Mediaboss Marketing

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials urged conservative activists on Thursday to set aside differences and unite behind President Donald Trump's agenda stressing tough trade and immigration policies.

Addressing the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, in suburban Maryland, outside Washington, Pence rallied the large group of Republicans who helped elect Trump on Nov. 8.

"My friends, this is our time. This is the chance we've worked so hard for so long to see. This is the time to prove again that our answers are the right answers for America," Pence said.

Trump was due to address CPAC on Friday.

Earlier on Thursday, Trump's chief strategist, Steve Bannon , known as a forceful influence in the White House, made a rare public appearance to appeal for support for the Republican president.

"We want you to have our back" in upcoming battles, Bannon told the gathering, denouncing media criticism of Trump. He appeared onstage along with White House chief of staff Reince Priebus.

The early days of the new administration have been marked by deep post-election divisions between Trump backers and liberals over the president's temporary travel ban on people from seven Muslim-majority countries, as well as moves to increase deportations of illegal immigrants and build a wall on the border with Mexico.

While conservatives celebrate Trump's role in delivering them victory in November's election, his agenda veers from traditional right-wing principles like limited government and open trade.

Republicans who control the White House and Congress are also arguing over how to dismantle and replace former Democratic President Barack Obama's landmark healthcare law.

"Globalist media"

Bannon and Priebus both sought to dispel a sense of disorder in the White House portrayed in media accounts.

Referring to media criticism of Trump and echoing the president's attacks on the media, Bannon warned: "It's going to get worse every day" as Trump presses forward with his 2016 campaign promises.

"If you think they're going to give you your country back without a fight you are sadly mistaken," said Bannon , who formerly ran the confrontational right-wing website Breitbart News. He blamed the "corporatist, globalist media that are adamantly opposed to an economic nationalist agenda" under Trump.

The CPAC conference, once a fringe event but now decidedly in the Republican mainstream, is being attended by an estimated 10,000 activists.

For more news on CPAC, watch Fortune's video:

White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, in remarks to the group, credited Trump with revitalizing the Republican Party's right wing.

"Every great movement ends up being a little bit sclerotic and dusty after a time, and I think they (conservatives) need an infusion of energy," Conway said.

CPAC organizers are trying to steer clear of controversy over the alt-right movement, a loose grouping that includes neo-Nazis, white supremacists and anti-Semites whom Trump has been slow to denounce. Breitbart has a following among some of those groups and Bannon in the past had called the media organization a platform for the movement.

Some Breitbart staffers were scheduled to participate in CPAC panel discussions.

"We don't think there's any role for the alt-right in the conservative movement," Matt Schlapp, head of the American Conservative Union, which organizes CPAC, said in a phone interview.

Reagan comparisons

Just a month into his presidency, Trump is already being compared by some conservatives to their hero, former President Ronald Reagan, who swept into office in 1981 with a small-government, free-trade, tax-cutting agenda that energized the Republican right wing and molded the views of many of the CPAC faithful.

Trump so far has been "pitch-perfect with conservatives as he starts his administration," said Schlapp.

Even so, some conservatives, including some at CPAC, are nervously watching Trump.

Trump has proposed a major expansion of government to police immigration. He has already canceled a trade deal with Asia-Pacific neighbors and sharply criticized one among the United States, Mexico and Canada.

"I always worry any discussion about trade competition and tariffs ... misdirects the focus," said CPAC stalwart Grover Norquist, a powerful advocate of low taxes and small government.

On taxes, Trump has backed cuts in rates, but his position on a Republican tax package under debate in Congress is unclear.

Schlapp credited Trump with naming the most conservative Cabinet in a half-century and nominating a Supreme Court justice, Neil Gorsuch, who has conservatives' blessings.

Trump has also thrilled conservatives by working hand in glove with congressional Republicans on overturning or gutting a handful of Obama-era regulations, including one that prevented coal companies from dumping waste into rivers and streams.

See the rest here:
Mike Pence and Steve Bannon Urge Conservatives to Unite Behind Trump - Fortune

President Donald Trumps vice president and top aides delivered one overriding message Thursday to the thousands of conservative activists gathered for their annual conference outside of Washington: Dont blow it.

Speaking at the Conservative Political Action Conference, Vice President Mike Pence said Trumps victory provided the nation with what could be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to install conservative solutions to the nations problems.

This is the chance weve worked so hard, for so long, to see. This is the time to prove again that our answers are the right answers for America, Pence said.

The vice president said the Trump administration would soon take aim at the sweeping health care law approved under former President Barack Obama, saying the nations Obamacare nightmare is about to end. He said Republicans would implement a new plan and would have an orderly transition to a better health care system.

Watch Pences remarks in the player above.

President Donald Trump is scheduled to speak at the conference Friday.

Earlier, White House chief of staff Reince Priebus pleaded for patience and unity, urging activists not to squander the Republican Partys control of both chambers of Congress and the White House. Trump adviser Steve Bannon made his case for a governing strategy based on aggressive deregulation and an economic nationalism in negotiating new free trade deals.

What youve got is an incredible opportunity to use this victory, Priebus said. Some of Trumps plans for creating jobs and putting more money in peoples pockets will take time, he said. Weve got to stick together and make sure we have President Trump for eight years.

Priebus pleas acknowledged conservatives underlying skepticism about the new president, a former Democrat who in the past has elicited boos at the conference. Trump has often suggested he doesnt prioritize the social issues many conservatives elevate, and his proposal for a massive infrastructure bill has cast doubts about his commitment to curb government spending.

WATCH: Priebus and Bannon describe great partnership at CPAC

But with a Republican in the White House for the first time in eight years, many activists say they feel energized and more than willing to give him a chance.

Many in the audience chanted Trump! Trump! Trump! as Bannon and Priebus made a joint appearance on stage. The duos chummy joint interview seemed designed to refute media reports that they do not get along and are occasionally working at cross-purposes in a factionalized White House.

Priebus presented their partnership as evidence that conservatives and Trump supporters can work together.

The truth of the matter is Donald Trump, President Trump, brought together the party and the conservative movement, he said. If the party and the conservative movement are together, similar to Steve and I, it cant be stopped.

WATCH: Education Secretary Betsy DeVos defends White House decision to withdraw transgender bathroom rules

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos urged the activists to engage and be loud in the face of politicians who stand in the way of changing the education system.

We have a unique window of opportunity to make school choice a reality for millions for families, she said.

READ MORE: A day at CPAC, where fringe meets the establishment GOP

Here is the original post:
WATCH: At CPAC, Vice President Pence says the 'Obamacare nightmare is about to end' - PBS NewsHour

Harassment on Twitter is a very real problem, not just celebrities, but for regular users too. In order to help curb abuse on the platform (a fact that has reportedly kept the company from being sold), Twitter introduced a new feature last week that would put abusers in time out if they tweet offensive content at other users.

So if you wanted to tweet fuck you at a specific user or tell someone to fuck off, youd run the risk of having your account temporarily limited for 12 hours. Basically, you would be able to see your tweets, and your followers would be able to see your tweets, but no one else would.

In theory, thats not a bad idea. As weve said, harassment on Twitter is a real problem and the company has struggled mightily to make things better.

But these new filters can be overzealous. Twitter user Victoria Fierce quoted a tweet from Mike Pences official @VP Twitter account and added the commentary, fuck you, I gotta piss, and youre putting me - an American - in danger of assault by your white supremacist brothers. Her account was immediately put into time out for 12 hours.

That seems a bit harsh. Gizmodo has learned that the way Twitters abuse algorithm is supposed to work is that users who repeatedly tweet abusive content (and what is abusive is up to Twitter) will be put in time out when they engage with other users. So if you repeatedly tweet fuck you to various users, you run the risk of having your account limited.

The problem is, those filters appear to be very sensitive. Looking through Fierces timeline, the only other content that could be potentially seen as objectionable was a tweet containing the word piss and the handle @POTUS.

I was curious about how sensitive these filters were, so I started tweeting various objectionable content to various verified accounts. Amazingly, as soon as I tweeted fuck you @VP or fuck you @POTUS, my test accounts were immediately limited for 12 hours. Other Gizmodo colleagues had similar results, always after tweeting @VP or @POTUS. In my tests, tweeting the same content to other verified users (including @RealDonaldTrump), did not result in any time outs. From an outside perspective, it certainly looks like the POTUS and VP accounts are given certain abuse protections that might not apply to others.

A Twitter spokesperson assured me that this is not the case and that every account is treated equally. The spokesperson added that there will be times when Twitter gets things wrong, but the company is working fast to solve a very real problem.

I have no reason to doubt Twitters sincerity in trying to address abuse, but it seems fair to say that the way the new filter currently works lacks nuance. The most problematic tweets arent those that say, fuck you, its the ones that say Im going to kill you. In my tests, Im going to kill you tweets were ignored whereas fuck you tweets sent to @POTUS or @VP almost immediately made an account vulnerable to being limited.

I know Twitter is working hard on this problem and I recognize that it isnt easy to solve. Lets just hope the solution isnt limiting users who use language that some people find objectionable, while allowing others to make much more pernicious and dangerous threats unabated.

Excerpt from:
Twitter's New Abuse Filter Works Great, If Your Name Is Mike Pence - Gizmodo

WASHINGTON Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday strongly condemned a recent spate of anti-Semitism before visiting a vandalized cemetery outside of St. Louis.

Alongside Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, Pence stopped by Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery in University City where a vandal or vandals toppled and damaged more than 100 headstones in the past week.

Pences boss, President Donald Trump, was criticized for not speaking out sooner against anti-Semitism, but on Tuesday the President called bomb threats at 48 Jewish Community Centers in the US last month and other recent anti-Semitic incidents horrible and painful.

Pence, for his part, offered an unprompted message after receiving a tour of the Fabick Cat distribution center a mere 16 miles from the cemetery.

We condemn this vile act of vandalism and those who perpetrate it in the strongest possible terms, he said to applause, before recalling his recent visit to a concentration camp in Dachau, Germany. We saw firsthand what happens when hatred runs rampant in a society.

Pence told the story of the Americans who liberated the camp and how welcome they were in the eyes of the Jews who were imprisoned there.

Later, the vice president and Greitens, with their suit jackets off and sleeves rolled up, walked the grounds with Anita Feigenbaum, the executive director of the cemetery. The group surveyed the area, which was for the most part restored, with headstones turned upright. The Missouri governor had organized the volunteer event, posting it on his Facebook page the day before. About 100 volunteers participated in Wednesdays event.

Brandishing a bullhorn at the cemetery, Pence thanked the governor and the workers who are repairing the headstones.

There is no place in America for hatred or acts of prejudice or violence or anti-Semitism, he said. You just make us all proud.

Pences conduct and words earned him a laudatory statement from the Anne Frank Center, which had been tough on Trump for his response to the anti-Semitism Tuesday.

We call them as we see them. Today, Vice President Pence proved to be the ultimate mensch by visiting, and even cleaning, the desecrated Jewish graves in St. Louis, executive director Steven Goldman said. This administration finally showed America the kind of response our nation was waiting for all along a response filled with proactive heart.

More here:
Mike Pence, Missouri governor clean up vandalized Jewish cemetery - WGN-TV

People react to a question posed to New Jersey Republican Congressman Leonard Lance during a town hall meeting on February 22, 2017 in Branchburg, New Jersey. (EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images)

By Ese Olumhense

So-called angry crowds are liberal activists

Vice President Mike Pence blamed liberal activists on Wednesday, February 22nd for the recent, heated protests that have taken place at Republican legislators town halls across the United States.

Frustrated constituents have cornered GOP lawmakers at public forums and events in the last few weeks, demanding answers to tough questions on subjects ranging from the proposed repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to the White Houses rumored relationship with Russia.

The nightmare of Obamacare is about to end, Pence said Wednesday after a visit to a factory in Fenton, Missouri. Despite the best efforts of liberal activists at town halls around the country, Obamacare has failed and it has got to go.

The vice presidents remarks are in lockstep with those of President Donald Trump and the White House. In a tweet Tuesday, President Trump suggested the so-called angry crowds were planted by liberal activists. Press Secretary Sean Spicer furthered this theory during Wednesdays White House press briefing, saying professional protesters had manufactured the outrage.

There are people who are upset, but I also think that when you look at some of these districts and some of these things, it is not a representation of a members district or an incident, Spicer said. It is a loud, small group of people disrupting something in many cases for media attention.

Just because theyre loud doesnt necessarily mean that they are many, he added.

No town hall, no problem

Despite the seemingly coordinated White House decision to downplay the much-publicized backlash happening at GOP events nationwide, enraged and impassioned constituents continue to pop up at townhalls and other sites from Montana to Arkansas, Iowa, among other states.

The angry confrontations have picked up for weeks, but received notable attention this week as Congress took its first week-long recess. The pushback that has roiled meetings at home has prompted some GOP lawmakers to outright cancel events and appearances.

But for activists working to organize around these events, this is all part of the plan.

Indivisible, a group formed by former Democratic congressional staffers, published an online guide to holding effective town hall protests, and developed a Missing Member Action Plan that urges local groups and angelic troublemakers to be creative in their efforts to access their members of Congress. Part of their reclaim recess strategies include going to local press, gathering outside district offices, and organizing town halls and inviting the missing officials.

No town hall, no problem, the group said of this approach.

Congressional Republicans will continue dodging these public events, the group has said, because they do not want to look weak or unpopular and they know that Trumps agenda is very, very unpopular.

Some [members of Congress] have clearly made the calculation that they can lay low, avoid their constituents, and hope the current storm blows over, organizers added. Its your job to change that calculus.

Town halls will never be the same

Much, if not all, of Indivisibles strategy is borrowed from the Tea Party playbook. That conservative movement first gained national attention in 2009 through the same kind of rowdy disruptions of town hall events after the election of Barack Obama and proposal of the ACA.

Though both groups disagree on principles and policies, even Tea Party activists have pointed out the similarities in tactic, and how successful it has been in furthering civic participation.

I think town halls will never be the same, said conservative organizer Bob MacGuffie. In 2009, MacGuffie wrote the famed Rocking the Town Halls memo, a primer for conservative activists who wanted to corner their elected officials at local forums. The memo, first shared with other Tea Party members soon leaked, and MacGuffies stand up, shout out, sit down approach to getting officials to answer tough questions went viral, and was later adopted by groups elsewhere.

MacGuffie never envisioned that the scheme would later be used by liberal organizers like Indivisible, which linked to the memo on their website. He believes they have mischaracterized his original approach. Hes reached out to Indivisible, but said he has received no response.

Its a caricature of what I wrote, MacGuffie said of the Indivisible plan. What I wrote was a little edgy, but I did not tell people to take down the town halls.

MacGuffie also insists that the original Tea Party protests had a different, more intentional character.

We stood up on principle, he said. We went in, spread out in the hall, and asked the tough questions. That rallied people, but we also listened to answers.

Go here to see the original:
Vice President Mike Pence blames 'liberal activists' for town hall protests - fox6now.com