But let's read and give the NYT writer, Ken Bensinger, a chance to show that these people are awful and Trump must be kicked around for enjoying their work:
[C3PMeme] has spent much of the year flooding social media with content that lionizes the former president, promotes his White House bid and brutally denigrates his opponents....
Their most vulgar invectives are often aimed at women, particularly those seen as enemies of Mr. Trump.... Since March, Mr. Trump has posted videos made by the team to his Truth Social and Instagram accounts — which have more than 30 million followers combined — at least two dozen times. He tends to share the group’s less crude content, favoring memes that feature him in a positive light....
But Mr. Trump and his campaign have also taken a more active role in the group’s activities, a New York Times review found. Over the past year, he and his campaign have privately communicated with members of the meme team, giving them access and making specific requests for content....
“It’s ominous,” said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer who now works at the Campaign Legal Center, a government watchdog nonprofit. Mr. Ghosh said the meme team’s activities appeared to fit the definition of a super PAC — an entity that can raise and spend unlimited sums to support a candidate or issue but must report its donors and spending. Yet because the group operates outside the campaign finance system, its finances and funders remain unknown....
It's comedy. Satire.
Most of the meme-makers post anonymously. The Times used podcast transcripts, photographs, news footage and public records to identify Mr. Heestand, who declined to comment....
They doxxed him!
If a group is receiving compensation to help a candidate get elected, then it could be considered a super PAC and should be registered and reporting its donors and spending.
If it is not compensated but is coordinating with the campaign, then it may run afoul of strict limits on in-kind contributions, said Paul S. Ryan, who serves as deputy executive director of the pro-democracy group Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation....
Memes created with input from the campaign, he said, “are just as good as a direct contribution to the campaign” and may be worth far more than the $6,600 individual limit per election cycle....
I thought this article was going to revile the speech, but it turned much more aggressive, with a very disturbing legal threat.
Posts
77 comments:
Ann’s critical eye toward NYT is more compelling than If NYT didn’t report it it didn’t happen…
... then it may run afoul of strict limits on in-kind contributions, said Paul S. Ryan, who serves as deputy executive director of the pro-democracy group Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation....
Eh? Come again? PRO Democracy, ye say? Elvira, get me my shotgun....
'Memes created with input from the campaign, he said, “are just as good as a direct contribution to the campaign” and may be worth far more than the $6,600 individual limit per election cycle....'
One could say the same thing about NYT articles like this.
strict limits on in-kind contributions
That's funnier than any meme, considering the entire Media-Infotainment Complex worked together to push Joe and suppress Trump. Paul Ryan the comedian, who knew?
NYT is either a super PAC or a fascist asset.
Well we’re living here in Gavintown
Walking streets that are all slimy and brown
And the junkies are all getting high
Living in tents… we pay their rents
Yes we’re living here in Gavintown
"“It’s ominous,” said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer who now works at the Campaign Legal Center, a government watchdog nonprofit. Mr. Ghosh said the meme team’s activities appeared to fit the definition of a super PAC — an entity that can raise and spend unlimited sums to support a candidate or issue but must report its donors and spending. Yet because the group operates outside the campaign finance system, its finances and funders remain unknown...."
Like the entire MSM works for democrats.
SNL makes jokes about Republicans...OMINIOUS.
Following the trail blazed by the pieces of shit known as Dark Brandon.
That's not funny!
This should be illegal.
Nobody should have the ability to comment on politics anonymously, especially using 'memes' that could not have been part of the constitution or Bill of Rights as written by our founders.
This is the D's warning shot. Too bad for them that the Nackschuss is off the table for now.
The Slander Masters have run out of ways to slander Trump’s supporters. This is all they have left: attempting to criminalize political cartoons.
What a mote compared to the beam that is the apparent coordination of the Biden campaign through Blinken with the authors of the letter stating that the Hunter Biden laptop was Russian disinformation.
A politician in a campaign for office is using social media to promote himself!
OH NO!
What next, a list of policy positions and a description of how they differ from his opponent's policies? That way madness lies, surely!
““It’s ominous,” said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer who now works at the Campaign Legal Center, a government watchdog nonprofit. Mr. Ghosh said the meme team’s activities appeared to fit the definition of a super PAC — an entity that can raise and spend unlimited sums to support a candidate or issue but must report its donors and spending. Yet because the group operates outside the campaign finance system, its finances and funders remain unknown....”
“If it is not compensated but is coordinating with the campaign, then it may run afoul of strict limits on in-kind contributions, said Paul S. Ryan, who serves as deputy executive director of the pro-democracy group Funders’ Committee for Civic Participation.... Memes created with input from the campaign, he said, “are just as good as a direct contribution to the campaign” and may be worth far more than the $6,600 individual limit per election cycle....I thought this article was going to revile the speech, but it turned much more aggressive, with a very disturbing legal threat.”
For me, the irony meter was pegging. Two Dem affiliated and oriented non profits trying to explain why what the Republicans were doing was criminal, and ignoring that they were doing the exact same thing, but for the other side.
"If it is not compensated but is coordinating with the campaign, then it may run afoul of strict limits on in-kind contributions, ..."
Yet the NYT, WaPo, CNN, MSNBC have been doing this for Democrats for many election cycles!
I'm not holding my breath waiting for the FEC crackdown on those powerful entities with wide influence, compared to some anonymous bloggers.
Apparently, the Democrats are returning to their Jim Crow roots, and laws are only for Republicans.
I'm probably the only person that will notice the disparity in effort (by the NYT) to investigate the source of these memes as compared to, say, the Steele dossier or Hunter Biden's laptop. The media has a treasonous streak.
Fortunately those involved in identical behavior seeking to denigrate former President Trump never need fear this level of scrutiny by any major news organization.
Now do the millions of X and Facebook supporters of Biden. The NYTimes is trash. Can’t go out of business fast enough.
Looks like they want to put some more memesters in prison. Remind me again who exactly are the totalitarians here? And when is the New York Times going to register as a Democrat PAC?
I probably won't be the only one here to make this comment, but under the terms outlined by the writer of the article shouldn't SNL be registered as a PAC group for the Democrats. The network news shows too.
"in-kind contributions" Good lord. Imagine trying to tally up the in-kind contributions the MSM has made to Biden? That gift just keeps on coming.
Democrats take in illegal contributions all the time. Esp from international source - which is totally illegal.
Democrats get free advertising on NBC and all of NBC's affiliates and TV shows.
When are the NYTs and WaPo going to register as Pro-Biden SuperPacs? Under the "strict campaign laws" their unpaid contributions and coordination with the Biden's campaign (including giving Biden their questions in writing PRIOR to the press conferences) must exceed the allowable limit.
Why was it neccessary to publish the name of the meme writer? Obviously, to intimindate and allow legal action against Him. How much you want to bet Biden's DOJ and the FBI are already investigating him?
In case you forgot, CNN doxxed the guy who tweeted a video of a CNN logo on the head of wrestler getting the crap beat out of him by another wrestler with a drawn on TRump face. IRC, CNN accused the meme writer of causing "death threats" against CNN employees.
Our MSM is going full Stalist in their attempt to re-elect Biden.
When are the NYTs and WaPo going to register as Pro-Biden SuperPacs? Under the "strict campaign laws" their unpaid contributions and coordination with the Biden's campaign (including giving Biden their questions in writing PRIOR to the press conferences) must exceed the allowable limit.
Why was it neccessary to publish the name of the meme writer? Obviously, to intimindate and allow legal action against Him. How much you want to bet Biden's DOJ and the FBI are already investigating him?
In case you forgot, CNN doxxed the guy who tweeted a video of a CNN logo on the head of wrestler getting the crap beat out of him by another wrestler with a drawn on TRump face. IRC, CNN accused the meme writer of causing "death threats" against CNN employees.
Our MSM is going full Stalist in their attempt to re-elect Biden.
Their most vulgar invectives are often aimed at women
Does that mean they're mostly aimed at men?
...and do they give examples in the article? Or are we just meant to believe the "journalist".
Does it give any examples of are the memes to terrible to repeat? Meaning we have to take their word for how bad they are.
John Henry
Elon can't buy the NYT too soon to suit me.
John Henry
You know one might think that these bozos would wise up with the lawfare threats.
To me a Super PAC usually involves money, dollars, shekels whatever. It doesn't involve Appalachian Annie making up smart or crude cracks about Biden. I mean free speech is free isn't it? Well it is until the Feds or the Federal Election Commission and its minions stick their unwanted horns in.
Now if Dastardly Don the Evil Orange Man is hiring a bunch of out of work people who learned to code as a result of Bidenomics--and paying them money to create these things, well that might be different. But until the Dims can put some real evidence on the table, then these threats are simply wet dreams of more political lawfare. And it doesn't seem that the political lawfare is helping the Dims. The deplorables frequently live near cattle feed lots, and you know they can identify that stuff when they smell it.
The Twitter fights between Trump and DeSantis supporters are petty and annoying and can't be good for Republicans. Both candidates should distance themselves from these clowns.
Where's the meat?
How about a 'Inside the Troll Army Waging Biden's Online Campaign'?
I go on Twitter (limit myself to a toxic exposure of about 15 minutes a day) and I'm bombarded by posts lionizing Biden, lionizing Newsom, denigrating Trump, denigrating anyone even remotely conservative. There's a few promoting Trump - but not that many.
What's in the comments of the Biden/DNC/Newsom promoters is almost universally negative... to the DEMS. Many variations of the 'Don't piss on our heads and tell us it's raining' sort of reply, others pointing out that damned near everything Biden's trying is raising costs like crazy. There's virtually no agreement with the OP about how good we've got it with these people in charge, and how bad things will be if Trump gets back into office.
It feels very much like DC's gone full denial of reality. "Our intentions are good, how can the results be bad?!"
2016 wasn't enough of a wakeup call, apparently. Maybe 2024 will get their attention and make them realize they're not the much beloved and trusted icons of our country as they think they are.
"That's not funny!"
Althouse says "It's comedy. Satire. " but I don't know. Mr. Ghosh who works at a "a government watchdog nonprofit" (so you know it's on the up and up and totally nonbiased) says it's ominous; and that sounds pretty scary.
big surprise the corrupt left want to stop any and all efforts to promote someone not a D.
perfectly fine to have an entire TV network in the democrat's pocket. (NBC)
Oh well, if the NY Times says it's bad, I'm convinced.
I thought this article was going to revile the speech, but it turned much more aggressive, with a very disturbing legal threat.
First of all the videos / memes at the C3PMeme link are hilarious. SNL skits in support of libs now fail to be funny. The left is just pissed they can't meme. It's because they are void of a sense of humor.
Why isn't SNL and the NYTs considered Super-Pacs for Biden and Democrats?
Very disturbing legal threats will soon turn into physical threats in 2024.
It's frustrating and tiresome to read a column accusing someone making a statement or posting a meme that is "racist, sexist, homophobic," you name it, while never telling us what was said or posted. Why should I take your word that it was any of those things, buddy? And yes,the memes are meant to be satirical and humorous, but a man was just convicted by a federal jury for election tampering, for the crime of posting a meme telling Hillary supporters how they could text their votes for her. Make no mistake, this is battle space prep.
Zero self-awareness. Isn't pretty much the entire MSM, the "comparable group" waging Biden's campaign? Only a lot bigger.
Should there have been real substance behind the criticism, charges of sexism and racism wouldn't need to be made.
The play now is to attempt to criminalize DJT, his voters, his media supporters, his legal aid, and if DJT had a cat, to put it in a pound for unspecified activities using a sealed complaint. Yay lawfare.
Gilly and Keeves | The Trump Hitler sketch
Now do late night tv.
Reminds me of the doxxing and various media platform-bannings of Carpe Donktum, who made a lot of Pro-Trump, Anti-Hillary memes and videos.
I don't have access to the NYT. Did they actually describe anything which was "sexist and racist?"
On another topic, I note that The Campaign Legal Center is a far left organization funded by, among others, the Brennan Center for Justice and George Soros' Open Society Foundations and The Foundation to Promote Open Society. I don't have a problem with that, just don't describe it as "nonpartisan."
Inside the Army of Humorless Scolds Waging the New York Times Media Campaign Against Trump
A team of women and women-adjacent j-school grads has been shrieking hysterically about the bad, orange one and his merry band of commonsensical low-borns for years. Donald Trump is cheering them on.
its larry noble's mccain feingold gang, campaign legal center, and ken bensinger fusion stringer previously from buzzfeed,
Well...I'd never heard of the outfit before, but viewing a few of their short videos...they're pretty funny. And yes, another example of there's no humor allowed on the left. Look what they've done to comedy in general. So they look at these, which really are well done and funny, and view them as racist and misogynist.
"Over the past year, he (Trump) and his campaign have privately communicated with members of the meme team, giving them access and making specific requests for content....
“It’s ominous,” said Saurav Ghosh, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer who now works at the Campaign Legal Center, a government watchdog nonprofit."
No, it's not ominous. It's tedious reading more of this scare drivel coming out of the NYT. It's political comedy. Maybe you've heard of it. There's no laughing in politics! The Times is tedious.
Orange Journalism
Once they doxxed Catturd, he started getting regularly swatted. The did it again yesterday, telling the police that they were him and he had come home and caught his wife with another man and had killed them both and the police showed up with five cars and guns drawn.
Now this guy has a target on him.
funny how the "Russian collusion" vanished from the left's catalog of total BS and smears catalog.
The reason they know all about "stochastic terrorism" is because that is what they engage in. This is a thinly disguised call to violence. Just like all of these articles claiming that Trump is an existential threat to democracy, when really he's only a threat to their grift.
Troll Army would make a good name for a band.
The guy who got jail time for proving with a joke that a lot of Clinton voters are morons must be wondering why Congressbeyotch Sheila Jackson Lee (Dim-TX) can get away with sending out the wrong election date for the Houston mayoral race. (Which she lost bigly.)
"Mr. Ghosh said the meme team’s activities appeared to fit the definition of a super PAC — an entity that can raise and spend unlimited sums to support a candidate or issue but must report its donors and spending."
So Mr. Ghosh will surely next go after Kimmel/Fallon/Meyers/Colbert for their contributions in kind? Perhaps Madonna? The 50 former "intelligence experts" who whitewashed the Hunter laptop? Thinking more locally, should Chuck and Rich be worried?
Should Susan Gibson be investigated for her contributions in kind (filming and streaming amateur porn of herself) to her competitor - it certainly seems to be a significant reason that he won?
Iman,
I'm imagining the rhythmic sounds that would replace the train noises....
I'd never heard of that meme site -- it's hilarious. I am constantly amazed at the talent for humor, written, cartoon'd, and meme'd, that this country now enjoys, but that went unseen and unrecognized by most of us until the internet ubiquity of YouTube and other outlets.
"Streisand Effect"! I've bookmarked the "C3PMeme" YT site & plan to visit it often!
This is a ham-handed distraction from CISA and the Virality Project at Stanford. The federal government is restricting speech..."Hey look over here-- Mean tweets!"
So, The NYT is platforming misinformation sites?
Got it.
A few appropriate memes in response:
https://i.imgflip.com/41ll8z.jpg
https://i.imgflip.com/4jmib7.jpg
https://img.4plebs.org/boards/pol/image/1603/47/1603471299684.png
https://i.imgflip.com/4gbiaa.jpg
So they smear Trump on the horrible memes (without examples) then slip this in: He tends to share the group’s less crude content, favoring memes that feature him in a positive light....
Surely Jack Smith can get another indictment out of this!!
Remember when Elizabeth Warren hired a meme team that couldn't meme? It got a lot of media praise, despite not being able to meme. They either weren't funny, or they made Trump look better.
I don't remember hand-wringing about how they meme creators were colluding with the campaign staff.
I looked at C3PMeme's YouTube videos - Trump and Son. He put Trump's face over Fred Sanford's and Hillary's or Nancy's or other people's faces over other characters, then left in the original dialog. It that what the article is talking about when it says the memes have "vulgar invectives ...often aimed at women"?
I appreciate the NYT telling me about someone else to follow on X.
Screams would probably work best, Walter!
Oh my Ghosh!
It's pretty clear that those Redd Foxx video memes could have an even greater impact on the outcome of elections than the Great Russian Election Interference Campaign of 2016!
No joking! This is politics!
I was thinking the sounds that lead to brown streets.
It’s a well known saying in the blogs I frequent and on Facebook- Leftists can’t meme.
Photomemes are extremely effective at making a point. They’re a continuation of the grand American tradition of political cartoons by old masters like Herblock. But democratized. Anyone can join in. There are no journalist gatekeepers and layers of fact checkers and editors to approve or disapprove of them. And- there are websites devoted to aid even complete novices in creating one. To date I’ve created one- it didn’t go viral.
And there’s a few widely used templates that can be used for almost any situation. The choice buttons with a sweaty man with two unpleasant options, the guy hand in hand with one girl straining his neck to look back at another, the cat and the lady, the man and woman in bed—“I bet he’s thinking about…”
Just three off the top of my head.
Leftists, being unable to meme, are especially upset with meme wars because they’re losing. They’re being made fun of. They hate the ridicule and the fact it’s so easy to do so.
There are several sites I go to weekly just to see the meme collection they have for the day. I shamelessly steal and post the good ones on Facebook- where they are occasionally blocked and more likely than not shadow banned.
Facebook, not Twitter, is where a lot of us old fuddy-duddies hang out.
How did his parents know he was a Ken?
"Leftists, being unable to meme, are especially upset with meme wars because they’re losing. They’re being made fun of. They hate the ridicule..."
Rule #5, by way of Rule #4.
I couldn't help but think of the "Bensinger, Roy B" scene in "His Girl Friday," the Howard Hawks movie starring Cary Grant & Rosalind Russell from 1940.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=XCO3L3_Scfs
Okay. These are hilarious.
Leland had a good selection there. One thing I dislike about blogger comments- can't post pics directly.
But using liberal's own words in photomemes is a very effective technique. Like Georg Takei's anti-gun statements.
1. Screen shotted tweet: Crazy thought, but those 20 million AR-15s now in this country could sure arm a lot of Ukrainians
2.Screen shotted reply: You just made the case for every civilian in every country owning an AR-15.
Simple. Effective. And doesn't distort a single word or what Takei said.
But think just for a moment- Libs of TikTok. Multiple attempt to permanban it from Twitter- in the BM Era. (Before Musk) The description that shows at the top of the page after a Google search: Libs of TikTok is a handle for various far-right and anti-LGBT social-media accounts operated by Chaya Raichik, a former real estate agent. And what does Libs of TikTik do? It airs completely unedited videos from liberals. That's it. Videos in all their glory showing liberals doing things or espousing their views. And just last month- the headline in the Daily Beast: Why Libs of TikTok Is a Ticking Time Bomb. Why is it a ticking time bomb? A quote: "Hayden notes that after Raichik flagged a pride event in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, in June 2022 on social media, the white supremacist Patriot Front group, with which she is not affiliated, turned up to protest.
“I believe 31 members of Patriot Front ended up coming out of a U-Haul in an attempt to harass and outnumber the people who are there to celebrate pride together,” he says. “The cops were onto it and everyone got arrested as soon as they got out of the U-Haul and nothing happened but could something have happened that would’ve been extremely violent? Absolutely.” And what is the Patriot Front? Why- the FBI or other Feds. That's well known. All these guys got arrested! Where's the followup? What for? When were their trials? What were the sentences handed down> The news article for this year's event points out 31 people arrested last year. 31, count them, 31 arrested. You'd think they'd say what for and what the sentences were... I can find an article saying they were all immediately bonded out. No mention by who, no mention of the bond, and no mention of any court appearances. Like it disappeared. But that leads to a question- the LBGTQTSTUVWXYZ community WANTED the event publicized. All Libs of TikTok did was- publicize it. So an FBI front group, or even maybe some real a--wipes show up. And it's all the fault of one site that mentioned it was happening? You know, you host an event, people find out about it, and it may just draw both supporters and opponents.
The only people who deserved to be doxed are serial killers and members of superpacs.
Iman said...
Well we’re living here in Gavintown
Walking streets that are all slimy and brown
And the junkies are all getting high
Living in tents… we pay their rents
Yes we’re living here in Gavintown
I love this!
And we won't be getting up todaaaaaaay
Cuz we're living here in Gavintown
They literally believe that because speech is unregulated it's dangerous. That's where progressives stand these days. They're anti-civil liberties. Which makes them...well, I'll let y'all end that sentence.
I guarantee the "Streisand Effect" is in full force. I am now following several of those meme-makers...simply because the NYT smeared them.
This article looks like an in kind donation to the Biden campaign. Do the NYT or Ken Bensinger have a comment on links to the Bidn Campaign or whether they have registered as a SuperPAC?
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