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Politics : A Real American President: Donald Trump -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Honey_Bee who wrote (186383)	2/8/2020 2:24:00 PM
From: FJB	1 Recommendation Recommended By Honey_Bee Respond to of 456417

Report: Hollywood Stars’ Award Acceptance Speeches Written by Obama, Hillary Clinton Alums Ben Kew breitbart.com Several Hollywood stars are turning to speechwriting agencies run by partisan operatives who previously worked for the likes of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, Vulture detailed in a recent report. In a piece originally aimed at finding out who has written Brad Pitt’s speeches during this awards season, where the Once Upon a Time in Hollywood star has scooped awards at the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the BAFTAs, while being placed in prime position to win an Oscar this weekend. Noting that many of Pitt’s speeches this season have been a “little too perfect,” Vulture’s Chris Lee reached out to Pitt’s representatives, who declined to comment. Yet one speechwriting agency that asked to remain anonymous confirmed that Pitt’s representatives had reached out to inquire about their services. Another actor grabbing attention for his recent speeches is Joker star Joaquin Phoenix, who has delivered several politically charged remarks after receiving the award for Best Actor for his role as murdering nihilist Arthur Fleck. Just last week, he used his time at the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) to call out Hollywood’s “systematic racism” because of the ceremony’s lack of black or ethnic minority nominees. One of Hollywood’s most recognized speechwriting agencies is Fenway Strategies, a company founded by former Obama administration officials Jon Favreau and Tommy Vietor. As well as ghostwriting speeches for TED Talks and political addresses, Fenway also provides services for people in the entertainment industry seeking to strike the right note in anticipation of receiving their award. Senior Fenway speechwriter Sam Koppelman, who previously worked as Hillary Clinton’s digital strategist, speechwriter to Michael Bloomberg, and co-author of Impeach: The Case Against Donald Trump, explained that writing for actors is great because they know “how to deliver the lines.” “Writing for actors is a speechwriter’s dream come true,” said Koppelman. “Because unlike politicians, who are not professionals at memorizing lines or delivering them in compelling and charismatic ways, actors actually know how to deliver the lines.” “Maybe he just decided to do it himself and he’s really good,” he added. “But if you do find out who wrote them, let me know — they’re good at speechwriting.” Industry insiders insist that Hollywood stars employing speechwriting agencies are nowadays a common practice, according to Lee’s report. “The most common reason [to hire a ghost acceptance speech writer] is knowing the room,” one source told the magazine. “Like, ‘What is the difference between the PGAs, the Globes, and the BAFTAs?’ Knowing the room is key. Laziness is the other reason.” Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.

To: Honey_Bee who wrote (186383)	2/8/2020 2:25:04 PM
From: FJB	1 Recommendation Recommended By Honey_Bee Respond to of 456417

Iowa Caucus Turnout a ‘Disappointment’ for Hopeful Democrats Hannah Bleau breitbart.com The turnout for the Iowa caucuses was not what Democrats — who are banking on high turnout to defeat President Trump in November — hoped for, with 176,000 Iowans participating in the caucuses across the state, according to the Associated Press (AP). The number pales in comparison to the 238,000 who turned out in 2008. Approximately 176,000 Iowans participated in the caucuses across the Hawkeye State on Monday, a figure the AP describes as “a number of disappointments” for Democrats. While it is 5,000 more than the 171,109 who participated in 2016, it does not come close to the turnout the left saw in 2008, causing concern among Democrats as the general election draws closer. “The number is certain to rattle Democrats who are banking on high turnout in battlegrounds across the country to win in November,” the AP reports, adding that it “raises doubts about whether Iowa is winnable by Democrats, after a recent shift toward Republicans.” “It was lower than I expected,” said Norm Sterzenbach, former Iowa Democratic Party executive director, according to the AP. “It was definitely lower than what the conventional wisdom was.” Democrats have recently signaled that they are not planning on waging a serious war to win over Iowa in the general election, evidently dismissing it, this election year, as a Republican stronghold. As Breitbart News detailed: Iowa has carried its status as a “quintessential general-election battleground” state, but Politico asserts it “won’t be the case this year,” citing Democrats who no longer consider it a true battleground and are, therefore, conceding it to President Trump. … Indeed, Iowa remained a Democrat stronghold for over a decade, going to the Democrat presidential candidate in 1988, 1992, 1996, and 2000. Former President George W. Bush managed to squeak out a narrow victory in 2004 by less than a full percentage point, but the Hawkeye State ultimately went with former President Barak Obama in both 2008 and 2012. President Trump, however, managed to defeat his Democrat challenger, Hillary Clinton, in Iowa in 2016, winning by nearly ten percentage points. According to Politico, Democrats are not planning on putting up a fight this year, largely due to the GOP’s strength among rural voters. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) touted the strong turnout among young voters in Iowa during Friday night’s Democrat debate but conceded that Democrats failed to invigorate their base across the board. “That’s a disappointment, and I think all of us probably could have done a better job of bringing out our supporters,” he said while maintaining a stroke of optimism. “I’m very proud that in Iowa, we won the popular vote by 6,000 votes. What was most significant, most significant is we increased voter turnout for young people under 29 by over 30 percent,” Sanders said. “We do that nationally, we’re going to defeat Donald Trump,” he added.