facebook in 2016,” via The New York Times’s Scott Shane. Full story.

MESSAGE DISCIPLINE — “Pelosi moves to muzzle Trump impeachment talk,” by POLITICO’s Heather Caygle: “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi offered a forced smile recently when asked on MSNBC about a Tom Steyer-sponsored ad calling for President Donald Trump’s impeachment. ‘That’s a great ad,’ Pelosi said twice, before rushing to plug the Democrats’ ‘Better Deal’ economic agenda as the TV hit wrapped up. Pelosi played it off, but privately she was peeved. She told lawmakers at a Democratic leadership meeting soon after that she had reached out to the Democratic megadonor to tell him that his $10 million ad campaign was a distraction. (A source close to Steyer says he hasn’t spoken with Pelosi since the ad launched.) Pelosi is eager to show her party can govern — in contrast to the chaos surrounding Trump — and believes that a reputation as the ‘No Drama Democrats’ is key to taking back the House in 2018 and whisking her backing into the speaker’s chair.” Full story.

—”Nancy Pelosi Has Trump Right Where She Wants Him,” by POLITICO’s Edward-Isaac Dovere. Full story.

FIRST IN SCORE — WEB WARS — “House Majority PAC digital ads hit Ryan in five districts,” by Campaign Pro’s Elena Schneider: “House Majority PAC, Democrats’ main House outside group, is launching digital ads in five districts that target Republican members for their support for House Speaker Paul Ryan’s agenda. The ads go after Republican incumbents in battleground districts: California Rep. Steve Knight, Iowa Rep. Rod Blum, Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin, Michigan Rep. Mike Bishop and Minnesota Rep. Jason Lewis. The ads will run on Facebook and other platforms starting today.” Watch the ads here: CA-25, IA-01, ME-02, MI-08 and MN-02. Full story.

Days until the 2017 election: 5.

Days until the 2018 election: 369.

Thanks for joining us! You can email tips to the Campaign Pro team at sbland@politico.com, eschneider@politico.com, krobillard@politico.com, dstrauss@politico.com and mseverns@politico.com

You can also follow us on Twitter: @politicoscott, @ec_schneider, @politicokevin, @danielstrauss4 and @maggieseverns.

NEW THIS A.M. – Bridge releases audio of Gillespie calling Northern Virginia “enemy territory:” American Bridge, the Democratic opposition research group, released audio of Virginia GOP gubernatorial candidate Ed Gillespie labeling the vote-rich, Democratic-leaning Washington, D.C., suburbs as “enemy territory” during a closed-door GOP fundraiser in September. “Our guy is out there, working the streets. I saw him working the Metro Station just the other day,” Mark Obenshain, the fundraiser’s host, is heard saying in the audio. “I do, a little bit into enemy territory, but working it,” Gillespie responds with a laugh. Listen here.

‘HER OWN TIGHTENING HOUSE RACE’ — “Utah Republican fuels speculation Hatch will retire,” by POLITICO’s Colin Wilhelm: “A Utah Republican added fuel to speculation that Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will retire and former GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney may run for the seat. While on their way to the House floor, Rep. Mia Love (R-Utah) told another House Republican she expected Hatch, 83, to retire in 2018 at the end of his current term. Love said she would not run for Hatch’s seat. The exchange took place in front of a POLITICO reporter. ‘No, but Hatch isn’t sticking around,’ Love said when asked whether she would run for the Senate if Hatch steps down. ‘We’re trying to get Mitt,’ Love added, referring to Romney. … Hatch spokesperson Matt Whitlock responded to an inquiry about Hatch’s status with a dig at Love, who’s expected to have a competitive reelection race.” Full story.

NEW CANDIDATE ROLLOUTS — “Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine Jumps in 2018 Governor’s Race,” by Sunshine State News’ Allison Nielsen: “Miami Beach Mayor Philip Levine is hoping to take his mayoral experience all the way to the Florida Capitol, announcing his intentions to run for Florida governor in Miami Wednesday morning. … Levine has outraised his fellow Democrats in spite of jumping into the race much later than his opponents. He’s pumped more than $2.5 million of his own money into a $4.7 million pot for his political committee, All About Florida.” Full story.

— “Former Memphis [Doctor] Rolando Toyos enters race for Corker’s Senate seat,” by Commercial Appeal’s Ryan Poe: “ Dr. Rolando Toyos, founder and CEO of the Toyos Clinic with locations in the Memphis and Nashville metros, will enter the race to succeed Bob Corker in the U.S. Senate. Toyos, who unsuccessfully ran as a Republican for Shelby County Commission in 2010, announced his bid on a new website and in a YouTube video last week.” Full story.

DEEP DIVE — “A Post-Obama Democratic Party in Search of Itself,” by The New York Times Magazine’s Robert Draper: “[T]he Democrats’ path back from the wilderness is not a short one. No president since Ronald Reagan has won the presidency as convincingly, twice over, as Obama did — but those victories papered over an extraordinary decline in his party that became suddenly unignorable on Nov. 9, 2016. The Democratic National Committee today is an understaffed, demoralized bureaucracy. It has raised less than half of what its Republican counterpart has taken in so far this year. (Other party organizations — the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee — are faring better.).” Full story.

ANOTHER CANDIDATE — “Ninth Democrat joins race for nomination to challenge Rep. Comstock,” by The Washington Post’s Jenna Portnoy: “A former federal prosecutor has joined the crowded field of Democrats seeking the nomination to challenge Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) next year. Paul Pelletier, who spent nearly 27 years with the Justice Department, is the ninth Democrat to join a midterm race that could be among the nation’s most competitive.” Full story.

MORE VIRGINIA NEWS — Gillespie releases new ad linking Northam to sex offenders: “Republican Ed Gillespie’s gubernatorial campaign is out with another ad linking Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam’s support of rights restoration to a convicted sex offender. The ad puts the focus on the sex offender featured in previous Gillespie ads.” Full story.

CODA — QUOTE OF THE DAY: “I don’t think you get it.” — California Sen. Dianne Feinstein to technology general counsels who testified on Russian interference in the 2016 election, POLITICO reported.

Source link

from CapitalistHQ.com https://capitalisthq.com/trump-super-pac-launches-100m-blitz/

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/02/10/huffington-post-bernie-sanders-has-a-massive-email-list-but-he-has-good-reason-to-think-twice-about-sharing-it-17/

Huffington Post: Bernie Sanders Has A Massive Email List. But He Has Good Reason To Think Twice About Sharing It.

WASHINGTON ― In the course of his unexpectedly popular run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) amassed a huge network of supporters ― along with their email addresses and other personal information. Now Democrats are gunning for access to that list, which is estimated to include millions of people.

An email list may sound like an arcane item to become the focus of a battle for the party’s future. But access to a large list of enthusiastic liberals would allow candidates and campaigns to mobilize thousands of activists and donors at a moment’s notice. In short, the “list” has become a coveted form of political currency in the digital era.

The question for Sanders is whether he should share his data, and if so, how he should go about doing it, according to experts in the list-building systems that have become a cornerstone of contemporary political organizing.

If the goal is for Sanders to provide the party greater access to his base, the most logical entity with which to share his list is the Democratic National Committee, the party’s main national organ. And right now the DNC is in the midst of a seven-way competition between the major candidates who would like to become its next chair.

The Sanders campaign’s email list is now housed at Our Revolution, a political action committee Sanders set up to continue the work of his presidential campaign. And Shannon Jackson, Our Revolution’s executive director, said he doesn’t want to just hand that list over to the Democratic National Committee, since Our Revolution is committed to remaining independent from the party. For his part, Sanders told The Washington Post that he would “cross that bridge” when the DNC race is settled.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is Sanders’ preferred candidate to chair the DNC and the owner of his own large email list, suggested Sanders should grant party leadership access to the list. If elected chair, Ellison would “absolutely” ask the Vermont senator to share his powerful campaign list, Ellison said at a HuffPost-sponsored DNC candidate debate on Jan. 18.

Our Revolution’s Jackson declined to comment on Ellison’s statement, but reiterated that his organization supports Ellison’s candidacy. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement that “there has been no discussion with the DNC about use of the list.”

Some diehard Sanders backers aren’t so into the idea. “If they wanted the Democratic Party to have their information, they would have given it to them by now,” one such fan wrote in a scathing criticism of Ellison’s remarks. 

List sharing always poses risks. And in this case, the matter is especially sensitive.

Many Sanders supporters are still angry with the DNC for what they saw as unfair intervention on behalf of Hillary Clinton in the primary. Those supporters would likely only support the most progressive political candidates and causes, and would not want to hear from the DNC as it tries to raise money or turn out activists for anything that doesn’t meet their standards.

Jackson said Our Revolution has already had to reassure many active members that it is not sharing data or otherwise colluding with the DNC. People have contacted the organization with accusations of unwanted collaboration on several occasions, typically when Our Revolution has mobilized members to take action for Ellison or other candidates it has endorsed in battles for control of local Democratic parties, he said.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), left, enjoys the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in his bid to head the Democratic National Committee.

There is not a particularly long tradition of individual candidates with large email lists sharing them with the party. Organizing for America, a 501(c)(4) former President Barack Obama created out of his 2008 presidential campaign, and its post-2012 successor, Organizing for Action, inherited the Obama campaign’s successful email list. OFA only shared the list, which numbers in the millions, with the DNC in August 2015.

Once the 2016 Democratic primary ended, top Democrats ― including former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) ― began talking to Sanders about sharing his list or its data with Clinton’s campaign or the DNC. Speculation about the fate of Sanders’ list has only escalated since November, with some more establishment-friendly Democrats seemingly hoping that putting Ellison in charge of the DNC would ensure access to Sanders’ base.

One Democratic operative, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the matter, said this is “uncharted territory” in many ways: “Bernie was an independent who became a Democrat and built a unique campaign that we haven’t seen in a very long time.”

Legally, political organizations or candidates can sell or donate their email lists. It’s how you do it that presents the challenge. Donating a list is generally called a “list swap”; an organization can trade lists with a like-minded candidate or organization. They can also just sell their list to another organization, which can bring in a lot of money if the list is large or particularly useful. In each example, the organizations decide whether to allow list members to opt in to the new list, or directly add their emails and then let them opt out.

Direct adding email addresses and then forcing people to opt out comes with a higher risk of an organization’s emails ending up in a spam folder. Internet service providers try to help their customers by sniffing out unwanted email, thereby creating a high barrier to entry for unwanted political solicitations.

“Signing people up for email lists without telling them is a very typical way to get marked as spam,” said Emily Schwartz, vice president of organizing at NationBuilder, a nonpartisan digital firm that specializes in political campaigns.

Jason Rosenbaum, a veteran progressive digital guru and technology director for the Action Network, a nonprofit that builds online organizing tools, recalled excessive spam rates dooming campaigns he has worked on.

“I have seen programs go to zero because they have screwed up with this kind of stuff,” he said.

If we see a new DNC chair who takes the party in a new direction … then maybe this type of sharing makes a lot of sense. Jason Rosenbaum, Action Network

Other risks include the prospect of activists disengaging or unsubscribing from an email list, which could lead to attrition ― for both the DNC and the original Our Revolution list.

If Our Revolution chooses to share its list with the DNC, there are ways for the group to leverage its following to benefit the Democratic Party without compromising the trust it enjoys with its members, said Rosenbaum, who previously led online campaigns for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Health Care for America Now.

One way to do that is to start with joint actions between the two organizations ― inviting list members to sign a petition, donate money or mobilize around a cause. That would make it abundantly clear to list members that their contact information is being shared with a new organization, rather than forcing it on them.

One can envision Our Revolution asking its list members to join an action against Republican cuts to Planned Parenthood funding or attempts to privatize Medicare, for instance. The challenge, however, is ensuring that the DNC does not try to mobilize Our Revolution list members for a candidate or cause they don’t like.

The best insurance against that kind of a mistake ― and the inevitable blowback ― is the election of a DNC chair that progressives trust, Rosenbaum suggested.

“The Sanders folks ― though I think they overstate their case ― they do have a point about the corruption in the DNC around the primary process,” he said. “If we see a new DNC chair who takes the party in a new direction and is able to make a clean break with the past there in a way that Democratic activists understand, then maybe this type of sharing makes a lot of sense.”

But Nomiki Konst, a former Sanders campaign surrogate who now works for The Young Turks, a progressive YouTube network, warned Democrats against viewing an email list as a panacea for the party’s shortcomings.

“The Democratic Party has to reinvent itself. No Bernie list, no Keith Ellison list, is going to solve that problem,” she said. “The Democratic Party has raised more money than ever, spent more money than ever, and lost more than ever.”

Sign up for the HuffPost Must Reads newsletter. Each Sunday, we will bring you the best original reporting, long form writing and breaking news from The Huffington Post and around the web, plus behind-the-scenes looks at how it’s all made. Click here to sign up!

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[sunshineweb]

The Power of Visual Thinking

Value Investing Almanack (VIA) Special Offer: VIA, our premium newsletter that subscribers call “the best resource on Value Investing in India,” which was closed for new subscriptions for the past few months, is now accepting new members, and at a very special 55% discount, or Rs 9,000 off the base price! Click here to join now.

* * * Here is your latest Saturday newsletter, where I share the latest updates from the site, an idea worth thinking about, few stories you shouldn’t miss, and a question for you. Let’s get started.

Safal Niveshak Updates Just in case you missed, here are a couple of recent posts on the site –

30 Big Ideas from Seth Klarman’s Margin of Safety (Special Report) (Corrected and with new download links)

The Best Books: Recommended Reading List

Regret Missing the Rally in Stocks? Now What?

Imagine! Here’s a note from Ashlee Vance’s biography of Elon Musk –

Visual thinking is a great way to understand complex or potentially confusing information, and also a way to organize your thoughts and improve your ability to think and communicate.

Imagine someone talking to you, and starting with the word – “Imagine…”

You are completely hooked, isn’t it?

Consider this excerpt from Richard Feynman’s The Pleasure of Finding Things Out, where his father helps him visualize about dinosaurs –

We had the Encyclopedia Britannica at home and even when I was a small boy my father used to sit me on his lap and read to me from the Encyclopedia Britannica, and we would read, say, about dinosaurs and maybe it would be talking about the brontosaurus or something, or tyrannosaurus rex, and it would say something like, ‘This thing is twenty-five feet high and the head is six feet across,’ you see, and so he’d stop and say, ‘let’s see what that means. That would mean that if he stood in our front yard he would be high enough to put his head through the window but not quite because the head is a little bit too wide and it would break the window as it came by.’ Everything we’d read would be translated as best as we could into some reality and so I learned to do that – everything that I read I try to figure out what it really means, what it’s really saying by translating.

Then consider how Warren Buffett visually convinced me why gold was a bad investment…

I will say this about gold. If you took all the gold in the world, it would roughly make a cube 67 feet on a side… Now for that same cube of gold, it would be worth at today’s market prices about $7 trillion dollars – that’s probably about a third of the value of all the stocks in the United States… For $7 trillion dollars… you could have all the farmland in the United States, you could have about seven Exxon Mobils, and you could have a trillion dollars of walking-around money… And if you offered me the choice of looking at some 67-foot cube of gold and looking at it all day, and you know me touching it and fondling it occasionally…Call me crazy, but I’ll take the farmland and the Exxon Mobils.

I’ve tried my hands at visual thinking this way –

You may want to check out my Wall of Ideas for more such examples of visual thinking.

Now, visual thinking is not a new lesson that I would attribute to Elon Musk. But imagine the kind of businesses he is building, to save the world, which he had originally visualized when he was under ten years of age.

When it comes to investing, you can avoid yourself a lot of pain by just visualizing your life after you’ve lost a lot of money trading and speculating in the stock market. If the visuals unnerve you, don’t do anything that would get you into such a situation. That’s also the concept of inversion.

I personally used visual thinking when I was deciding about quitting my job to start Safal Niveshak to help small investors become better at their investment decision making. Of course, when I had started planning my future after a job, the first visual was that of – not being successful in my future work, getting over my savings, and having to return to a job.

But another visual I saw was of helping people, enjoying the freedom of doing things my way, and spending a lot of time with my family. And I thank my stars that this was more powerful than the visual of losing everything.

A Few Stories You Shouldn’t Miss

We Begin Our Lives as Growth Stocks, But End Our Lives As Value Stocks (Of Dollars And Data)

The Bargain Hunter’s Dilemma (Barry Ritholtz)

What I Read, and Why (Jason Zweig)

Why I’m Losing Hope in India (Andy Mukherjee)

Last Refuge of License Raj (Anand Sridharan)

Here’s How to Give Thanks—Not Once a Year—but Every Day (Ryan Holiday)

Happiness Won’t Save You (NY Times)

Meditations

History may not repeat itself, but some of its lessons are inescapable. One is that in the world of high and confident finance little is ever really new. The controlling fact is not the tendency to brilliant invention; the controlling fact is the shortness of the public memory, especially when it contends with a euphoric desire to forget.

~ John Kenneth Gailbraith

On the surface it seems that the present moment is only one of many, many moments. Each day of your life appears to consist of thousands of moments where different things happen. Yet if you look more deeply, is there not only one moment, ever? Is life ever not “this moment?”

This one moment – Now – is the only thing you can never escape from, the one constant factor in your life. No matter what happens, no matter how much your life changes, one thing is certain: it’s always Now.

Since there is no escape from the Now, why not welcome it, become friendly with it?

~ Eckhart Tolle

A Question for You When you get better at what you do, you can make a bigger impact and solve bigger problems. That gives you more satisfaction. And also more income.

Ask yourself this question – How can I get better at what I do?

* * * That’s about it from me for today.

If you liked this post, please share with others on WhatsApp, Twitter, LinkedIn, or just email them the link to this post.

If you are seeing this newsletter for the first time, you may subscribe here.

Stay safe.

Regards, Vishal

* * * Value Investing Almanack (VIA) Special Offer: VIA, our premium newsletter that subscribers call “the best resource on Value Investing in India,” which was closed for new subscriptions for the past few months, is now accepting new members, and at a very special 55% discount, or Rs 9,000 off the base price! Click here to join now.

The post The Power of Visual Thinking appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

The Power of Visual Thinking published first on https://mbploans.tumblr.com/

[newstwitter-blog]

New Post has been published on News Twitter

New Post has been published on http://www.news-twitter.com/2017/02/10/huffington-post-bernie-sanders-has-a-massive-email-list-but-he-has-good-reason-to-think-twice-about-sharing-it-16/

Huffington Post: Bernie Sanders Has A Massive Email List. But He Has Good Reason To Think Twice About Sharing It.

WASHINGTON ― In the course of his unexpectedly popular run for the Democratic presidential nomination, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) amassed a huge network of supporters ― along with their email addresses and other personal information. Now Democrats are gunning for access to that list, which is estimated to include millions of people.

An email list may sound like an arcane item to become the focus of a battle for the party’s future. But access to a large list of enthusiastic liberals would allow candidates and campaigns to mobilize thousands of activists and donors at a moment’s notice. In short, the “list” has become a coveted form of political currency in the digital era.

The question for Sanders is whether he should share his data, and if so, how he should go about doing it, according to experts in the list-building systems that have become a cornerstone of contemporary political organizing.

If the goal is for Sanders to provide the party greater access to his base, the most logical entity with which to share his list is the Democratic National Committee, the party’s main national organ. And right now the DNC is in the midst of a seven-way competition between the major candidates who would like to become its next chair.

The Sanders campaign’s email list is now housed at Our Revolution, a political action committee Sanders set up to continue the work of his presidential campaign. And Shannon Jackson, Our Revolution’s executive director, said he doesn’t want to just hand that list over to the Democratic National Committee, since Our Revolution is committed to remaining independent from the party. For his part, Sanders told The Washington Post that he would “cross that bridge” when the DNC race is settled.

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), who is Sanders’ preferred candidate to chair the DNC and the owner of his own large email list, suggested Sanders should grant party leadership access to the list. If elected chair, Ellison would “absolutely” ask the Vermont senator to share his powerful campaign list, Ellison said at a HuffPost-sponsored DNC candidate debate on Jan. 18.

Our Revolution’s Jackson declined to comment on Ellison’s statement, but reiterated that his organization supports Ellison’s candidacy. Sanders spokesman Michael Briggs said in a statement that “there has been no discussion with the DNC about use of the list.”

Some diehard Sanders backers aren’t so into the idea. “If they wanted the Democratic Party to have their information, they would have given it to them by now,” one such fan wrote in a scathing criticism of Ellison’s remarks. 

List sharing always poses risks. And in this case, the matter is especially sensitive.

Many Sanders supporters are still angry with the DNC for what they saw as unfair intervention on behalf of Hillary Clinton in the primary. Those supporters would likely only support the most progressive political candidates and causes, and would not want to hear from the DNC as it tries to raise money or turn out activists for anything that doesn’t meet their standards.

Jackson said Our Revolution has already had to reassure many active members that it is not sharing data or otherwise colluding with the DNC. People have contacted the organization with accusations of unwanted collaboration on several occasions, typically when Our Revolution has mobilized members to take action for Ellison or other candidates it has endorsed in battles for control of local Democratic parties, he said.

Alex Wong/Getty Images

Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), left, enjoys the endorsement of Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in his bid to head the Democratic National Committee.

There is not a particularly long tradition of individual candidates with large email lists sharing them with the party. Organizing for America, a 501(c)(4) former President Barack Obama created out of his 2008 presidential campaign, and its post-2012 successor, Organizing for Action, inherited the Obama campaign’s successful email list. OFA only shared the list, which numbers in the millions, with the DNC in August 2015.

Once the 2016 Democratic primary ended, top Democrats ― including former Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (Nev.) ― began talking to Sanders about sharing his list or its data with Clinton’s campaign or the DNC. Speculation about the fate of Sanders’ list has only escalated since November, with some more establishment-friendly Democrats seemingly hoping that putting Ellison in charge of the DNC would ensure access to Sanders’ base.

One Democratic operative, who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak on the matter, said this is “uncharted territory” in many ways: “Bernie was an independent who became a Democrat and built a unique campaign that we haven’t seen in a very long time.”

Legally, political organizations or candidates can sell or donate their email lists. It’s how you do it that presents the challenge. Donating a list is generally called a “list swap”; an organization can trade lists with a like-minded candidate or organization. They can also just sell their list to another organization, which can bring in a lot of money if the list is large or particularly useful. In each example, the organizations decide whether to allow list members to opt in to the new list, or directly add their emails and then let them opt out.

Direct adding email addresses and then forcing people to opt out comes with a higher risk of an organization’s emails ending up in a spam folder. Internet service providers try to help their customers by sniffing out unwanted email, thereby creating a high barrier to entry for unwanted political solicitations.

“Signing people up for email lists without telling them is a very typical way to get marked as spam,” said Emily Schwartz, vice president of organizing at NationBuilder, a nonpartisan digital firm that specializes in political campaigns.

Jason Rosenbaum, a veteran progressive digital guru and technology director for the Action Network, a nonprofit that builds online organizing tools, recalled excessive spam rates dooming campaigns he has worked on.

“I have seen programs go to zero because they have screwed up with this kind of stuff,” he said.

If we see a new DNC chair who takes the party in a new direction … then maybe this type of sharing makes a lot of sense. Jason Rosenbaum, Action Network

Other risks include the prospect of activists disengaging or unsubscribing from an email list, which could lead to attrition ― for both the DNC and the original Our Revolution list.

If Our Revolution chooses to share its list with the DNC, there are ways for the group to leverage its following to benefit the Democratic Party without compromising the trust it enjoys with its members, said Rosenbaum, who previously led online campaigns for the Progressive Change Campaign Committee and Health Care for America Now.

One way to do that is to start with joint actions between the two organizations ― inviting list members to sign a petition, donate money or mobilize around a cause. That would make it abundantly clear to list members that their contact information is being shared with a new organization, rather than forcing it on them.

One can envision Our Revolution asking its list members to join an action against Republican cuts to Planned Parenthood funding or attempts to privatize Medicare, for instance. The challenge, however, is ensuring that the DNC does not try to mobilize Our Revolution list members for a candidate or cause they don’t like.

The best insurance against that kind of a mistake ― and the inevitable blowback ― is the election of a DNC chair that progressives trust, Rosenbaum suggested.

“The Sanders folks ― though I think they overstate their case ― they do have a point about the corruption in the DNC around the primary process,” he said. “If we see a new DNC chair who takes the party in a new direction and is able to make a clean break with the past there in a way that Democratic activists understand, then maybe this type of sharing makes a lot of sense.”

But Nomiki Konst, a former Sanders campaign surrogate who now works for The Young Turks, a progressive YouTube network, warned Democrats against viewing an email list as a panacea for the party’s shortcomings.

“The Democratic Party has to reinvent itself. No Bernie list, no Keith Ellison list, is going to solve that problem,” she said. “The Democratic Party has raised more money than ever, spent more money than ever, and lost more than ever.”

Sign up for the HuffPost Must Reads newsletter. Each Sunday, we will bring you the best original reporting, long form writing and breaking news from The Huffington Post and around the web, plus behind-the-scenes looks at how it’s all made. Click here to sign up!

This post has been harvested from the source link, and News-Twitter has no responsibility on its content. Source link