Leslie

FWIW, I believe Gordon is a real person. I also believe that he believes in what he's posting. Is he getting a dollar per click? I don't know but he's certainly pushing these links at an unusual level.

When I say "strange", I mean strange for BE. It's not normally what we see. For quite a while, don't know if he's done it lately, Gordon would post a link to his own blog as his media source to back up his own arguments. That was definitely shady.

sir_eccles

This is an interesting side point.

Primarily the alt-right (though it probably applies to other fringe groups) that spread made up stuff about for example a certain prominent politician's birth certificate. You can probably bet the people behind it know 100% it isn't true, yet they also know 100% that their audience will lap it up as if it were. It's like I've said before Glenn Beck is as much of an act as The Colbert Report version of Stephen Colbert. He knows he is peddling made up crap but he knows how well it sells.

Leslie

Yeah, and it depends on whether the people who "re-tweet" this stuff are the actual publishers or the useful idiots. The actual publisher knows it's all lies. They laugh at their enemies but they also laugh at, and misuse, their friends.

Glenn Beck makes up crazy shit about the people with whom he disagrees. His fans, who post his links everywhere, actually believe that crap. Some of his fans may not believe what he says but they still like it, and can make a little money, so they drive internet traffic his way. Glenn Beck makes more money now than he ever did working for CNN or FOX.

I talked to a couple today who COMPLETELY believe that, so far in 2016, Hillary has ordered the murders of 3 US citizens. They have proof. It's on the internet.

Gordon Barlow

Sigh. Leslie, Leslie... I have never and would never link to my blog as my media source. FFS! Really! Until I was (quite properly; I hadn't read up on the rules) chastised by the moderators, I used to post links to relevant blog-essays of mine because they expounded on the subjects under discussion at greater length than I thought reasonable to write in on-thread submissions. To say that that was "as [my] media source" and "shady" is grossly unfair, and plain malicious. Sadly, I have to presume that you meant it to be. You owe me an apology, but you probably don't do apologies, so I won't hold my breath.

Leslie

I don't owe you an apology. You owe BE an apology. In the second part of this paragraph, you admit to the very thing that you denied in the first sentence.

The subjects under discussion were generally topics that you were pushing down our throats. You would then post a link to your blog, backing up the "discussion" that you were promoting. You were blatantly trying to drive web traffic to your blog. It was obvious. I called you on it then. You got in trouble. End of.

Leslie

I meant to respond to this earlier. I've been following Fahrenthold's work and it is absolutely riveting. Every day reveals some new and inventive way that Trump used the foundation as his own personal slush fund. I can't believe this hasn't disqualified him ... it's all criminal enterprise.

dakota44

When it comes to his diehard supporters...nothing disqualifies him. Now with independents and milenials perhaps another story.

sir_eccles

My current pet theory is that Donald literally has $0 to his name. Everything goes through the foundation in a massive tax evasion scheme. Why else would he be so reticent to release his taxes.

dakota44

The foundations records are public. He cannot hide them. They have not show and money coming from him many years.

sir_eccles

He's using the foundation to do more than just buy portraits of himself and hand out free rounds of golf though.

Giantaxe

Absolutely. I will also add that for someone who claims to be interested in human rights, "Gordon Barlow" is for some reason deathly silent about Trump's proposed policies that would egregiously demolish such rights. I wonder why?

Leslie

I am convinced that Trump did not have anybody do an internal vetting of his financial records prior to running. At least not any qualified people. I'm sure he asked his kids. I don't know what their specific areas of expertise are, they seem to specialize in preening, but they're certainly not lawyers. No self respecting lawyer or accountant would have advised a presidential campaign.

Giantaxe

And yet we seem to be heading closer and closer to President Trump.

Leslie

The horror.

dakota44

For absolutely sure. Buying politicians and settling lawsuits to name a few.