Mediaboss Marketing

Acronym was able to drum up eye-popping donations from very wealthy people, such as billionaire Seth Klarman and venture capitalist Michael Moritz, because it adopted the vernacular of startup culture, promising to disruptand innovate inthe formerly staid world of political advertising. As an Outline story revealed, though, it doesnt seem to do much innovating; it basically just gives a roomful of millennials no other direction or strategy than to create anti-Trump content. They call it a startup environment as an explanation for why no one knows whats happening, one staffer said. Acronym apparently told donors that it would create content, which would gin up a lot of impressions on social media, and that this, far more than any traditional advertising strategy, was a better investmentbut to date, Acronym, according to the Daily Beast, has not managed to spend very much of the money it promised to devote to taking down Trump.

So where is that money going, exactly? Acronyms principal is a political operative named Tara McGowan, who had worked for Priorities USA, the main super PAC supporting Hillary Clintons 2016 presidential campaign. She is also the owner (and apparently the sole employee) of Lockwood Strategies, a for-profit digital consulting company that, as it happens, received $1 million from Acronym in the fall of 2018. In other words, almost immediately after she failed to win the most important election she had ever worked on, McGowan managed to convince some of the wealthiest liberals in the country to shower her with money to produce ineffective trash. This is called disruption, and it now powers the American economy.

Most galling of all, McGowan has promised to raise $25 million for Courier Newsroom, a liberal news network, or perhaps more precisely, a sketchy network of content mills producing newslike content in various swing states, overseen not by anyone who has ever worked for a newspaper but by a former Vice editor andmore to the pointmarketing and communications professional who was once recognized by Ad Age for her role in creating one of the 10 Best Branded Content Partnerships of 2017. The idea was to create content and pay Facebook to place it high up on peoples news feeds; in reality, Acronym is asking donors for money by promising both to beat the right-wing disinformation network and to save that precious commodity rich people know the United States needs more of but dont feel much like subsidizing: local news.

Twenty-five million dollars could support an enormous amount of actual news, just as it could be put to much more potent political messaging purposes. But because of the deeply broken state of our money-choked and mostly unregulated election machinery, those funds go instead to people like McGowan, who wield power within the party because they are able to raise money, not because they have shown any real ability to spend it in ways that help Democrats win elections. This machine is designed to extract cash from people with too much of it and distribute it to insiders in the permanent campaign. If an election gets won here or there, its mostly incidental.

Excerpt from:
Democrats Embrace the Grift - The New Republic

Democratic presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg holds a campaign rally on February 4, 2020 in Detroit, Michigan.

Bill Pugliano | Getty Images

Mike Bloomberg is the only Democrat to top President Donald Trump in a Gallup poll of small business owners.

Fifty-two percent said they favored the former New York mayor in a hypothetical race against Trump,according to the pollby Gallup and payments-tech firm Square.

The poll, released Monday, was conducted Jan. 15 to 24, before the Iowa caucuses.

The survey asked respondents to indicate how Trump stacks up against seven top Democratic candidates: Bloomberg, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, entrepreneur Andrew Yang and Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

Biden and Trump tied at 50%. Buttigieg, Klobuchar and Yang were at 49% against Trump's 51%, while Warren and Sanders got 48% vs. Trump's 52%.

Biden was the top choice for the Democratic nomination among survey participants who planned to vote in the primaries: 22% backed the former vice president.

Bloomberg was next with 17%, while Sanders and Warren had 14% and 13%, respectively. But 13% of respondents said they were undecided on their top choice among the seven Democrats.

Trump enjoys high approval ratings among small business owners. Sixty percent of those surveyed said they approved the job he was doing. A RealClearPolitics polling average pegs Trump's general approval rating at 45.5%.

In the Gallup poll, 52% said their business would be better off if Trump won in November versus 41% for a Democratic victory.

Some small business owners in swing states interviewed by CNBC echoed the positive view of Trump.

Thomas Skiffington, owner of real estate firm Re/Max 440 in Perkasie, Pennsylvania, said Trump "has been extremely positive" for his business.

Trump's administration "lightened up the regulations so people are spending more money, so they're buying houses," Skiffinton told CNBC. "They're feeling comfortable with the housing market. In fact, if anything right now, there's a storage of inventory; there's more people who want to buy than houses on the market."

Bill Jones, CEO of Solar Manufacturing in Sellersville, Pennsylvania, said Trump's tax cuts were "marginally successful" for his business. He cited the investment tax credit as his "biggest advantage." Jones' company specializes in metallurgical heat treating and has 365 employees across five plants.

There are more than 30 million small businesses in the United States, according to a 2018 report from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Gallup said the poll's respondents own a small business with annual revenue of $50,000 to $25 million.

The poll, which surveyed 1,234 small business owners over the web, found that 97% will likely vote in the 2020 election.

Read more:
Mike Bloomberg is the only Democrat to top Trump in Gallup poll of small business owners - CNBC

Democratswereexasperatedover what they called a raucous campaign-style speech from President TrumpDonald John TrumpBrad Pitt quips he has more time to give Oscars speech than John Bolton had to testify Trump under pressure to renew last nuke treaty with Russia Trump to request 6 percent domestic cuts in .8 trillion budget MORE on Tuesday night as the president made his case for reelection duringthe annual State of the Union address.

Speaker Nancy PelosiNancy PelosiOutgoing lawmaker laments 'way more hate in this business' Sunday shows - 2020 Democrats make closing arguments in New Hampshire America's bitter divide is the true existential threat MORE (D-Calif.) appeared disgusted during much of Trumps third State of the Union address. By the end of it, she ripped up his speech and set it aside while her political nemesis was still standing on the House dais.

I tore it up, Pelosi replied when asked by reporters what she thought of the speech.

Pelosi addedthat it was "the courteous thing to do given the alternatives."

In many ways, Trumps 80-minute speechrepresented a starting gun for his reelection campaign. It was short on bipartisan policy proposals and included plenty of red meat for his base that he will need to turn out at the polls in order to propel him to a second term in November.

Trump took credit for the economic recovery and contended he had reversed American decline a line Democrats saw as a not-so-veiled shot at President Obamas eight years of growth. He also railed against "sanctuary cities" for undocumented immigrants and bragged that he was building hundred of miles of new wall along the Mexico border.

And Trump used his national platform to present the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a man loathed by the left: conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh, who just announced he has lung cancer.

If I wanted to attend a MAGA rally, I would attend a MAGA rally, fumed Sen. Chris Van HollenChristopher (Chris) Van HollenTrump under pressure to renew last nuke treaty with Russia Celebrating and expanding upon five years of the ABLE Act Trump's best week ever? MORE (D-Md.), a former House member and close Pelosi ally. The president never misses an opportunity to further divide the country. It was a disgraceful performance."

The only good moments were recognizing some of the great Americans in the balcony, but the president really turned this into a circus performance, Van Hollen said. Ive never seen a president disgrace the House of Representatives in the chamber the way President Trump did tonight.

The night started on a sour note. Trump appeared to snub Pelosi when she reached out to shake his hand.

It was downhill from there.

Trumps Republican allies in Congress cheered almost every line he delivered, kicking off the night by chanting: Four more years! Four more years!

Democrats sat on their hands for most of the night, and when they couldnt restrain themselves they groaned and yelled no and shook their heads.

Several, including Reps. Rashida TlaibRashida Harbi TlaibTlaib says she held Omar's hand during 'triggering' moments at Trump's State of the Union speech Tlaib: DNC rules committee members working on Bloomberg campaign is a 'conflict of interest' Tlaib says mention of Kavanaugh was 'trigger' to walk out of Trump speech MORE (D-Mich.), Ilhan OmarIlhan OmarTlaib says she held Omar's hand during 'triggering' moments at Trump's State of the Union speech Key House Democrat says Perez must go: 'He doesn't lead on anything' Democratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' MORE (D-Minn.) and Bill PascrellWilliam (Bill) James PascrellOn The Money: Economy adds 225K jobs in January, topping expectations | Appeals court tosses Dems' lawsuit over emoluments | Democrats decide against bringing back earmarks Democrat hits Mnuchin for giving Hunter Biden docs to Republicans Actress who voices Lisa Simpson character knocks Pompeo tweet: 'F--- you for co-opting my character' MORE (D-N.J.), stormed out midway through the speech in disgust.

I just walked out of the #StateOfTheUnion. Ive had enough. Its like watching professional wrestling. Its all fake, tweeted Rep. Tim RyanTimothy (Tim) RyanDemocratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' Democrats walk out of Trump's address: 'It's like watching professional wrestling' Trump set to confront his impeachment foes MORE (D-Ohio), a former 2020 presidential candidate.

Tuesday's address was expected to include tense moments, with Trump entering the sameHouse of Representatives that had impeached him for abuse of power and obstruction of justice only seven weeks earlier.

Though Trump never uttered a word about impeachment, sitting before him were all of the characters of the impeachment investigation and trial that have consumed Washington for the past four months.

Pelosi, who led the Democrats into the effort, was seated just above Trumps left shoulder. To his side, occupying an entire row, were the seven Democratic impeachment managers, including House Intelligence Chairman Committee Adam SchiffAdam Bennett SchiffHouse intelligence briefing on worldwide threat assessment delayed Republicans sense momentum after impeachment win The betrayal of Democratic voters: Many 'liberals' need Trump to win MORE (D-Calif.), the lead prosecutor who had investigated the presidents Ukraine dealings for months, and House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold NadlerJerrold (Jerry) Lewis NadlerAmerica's bitter divide is the true existential threat The betrayal of Democratic voters: Many 'liberals' need Trump to win Nadler says it's 'likely' House will subpoena Bolton MORE (D-N.Y.), who had his hand on his chin for most of the night.

All the presidents men were seated on the House floor as well: acting White House chief of staff Mick MulvaneyJohn (Mick) Michael MulvaneyGroup of GOP senators tried to stop Trump from Sondland ouster: report Bill Maher to Steve Bannon: 'I wish we had someone on our side as evil as you' Trump says Mulvaney will stay on as chief of staff MORE, Secretary of State Mike PompeoMichael (Mike) Richard PompeoPompeo: Competition with China 'not just a federal issue' Overnight Defense: Impeachment witness Vindman escorted from White House | Esper says Pentagon protects service members from retribution | Trump ousts EU envoy Sondland Trump ousts impeachment witness Gordon Sondland MORE and budget chief Russell Vought members of the administration who all played a role in the impeachment inquiry but never testified before the House or the Senate.

In the front row: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, who has had many late nights presiding over Trumps Senate impeachment trial for the last two weeks. That trial will wrap up at 4 p.m. Wednesday when Republican senators mostof whomattended the speech will vote to acquit Trump of both charges.

Great job, great job, a grinning Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnellAddison (Mitch) Mitchell McConnellImpeachment fallout threatens to upend battle for Senate Why the PRO Act is a victory for workers and our democracy Buttigieg: 'We're screwed' if Democrats don't get majorities in Congress in 2020 MORE (R-Ky.) told Trump as he stepped down from the elevated dais after the speech.

The night showcased a few moments of bipartisanship, however.

Democrats and Republicans in the Problem Solvers Caucus including Reps. Dean PhillipsDean PhillipsDemocratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' Democrats gear up for State of the Union protests as impeachment lingers Biden leads 2020 pack in congressional endorsements MORE (D-Minn.), Josh GottheimerJoshua (Josh) GottheimerDemocratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' The Hill's 12:30 Report: Pelosi plans to send impeachment articles next week The lawmakers who bucked their parties on the war powers resolution MORE (D-N.J.), Tom ReedThomas (Tom) W. ReedCuccinelli: New York reintroduced 'the main problem' that allowed 9/11 New Yorkers blocked from Global Entry program over immigrant license law Democratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' MORE (R-N.Y.) and Paul MitchellPaul MitchellOvernight Health Care Presented by Partnership for America's Health Care Future House to condemn Trump plan for Medicaid block grants | Chinese doctor who warned of coronavirus dies | CDC ships coronavirus tests GOP lawmaker shreds Democratic resolution on House floor Democratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' MORE (R-Mich.) all sat together and sported purple ties. And Trump got a handful of bipartisan standing ovations, including when he touted a boost to military spending.

To safeguard American liberty, we have invested a record-breaking $2.2 trillion in the United States military, Trump said.

More visible than the men in purple ties were the women all decked out in white. Before the address, dozens of House Democratic women all sporting suffragist white packed onto a stairway in the Capitol for their annual State of the Union photo.

Several of the Democrats, including Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-CortezAlexandria Ocasio-CortezRush Limbaugh medal an insult to Latinos, immigrants Tlaib says she held Omar's hand during 'triggering' moments at Trump's State of the Union speech The betrayal of Democratic voters: Many 'liberals' need Trump to win MORE (N.Y.), Ayanna PressleyAyanna PressleyTlaib says she held Omar's hand during 'triggering' moments at Trump's State of the Union speech Pressley slams trolls over alopecia comments Pramila Jayapal endorses Democrat Henry Cuellar's primary challenger MORE (Mass.) and Frederica WilsonFrederica Patricia WilsonDemocratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' Clinton advises checking your voter registration during Trump's State of the Union Ocasio-Cortez, Pressley to boycott State of the Union MORE (Fla.), were absent this year, boycotting Trumps speech altogether.

But Tlaib, one of two Muslim women in Congress, said she wanted to be on hand to show the diversity of todays Democratic caucus. Tlaib is also part of the squad, the four progressive freshman women of color who were attacked by Trump last year.

For me, it really was about trying to represent my district and be seen, Tlaib said after posing for the photo with Pelosi and other female colleagues. I think me being in the audience says volumes, especially to a president that told me to go back where I came from. Well, Im coming back to the United States House floor. ... This is the most diverse class Ive ever seen.

After Trumps stem-winder, Democrats retreated to Statuary Hall, which was packed with TV cameras and reporters and turned into a post-speech spin room. It was there that Democrats unloaded on Trump.

House Oversightand Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn MaloneyCarolyn Bosher MaloneyHouse to vote next week on bill to create women's history museum Parkland victim's father apologizes to friends, family after disrupting Trump address Democratstear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' MORE (D-N.Y.) ripped the speech as a lot of reality TV," while House Majority Leader Steny HoyerSteny Hamilton HoyerHouse to vote next week on bill to create women's history museum McCarthy to submit copy of Trump's SOTU address to House Clerk for archives Pelosi-Trump relationship takes turn for the terrible MORE (D-Md.) said its rally-like tone was extremely inappropriate.

"That's not what the State of the Union's supposed to be about. It's not a political rally with some of his supporters in one of these places he goes all over the country and whips up these crowds, Hoyer lamented.

"The speech was to whip up his base, and brought up very divisive issues on which there is disagreement. So it didn't set the table for bipartisan agreement."

Mike Lillis, Cristina Marcos and Juliegrace Brufke contributed to this report, which was updated at 7:40 a.m.

Excerpt from:
Democrats tear into Trump's speech: It was a 'MAGA rally' | TheHill - The Hill

Veterans of the Obama administration say that the candidates have a lot of work to do to convince voters even those who reject Mr. Trumps worldview to focus on their approaches to building alliances, using force and competing with an aggressive Russia and a rising China.

Every presidential campaign Ive ever been a part of, theres a commander in chief ad, Wendy Sherman, who conducted the day-to-day negotiations with Iran for the 2015 nuclear agreement, told an audience at the University of New Hampshire last week. Everybody says at least once, you know, You can rely on me at 3 in the morning. But the issues are rarely central except when were in crisis.

She noted that only a month ago, with the targeted killing of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, the Iranian military leader, we were on the brink of war.

And the Democrats, it turns out, even disagree on whether that killing was legal, or wise.

Perhaps the most striking takeaway from the survey was that the candidates have sharply different views on what circumstances justify the use of military force, aside from responding to an attack on the United States or a treaty ally.

Their disagreements were particularly clear on whether they would consider using force to pre-empt an Iranian or North Korean nuclear or missile test in other words, to prevent a launch that was meant to prove a countrys capability, but not to attack American territory, troops or interests. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama each faced that decision and decided not to strike.

Most of the candidates campaigning as moderates said they would consider it: Mr. Biden, Mr. Bloomberg, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado and former Gov. Deval Patrick of Massachusetts. Interestingly, one of the most liberal candidates, Mr. Sanders, said the same.

See the article here:
Democratic Candidates Reject Trumps Foreign Policy, but Dont Agree on Theirs - The New York Times

Although Im a pessimist by nature, deep down I think I always believed that the Republic would survive Donald Trump.

The majority of Americans have never accepted him, and his ascendancy fueled a nationwide civic awakening, starting with the Womens March and proceeding through airport protests, health care town halls and finally the midterms. Its been devastating to see how quickly so many American institutions have been corrupted the Department of Justice turned into an engine of Trumps paranoid vendettas, the State Department purged of nonpartisan professionals, evidence of Trumps Ukraine extortion scheme buried by his Senate lackeys. Its outrageous that the countrys being forced to endure four full years of lawless kakistocracy, but surely, I thought, the majority would put an end to it in the next election.

But now that election is approaching, and the debacle of the Iowa caucuses only highlights how the Democratic Party is threatening to fracture. In its aftermath, were left with a national race led by two very old and extraordinarily risky general election candidates whose weaknesses were underscored by Iowas results, muddled as they were.

Bernie Sanderss supporters have argued that he can expand the electorate to make up for the suburban moderates hes likely to lose, moderates who were, incidentally, responsible for many of the gains Democrats made in 2018. But while Sanders claimed a popular vote victory in Iowa, there was no surge in voter turnout since the last election, and an NBC News entrance poll showed that the number of first-time caucusers actually went down.

Sanders still has the advantage of energy and ardor; young people are overwhelmingly on his side, and his campaign will be carried along by the same sort of ebullient cultural ferment as Barack Obamas. (When the pop megastar Ariana Grande met Sanders in November, she wrote on Twitter, I will never smile this hard again.) I try to talk myself into believing that his passionate base, combined with a polarized electorate, will be enough. Still, with the survival of American democracy at stake, it seems like a wild gamble for Democrats to turn the fight against Trump into a referendum on Democratic socialism at a time when Americans personal economic satisfaction is at a record high.

Heres the place for disclosure: My husband is consulting for Elizabeth Warren, the candidate I believe in more than any other. But I recognize that Warren has electability challenges of her own, and the truth is Id be fine with any nominee who could generate enthusiasm without scaring suburbanites, if I could only see who that was.

Im not the only one feeling panicked. The recent rush of mayoral endorsements for Michael Bloomberg is partly just a function of the money hes poured into cities through his philanthropic work, but it also indicates a worrying lack of confidence in the existing field.

Michael Tubbs, the innovative mayor of Stockton, Calif., who pioneered a universal basic income experiment in his struggling city, became a national co-chair of Bloombergs campaign in December. Every candidate at this stage of the primary has real serious questions about how theyll bring the party together after they become the nominee, he told me.

How did it come to this? Mostly, I blame Joe Biden and those in the Democratic establishment who pushed his campaign. Its been obvious for some time now that Biden is not nearly as vigorous as he once was. While hes always been gaffe-prone, his speech has grown tentative and meandering in a way that engenders sympathy but also profound anxiety. In Iowa, where voters had a chance to see him up close, the most recent results show him with a distant fourth-place finish. Even if he somehow limps to the nomination, the general election will be a grim slog, like racing on a wounded horse.

Yet with his unmatched biography and name recognition, he deprived younger center-left candidates like Kamala Harris, Cory Booker and Michael Bennet of oxygen even as he failed to consolidate centrists himself. Thats left the erstwhile novelty candidate Pete Buttigieg as Bidens strongest competitor for moderate votes, but while hes shooting up the polls in New Hampshire, he has virtually no support among voters of color.

According to the polling experts at FiveThirtyEight, Sanders now has a 1 in 2 chance of winning the majority of delegates in the Democratic race. The next most likely scenario, with 1 in 4 odds, is that no one does, which would spell a contested convention.

Should that happen, there will be forces in the Democratic Party that try to block Sanders. (A few members of the Democratic National Committee have already discussed rule changes meant to thwart him, though so far its just been marginal chatter.) But if Sanders emerges from the primaries with a plurality of votes, denying him the nomination would be not just unfair but potentially suicidal. I worry about Sanderss chances against Trump, but a candidate foisted on the party over the furious remonstrances of a disempowered base would almost certainly fare worse, while permanently alienating the young people who should be the Democratic Partys future.

The way things are going, the fate of American democracy could soon be Bernie or bust. I envy those who find that exhilarating rather than terrifying.

Excerpt from:
The Harrowing Chaos of the Democratic Primary - The New York Times