Wisconsin socialist Francesca Hong walks back bizarre claim to cancel Thanksgiving — now says it’s her favorite holiday

Summary

Francesca Hong, a socialist Democrat running for Wisconsin governor, has walked back her 2021 call to 'cancel Thanksgiving.' She now claims it's her favorite holiday, a stark contrast to her previous stance that it celebrates colonialism. This shift comes after a CNN interview where she struggled to give a direct answer on the holiday's cancellation.

Key Takeaways

1. Francesca Hong, the socialist Democrat running for Wisconsin governor, who once ranted about axing Thanksgiving because it’s “celebrating colonialism” — now is bizarrely claiming it’s her favorite holiday.
2. The gubernatorial hopeful walked back her since-deleted November 2021 “cancel Thanksgiving” post in an interview on Politico’s Playbook podcast Wednesday.
3. During the height of the Covid pandemic in November 2021, Hong issued a blistering public-service announcement on her X account to “cancel Thanksgiving” — and raged that it “should have been done in 1621.”

Statement Breakdown

• Claimed Facts: 50% of statements the article presents as facts
• Opinions: 30% of statements classified as editorial or subjective
• Claims: 20% of statements surfaced for additional reader evaluation

Credibility & Bias Reasoning

Credibility assessment: The article relies heavily on past statements and presents them with a critical tone. While it quotes directly, the framing and word choices suggest a strong editorial stance. The claims are largely verifiable through Hong's past social media activity.

Bias assessment: Partisan Attack Journalism. The article uses loaded language like 'socialist darling' and 'bizarrely claiming' to frame Francesca Hong negatively. It focuses on past controversial statements to undermine her current political aspirations, characteristic of partisan attack journalism.

Note: This article presents a critical perspective on Francesca Hong's past statements. Consider cross-referencing with other sources for a more balanced view of her evolving positions.

Credibility flag: Partisan Framing

Claimed Facts (6)

• This statement presents a direct contrast between Hong's past and present claims about Thanksgiving.
• This states a verifiable action taken by Hong and the context in which it occurred.
• This is a direct quote from Hong in a recent interview, representing her current stated position.
• This describes a past action and statement made by Hong, supported by the reference to her X account.
• This is a direct quote from Hong's past social media post, detailing her reasoning for wanting to cancel Thanksgiving.
• This describes Hong's response to a direct question on CNN, characterizing it as a 'word salad' which is an opinion, but the fact of the interview and the question is presented as fact.

Opinions (5)

• The phrase 'socialist darling' and the framing of her holiday critiques as 'hatred' and 'getting worked up' are subjective interpretations by the author.
• The term 'bizarre backtrack' and 'word salad' are subjective and judgmental descriptions of Hong's actions and statements.
• The word 'waffled' is an opinionated descriptor of Hong's response, implying indecisiveness or evasion.
• While this is a quote, the article's framing and the inclusion of the word 'waffled' in the preceding sentence suggest the author views this as an attempt to justify a contradictory position rather than a genuine expression of evolving views.
• The article presents this as a statement from Hong, but the overall tone and the preceding 'waffled' comment imply skepticism about its sincerity or effectiveness.

Claims (5)

• The word 'bizarrely' is a subjective and loaded term used to cast doubt on Hong's current statement without providing evidence of insincerity beyond the perceived contradiction.
• The claim of 'hatred' and 'getting worked up' are strong, subjective interpretations of her past social media activity, lacking objective measurement.
• The term 'word salad' is a dismissive and unverified characterization of Hong's response, implying incoherence without objective analysis.
• While this is a quote, the framing of the 'superspreader event' in relation to colonialism and smallpox, while historically linked, is presented here in a way that could be seen as inflammatory or overly simplistic by some.
• The claim that she 'waffled' is a subjective judgment on her response, not an objective fact about the content of her statement.

Key Sources

• Francesca Hong — Socialist Democrat, Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate
• Politico — News Outlet
• CNN — News Outlet
• Irie Senter — Host of Politico's Playbook podcast
• Kaitlan Collins — Host on CNN
• Ella Morrison — Author