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After Vice Presidential Debate Social Media Stats Bad News For Democrats

Published

9 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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Oakland Post: Week of December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of – December 31, 2025 – January 6, 2026

Published

19 hours ago

January 2, 2026

Oakland Post

To enlarge your view of this issue, use the slider, magnifying glass icon or full page icon in the lower right corner of the browser window.

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Big God Ministry Gives Away Toys in Marin City

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grow up.

Published

5 days ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

From top left: Pastor David Hall asking the children what they want to be when they grow up. Worship team Jake Monaghan, Ruby Friedman, and Keri Carpenter. Children lining up to receive their presents. Photos by Godfrey Lee.

By Godfrey Lee

Big God Ministries, pastored by David Hall, gave toys to the children in Marin City on Monday, Dec. 15, on the lawn near the corner of Drake Avenue and Donahue Street.

Pastor Hall also gave a message of encouragement to the crowd, thanking Jesus for the “best year of their lives.” He asked each of the children what they wanted to be when they grew up.

Around 75 parents and children were there to receive the presents, which consisted mainly of Gideon Bibles, Cat in the Hat pillows, Barbie dolls, Tonka trucks, and Lego building sets.

A half dozen volunteers from the Big God Ministry, including Donnie Roary, helped to set up the tables for the toy giveaway. The worship music was sung by Ruby Friedman, Keri Carpenter, and Jake Monaghan, who also played the accordion.

Big God Ministries meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at the Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley, CA Their phone number is (415) 797-2567.

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First 5 Alameda County Distributes Over $8 Million in First Wave of Critical Relief Funds for Historically Underpaid Caregivers

“Family, Friend, and Neighbor caregivers are lifelines for so many children and families in Alameda County,” said Kristin Spanos, CEO, First 5 Alameda County. “Yet, they often go unrecognized and undercompensated for their labor and ability to give individualized, culturally connected care. At First 5, we support the conditions that allow families to thrive, and getting this money into the hands of these caregivers and families at a time of heightened financial stress for parents is part of that commitment.”

Published

5 days ago

December 29, 2025

Oakland Post

Costco. Courtesy image.

Family, Friend, and Neighbor Caregivers Can Now Opt Into $4,000 Grants to Help Bolster Economic Stability and Strengthen Early Learning Experiences

By Post Staff

Today, First 5 Alameda County announced the distribution of $4,000 relief grants to more than 2,000 Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) caregivers, totaling over $8 million in the first round of funding. Over the full course of the funding initiative, First 5 Alameda County anticipates supporting over 3,000 FFN caregivers, who collectively care for an estimated 5,200 children across Alameda County. These grants are only a portion of the estimated $190 million being invested into expanding our early childcare system through direct caregiver relief to upcoming facilities, shelter, and long-term sustainability investments for providers fromMeasure C in its first year. This investment builds on the early rollout of Measure C and reflects a comprehensive, system-wide strategy to strengthen Alameda County’s early childhood ecosystem so families can rely on sustainable, accessible care,

These important caregivers provide child care in Alameda County to their relatives, friends, and neighbors. While public benefits continue to decrease for families, and inflation and the cost of living continue to rise, these grants provide direct economic support for FFN caregivers, whose wages have historically been very low or nonexistent, and very few of whom receive benefits. As families continue to face growing financial pressures, especially during the winter and holiday season, these grants will help these caregivers with living expenses such as rent, utilities, supplies, and food.

The funding for these relief grants comes from Measure C, a local voter-approved sales tax in Alameda County that invests in young children, their families, communities, providers, and caregivers. Within the first year of First 5’s 5-Year Plan for Measure C, in addition to the relief grants to informal FFN caregivers, other significant investments will benefit licensed child care providers. These investments include over $40 million in Early Care and Education (ECE) Emergency Grants, which have already flowed to nearly 800 center-based and family child care providers. As part of First 5’s 5-Year Plan, preparations are also underway to distribute facilities grants early next year for child care providers who need to make urgent repairs or improvements, and to launch the Emergency Revolving Fund in Spring 2026 to support licensed child care providers in Alameda County who are at risk of closure.

The FFN Relief Grants recognize and support the essential work that an estimated 3,000 FFN caregivers provide to 5,200 children in Alameda County. There is still an opportunity to receive funds for FFN caregivers who have not yet received them.

In partnership with First 5 Alameda County, Child Care Payment Agencies play a critical role in identifying eligible caregivers and leading coordinated outreach efforts to ensure FFN caregivers are informed of and able to access these relief funds.FFN caregivers are eligible for the grant if they receive a child care payment from an Alameda County Child Care Payment Agency, 4Cs of Alameda County, BANANAS, Hively, and Davis Street, and are currently caring for a child 12 years old or younger in Alameda County. Additionally, FFN caregivers who provided care for a child 12 years or younger at any time since April 1, 2025, but are no longer doing so, are also eligible for the funds. Eligible caregivers are being contacted by their Child Care Payment Agency on a rolling basis, beginning with those who provided care between April and July 2025.

“This money is coming to me at a critical time of heightened economic strain,” said Jill Morton, a caregiver in Oakland, California. “Since I am a non-licensed childcare provider, I didn’t think I was eligible for this financial support. I was relieved that this money can help pay my rent, purchase learning materials for the children as well as enhance childcare, buy groceries and take care of grandchildren.”

Eligible FFN caregivers who provided care at any time between April 1, 2025 and July 31, 2025, who haven’t yet opted into the process, are encouraged to check their mail and email for an eligibility letter. Those who have cared for a child after this period should expect to receive communications from their child care payment agency in the coming months. FFN caregivers with questions may also contact the agency they work with to receive child care payments, or the First 5 Alameda help desk, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. PST, at 510-227-6964. The help desk will be closed 12/25/25 – 1/1/26. Additional grant payments will be made on a rolling basis as opt-ins are received by the four child care payment agencies in Alameda County.

Beginning in the second year of Measure C implementation, FFN caregivers who care for a child from birth to age five and receive an Alameda County subsidized voucher will get an additional $500 per month. This amounts to an annual increase of about $6,000 per child receiving a subsidy. Together with more Measure C funding expected to flow back into the community as part of First 5’s 5-Year Plan, investments will continue to become available in the coming year for addressing the needs of childcare providers in Alameda County.

About First 5 Alameda County

First 5 Alameda County builds the local childhood systems and supports needed to ensure our county’s youngest children are safe, healthy, and ready to succeed in school and life.

Our Mission

In partnership with the community, we support a county-wide continuous prevention and early intervention system that promotes optimal health and development, narrows disparities, and improves the lives of children from birth to age five and their families.

Our Vision

Every child in Alameda County will have optimal health, development, and well-being to reach their greatest potential.

Learn more at www.first5alameda.org.