Trump The Modern Master Of: “Lies, Damned lies, and Statistics” (Outlined Below)

Mr. Trump: Maybe you should check own backyard before checking ours

(Hint: No zebras in a forest)

Historical note on that catchy phrase above (which I have always liked): 

Is was popularized by Mark Twain (among others), who had attributed it to former British PM Benjamin Disraeli, but that also is not 100% accurate. No such phrase was ever found in Disraeli's works. 

The best source comes from a woman, Eliza Gutch, writing under the pseudonym: “St. Swithin.” 

It was published in a letter to the editor of The National Observer in London, on June 8, 1891, that she wrote this way: 

“Sir – It has been wittily remarked that there are three kinds of falsehood: The first is a “fib,” the second is a downright lie, and the third and most aggravated, is statistics.” 

Main Post: Trump keeps saying that millions of people voted illegally because they were registered to vote in more than one state, which BTW is something that isn’t illegal. He firmly believe that cost him the popular vote against Hillary Clinton by nearly three million votes. 

More follows below.

Trump team and family members here were registered to vote in two states also seen here and here and pictured above.

Steve Bannon, Mr. Trump’s strategist, was registered to vote in FL and NY (ref: Sarasota Herald-Tribune). 

Tiffany Trump, Trump’s youngest daughter, was registered in PA and NY (ref: NBC News – she denied that report, but NBC later confirmed she was).

Note 1: This is how the Trump W/H works and responds to these reports:

Kellyanne “Alternate Facts” Conway, Trump senior advisers, appeared on NBC’s “Today” show and denied that members of Trump’s inner circle or family were registered in more than one place, saying in part: “I talked last night to Tiffany Trump, and she said it is flatly false that she is registered in two states.” 

However, NBC confirmed that Ms. Trump in fact was registered in PA and NY).

Note 2: Trump and his White House inaccurately pointed to a 2012 Pew study as evidence that millions of people voted illegally. That study, however, said nothing about illegal voting ― they only reported that nearly one in eight voter registration records was outdated.

Further, the same research showed 2.75 million people were registered to vote in more than one state. Most of that was due to clerical error and poor or slow record-keeping. 

Note 3: It is not illegal to be registered to vote in more than one state or place – the illegality occurs if a person votes in two different places or voting more one once in the same election.

Sean Spicer, former press secretary, was registered in both VA and RI (ref: The Washington Post).

Jared Kushner, son-in-law and close adviser, was registered in NY and NJ (ref: The Washington Post).

Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the Treasury, was registered in NY and CA (ref: CNN report). 

Continue here reading that story and from the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU that noted in 2007 that double-voting in an election is exceptionally rare and fraud is just as rare.

Watch is 23-minute ABC interview with Trump at his 5^th day in office. It is truly astonishing to watch him perform (for that is what it is) he constantly seeks to fluff himself up with extreme hyperbole. Also, try and count the lies or blatant exaggerations, if possible.

My Assessment of Donald J. Trump: He is a pathological, habitual, serial liar who is above all else a professional con-artist and TV showman who seeks constant attention and recognition. It’s his DNA.

A lot of topics touched on — listen carefully
e.g., his view on torture (see my library on this subject).  

I conclude with this historical set of rules and ask: Does any of it sound familiar and current today:

+  Propaganda should appeal to the heart, not the intellect.

+  It should be understandable by the least educated members of society.

+  It should contain one central message, to be repeated over and over.

+  Pictures and drawings, even crude sketches, speak louder than words, and the fewer words the better.

+  The views of the opposition should be denounced categorically, never entertained.

+  A big lie is more effective than several small ones. Even once exposed, it still carries a “force of credibility” a lingering doubt that at least some aspect of it might still be true. 

+  Accuse your opponents of what you yourself are doing. 

+  Focus should be kept on fighting a single enemy; all other enemies should be linked with a single great one.

+  Face-to-face meetings with the public are the most effective way to promote a political agenda.

+  A political campaign should be led by one charismatic figure with strong, inflexible convictions.

BTW: The source of that list of rules was published in a two-volume book written by a man in prison for is “his political crimes” – The title: “Mein Kampf (My Struggle)” and was published in 1925 and 1926. 

You know that author – I will not repeat his name here.

Thanks for stopping by.