[Ads-l] "Alternative facts" for EOTY

[Laurence Horn]

> On Jan 24, 2017, at 7:05 AM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> 
> ISTR that the incomparable Ms. Hughes said something similar about "no
> facts anymore" on CNN around the same time.
> 
> (At least she added "unfortunately.”)

Yes, Scottie Nell Hughes, last November 30, on NPR in an interview with Diane Rehm:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2016/12/01/1606134/--There-Are-No-Such-Things-As-Facts-Says-Trump-Surrogate-On-NPR


“Well, I think it’s also an idea of an opinion. And that’s — on one hand I hear half the media saying that these are lies, but on the other half there are many people that go, no, it’s true,” Hughes said. “And so one thing that has been interesting this entire campaign season to watch is that people that say facts are facts, they’re not really facts.”

She went on, “There’s no such thing, unfortunately, anymore of facts. And so Mr. Trump’s tweet amongst a certain crowd, a large — a large part of the population, are truth. When he says that millions of people illegally voted, he has some — in his — amongst him and his supporters, and people believe they have facts to back that up. Those that do not like Mr. Trump, they say that those are lies, and there’s no facts to back it up.”
> 
> But, hey, "What's true for you isn't necessarily true for me."
> 
> Cf. Sean Spicer's suggestion that it doesn't matter whether unemployment is
> under 5% (acc. to the Labor Dept.) or 42% (acc. to Mr. Trump).
> 
> Cr. Mr. Trump's re-assertion yesterday (to senators) that illegal
> immigrants cast 5,000,000 votes against him in November, tragically costing
> him victory in the popular vote.

—which the Times today in a front page headline described as the President “repeat[ing] a lie”.  I suspect that’s the first time a sitting President’s statement has been so characterized by the paper, much less in a front page headline.

LH  

> 
> To quote the master (from memory), "I don't know. Do you know? Nobody
> knows."
> 
> JL
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, Jan 24, 2017 at 5:00 AM, Stephen Goranson <goranson at duke.edu> wrote:
> 
>> Whatever Conway meant, it reminded me of a Trump supporter, Scottie Nell
>> Hughes, on the Diane Rehm Show last Nov. 30. Below is part of the
>> transcript. The context is available at
>> http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2016-11-30/how-
>> journalists-are-rethinking-their-role-under-a-trump-presidency
>> 
>> 
>> [....]
>> 
>>  *
>> 10:22:31
>> 
>> HUGHESWell, I think it's also an idea of an opinion. And that's -- on one
>> hand I hear half the media saying that these are lies, but on the other
>> half there are many people that go, no, it's true. And so one thing that
>> has been interesting this entire campaign season to watch is that people
>> that say facts are facts, they're not really facts. Everybody has a way,
>> it's kind of like looking at ratings or looking at a glass of half-full
>> water. Everybody has a way of interpreting them to be the truth or not true.
>> 
>>  *
>>     *
>> 10:23:00
>> 
>> HUGHESThere's no such thing, unfortunately, anymore of facts. And so Mr.
>> Trump's tweet amongst a certain crowd, a large -- a large part of the
>> population, are truth. When he says that millions of people illegally
>> voted, he has some -- in his -- amongst him and his supporters, and people
>> believe they have facts to back that up. Those that do not like Mr. Trump,
>> they say that those are lies, and there's no facts to back it up. So...
>> 
>> [....]
>>  *
>>     *
>> 10:25:36
>> 
>> HUGHESBut because in many states you can mail things in, those were -- so
>> yes, there is facts to back up what I said and why Trump supporters believe
>> it. You are wrong, sir. [....]
>> 
>> 
>> Stephen Goranson
>> 
>> http://people.duke.edu/~goranson/
>> 
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
> 
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org