The media and various liberal pundits are again shrugging this week after the exposure of another false story targeting a conservative or Republican. In this case, Vice President JD Vance was criticized for ordering the raising of the river near his Ohio home to improve his family’s canoeing experience. First appearing in The Guardian, the story took off in the media and was featured on shows like The Colbert Show when Stephen Colbert mocked “insane spoiled baby emperor move.” The problem is that it was entirely untrue. The Secret Service raised the river for security reasons with no contact with the Vice President or his family.
The hit piece was curious because The Guardian admitted that it could not confirm the allegation. Nevertheless, it breathlessly reported on “Canoe-Gate” with the headline, “JD Vance’s team had water level of the river raised for family’s boating trip.”In the article by Guardian writers Stephanie Kirchgaessner and David Smith, the outlet’s writers suggested that the water-raising was done for recreational reasons, stating “one source with knowledge of the matter who communicated with the Guardian anonymously alleged that the outflow request for the Caesar Creek Lake was not just to support the vice-president’s Secret Service detail, but also to create ‘ideal kayaking conditions.’” They then added, “The Guardian could not independently confirm this specific claim.”
Hmmm, that “specific claim” is the entire story.
USSS spokesman Anthony Guglielmi explained that the USSS conducted a trip to the Ohio area ahead of the vice president’s trip, and one of their vessels actually ran aground. That is why the USSS asked for the increase: “It’s very normal, it’s very routine.” He said that the decision was made without input or involvement from the vice president’s office.
Instead of confirmation, they went with confirmation bias, reaching out to familiar figures who immediately expressed disgust or outrage.
This included ethics experts Richard Painter and Norm Eisen. What was most interesting was Eisen’s statement that it did not matter if this was entirely due to security and was not the result of any request from the Vice President or his staff: “While there may well be security-related explanations or justifications that come into the analysis, my reaction is: I don’t care. We shouldn’t be utilising government resources in this way. I never would have allowed it.”
The usual media crowd jumped on the story as an example of facts too good to check. The New Republic ran a headline claiming: “JD Vance Abused Power to Raise River Levels for Family Kayaking Trip.”
HuffPost declared: “JD Vance Had A River’s Water Level Raised For His Family Vacation.”
The Daily Beast said this: “JD Vance Ordered a River’s Water Level Raised for His Family Boat Trip.”
Keep in mind that many of these voices were supportive of the Biden Administration’s censorship efforts to combat “disinformation.” Indeed, there is an alarming uptick in such false claims being spread by figures who are most vocal in calling for the censorship of others.
Take Hillary Clinton, whose campaign secretly funded the false Russian collusion conspiracy claims. Last week, Clinton was back spreading another false story. After the White House announced the start of construction for a new ballroom, Clinton posted a false story that then spread over the Internet.
Clinton claimed that the project is being funded by taxpayers when citizens cannot afford groceries.
When the announcement was made, it was expressly stated that Trump and private donors would pay for the entirety of the project and would not, as she claimed, be “spending $200 million of taxpayers’ money.” She has never taken down her false claim.
It does not matter that the statement is false. This is not the type of disinformation, misinformation, or malinformation that the left felt justified censorship. When Clinton went to Europe to demand that it force the censorship of fellow Americans (after Musk bought Twitter), she clearly was not speaking of Democratic disinformation which is done with the best of motivations.
The same is true with “Canoe-gate.” It does not matter that The Guardian could not confirm the allegation or that it was false that Vance ordered the raising of the river. This is good disinformation to help democracy. For these figures and outlets, the important thing is that the media is still paddling in the same direction, even if it is against the factual current.
In the early 2000’s a highly successful conservative cable TV host was at the top of his game. His show’s website was open to any and all comments. That was the recipe for success which prevented group-think echo chambers.
When this conservative host’s free speech design didn’t align with the Republican Party, the host then required memberships in order to post comments and opinions. The show was off the air soon after. Likely because it transformed from free speech to a members only club. The show went from #1 to extinct.
This past month, progressive and liberal media outlets are no longer open to independent comment, this month some really great media outlets are now “member-only” creating group-think echo chambers.
This actually harms Democrats, progressives and liberals. In a general election you have to answer to all voters, not just your members.
To the best of my knowledge only Jonathan Turley and Reason Magazine online are the only media organizations that allow free speech and don’t require “members-only” comment. Thank you Professor Turley for supporting free speech.
The stench from the DemocRATic party is becoming overwhelming. Eliminate the DemocRATic party and you eliminate at least 95% of this nation’s problems.
“one source with who communicated with the Guardian anonymously” An un-named source, communicates anonymously. Unidentified anonymous source. If you don’t have the real news, just make it up. The Guardian is just another left-turd lying scum bag pile of adamschitt.
And yet the good professor still supports the democrats. Amazing.
The comments have been trashed. Read only those with names.
*. The problem presented is a problem of morality. The left does not share the value of truth. The left is amoral believing lies, deception, truth are equal. That’s the entire problem. There isn’t a shared morality among the people in the United States. There is not a system of morals in place as a spring from which all retrieve water.
Is 1A based on a system of morals or is it amoral? The left has broken every law possible.
There isn’t a solution. Free speech does not include lies nor deception. Free press does not include lies and deception. Some will disagree. Let’s hear it.
*. Additionally ^^^ the fear now is suffocating.
In this article the report did not see that the VP required safety measures because the water was too low for motor craft such as emergency boats. The problem is routine. The press expressed a fearful note of misuse, underhanded purpose no one would think unless they feared for some reason unknown to conservatives.
People aren’t bad. How do they live like this? Look at Israel. Bombings everyday for entire lifetimes always ready to run into bunkers. What madness is this.
For those who’ve never known fear it’s a terrible thing they’ve done to the US and those who’ve known only peace. You may throw them out as disturbing domestic tranquility.
*. The principle of truth. The principled implementation of morality. Lies and deception bring hate, fear, and crime.
If you’ve learned to hate in last 17 years it’s because of lies. Gerrymandering can be solved with latitude and longitude. The Constitution forbids using special categories.
For the selfless sacrifice of the office. I f Vance wants highwater for his family enjoyment and security, he deserves it! How many times did Russia gate treasonist Barry Sotero shutdown roads and country clubs to get his 18 holes in on a weekly basis for 8 years? How about parking AF1 at Anchorage Alaska airport for the opening week of Moose season for his Bear Grylls look at me promo thereby shutting down ALL private hunter aircraft air traffic. Where were you then MSM?
Trump LIED to get into office—BECAUSE HE HAD TO. He had advisors discern the biggest issue Americans were worried about, which was the cost of groceries, so he LIED about being able to immediately bring the cost down. Even he admits that the grocery lie, along with the lies about migrants, got him elected. Have you seen the recruitment ads by ICE Barbie? They accuse migrants of all being criminals and appeal to patriotism. It’s disgusting.
No one said he was starving American children, but cutting off assistance for needy American schoolchildren will result in suffering, poorer grades and slower academic progress. Hungry kids have trouble paying attention. The children who are starving are those who received food from USAID that Trump took away.
Trump’s current polling is the second worst in US history at this point in his presidency according to Harry Enten— the record for the worst was this point in Trump’s first fake presidency.
AND he did not run on most of the bad things he’s been doing—much of which came straight from Project 2025, something he denied knowing anything about. Then he turns around and hires many of the architects of this radical right wing scheme.
Trump wouldn’t be in our White House if he hadn’t lied and didn’t have the financial backing of the billionaire donors that he is paying back with lowering their taxes, paid for by taking assistance away from the needy, all while managing to drive up the national debt. His tariffs are already driving up prices and they haven’t kicked in fully yet.
Now Trump is trying to rig the midterms by trying to get reliably red states to cook the books to create additional seats in Congress because he’s terrified of Democrats controlling the House. And, while MAGA media delivers daily affirmation and attacks against Democrats, which people like you need to believe, most of the rest of us want him gone already.
Gibberish
Yep, it don’t roll my biscuits neither.
Lots of fake news from you. Lots of conjecture and frankly willful ignorance
You should take you comedy act to CBS. I hear they need a replacement for Colbert, the hateful liberal liar.
Better yet, dye itself green and throw itself on a WNBA basketball court!
“The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant, but that they know so much that isn’t so.” — Ronald Reagan
We have a constitutional right to a limited federal government. According to the Constitution, the federal government has the power to do only those things enumerated (listed) to Congress in the Constitution. Feeding hungry children is not on that list. That’s for the people to do on their own. By the way, USAID wasn’t cancelled because it was feeding hungry children. It was wasting our money on obscene propaganda, some of which promoted deliberate harm to children. Very little if any of its money actually went to needy people. What you knew about USAID isn’t so. In the past, food aid from the United States has actually been harmful to the recipient nation. Either it is stolen by the people in power and sold to enrich them (a major problem in Gaza unless the donor agency distributes the food directly), or the free food puts the local farmers out of business and makes famine worse in the long run. What you knew about food aid isn’t so either.
It’s very rare for a central bank to permit deflation, which is what would be needed to bring the price of anything down numerically. What President Trump’s policies have achieved is a real increase in average wages after inflation, which brings down the percentage of money spent on groceries.
Kamala Harris had the backing of many billionaire donors, but she’s not in the White House. What you knew about his failure to keep his aspirational promise isn’t so.
It’s way too early to judge the overall effect of tariffs on the economy. We are seeing less money being spent on imports, and we are seeing an increase in federal revenue. We’re also seeing more investment in U. S.-based production. These are positive effects. But the final tariff rates are not in place yet, and it’s been a century since tariffs have been large enough to have an effect as great as the tariffs other nations have levied on our products. What you know about the effects of tariffs probably isn’t so.
We voted for President Trump because we knew from experience that he is far more qualified to manage the federal government than his opponents, and he is considerably more respectful of our rights and freedoms. The Biden-Harris regime routinely violated the rights of political opponents. The treatment of those arrested for protesting at the Capitol on Jan. 2021 was an example. President Trump had heard complaints of rights violations in their cases, so he began examining them to see if any deserved pardons. He found so many instances of prosecutorial misconduct, such as charging them under statutes that had no applicability whatsoever, physical mistreatment of prisoners, illegal denial of bail or excessive bail demands, etc. that he finally said, “____ it, let’s just pardon all of ’em.” What you knew of why President Trump won the election isn’t so.
The State of Texas was formally informed by the Department of Justice that its district map violates the Voting Rights Act because it was racially based, so Texas us required to correct the problem. Texas Democrats are trying to keep the racist map in place, and are willing to prevent appropriation of aid to flood victims and other urgent and necessary business to do so. What you knew about the redistricting controversy isn’t so.
Government in general is unpopular because of its long-standing fiscal irresponsibility, and because Congress is having such a hard time making the smallest cuts in unconstitutional federal spending, but it’s become worse with the many abuses the people suffered since 2019, so any polls of the popularity rating of a federal politician will tend to be negative. Besides that, President Trump is the subject of a relentless barrage of lies from propagandists pretending to be professional journalists. We know that your “the rest of us” – the 25%-30% of the people who would vote for a yellow dog if it was a Democrat, want President Trump “gone already,” but the ridiculous positions that 80% of that minority professes on so many “80-20” issues make it hard for the majority of the population to take them seriously. Besides, this is a republic, not a democracy. As such, elected officials are supposed to do what is right for the nation, not what the noisiest faction proclaims is popular. What you knew about the attitudes of the people outside of your political clique isn’t so.
So
Many critical problems to correct, it is absurd you waste your readers time.
Get Constitutional. Require the House to
remove the two fashi symbols from the
Front Wall!
Never belonged there, were not in our original Philadelphia capital, prior to 1812 War.
Stop ruse once and forever publish this.
I like Vance, so my comment is not about him personally. But the USSS would not have needed the water level rise had it not been for Vance wanting to kayak. I’m not agreeing that the USSS had the right to do that, or that any elected official with USSS protection has the right to go anywhere. Yes the Obamas pretty much abused it, but it needs to stop. You run for that type of protected elected office, then the tradeoff is, you are limited where you can go. In this specific case, if it turns out they majigger with the water level all the time for other people and events, then fine and that needs to be made known. But to say it’s fine just because the USSS ordered the change without Vance knowing is a weak excuse (plus OH is his home state and you know a guy who knows a guy who can get the level raised, etc.). And yes, the Desperate Dems jumped on it but it was also handed to them to do so. BTW, I voted for Trump all 3 times and will probably never vote for another Dem in my lifetime because of their behavior, meaning I’ll probably vote for Vance if he’s the 2028 nominee.
This is a really good point.
I ran a hydro plant on a resevior on the Wisconsin river for years back in the 70’s. This kind of thing goes on all the time, not for elected officials but for corporate bigwigs and their families that controlled that pond.
Let’s be fair, the family wanted.to do something, I can’t blame them. Was Vance made aware that the trip would be a problem and given the chance to cancel it? I would bet not. Until you get ALL the facts don’t throw stones. Or do you think his wife and kids should stay home and never go anywhere as long as he is in office? The real problem is the hateful political crazies that want to kill politicians because they disagree with their policies, and there are enough of those people on both sides of the political divide.
The USSS has been acting on their own without the protectees knowledge for a very long time so cut Vance some slack. The USSS have been widely known as incompetent since before Kennedy. They act as if they are totally entitled to do anything they want because they have a rule. For example they have a 150 foot security zone around the SecDef.’s aircraft. So, park the at least plane 150 feet from a military logistical operation in a war zone. This is just common sense by a competent operation. The USSS instead parks the Aircraft 100 feet away and tells the petty officer in charge to move the operation. They were informed the operation was time sensitive and they had to load their waiting helicopters ASAP to get needed materials to ships on convoy duty in the gulf. The agent in charge Showed off his weapon and stated the line is a real line of death and anyone inside that line WILL be shot. The Petty Officer instantly made an of color remark about the USSS and headed for the plane door, saying let’s see what Cap says about this. Since, I am writing this the agent in charge simply yelled out that Cap was not on the plane. We finished our job and the 150 feet line was then finished. YES, the USSS are as arregent (sp) and incompetent as they seem. VP Vance is clean, arrogance and incompetence has been USSS’s stock and trade for decades.
“. . . the USSS would not have needed the water level rise . . .”
Why are some people acting like that is something unusual or a big production?
When certain politicians go on vacation, traffic is stopped. When flying, air traffic is stopped. (For security!)
When you raise the water level downstream, you open a gate(s). When done, you close the gate(s). It’s a routine procedure.
No, it is not a good point. People with secret service protection are entitled to do all the normal things that ordinary people do. You do not give up your right to do those things just because you’re entitled to protection. If the nation decides that your safety is an important national security interest, then it has to pay whatever it costs to protect you while you go about your normal life, or as close to one as possible.
That’s why it’s not a fair point that the cost of the 0bamas’ security was much less than that of the Trump family. The 0bamas had a small family and mostly traveled together, or in at most two groups, so their security was relatively inexpensive. The Trumps are a large family and likely to be in multiple places at once, so it naturally costs more to guard them. That’s just how it is, and it’s completely right and proper.
People complaining about the 0bamas’ vacations were under the false impression that the taxpayer was paying for their luxury, rather than merely for their security. Ditto those complaining about Mrs Robinson living with them, on the false assumption that this cost the taxpayer anything. And Ditto those complaining about Trump’s second scoop of ice cream, again falsely assuming that you and I were paying for it.
In all cases, the president and his family pay all their own costs, at a vastly inflated price, and the only thing we pay for is security; the only real perk they get is not having to pay rent on the White House. Which doesn’t cost us anything, because we’d have to maintain it even if they chose not to live there.
The media keeps jumping the shark, then wonder why they have become irrelevant.
OT
Tennessee put down a convicted murderer of three and it’s reported as botched. Lethal injection had problems. Why not one pill of fentanyl impossible to botch as it is instantaneous? Quite amazing. Tennessee can buy from China.
On Topic
only thing botched around here are your idiotic comments
Thank you, anon, and the flowers are blooming today and the sun is shining. Enjoy them ☺.
fentanyl is illegal in the US. I am sure the botched execution was more humane than his murders. No sympathy from me.
Stop the egregious abuse of the freedom of the press.
The offended parties should sue the —- out of the offending parties for evident defamation.
Perhaps we may then proceed to something important, such as the fact that most governmental agencies and departments and much legislation are irrefutably unconstitutional and that the salient right of import to free Americans is that of private property, something that Karl Marx proposed to completely extirpate and abolish.
The entire communist American welfare state is unconstitutional, including, but not limited to, admissions affirmative action, grade-inflation affirmative action, employment affirmative action, quotas, welfare, food stamps, minimum wage, rent control, social services, forced busing, public housing, utility subsidies, CRT, DEI, WIC, SNAP, TANF, HAMP, HARP, TARP, PBS, NPR, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Environmental Protection Agency, Agriculture, Education, Labor, Energy, Obamacare, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Social Security Supplemental Income, Medicare, Medicaid, “Fair Housing” laws, “Non-Discrimination” laws, etc.
Article 1, Section 8, provides Congress the power to tax for ONLY debt, defense, and “general Welfare”—ALL” or THE WHOLE WELL PROCEED through governmental provision of security and basic infrastructure—omitting and, thereby, excluding any power to tax for individual Welfare, specific Welfare, particular Welfare, favor, or charity. The same Article enumerates and provides Congress the power to regulate ONLY the Value of money, Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes, and land and naval Forces.
Further, the 5th Amendment right to private property was initially qualified by the Framers and is, therefore, absolute, allowing no further qualification and allowing ONLY the owner the power to “claim and exercise” dominion over private property.
Freedom and Self-Reliance are the American Thesis.
The singular American failure is the judicial branch, with emphasis on the Supreme Court.
I think the time is long past due to restore the Fairness Doctrine. Yes, I know it was repealed under Reagan but the reason for restoring it is compelling.
It was repealed because it violated the first amendment. Democrats don’t care about that, but we should.
OT.
Rep Comer says evidence coming to his committee may be sufficient to void some of Autopen’s pardons and executive orders.
I have been pointing out that possibility here for awhile.
Now I wonder if some of Autopen’s judicial appointments can be voided.
It’s a pleasing thought.
That The Guardian, for years, has had a disclaimer at the bottom of ALL of their articles essentially verifying their bias kind of says it all, I stopped paying attention to them many years ago. There’s still the odd people stateside that think they are somehow being sophisticated by reading a rag that is tantamount to the Weekly World News of old because The Guardian is ‘British’. Whatever. We voted for Vance, and I had reservations myself about him, since dispelled, and most of us love it.
Modern Labour can bite me right along with the rest of what passes for British society or culture in 2025.