Is Trump viewed as so infallible that even posting critical comments destroys my crediblity?!

Ever since I have been posting articles about Trump - in particular his blatant lies - I have received comments that this inappropriate. There are two explanation give.1) Because the topic is viewed as irrelevant to a Jew and thus I am wasting energy to do so. 2) Because criticism of Trump is mistaken since he is fighting the evil of Obama and the Clintons and therefore there is something wrong with my understanding of truth and reality if I dare suggest he is a liar and buffoon.

I have not taken these comments too seriously. I have noted that Trump propensity to lie is causing real damage - not just to America  - but to the world. That he is bringing about an unhealthy change in the relationship to truth and democracy. While there can be legitimate differences in how to govern or what programs are viewed as legitimate - but that there should be no argument about the importance of truth. There is no question that Trump makes up "alternative facts' such as that 3 million illegal voters cast votes for Clinton. That he makes false accusations such as that his phone was tapped by Obama - without any proof. Etc etc etc.

This week I received a new claim. My correspondent - who has a solid reputation - wrote the following. Up until I started posting about Trump I was viewed by many as the source of truth dealing with things such as child abuse, halacha, rabbinic scandals (e.g, Tropper) and the incredible perversion of halacha and rabbinic leadership - the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter.

My correspondent said he personally knows many people - including rabbis - who view me a credbile source of information and especially for the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter I am the only source. He therefore expressed pain that he had gotten feedback from various people including rabbonim - that what they perceived as my irrational obsession with Trump - had destroyed my crediblity on all the other issues.

In other words, despite my full documentation of the Kamientsky-Greenblatt heter - these people have decided that since I am a nut there is no reason to be concerned about the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter or anything else that I might discuss.

My understandings is that rabbis who will dismiss all the documentation solely because it has been reported by someone who is critical of Trump - means simply they are looking for any excuse to duck responsiblity for the matter. However my correspondent disagreed.

Out of the respect I have for this individual, I decided to make a poll to ascertain what is the dominant view there. There are 2 issues that have two alternatives. Thus there are four question and everyone should check two boxes.

1) Do the posting about Trump in fact destroy my credibility about the Kaminetsky-Greenblatt Heter and other matters and 2) Is this an important question.

Infallibility - Are our religious leaders infallible?

In order to make any advance in the discussion of Chabad - we need to get a clarity of a single point - the doctrine of infallibility. Was the Lubavitcher Rebbe infallible? Was his father-in-law? Did they ever make this claim? Is there any source that the Baal HaTanya made such a claim? My citation of a Chabad discussion group that this is mainstream Chabad theology has been question by:

Anonymous wrote: chabad.fm is NOT sanctioned by the organized Chabad movement. Full stop.

Where does one learn what is and has been acceptable in Chabad chassidus? Any discussion with Chabad seems to be predicated on the axiom that they have an infallible doctrine and by definition anyone who disagrees with them is wrong. Consequently Chabad does not engage in genuine dialogue but rather views it as an opportunity to educate their opponents of the error of their ways. This is in fact the reason that the Baal HaTanya said the Gra did not want to meet with him. There is obviously no discussion possible. It also means that any one who questions this doctrine is being disrespectful to Chabad in general and to their rebbbe's in particular. I am interested in the origin of this doctrine of infallibility. The "proofs" that Rabbi Yehoishophot Oliver offers on his blog seem to indicate that only the Chabad rebbes are infallible and we know they were infallible because they made decisions without giving explanations - they just knew the right answer. Do any other chassidic groups claim infallibility for their leaders? Regarding the non-Chabad chaasidic world - Daas Torah is often cited as an meaning infallibity. However R' Avi Shafram - spokesman for the Agudah of America stated unequivocally

Da'at Torah is not some Jewish equivalent to the Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility. Not only can rabbis make mistakes of judgment, there is an entire tractate of the Talmud, Horiut, predicated on the assumption that they can, that even the Sanhedrin is capable of erring, even in halachic matters. What Da'at Torah means, simply put, those most imbued with Torah-knowledge and who have internalized a large degree of the perfection of values and refinement of character that the Torah idealizes are thereby rendered particularly, indeed extraordinarily, qualified to offer an authentic Jewish perspective on matters of import to Jews - just as expert doctors are those most qualified (though still fallible, to be sure) to offer medical advice.^[1]

Similarly I cited the Shocachover Rebbe that Jewish leaders are not infallible.

אגלי טל (מעינה של תורה חלק ד' עמוד יז) ד"ה ואלה שמות בני אהרן הבכר נדב...אלה שמות בני אהרן הכהנים המשחים (ג- ב,ג) כפילת לשון זו למה? ברם, בידוע שכהני הדתות של אומות העולם נחשבים לברואים על אנושיים, שלעולם אינם עלולים לבוא לידי טעות. לפיכך משמתמנה אדם מהם לכהונה, מיד נותנים לו שם אחר, להודיע בזה שכלל איננו אותו אדם שמלפני כן וכי ניתן לו עתה גוף אחר לגמרי, ואילו אצל בני ישראל שונה הדבר תכלית שינוי, אפילו האדם היותר גדול נחשב בם הוא לבשר ודם העלול לבא לידי טעות, "אין אדם צדיק בארץ אשר יעשה טוב ולא יחטא" וכן: "הן בקדושיו לא יאמין". אף כי מחוייבים אנו לנהוג כבוד בתלמידי חכמים, הרי זה רק בזכות התורה שהם לומדים ומקיימים, כשם שאנו נוהגים כבוד רב בספר התורה, אף על פי שאין היא אלא קלף רגיל, מפני שעל הקלף הזה כתובים דברי התורה הקדושה: אולם אין אנו גורסים כל עיקר כי החומר גופו שונה מהחומר של שאר בני אדם. הילכך, אחר שמנה כבר הכתוב את שמותיהם של בני אהרן, הריהו חוזר ואומר: אלה בני אהרן הכהנים המשוחים" - שאפילו אחרי המשחם ככהנים לא ניתנו להם שמות אחרים, כי אם נחשבו לנבי אדם כמקודם

The Agudah does represent Chasdim as well as Litvaks - and yet their spokesman is rejecting the idea of rabbinic leaders being infallible.

In sum. I am interested in respectful discussion with and about Chabad. But they also have to accept that their leaders and doctrine are not viewed as infallible by the rest of the Jewish world.

Explaining the False Allegations About Dominion Voting Systems

 https://factcheck.thedispatch.com/p/fact-check-explaining-the-false-allegations

Many of the claims about Dominion can be traced to its alleged role in vote-counting errors in Antrim County, Michigan, and several counties in Georgia. Antrim County revealed it had inadvertently misreported a number of votes in unofficial results, with state GOP Chairwoman Laura Cox claiming that the error was due to “tabulating software glitched and caused a miscalculation of the votes.” However, Michigan’s secretary of state announced that it was not a software issue, but “user human error” that led to the misreporting, and clarified that “the correct results always were and continue to be reflected on the tabulator totals tape and on the ballots themselves. Even if the error in the reported unofficial results had not been quickly noticed, it would have been identified during the county canvass.”

 

 

Dominion Voting Systems Fraud Claims

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/rumor-alert-dominion-voting-systems-fraud-claims/

One of the most prevalent voter fraud claims to emerge in the days following the election was the accusation that a computer glitch in a software program from Dominion Voting Systems had mistakenly counted thousands of votes for President Trump as votes for President Biden. This claim was based on a half-truth: a tabulation error did occur in Antrim County, but the problem was a result of a human error, and the mistake was quickly caught and corrected.

Posts falsify ties between election tech firm and Democrats

 https://apnews.com/article/election-2020-joe-biden-us-news-media-michigan-43bdaa186e3b8d9d897cae3bd0c6cdc0

 Claims that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, California Sen. Dianne Feinstein and the Clinton Foundation have interest or influence in Dominion are all unsubstantiated. But that didn’t stop tens of thousands of social media users from amplifying them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram this week.

 CLAIM: Prominent Democrats including Pelosi, Feinstein and the Clinton family have a stake in or a deep relationship with Dominion Voting Systems, the second-largest voting vendor in the U.S., whose equipment was used in several battleground states in the 2020 election.

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. Dominion made a one-time philanthropic commitment at a Clinton Global Initiative meeting in 2014, but the Clinton Foundation has no stake or involvement in Dominion’s operations, the nonprofit confirmed to The Associated Press. A former aide to Pelosi has represented Dominion as a lobbyist, but so have lobbyists who worked for Republicans. Claims that Feinstein’s husband, Richard Blum, holds a stake in Dominion are baseless.

THE FACTS: When Michigan’s Antrim County initially reported a landslide win for Joe Biden in the U.S. presidential election, social media users grew suspicious about the Dominion election management system used to tabulate the data.

As it turned out, Dominion was not to blame, according to the Michigan Department of State. “There was no malice, no fraud here, just human error,” County Clerk Sheryl Guy told the AP.

The issue was quickly corrected, and President Donald Trump won a majority of votes in that county. However, in the days since Biden won Michigan and the presidential election, Trump supporters have continually tried to undermine trust in Dominion, which is used in at least 30 states, including key battlegrounds like Georgia.

An election worker in Georgia threw away a ballot.

 https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2020/nov/07/facebook-posts/georgia-election-worker-falsely-accused-discarding/

 The post claimed to show in a video that a poll worker committed voter fraud by throwing away a ballot.

The man was throwing away a paper with voter instructions, elections officials said. 

We rate this claim False.

Was Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Development Funded by Trump Administration?

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/covid-vaccine-funded-by-trump/

 The research and development of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, which was proven to be 90% effective against SARS-CoV-2 in November 2020, was funded by U.S. President Donald Trump’s Operation Warp Speed.

 Agreeing to a buy a vaccine once approved is not the same as funding its research and development.

 “Pfizer is proud to be one of various vaccine manufacturers participating in Operation Warp Speed as a supplier of a potential COVID-19 vaccine,” Sharon Castillo, a Pfizer spokesperson, told Snopes in an email. “While Pfizer did reach an advanced purchase agreement with the U.S. government, the company did not accept the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) funding for the research and development process. All the investment for R&D and manufacturing has been made by Pfizer at risk.”

Are 132K Ballots in Georgia Likely Ineligible?

 https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/georgia-ballots-likely-ineligible/

 In the days following the 2020 U.S. presidential election, some social media users posted baseless claims that a whopping 132,000 ballots cast in Georgia’s Fulton County were “highly likely” to be tossed out due to an unspecified issue stemming from changes of address.

 Posts claiming that 132,000 ballots from Fulton County are to be rendered ineligible from the state’s total vote count appeared to be based on a statement that was then taken out of context, and used incorrectly. We therefore rate this claim “False.”

 

Trump's Firings at the Pentagon Put Our National Security at Risk

 https://time.com/5910672/donald-trump-pentagon-firings/

 Over the past few days, President Trump has fired four of the top officials in the Pentagon – the Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy (essentially the COO), the Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence (a highly regarded retired 3-star Navy SEAL Admiral), and the Chief of Staff to the Secretary of Defense (one of the most powerful positions in the Pentagon). In essence, he has (military term alert) “decapitated” our operational civilian leadership of the military. High fives are likely happening from Beijing to Moscow to Caracas. It appears to be a simple act of vengeance against a team Trump felt did not support him in the run-up to the election. In their place, he has installed a largely unknown group of political sycophants who have neither the stature nor the experience to undertake these jobs – each of which is vital to our national security.

 

Biden said two months ago he would not declare victory until election was independently certified

 https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-victory-election-independently-certified

 During the first 2020 presidential debate in September, former Vice President Joe Biden pledged that he would not declare victory in the election before the results were “independently certified.”

"Will you urge your supporters to stay calm while the vote is counted? And will you pledge not to declare victory until the election is independently certified?” moderator and “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace asked.

“Yes,” Biden answered. “Here's the deal: We count the ballots. As you pointed out, some of these ballots in some states can't even be opened until Election Day. And if there's thousands of ballots, [it’s] going to take time to do it.”

 But to millions of Trump supporters and allies, the outcome is not that clear, pending the Trump campaign’s many legal challenges in key battleground states.

A number of media outlets’ experts, including at Fox News, have called the race for Biden. The Electoral College is expected to formalize Biden as president-elect on Dec. 14, unless Trump prevails in court.

 Nevertheless, Trump has remained defiant, declining to concede the election and declaring on Twitter on Wednesday evening, “WE WILL WIN!”

Texas politician offers $1m for proof of voter fraud and pushes baseless claims

 https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/11/texas-dan-patrick-voter-fraud-reward

 There is no evidence of widespread voter fraud or malfeasance in Texas or any other state, despite the repeated efforts of Trump and his supporters to cast doubt over the integrity of the 3 November election.

Patrick’s press release also contained no evidence of mass voter fraud, and instead cited a single episode in which a care home social worker was arrested for allegedly attempting to register 67 of its residents to vote, apparently without their knowledge.

By comparison, Trump’s lead in Texas over Biden was 647,076 votes on Wednesday afternoon, with more than 99% of the state’s ballots counted.

Trump's fraudulent claims about voter fraud

 https://thehill.com/opinion/campaign/525583-trumps-fraudulent-claims-about-voter-fraud

Trump roars like a wounded lion, but his legal team has produced only a mouse. Conspicuously missing from the lawsuits filed so far, many of which courts have already dismissed, are credible allegations of any “major fraud.” One example is Trump for President Inc. v. Boockvar, an 85-page lawsuit just filed in federal court by the Trump campaign against Pennsylvania state and county election officials. The lawsuit seeks an emergency order prohibiting Pennsylvania from certifying the results of the state election, in which Biden leads Trump by some 47,000 votes with 99 percent counted.  

Although the lawsuit is one of the most sweeping challenges by the Trump campaign to a Biden swing state victory, it nowhere alleges even one specific instance of deliberate voter fraud.

DHS is swatting down voter fraud claims Trump’s team is pushing

 https://www.politico.com/news/2020/11/10/dhs-fact-checking-trump-conspiracies-435821

 Since Election Day, President Donald Trump and his allies have pushed numerous merit-free allegations of voting irregularities.

The Department of Homeland Security’s top cyber official is swatting them down in near real-time — contradicting the president in a way that often ends in a pink slip.

State Department is preventing Biden from accessing messages from foreign leaders

 https://edition.cnn.com/2020/11/11/politics/state-department-biden-messages/index.html

 A stack of messages from foreign leaders to President-elect Joe Biden are sitting at the State Department but the Trump administration is preventing him from accessing them, according to State Department officials familiar with the messages.

Traditionally, the State Department supports all communications for the President-elect, which is why many countries began sending messages to State over the weekend. But with Biden prohibited from accessing State Department resources by the Trump administration, because President Donald Trump refuses to accept Biden's victory, dozens of incoming messages have not been received.