MIDLIFE [TAKE-DOWN]-19, Wednesday, January 22, 2025 – MISINFORMATION, DISMANTLING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION 0.0.
Who knows, but it looks very transparent to me; I am going with gross misinformation, an early effort to pick apart the new Trump Administration.
As a former military journalist, the standard in the military is that if you cannot provide a named source reference, information or a quote is unpublishable. Basically, without a source reference, there is no credible information being conveyed, only commentary. So, follow along, this is how misinformation enters society based on nothing, other than a vehicle that delivers it into the main stream, in this case, through POLITICO, an American digital newspaper company. Minimum journalistic standard? An Internet connection and a warm body, but with AI, they could probably drop the warm body standard and print at will.
Warning, this is a boring one, albeit insightful.
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The headline reads, “'Everyone wants him out': How Musk helped boot Ramaswamy from DOGE,” or at least that is the assertion, but says who? (1.).
Well, “Everyone,” is an absolute, and Musk “helped,” that is the headline.
Next, the introduction, paragraph one, “Elon Musk has already achieved his first cut at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency: his co-leader Vivek Ramaswamy” (1.).
While at first Musk “helped,” now, he is the cause, “Elon […] achieved his first cut […] Vivek Ramaswamy,” but again, no attribution, just online reporting, typed words and further assertions (1.).
Tedious for sure, but an accurate dissection.
Next, some attribution … well, sort of.
The core assertion, “Musk, the tech tycoon and Donald Trump confidant, made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days” (1.).
Again, according to who? “[A]ccording to three people familiar with Musk’s preferences” (1.).
But wait, there is more.
“[L]ike others for this article, [they] were granted anonymity to discuss them” (1.).
Let us unpack this fallacious misinformation trap.
First, there is an appeal to authority, Musk, “the tech tycoon,” and to Musk being a, “Donald Trump confidant, while name-dropping, “Trump.” It is also a bit of a circular reference because the authority is Musk, although he is not actually being quoted, and there is only a vague reference to, “three people familiar with Musk’s preferences” (1.).
The reporting is not even inferring that they heard Musk say anything specific about Ramaswamy, but that the people are, “familiar with his preferences,” and from that thin familiarity, they can assert that Musk “wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE.”
That is quite a stretch, for sure.
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Then there is a leading reference to others who provided information for the article, who were, “granted anonymity to discuss them.” Did you catch that? There are people familiar with Musk’s preferences, who were granted anonymity to discuss said preferences.
Can I go ahead and call bull---- right now?
The reference to an X “rant” is also fallacious because we do not know of any correlation, nor is an anonymous source even referenced for that second assertion, that the X post is causal.
Full excerpt:
“Musk, the tech tycoon and Donald Trump confidant, made it known that he wanted Ramaswamy out of DOGE in recent days, according to three people familiar with Musk’s preferences who, like others for this article, were granted anonymity to discuss them. An ill-received holiday rant on X by Ramaswamy about H-1B visas apparently hastened his demise” (1.).
Let us recap, all of that took place in the headline, and the first two (2) paragraphs, but there is more.
Enter, paragraph three.
What happens now is that the baseless assertion, of conflict between Musk and Ramaswamy, is being merchandized to take aim at the Trump Administration, example given, “the infighting that marked Trump’s first term” (1.).
Here is more fallacy, the context of arbitrary time, “Just 69 days after Trump announced the team, Ramaswamy is now leaving DOGE,” is noted as if early on, Ramaswamy did not make the cut, and also plays on the nature of DOGE, to make cuts (1.).
Nor is an alternative view even offered, like, to fill the vacancy, the plausibility that Ramaswamy is better suited for serving as Ohio's Governor.
Now, the authors merchandize the baseless allegation of conflict into a greater and preexisting conspiracy noting, “Musk’s ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump’s circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration” (1.).
This is quite creative of these two playwrights, POLITICO’s own, Adam Wren and Holly Otterbein … I mean journalists … cough, cough. They baselessly include “Republicans” in the smear, that this is about the party, and not just any Republicans, but those in, “Trump’s circle,” and they were “irked,” allegedly. The real money is the association between Trump’s new Administration being no less conflictive than his first term, and that Musk’s influence foments the conspiracy that Musk is the real President.
Full excerpt:
“Just 69 days after Trump announced the team, Ramaswamy is now leaving DOGE and planning to announce a run for Ohio governor next week. Musk’s ability to ice out Ramaswamy, who for a variety of reasons had irked some Republicans in Trump’s circle, is the latest sign of his influence in the incoming administration. And it presages an encore of all of the infighting that marked Trump’s first term” (1.).
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But wait, there is more.
“Ramaswamy ‘just burned through the bridges and he finally burned Elon,’ said a Republican strategist close to Trump advisers. ‘Everyone wants him out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C.’” (1.).
So now, we have a quote, and from an alleged Republican strategist, but in what relation? He, or she, is “close to Trump advisors.” So, this person is just another ghost, quoted as a mere conscious observer, he or she is not even a Trump advisor, only “close” to them. Let us be clear, spies are “close.”
He, or she, goes so far as to allege that, “[e]veryone wants [Ramaswamy] out of Mar-a-Lago, out of D.C,” making the allegations a very broad conspiracy, but still all baseless. This is where the feel of a Hollywood screenplay takes effect, it is story like.
Enter, scorched Earth allegations, “burned through the bridges,” but still no accounting of legitimate source references for any of it.
Now, we are five paragraphs in, and we finally have something tangible, well, sort of, the X post.
Ramaswamy appears to have told the truth that, in the context of certain jobs pursued by highly educated H-1B visa applicants, Americans do not always show the same academic vigor as said immigrants towards work in the field of technology.
Full excerpt:
“One main reason for some Republicans’ frustration with Ramaswamy was a post he made on X during a discussion of H-1B visas. In late December, Ramaswamy criticized American culture, saying that tech companies hire foreign workers in part because of a mindset in the country that has ‘venerated mediocrity over excellence’” (1.).
As a matter of reference, let us take a look at research from the Pew Research Center, regarding the, “Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a group of mostly highly developed, democratic nations, and the data (2.).
“U.S. students ranked 28th out of 37 OECD member countries in math. Among OECD countries, Japanese students had the highest math scores and Colombian students scored lowest. The U.S. ranking was similar in 2018, the last time the test was administered. The U.S. average score for math fell by 13 percentage points between 2018 and 2022, but the U.S. was far from alone in experiencing a decline in scores. In fact, 25 of the 37 OECD countries saw at least a 10-point drop in average math scores from 2018 to 2022.
“In science, the U.S. ranked 12th out of 37 OECD countries. Japanese students ranked highest and Mexican students ranked lowest. The U.S average science score was virtually unchanged since 2018. Across OECD countries, far fewer countries experienced a large decline in science scores than in math scores. Seven OECD countries saw their mean science scores decline by 10 points or more” (2.).
Ramaswamy? Pretty spot on.
But does it really matter? Apparently not, nor would exposing the core problem, the decline in American education, serve the alleged goal of subversives, dismantling America from within.
“’They wanted him out before the tweet — but kicked him to the curb when that came out’ said one of the three people familiar with his departure” (1.).
Also note, that last reference was sourced from someone who was merely “familiar” with Ramaswamy’s departure.
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Waters now muddied, the article vaguely wades into some actual reporting with, “[a] person close to DOGE” (1.).
Full excerpt, and maybe a more clear reference to Musk’s “preferences”:
“A person close to DOGE said Musk did not think it was feasible for him to campaign for office while working on DOGE.
“In a statement, Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly praised Ramaswamy, saying he ‘played a critical role in helping us create DOGE’ and that his plan to run for governor ‘requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today.'
“Ramaswamy maintained to confidants as late as Saturday evening that he was actively involved in DOGE, saying he was at work writing executive orders, according to six people who had spoken with him. But a person familiar with the arrangement said he had done almost no DOGE-related work since early December” (1.).
Let us recap.
In order of reporting: “A person close to DOGE,” “Trump transition spokesperson Anna Kelly,” “confidants,” “six people who had spoken with” Ramaswamy,” and, “a person familiar with the arrangement” (1.).
So what we factually know about Ramaswamy’s role with DOGE, and him running for Governor, is what Anna Kelly was quoted as saying, that, “he ‘played a critical role in helping us create DOGE’ and that his plan to run for governor ‘requires him to remain outside of DOGE based on the structure that we announced today’” (1.).
That is an official statement because it comes from a named spokesperson, and makes pretty clear reference to both, no ill will, and to rational decision making metrics regarding personnel management, and organizational structures. Meaning, the whole of the article leading up to that reporting is baseless nonsense.
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But what does Ramaswamy think?
Well, conveniently, we have an anonymous source, “familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking” … cough, cough (1.).
“A person familiar with Ramaswamy’s thinking said they are now on good terms and that ‘the reality is that it wasn’t possible’ to run for governor and co-lead DOGE ‘both at once’” (1.).
Sounds rational, but wait, we are back to “bashing,” and those darn “Republicans.” Maybe the writers will invoke Josef Stalin and the Soviet secret police, you know, add a Russian association for good measure, and, “a person familiar with the meme,” but an unnamed “spokesperson” who denies it? Too crazy? Nah.
“Even Hill Republicans have joined the Ramaswamy bashing. A cheeky meme portraying Musk erasing Ramaswamy from history was privately shared by junior staff in House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, a person familiar with the meme said. It depicted Musk as Josef Stalin and Ramaswamy as the chief of the Soviet secret police who was later executed and removed from photos.
“A spokesperson for Johnson’s office denied the account” (1.).
Far more plausible? The permanent bureaucratic State is pushing back with misinformation like this, trying to circumvent the incoming Trump Administration, as no source-referenced member of the Trump team, including Musk himself, substantiated any of the negative allegations.
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We end with reporting of Ramaswamy attending Trump’s inauguration, Trump speaking favorably of him, then Ramaswamy posting a photo on social media shaking hands with Musk, and another strained reference to, “a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely” (1.).
“But he was already on his way out. That same day, a person close to Ramaswamy who was granted anonymity to speak freely confirmed Ramaswamy was leaving” (1.).
Note the fallacious effort, another appeal to authority, to make it sound official, “granted anonymity to speak freely.”
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Summary, and far more plausible, Ramaswamy ran for President in the 2024 Election cycle, and likely felt that the executive experience of a governorship would better serve his political future, and the country, propaganda and misinformation not required, but even that is only my opinion, while you at least have my pen.
This article is nothing more than an attempt to merchandize non-news as news, from which more non-news can later be spawned – new 0.0, also known as nothing new.
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Misinformation, dismantling the Trump Administration 0.0.
- Matfucius
1.) https://www.yahoo.com/news/doge-musk-helped-eject-ramaswamy-230029216.html
2.) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/04/24/most-americans-think-us-k-12-stem-education-isnt-above-average-but-test-results-paint-a-mixed-picture/