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After Vice Presidential Debate Social Media Stats Bad News For Democrats

Published

8 years ago

October 5, 2016

Last night’s Vice Presidential Debate between Virginia Senator Tim Kaine and Indiana Governor Mike Pence revealed a sad truth: Republicans are better organized on social media than Democrats.

Vice Presidential Debate 2016 Tim Kayne va Mike Pence

This is not to say that Democrats or progressive leaning social media participants aren’t occasionally effect (witness the recent success of the keyword “Hillary Clinton For President”, which reached Twitter world-wide trends or the giant number of anti-Trump tweets from the first Clinton-Trump Debate), but for the 2016 Vice Presidential Debate, the GOP trounced the Democratic Party.

The data that backs this claim comes from a post-debate analysis conducted by social media analysis firm Talkwalker. The company provided a set of statistics and conclusions to this blogger that, overall, spell a victory for the GOP. Here’s what was reported, word-for-word, to this blogger by Talkwalker spokesperson Carrie Butler:

1. Mike Pence gets more overall buzz than Tim Kaine with 1.5 million online mentions during the debate compared to 1.2 million for Kaine. (9pm to 11pm ET)
2. Biggest peak of discussion came at around 10:32pm when discussion turned abortion when mentions hit over 42,000 per minute
3. #VPDebate was used over 2.2 million times during the debate
4. Other top hashtags included #BigLeagueTruth used 59.6k times and #Guccifer2 used 38k times and both were used extensively by Donald Trump social accounts
5. #Guccifer2 relates to the hacker who hacking into the Democratic National Committee computer networks and leaked documents to The Hill.
6. #BigeagueTruth is a social media campaign set up by The Trump Campaign to take over the conversation during the debate. Stats suggest this strategy had some success as it was the 2nd most used hashtag after #VPDebate during the debate itself.
7. Most shared tweets on the night were all from Trump. Contrast to the anti-Trump sentiment of top tweets for the 1st Trump Clinton debate:
8. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/783495937708527616
9. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/783479483873583105
10. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/783484550861037568
11. Top elections themes included women, abortion and law all linked to the issue of abortion. Abortion, which had not been a huge topic mentioned in social media throughout the campaign, has increased by 459.5 percent.
12. Other top themes included law enforcement relating in part to Pence’s comments about the police.
13. Issue of US’s relationship with Russia and Donald Trump’s tax returns also gained some traction
14. Total level of conversation during VP debate was around 7.5m million across all online and social media channels compared to around 16 million during the presidential debate last week.

This information from Talkwalker provides more evidence that the GOP has a highly organized group of people attempting to to dominate the social media conversation after the debates.

I say “more” evidence because The Washington Post’s Gilad Lotan provided an excellent breakdown of how the hashtag #TrumpWon reached Twitter World-wide Trend status (it wasn’t Russian hackers), and came to the conclusion that thousands of Twitter users issued tweets with the same hashtag between a two hour period after the Clinton-Trump debate ended.

When #TrumpWon became a Twitter World-wide trend, Donald Trump himself sent out a tweet using it, and since he has over 12 million followers (way up from the 2 million he had two years ago), that sent the hashtag to a level of use so high, it lasted as a Twitter World-wide Trend well into the next day after the contest.

#ThatMexicanThing Driven By Democratic-Friendly Media Sites

What is most surprising to this blogger is that, for all of the talk and tweets about it, the hashtag #ThatMexicanThing wasn’t the top one. Talkwalker didn’t even mention it in its post-debate analysis. So why the buzz about it? The news reported from Democratic-Friendly media sites with large social media followings about it, and how Latinos were responding to it.

First, we have to recap how the hashtag #ThatMexicanThing became a thing on Twitter. It started when Senator Tim Kaine blasted Donald Trump and Mike Pence for Trump’s racist comments about Mexicans. Governor Pence responded with “There you go with that Mexican thing, again.” That comment set Twitter afire, but in light of the data analysis, it was for a moment and didn’t take over social media from a per-content perspective. That said, it was the third-most tweeted about moment of the debate. Moreover, someone created the URL thatMexicanthing.com and directed it to the Hillary Clinton For President Website.

But what’s driving its appearance in post-debate media coverage and tweets, are re-tweeted articles about how the hashtag was used to celebrate the positive accomplishments of Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.

Take Mashable’s post on the subject, which has been shared 1,600 times on social media as of this writing. Its clear the political contest has come down to a battle of the GOP’s focused and organized social media effort versus a disorganized and more organic one that favors Democrats and progressives.

The question is why?

While it’s hard to pin down what’s behind the Democratic Party’s seeming disinterest in coordinated social media messaging, this blogger can provide his own experience with Dems. After having one of the first blogs ever invited to cover a Democratic National Convention in 2008, and then invited back in 2012, my press application was inexplicably rejected by the Democratic National Convention in 2016. This, even as I have been on the White House Press List and a consistent content producer with respect to politics and most notably in defense of the President of The United States, and that my entire web and social graph in 30 times larger today than in 2008.

After the rejection action, the Democratic National Convention was informed that CNN wrote about this blogger’s work in January of this year. That triggered an email that my application would be reconsidered – but no answer. Upset over the treatment, I took to social media using YouTube to vlog about the problem. I received a comment from the editor of a newspaper in Montana and of 50,000 subscribers, who said he received similar treatment. Both of us are Democratic supporters.

I wrote Donna Brazile, the new Chairperson of the Democratic Party, about the problem and in an email to all of the top executives of the Democratic Party. Brazile wrote back that she would follow up with me, but to this date never has. From reports and analysis of blogger lists, the GOP is far better organized and coordinated than the Democratic Party with respect to social media and blogs.

While polls have been friendly to Hillary Clinton, thus having many assume a November victory, it’s politically dangerous to rely on traditional 20th Century media approaches to the delivery of a message, as the Democratic Party is doing. If there’s any truth to the idea that one can manufacture consent, the Republican Party is at least trying to create the idea that their candidates are the debate winners.

Social Media Today Must Be A Focus Of Any Messaging Campaign

It doesn’t matter if its an Oakland Raiders game or an SF Bay Area Event at Michaan’s Auctions, in Alameda, social media has to be a major focus of any messaging campaign today. According to a Pew Research Study released in May of this year, 62 percent of American adults get their news from social media, and 18 percent do so often. That includes Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and even Linkedin.

This doesn’t discount the impact of television, but it does signal the death of print newspapers as a major source of news for the public. The game has changed, and the Democratic Party has to wake up to that fact now, before its too late.

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‘Donald Trump Is Not a God:’ Rep. Bennie Thompson Blasts Trump’s Call to Jail Him

“Donald Trump is not a god,” U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

Published

6 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Congressman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss. Courtesy photo.

By Post Staff

U.S. Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said he not intimidated by President-elect Donald Trump, who, during an interview on “Meet the Press,” called for the congressman to be jailed for his role as chairman of the special congressional committee investigating Trump’s role in the Jan. 6, 2021, mob attack on the U.S. Capitol.

“Donald Trump is not a god,” Thompson told The Grio during a recent interview, reacting to Trump’s unsupported claims that the congressman, along with other committee members like vice chair and former Republican Rep. Liz Cheney, destroyed evidence throughout the investigation.

“He can’t prove it, nor has there been any other proof offered, which tells me that he really doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” said the 76-year-old lawmaker, who maintained that he and the bipartisan Jan. 6 Select Committee – which referred Trump for criminal prosecution – were exercising their constitutional and legislative duties.

“When someone disagrees with you, that doesn’t make it illegal; that doesn’t even make it wrong,” Thompson said, “The greatness of this country is that everyone can have their own opinion about any subject, and so for an incoming president who disagrees with the work of Congress to say ‘because I disagree, I want them jailed,’ is absolutely unbelievable.”

When asked by The Grio if he is concerned about his physical safety amid continued public ridicule from Trump, whose supporters have already proven to be violent, Thompson said, “I think every member of Congress here has to have some degree of concern, because you just never know.”

This story is based on a report from The Grio.

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City of Oakland Celebrates Reopening of Main Library

“Libraries are such critical facilities for all Oaklanders, whether it’s children coming to story-time, adults reading the newspapers or borrowing the latest novels, and people engaging with a range of services and programs that the library hosts,” said Council President and District 2 Councilmember Nikki Fortunato Bas. “Such library services and programs are only possible when the facility’s electricity, heating, roof, and lighting are fixed and running efficiently. I’m proud to join this re-opening of our Main Public Library.”

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

Left to Right- Jamie Turbak, Director of Library Services, LaTonda Simmons, Assistant City Administrator, Nikki Bas, President Oakland City Council, Shen Thao, Mayor of Oakland, Carroll Fife, Oakland City Councilmember District 3, Harold Duffey, Assistant City Administrator, Sean Maher, Projects Coordinator. Photo by Kevin Hicks.

The branch had been closed since May for critical infrastructure upgrades

Special to the Post

The City of Oakland leadership and community partners gathered to celebrate the reopening of the Main Library after completion of critical infrastructure upgrades to enhance the library’s facilities and provide a better experience for patrons.

Renovations include new roof installation, skylight repair, critical electrical system upgrades, new boiler control system installation, auditorium heating and cooling system installation, and improvements to lighting, flooring and ceilings throughout the building.

“This is truly something to celebrate, the reopening of our wonderful Main Library! I congratulate the staff and our partners for this important project to make the Main Library a more comfortable place for everyone for years to come, said Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao. “Thank you to Oakland voters and the California State Library for making these crucial improvements possible.”

“Public libraries are a wonderful resource for our residents, offering a safe space for learning and being,” said District 3 Councilmember Carroll Fife. “It is critical to improve and modernize our libraries so more members of our community can utilize and enjoy them. I’m excited that the necessary renovations to the Main Library have been completed successfully and thank everyone involved, particularly the City team, who helped secured the necessary grant funds for this work.”

“I am proud of the City staff and project partners who kept this important project on schedule and under budget,” said Assistant City Administrator G. Harold Duffey. “The library is an incredibly important resource for our community members, and this project is an investment into the library’s future.”

“December 2nd was a momentous occasion for Oakland Public Library as we proudly reopened the doors of the Main Library following extensive infrastructure repairs,” said Director of Library Services Jamie Turbak. “Closing the Main Library for six months was no easy decision, as it serves as the central hub for our library system and is truly the heart of Oakland. Yet, this renovation was essential, representing more than just physical upgrades—it reflects our ongoing commitment to creating a safe, welcoming space for everyone.”

The City Administrator Jestin Johnson also attended the press conference and signalled his support for the completion of the record-setting completion of the renovations. Gay Plair Cobb, a newly appointed Library Commissioner said the Library represents the soul and brains of our community.

The Oakland Public Library secured funding for these crititcal repairs through a variety of sources. The California State Library’s Building Forward Library Facilities Improvement Program awarded the Main Branch $4.2 million. To comply with the grant terms, the City of Oakland provided matching funds through Measures KK, as approved by the Oakland City Council in October 2023.

The Main Library will host an Open House to celebrate the reopening on February 22, 2025, 10 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

About the Oakland Public Library

The Oakland Public Library is a part of the City of Oakland in California and has been in existence since 1878. Locations include 16 neighborhood branches, a Main Library, a Second Start Adult Literacy Program, the Oakland Tool Lending Library, and the African American Museum and Library at Oakland (AAMLO). The Oakland Public Library empowers all people to explore, connect, and grow. Oaklandlibrary.org

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Biden’s Legacy Secured with Record-Setting Black Judicial Appointments

His record surpasses previous efforts by his predecessors. President Jimmy Carter appointed 37 Black judges, including seven Black women. In stark contrast, Donald Trump’s first term resulted in only two Black women appointed out of 234 lifetime judicial nominations. The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Published

7 hours ago

December 18, 2024

Oakland Post

iStockphoto.

By Stacy M. Brown
WI Senior Writer

President Joe Biden’s commitment to diversifying the federal judiciary has culminated in a historic achievement: appointing 40 Black women to lifetime judgeships, the most of any president in U.S. history.

Biden has appointed 62 Black judges, cementing his presidency as one focused on promoting equity and representation on the federal bench.

The White House said Biden’s efforts show a broader commitment to racial equity and justice.

Meanwhile, Trump has vowed to dismantle key civil rights protections, including the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“Having the Black woman’s experience on the federal bench is extremely important because there is a different kind of voice that can come from the Black female from the bench,” Delores Jones-Brown, professor emeritus at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, told reporters.

Lena Zwarensteyn of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights told reporters that these district court judges are often the first and sometimes the final arbiters in cases affecting healthcare access, education equity, fair hiring practices, and voting rights.

“Those decisions are often the very final decisions because very few cases actually get heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Zwarensteyn explained.

Biden’s nomination of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court further reflects his commitment to judicial diversity. Jackson became the first Black woman to serve on the nation’s highest court.

Patrick McNeil, spokesperson for the Leadership Conference, pointed out that over half of Biden’s Black female judicial appointees have backgrounds as civil rights attorneys and public defenders, experience advocates consider essential for a balanced judiciary.

Meanwhile, Congress remains divided over the expansion of federal judgeships. Legislation to add 66 new judgeships—approved unanimously by the Senate in August—stalled in the GOP-controlled House until after the election. House Republicans proposed distributing the new judgeships over the next decade, giving three administrations a say in appointments. President Biden, however, signaled he would veto the bill if it reached his desk.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., argued the delay was a strategic move to benefit Trump’s potential return to office. “Donald Trump has made clear that he intends to expand the power of the presidency and giving him 25 new judges to appoint gives him one more tool at his disposal,” Nadler said.