Method again within the early 2000s, when Day by day Kos was however a wee child, internet polls have been an enormous deal. These are polls on an internet site the place anybody can vote—and infrequently nonetheless many occasions they need to. In different phrases, they’ve zero credibility. And again within the day, right-wing websites, significantly Free Republic, would record all the net polls on AOL, MSN, and different now-diminished or -defunct web sites, and urge their readers to go vote so they might all fake their aspect had gained. It was referred to as “Freeping.”
By 2004, the Day by day Kos group acquired in on the motion, like with this diary, and we acquired higher than the appropriate at freeping. It wasn’t lengthy earlier than they give up the observe, because it was no enjoyable sending their readers to an internet ballot we had already “won.” The thought of freeping was misplaced to the occasions, a foolish artifact that nobody missed as a result of nobody truly cared about these internet polls.
Till Donald Trump final evening, that’s.
Proper after his presidential debate with Kamala Harris on Tuesday evening, Trump walked into the media spin room and claimed that his crushing defeat was a surprising success.
“It was the best debate I’ve ever personally—that I’ve had,” Trump mentioned. “We’re getting polls that present 92 to six, 88 to 11, and we’re having a variety of nice polls that simply got here out.”
The claims left many individuals scratching their heads, on condition that the one post-debate ballot was CNN’s, which discovered that Vice President Kamala Harris gained the controversy, 63% to Trump’s 37%—a ballot by which virtually a 3rd of Trump supporters admitted their man misplaced.
So what the heck was Trump speaking about? The reply might be discovered on his Fact Social feed, the place he wrote very late on Tuesday evening, “Comrade Kamala Harris goes round wanting one other Debate as a result of she misplaced so badly – Simply take a look at the Polls!“
The submit included photographs of 4 “polls”:
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A Newsmax internet ballot, which confirmed Trump profitable the controversy 93% to six%. Newsmax, after all, is a right-wing publication. Voting within the ballot requires giving up your electronic mail deal with, cellphone quantity, and space code, so it is smart that the outcomes web page doesn’t say how many individuals voted. The one noteworthy a part of this unscientific on-line ballot is that 6% of Newsmax viewers admitted their man misplaced.
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A internet ballot that CSPAN posted on X, which right-wing retailers and social media freeped.
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A random internet ballot on X. (Notably, the one individual this account follows is Elon Musk.)
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A internet ballot that far-right outlet Day by day Caller posted on X.
Clearly, these “polls” are as credible because the one I’ve hooked up on the backside of this story. The distinction is, Harris and the Democrats gained’t be silly sufficient to stroll round pretending it means something.
