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Democrats Ask FEC To Create New Rules To Keep Foreign Influence Off Social Media Ads (thehill.com)
Cristina Marcos reports via The Hill: Democratic lawmakers on Wednesday asked the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to establish new guidelines for online advertising platforms that would prevent foreign spending to influence U.S. elections. The move comes after Facebook provided information to Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller, who is leading the FBI's investigation into Russia's election interference, about Russian ad purchases during the 2016 campaign.
"The recent revelations that foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Russian government sought to influence the 2016 election through social media advertisements are deeply concerning and demand a response," 20 House and Senate Democrats wrote in the letter. "We are fast approaching the 2018 election cycle. As such, it is imperative the Federal Election Commission begin this effort in earnest," they wrote. CNN, which first reported on the Democrats' letter, cited Facebook sources saying they expect Congress may try to require disclaimers on online political ads in the future, similar to political television ads. The Democratic lawmakers suggested that any FEC guidance address how foreign actors can use corporate or nonprofit designations to avoid disclosing political spending; what advertisement platforms can do to prevent foreign campaign activity; and possible changes to disclosure standards for political advertisements.
"The recent revelations that foreign nationals with suspected ties to the Russian government sought to influence the 2016 election through social media advertisements are deeply concerning and demand a response," 20 House and Senate Democrats wrote in the letter. "We are fast approaching the 2018 election cycle. As such, it is imperative the Federal Election Commission begin this effort in earnest," they wrote. CNN, which first reported on the Democrats' letter, cited Facebook sources saying they expect Congress may try to require disclaimers on online political ads in the future, similar to political television ads. The Democratic lawmakers suggested that any FEC guidance address how foreign actors can use corporate or nonprofit designations to avoid disclosing political spending; what advertisement platforms can do to prevent foreign campaign activity; and possible changes to disclosure standards for political advertisements.
People expressing their opinions as foreign nationals, and specifically stating that they are from another country, is not even in the same ballpark as: the son of a presidential candidate having clandestine meetings with Russian spies, or a campaign manager taking millions of dollars in Russian mob money, or the National Security Advisor having to literally register as a foreign agent; or Russian agents making bot accounts to leave thousands of pro-Trump messages on various forums pretending to be Americans. Take your false equivalence elsewhere.
While I am no fan of HRC, to say that she ignored the wants of the states that she lost dismisses the fact that she had a lot of plans in place, and that she communicated those plans quite well time and time again. The problem was that she was perceived as having no empathy for the plight of these people. It's the same problem I have with my wife sometimes. If she tells me about a problem she is having, I always jump to, "here is how we can solve this." All she wants to hear is, "I understand what you are saying, and that this problem is important to you." Although I'm sure that if Hillary tried her husband's "I feel your pain" shtick, she would have been lampooned for that as well. She was just an atrocious candidate.
Now Trump on the other hand, did a great job of empathizing with people. It's just that the solutions he offered, and the solutions he's trying to deliver, won't actually help the people who got him into office. If you had told folks last year that "repeal and replace" means "drastic cuts to medicare," maybe they would have changed their mind. Then again maybe not. The Daily Show just ran a segment on a guy who owns a golf course that will be destroyed by The Wall (TM). Even with that knowledge, he believes he made the right choice by voting for Trump.
For the record, I think that marginalizing racist assholes is a way better solution than saying they are "very fine people." I have friends who supported and still support Trump. But even with them, I do not tolerate statements about how impressive it is that he has the balls to break apart Mexican families by arresting parents at a children's hospital, or how funny it would be if you had to eat a bacon sandwich to get through the TSA checkpoint. Unfortunately, Trump has normalized this sort of behavior and sentiment to an extent that was unthinkable even two years ago.
To claim that embracing equal rights for women and minorities is somehow marginalizing white men is just astonishingly ignorant. I simply cannot fathom what data you have that you think might support such a premise. I am a white man, and any time I hear somebody claiming reverse sexism or racism, I challenge it. So far, the only place that has proven to have an endemic problem is in the public elementary school system.