Harris' operation in all-important Pennsylvania is plagued by internal party complaints

Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider Wed, October 16, 2024

PHILADELPHIA — Top Democrats in Pennsylvania are worried Vice President Kamala Harris’ operation is being poorly run in the nation's biggest battleground state.

They say some Harris aides lack relationships with key party figures–, particularly in Philadelphia and its suburbs. They complain they have been left out of events and surrogates haven’t been deployed effectively. And they’ve urged Harris staff in private meetings to do more to turn out voters of color==.

Some are even pointing fingers at Harris’ Pennsylvania campaign manager, Nikki Lu, who they say lacks deep knowledge of Philadelphia, where the vice president must drive up voter turnout in order to win. “I have concerns about Nikki Lu,” said Ryan Boyer, who, as the first Black head of the city’s influential building trades council, is one of the most powerful labor leaders in the state.“I don't think she understands Philadelphia.”

For some PennsylvaniaDemocratic elected officials, party leaders and allies, 20 of whom POLITICO spoke tofor this article, they’re anxious the in-state operation has set them back.

Latino and Black Democratic leaders met with Harris officials behind closed doorsin separate meetings in Philadelphia late last month and pressed the campaign on their concerns, said five people who attended or were briefed on them; the leaders asked for a greater presence at local events, an improved surrogate operation and a more sophisticated understanding of how to engage with diverse voting blocs.

In recent weeks, the in-state campaign has brought on new staff, which has given some Democrats more confidence.But they fear they are running out of time. Pennsylvania is seen by both Harris and former President Donald Trump as pivotal in the presidential race — drawing more than $500 million in TV ad spending and reservations through the end of the year, the most of any state in the country. AndDemocrats fret that any mistake here, big or small, could tip the election away from them.

Harris’ path to victory depends on her ability to turn out the heavily Democratic voters in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and their surrounding suburbs, a coalition that relies on a strong performance with voters of color. If the campaign can't get them to the polls, the state — and the presidential race — could be lost. “I feel like we’re going to win here, but we’re going to win it in spite of the Harris state campaign,” said a Democratic elected official in the state, who, like others for this story, was granted anonymity to speak freely about a sensitive matter. “Pennsylvania is such a mess, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”

In a statement, national campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez said Harris’ ground game and outreach to voters of color are stronger than Trump’s. Republicans have sounded alarms about Trump’s turnout machine in Pennsylvania and other states.Chávez Rodriguez also said that Harris is “aggressively” crisscrossing the state.

“Our campaign is running the largest and most sophisticated operation in Pennsylvania history,” she said, adding that “We have 50 coordinated offices and nearly 400 staff on the ground,” “We invested in targeted advertising to Black and Latino voters starting in August of 2023, and we have now spent more than any previous presidential campaign on outreach to these communities,” and “We are leaving no stone unturned."

The Trump campaign declined to provide the number of staff it has in Pennsylvania, but Trump spokesperson Kush Desai said it has more than two dozen offices in the state, including one focused on Latino outreach in Reading and another in Philadelphia, where much of the team’s Black voter engagement takes place. “There’s no part of the commonwealth that we’re ignoring,” said Desai.

And complaints about outreach to voters of color are common in Democratic politics in Pennsylvania. But this level of frustration and finger-pointing is not.A second Democratic elected official in the state described Lu as “AWOL.” A Pennsylvania Democratic strategist said that Lu “empowers a culture” in the campaign that has left elected officials feeling unengaged and disrespected…..He said Democrats’ complaints are a reflection of their anxiety over a tight race with high stakes.“Everybody's very nervous,” he said. “And I think that as we get closer, people get more tense. And they're more vocal.”

https://news.yahoo.com/news/harris-operation-important-pennsylvania-plagued-090000193.html

(long article, Kamala can lose PA, which is great. They are talking about the state that Scott Pressler and team signed up another 25,000 voters I think, it’s huge though, plus he’s helping all the Amish to vote)

Man accused of threatening FEMA workers in western North Carolina speaks out

by: Elijah Skipper, Brayden Stamps, Michaela Ratliff Updated: Oct 16, 2024 / 07:35 AM EDT

(WGHP) — Recovery efforts in western North Carolina are being disrupted by safety concerns following threats against federal responders, including FEMA workers.While local officials confirm that no threats originated in some counties, FEMA has made operational changes across the region out of caution.

FEMA teams continue to help residents register for disaster assistance, but some personnel have been moved to secure locations rather than conducting door-to-door outreach.This change follows the recent arrest of William Jacob Parsons, 44, of Bostic, who was charged with making threats against FEMA employees in the Lake Lure and Chimney Rock areas. Deputies found Parsons armed with a handgun and a rifle.

The threats came after Parsons posted a message on Facebook calling for people to “overtake” the FEMA site in Lake Lure based on what he says were social media reports that FEMA was withholding supplies from hurricane survivors.

“We the people are sick and tired of the BS. We the people are seeking volunteers to join us and overtake the FEMA site in Lake Lure and send the products up the mountains this Saturday. We the people are done playing games. It’s time to show who we are and what we believe. They want to screw our citizens. Now, we return the favor,” Parsons said.

When asked about his post, Parsons explained that he believed FEMA was failing to help residents in need. “I viewed it as if our people are sitting here on American soil, and they’re refusing to aid our people,” he said. “So we were going to go up there and forcefully remove that fence.”Upon arriving at Lake Lure, however, Parsons said he realized the situation was different than he had imagined.“I went up and saw that there was absolutely nothing there, so I stayed, and I volunteered all day,” he said.

Law enforcement officials, already alerted to the threat, arrested Parsons at the scene.He insists he was simply exercising his Second Amendment rights. “They want to sit here and lie and say I was carrying guns around. I had one gun on me, which was legally owned and sitting on the side of my hip, and I had a rifle and another pistol that were in my vehicle that were both lawful and legal to own,” Parsons said.

Parsons was charged with going armed to the terror of the public and released later that day on a $10,000 secured bond. In response to the incident, FEMA has adjusted its operations across the region to protect both workers and residents. The agency emphasized that these changes are temporary and stressed that they continue to provide much-needed assistance to communities affected by recent storms.

Misinformation has been a major factor in heightening tensions across western North Carolina. Some residents, swayed by false reports online, have refused aid from FEMA and expressed distrust in government relief efforts.

Local authorities have addressed these concerns, urging the public to remain calm and focus on recovery efforts. The Ashe County Sheriff’s Office released a statement clarifying the situation.

“We wanted to address the current issues being spread about FEMA in Ashe County. As a response, they have been here to help and assist those in need. Recently in the mountain region, there have been threats made against them.

This has not happened in Ashe County or the surrounding counties. Out of an abundance of caution, they have paused their process as they are assessing the threats. Stay calm and steady during our recovery, help folks and please don’t stir the pot,” Sheriff Phil Howell said.

The Avery County Sheriff’s Office also confirmed that FEMA operations had been affected by the incident.“We have had no credible threats or received any information pertaining to threats toward FEMA in Avery County. We are aware of the threat that was made in Polk County and that the individual was arrested in Rutherford County. It did affect FEMA operations here as it did in several counties,” a spokesperson said.

Governor Roy Cooper’s office addressed both the threats and the widespread misinformation fueling them. “We are aware of significant misinformation online and reports of threats to response workers on the ground, and the safety of responders must be taken seriously. The governor has directed the Department of Public Safety to identify with local law enforcement the specific threats and rumors and coordinate with FEMA and other partners to ensure safety and security as this recovery effort continues,” Cooper’s office said in a statement.

https://myfox8.com/weather/hurricane-helene/man-accused-of-threatening-fema-workers-in-western-north-carolina-speaks-out/

>>21775520

the government now has successfully made the citizens needing aid the culprits now.

Stealth Edit: FBI Quietly Revises Violent Crime Stats

By John R. Lott Jr., Real Clear Investigations October 16, 20241/3

When the FBI originally released the “final” crime data for 2022 in September 2023, it reported that the nation’s violent crime rate fell by 2.1%. This quickly became, and remains, a Democratic Party talking point to counter Donald Trump’s claims of soaring crime.

But the FBI has quietly revised those numbers, releasing new data that shows violent crime increased in 2022 by 4.5%. The new data includes thousands more murders, rapes, robberies, and aggravated assaults.

The Bureau – which has been at the center of partisan storms – made no mention of these revisions in its September 2024 press release.

RCI discovered the change through a cryptic reference on the FBI website that states: “The 2022 violent crime rate has been updated for inclusion in CIUS, 2023.”But there is no mention that the numbers increased. One only sees the change by downloading the FBI’s new crime data and comparing it to the file released last year.

After the FBI released its new crime data in September, a USA Today headline read: “Violent crime dropped for third straight year in 2023, including murder and rape.”

It’s been over three weeks since the FBI released the revised data. The Bureau’s lack of acknowledgment or explanation about the significant change concerns researchers.

“I have checked the data on total violent crime from 2004 to 2022,” Carl Moody, a professor at the College of William & Mary who specializes in studying crime, told RealClearInvestigations. “There were no revisions from 2004 to 2015, and from 2016 to 2020, there were small changes of less than one percentage point. The huge changes in 2021 and 2022, especially without an explanation, make it difficult to trust the FBI data.”

“It is up to the FBI to explain what they have done, and they haven’t explained these large changes,” Dr. Thomas Marvell, the president of Justec Research, a criminal justice statistical research organization, told RCI.

The FBI did not respond to RCI’s repeated requests for comment.

Extensive Revisions in Violent Crime Stats

The actual changes in crimes are extensive. The updated data for 2022 report that there were 80,029 more violent crimes than in 2021. There were an additional 1,699 murders, 7,780 rapes, 33,459 robberies, and 37,091 aggravated assaults. The question naturally arises: should the FBI’s 2023 numbers be believed?

CHART #1 FBI Revised Crime Rates RCI

Without the increase, the drop in violent crime in 2023 would have been less than half as large – only 1.6% instead of the reported drop of 3.5%.

The FBI isn’t the only government agency that has been revising its data. The Bureau of Labor Statistics massively overestimated the number of jobs created during the year that ended in March by 818,000 people.

The FBI’s crime stats revisions reveal how much guesswork is involved in even the “final” numbers often seized on by politicians. The FBI doesn’t simply count reported crimes. Instead, it offers estimates by extrapolating data from police departments that report only partial-year data. The Bureau also makes estimates for cities that report no data. The FBI’s method of generating these estimates changes over time, and it affects the figures they report.

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/10/16/stealth_edit_fbi_quietly_revises_violent_crime_stats_1065396.html

>>21775596

2/3

“The [FBI’s] processes, such as how it tries to ‘estimate’ unreported figures, has long been a black box, even to the Bureau of Justice Statistics – the Department of Justice’s actual statistical agency,” says Jeffrey Anderson, who headed the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Statistics from 2017 to 2021.

Anderson said when he headed the Bureau of Justice Statistics, “We definitely would have highlighted in a press release or a report the 6.6% change recorded for 2022, which moved the numbers from a drop to a rise in violent crime.”

Many Crimes Are Unreported

Another problem with FBI crime data is its reliance on reported crimes. Most crimes go unreported, with only about 45% of violent crimes and 30% of property crimes brought to the police’s attention, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey. Since the FBI only tracks reported incidents and this gap is so large, researchers argue that when the media discusses crime rates based on FBI data, they should clarify that it reflects “reported” crime, not give the impression that total crime is changing.

Nonreporting of crime doesn’t affect all crimes equally. Nonreporting of murder and motor vehicle theft is relatively rare. In murder cases, victims can’t be overlooked, and for auto theft, insurance claims require police reports.

However, it’s difficult to fully trust even these numbers because the FBI underreported 1,699 murders and 54,216 motor vehicle thefts in 2022, casting doubt on the reliability of the data.

Although recent attention has focused on the decline in murder rates, even with the revised numbers, the 16.2% drop from 2020 to 2023 still leaves murder rates 9.6% higher than pre-COVID levels.

A half-century ago, the DOJ provided a total crime measure, including both reported and unreported crime. The results of the department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics 2023 National Crime Victimization Survey, released in mid-September, tell a very different story from the FBI data.

The NCVS interviews 240,000 people each year about their personal experiences.

Instead of the FBI’s 3.5% drop in the reported violent crime rate in 2023, the NCVS found a 4.1% increase in the reported violent crime rate. Even with the revised FBI numbers, in 2022, the FBI’s 4.5% increase pales in comparison to the NCVS’s 29.1% increase.

CHART #2 FBI - Change in Reported Crime Rates RCI

Over the past few years, the number of police officers has declined because of cuts in budgets and many retirements. One result is that police departments nationwide – from Charlottesville and Henrico County, Va., to Chicago, Ill. and Olympia, Wash. – are no longer responding to calls unless the perpetrator is still there actively committing the crime. Instead of police coming out to investigate and take a report, residents in those jurisdictions can still go to the police station and wait in line to get a police report filled out. In addition, despite the widespread belief that calling 911 is enough to report a crime, the FBI officially doesn’t tally 911 calls. It only counts crimes when police make out an official report.

Other Data Show Sharper Rises in Crime

While the FBI claims that serious violent crime has fallen by 5.8% since Biden took office, the NCVS numbers show that total violent crime has risen by 55.4%. Rapes are up by 42%, robbery by 63%, and aggravated assault by 55% during Biden’s term. Since the NCVS started, the largest previous increase over three years was 27% in 2006, so the increase under Biden was slightly more than twice as large.

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/10/16/stealth_edit_fbi_quietly_revises_violent_crime_stats_1065396.html

>>21775614

3/3

The increases shown by the NCVS during the Biden-Harris administration are by far the largest percentage increases over any three years, slightly more than doubling the previous record.

Comparing 2023 rates with 2019 pre-COVID violent crime rates, the FBI’s new 2023 data show virtually no improvement – just a 0.2% drop – while the NCVS shows a 19% increase over that period. But the news media didn’t cover the crime survey when it was released last month.

“With the media using the 2022 FBI data to tell us for a year that crime was falling, it is disappointing that there are no news articles correcting that misimpression,” Moody told RCI. “We will have to see whether the FBI later also revises the 2023 numbers.”

At the beginning of this year, the media was running headlines like National Public Radio’s: “Violent crime is dropping fast in the U.S. – even if Americans don’t believe it.” “At some point in 2022 … there was just a tipping point where violence started to fall and it just continued to fall,” NPR claimed. But now the FBI has itself admitted its violent crime numbers were way off.

Even as polls show that Americans are concerned about crime, the FBI and the media are making it difficult to see how crime rates have changed over the last few years. A Gallup survey late last year found that 92% of Republicans and 58% of Democrats thought crime was increasing. A February Rasmussen Reports survey found that, by a 4.7-to-1 margin, likely voters say violent crime in the U.S. is getting worse (61%), not better (13%). A Gallup poll found in March that “crime and violence” was Americans’ second biggest concern, after inflation. But the media and politicians used the inaccurate FBI data to try to convince people that they were wrong.

“This FBI report is stunning because it now doesn’t state that violent crime in 2022 was much higher than it had previously reported,nor does it explain why the new rate is so much higher, and it issued no press release about this large revision,” said David Mustard, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor at the University of Georgia who researches extensively on crime. “This lack of transparency harms the FBI’s credibility.”

John R. Lott Jr. is president of the Crime Prevention Research Center and he lives in Missoula. He served as senior adviser for research and statistics in the Office of Justice Programs and the Office of Legal Policy at the Justice Department.

https://www.realclearinvestigations.com/articles/2024/10/16/stealth_edit_fbi_quietly_revises_violent_crime_stats_1065396.html

ELECTION RIGGING BY THE AGENCY

Western Lensman

@WesternLensman

Three weeks before an election — and after the debates — FBI revises their crime statistics — showing crime increased by 4.5% in 2022 instead of dropping 2.1%.

Here is ABC’s David Muir “fact checking” Trump in front of millions of viewers with lies that will never be retracted.

10:17 AM · Oct 16, 2024

· 813.3K Views

https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1846555965065146688

WE'RE NOT GONNA LET IT HAPPEN!!!

Trump Speaks on Trans Athletes in Women’s Sports

1:53

https://rumble.com/embed/v5gngc1/?pub=4

These clips are from Trump's Town Hall in GA, 8 hours ago on FOX

MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN!!!🇺🇸

1:22

https://rumble.com/embed/v5gngus/?pub=4