Re: "Demand Protest" – Conclusion

That's right. The whole thing was hoax.

MSN: "How a hoax website about paid protesters came crumbling down live on TV"

Excerpt:

Here’s an incomplete look at how we got here: a few days ago, the Gateway Pundit wrote a piece titled “BREAKING: Far Left Group Is Paying Activists a Monthly Salary to Stop TRUMP,” and cited 4Chan in mentioning a possible link between Demand Protest and George Soros. InfoWars was a bit more skeptical, hedging their story on Demand Protest as a “report” and writing that “it’s unclear if the DemandProtest.com website is actually legitimate.” The Washington Times also credulously reported on the Backpage ads. Breitbart, meanwhile, used the ads as evidence in an article that suggested that fears of pro-Trump inauguration violence was “fake news.”

“The facts tell a different story,” the Breitbart article says. “The left is gearing up for war, and hiring mercenaries.”

Other sites, like The Federalist Papers, helped to feed the story into the hyperpartisan Facebook ecosystem. It made it to the Drudge Report.

All this happened with no evidence to support claims that Demand Protest actually did anything it advertised on its website — the existence of a backpage ad, which pretty much anyone can create and place, was it.

The anonymous testimonials from some of Demand Protest’s supposed clients came from an unnamed U.S. presidential campaign and an unnamed public health nonprofit. It claimed to have more than 1,800 well-paid operatives working for them. In the Backpage ads, the group says it’s the “largest private grassroots support organization in the United States,” which seems … implausible. [….]

So how was the hoax uncovered?

Believe it or not – Tucker Carlson at FOX News did the honors on LIVE TV. And if you're inclined to watch the LIVE take-down, please DO check out the video:

Link http://freebeacon.com/politics/carlson-to-dom-tul…

Here's a rather interesting story that's getting a lot of attention this morning on several social-political blogs.

Re: "Demand Protest" – Part l

Apparently, in the lead up to Trump's inauguration an organization called "Demand Protests" was created to hire people to go and protest whatever cause or event the contract was assigned to:.

As per the *Demand Protest* website:

"When you need the appearance of outrage, we are able to deliver it at scale while keeping your reputation intact” — under the heading “Unassailable Authenticity."

Demand Protest, a San Francisco company that bills itself as the “largest private grassroots support organization in the United States,” posted identical ads Jan. 12 in multiple cities on Backpage.com seeking “operatives.”

The ads read: “Get paid fighting against Trump!”

“We pay people already politically motivated to fight for the things they believe. You were going to take action anyways, why not do so with us!” the ad continues. “We are currently seeking operatives to help send a strong message at upcoming inauguration protests.”

…So why am I sharing all this with you? …..

Because Demand Protests was supposedly "proof that dissent against Trump was manufactured by shady leftist organizations, and could be lucrative" Note: "one Backpage.com ad placed in Demand Protest’s name promised a full-time job that paid a $2,500 retainer, plus $50/hr., and benefits."

[ It was the perfect story to share, if you’re inclined to believe that anti-Trump protesters must be getting paid to be there. Something to that effect has long been in the canon of largely unsubstantiated rumors circulating on the Trump Internet. A well-known fake news writer even fabricated an “interview” with a protester who said he was paid $3,500 to protest at a Trump rally — a story that was shared on Twitter by Trump’s then-campaign manager. And like that made-up story, it also appears that Demand Protest is a made-up group, one that fooled quite a few news sources before being dramatically debunked on-air by Tucker Carlson. ]

Sources include: MSN, RedState, HuffPost, Hotair, Free Beacon et al

AP FACT CHECK: Album sales not up much despite Trump tweet

NEW YORK — President-elect Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that the album sales of Jackie Evancho, the teenage classical singer, have "skyrocketed" since the announcement that she would perform at his inauguration.

Not exactly, according to sales figures.

According to Nielsen Music, which tracks album sales, Evancho sold 7,206 albums the week ending on Dec. 15 (she announced she would sing the national anthem at the Inauguration on Dec. 14). The following week, which ended on Dec. 22, Evancho sold 13,788 albums, and the week after, ending on Dec. 29, the 16-year-old sold 11,096 albums.

While some of the credit may be due to the announcement about the performance at the inauguration, Evancho's sales could simply be a result of the holidays: She released a new album, "Someday at Christmas," on Oct. 28, and she has other holiday albums in her catalog. And not surprisingly, holiday albums tend to sell particularly well during the holidays.

Her overall album sales, however, remain low. The top-selling album for the weeks ending on Dec. 22 and Dec. 29 was a cappella group Pentatonix's "A Pentatonix Christmas," which sold 206,000 and 101,000 equivalent albums, respectively. [….] MSN.com

Seriously, I'm thinking – if this clown couldn't straight up LIE, exaggerate or make isht up outta whole cloth, he'd probably rarely say anything at all.

"Marching band at historically black college to perform at inauguration, sparking controversy"

The marching band of Alabama’s oldest private, historically black liberal arts college has accepted an invitation to perform at President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural parade, organizers said.

Talladega College’s band will march at Trump’s inauguration as other historically black schools such as Howard University, which performed at President Barack Obama’s first inaugural parade, said they won’t be marching in the Jan. 20 event.

“We were a bit horrified to hear of the invitation,” said Shirley Ferrill of Fairfield, Alabama, a member of Talladega’s Class of 1974.

“I don’t want my alma mater to give the appearance of supporting him,” Ferrill said of Trump on Monday. “Ignore, decline or whatever, but please don’t send our band out in our name to do that.”

The move has lit up Talladega College’s social media sites with a sharp debate about the band’s decision to participate in the parade. Some people voiced strong opposition, while others support the band’s participation.

“After how black people were treated at Trump’s rallies, you’re going to go and shuck and jive down Pennsylvania Avenue? For what?” Seinya SamForay said in an interview. “What they did is a slap in the face to other black universities.”

Many on Twitter also shared their feelings on the matter.

SamForay, of Chicago, was among dozens of people commenting on the school’s social media sites.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee announced Friday that the Talladega College Marching Tornadoes was among 40 groups, including high school bands and military organizations, scheduled to perform in the parade. Some members of the Marist College band in upstate New York, also scheduled to perform at the inauguration, say they won’t participate, a school spokesman said Monday.

Ron White of Atlanta, a 1997 graduate of another historically black college, Fort Valley State University in Georgia, said he questioned why band members from Talladega “should be playing all these patriotic tunes for someone who has degraded us.”

At the same time, though, White said he respects the office of the president and he hopes that Talladega’s band does well. […] – CBSNews.com