If you want to dump Trump....

[gregl]

My uncle was (posthumously) awarded the Medal of Freedom by Ronald Reagan. I can't even think of my uncle and Limbaugh having anything in common without wanting to throw up.

Greg

[marley]

Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Established by President John F. Kennedy in 1963, this prestigious award is the Nation’s highest civilian honor. It is awarded by the President of the United States to individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the security or national interests of America, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors - W.H. (source)

Awesome.

Based on that Jared and Ivanka will be receiving one before he leaves office

[ericpmoss]

I'm all for dumping Trump, but I have had it with the Democratic leadership. They are corrupt as hell, and trying to steal the primary. Buttigieg's campaign paid a company run by ex-Hillary staffers for an app to count the Iowa caucus votes (and later on Nevada caucus votes). The app stole Bernie delegates and distributed them to other candidates, some of whom got 0 votes at all. Bernie-heavy precincts got reported after others, and then the DNC tries to take over counting. There was record high turnout in many precincts, but after it was done, the reports were "low turnout". Bull fucking shit. I want heads on sticks.

[Too Tall]

Ex-Hllary Staffers? Lions and tigers and bears oh my. Where the absolute are you getting all this? It's not like I don't read 4 different news pubs every day and scan cable news...so nu?

[HorsCat]

Ex-Hllary Staffers? Lions and tigers and bears oh my. Where the absolute are you getting all this? It's not like I don't read 4 different news pubs every day and scan cable news...so nu?

The app that broke the caucus was developed by a company - Shadow - that has a founder (or employee) who worked in some capacity for the Clinton (Hillary) campaign. But the notion that there is a concerted effort to deny Bernie the nomination is off. It'd be nice if it were 'on,' because, IMO, he would lose handily to Trump, but it isn't.

[GrantM]

Buttigieg's campaign paid a company run by ex-Hillary staffers for an app to count the Iowa caucus votes (and later on Nevada caucus votes). The app stole Bernie delegates and distributed them to other candidates, some of whom got 0 votes at all.

This is Hilary Pizza-gate level conspiracy thinking.
They're far too incompetent to pull off what you're suggesting.
Don't mistake that for corruption.

-g

[lumpy]

This is Hilary Pizza-gate level conspiracy thinking.
They're far too incompetent to pull off what you're suggesting.
Don't mistake that for corruption.

-g

There's a paper trail, and 72 hours later all the votes are in, and they are going to recheck it all to make sure. The handwringing seems a little excessive to me. In 2012 the Iowa GOP changed the results 16 days after the caucus, reversing Romney and Santorum's finishes.

[jclay]

Well worth reading and sharing widely; frightening too. We really are entering a new era information subterfuge. "It can't happen here"? It damn sure can.

The 2020 Election Will Be a War of Disinformation - The Atlantic

[Matthew Strongin]

Ex-Hllary Staffers? Lions and tigers and bears oh my. Where the absolute are you getting all this? It's not like I don't read 4 different news pubs every day and scan cable news...so nu?

Here's the only thing I could find...hosted on Real Clear Politics but from One America News...that pulls Buttigieg into the story: OAN: Suspicious Democrat Caucus App With Buttigieg Connections Blamed For Iowa Results Delay | Video | RealClearPolitics

I don't know how much of conspiracy there is behind this or not, but I feel like it's a big leap to imply that Buttigieg paid for the app or this fiasco because he paid the app company, Shadow, for "software rights," whatever that means. I think one of the biggest issues is that, while from the outside looking in the world of politics seems huge, it's really a tiny little incestuous bubble where the same people hop from campaign to campaign bringing all their baggage and bullshit with them. So the fact that this app was created by ex-Hillary "operatives" (per the video) probably has less to do with conspiracy than the fact that the only people who have interest in capitalizing on the political process are people within that little bubble.

Also, this underscores something near and dear to my heart...people often think app/software development is simple and easy because so many people do it. It's not. It's hard work. It's complicated. It requires a deep understanding of all the primary use cases, an ability to identify edge cases, strong project management, proper design and execution for security, redundancy, designs for failing gracefully, and a host of other considerations. This wasn't a kids' game on the AppStore and from what I can tell it was built like it was.

[Too Tall]

Thanks for going deep Matt.

[guido]

more detail on apps and screwups...

What happened with the Iowa caucus results? The smartphone app disaster, explained. - Vox

Here’s the Shadow Inc. App That Failed in Iowa Last Night - VICE

[guido]

still more...

Inside Acronym, the Tech Consultancy Behind the Disastrous Iowa-Caucus App | The New Yorker

[mzilliox]

why do we put so much weight on this? it doesn't really matter does it?

Iowa should not be important for the future of the natural world.

why are we so stuck on playing stupid games all the time?

[guido]

why do we put so much weight on this? it doesn't really matter does it?

Iowa should not be important for the future of the natural world.

why are we so stuck on playing stupid games all the time?

I thought some actual facts would kill most of the hand wringing on the topic...

[Too Tall]

I thought some actual facts would kill most of the hand wringing on the topic...

Yes and thanks for that.
MattZ > Beats me my man. Drama and intrigue are the life blood for some folks I guess. Give me boring any day.

[bcm119]

From people who've expressed an opinion on the IA caucus fiasco, the more knowledgeable about software development they are, the less likely they are to believe there was any rigging happening. The most reasonable explanation is that the funding structure for building such apps is very limited, the firms willing to build the apps are very few, and the resulting software was not good. Throw in a team of elderly volunteers and you get what you paid for.

[Too Tall]

From people who've expressed an opinion on the IA caucus fiasco, the more knowledgeable about software development they are, the less likely they are to believe there was any rigging happening. The most reasonable explanation is that the funding structure for building such apps is very limited, the firms willing to build the apps are very few, and the resulting software was not good. Throw in a team of elderly volunteers and you get what you paid for.

Who you calling elderly??? Kidding.

[Ras72]

Drama and intrigue are the life blood for some folks I guess.

And that's why we will see more of the same for another term.

Also, I find this not surprising but interesting - Alexander Vindman Fired and Escorted From the White House - The New York Times

[Too Tall]

And that's why we will see more of the same for another term.

Also, I find this not surprising but interesting - Alexander Vindman Fired and Escorted From the White House - The New York Times

Why do you find that interesting Rick? Seriously, as if that was not going to go down?

[Ras72]

Yes, everyone saw it coming, hence not being surprised. It'll be interesting to see it play out.