Debunking the Conspiracy Theory About the Kamala Harris Philly Rally

Norristown’s Jack Posobiec, who recently shared a photo from the Kamala Harris rally in Philadelphia (Getty Images)

Check phillymag.com each morning Monday through Thursday for the latest edition of Philly Today. And if you have a news tip for our hardworking Philly Mag reporters, please direct it here. You can also use that form to send us reader mail. We love reader mail!

Debunking the Conspiracy Theory About the Kamala Harris Philly Rally

There’s been lots of talk of late in the 2024 presidential campaign about doctored photographs. Or supposedly doctored photographs. Or photographs that were obviously not doctored but who people you know on Facebook swear up and down are doctored, even in the face of all the evidence to the contrary, because said evidence is clearly the product of the pedophilic Hollywood libtards who control the 5G network.

(Yes, it was a busy weekend for me on social media. And, yes, if you’re suddenly no longer Facebook friends with me or if I’ve blocked you completely, it’s not because we’re voting for different people. I’m not that petty. It’s because I can’t deal with stupid.)

Most of that talk centered on crowd sizes because, of course, it’s 2024 and we have nothing better to do than argue about whose crowd is bigger. There was talk of folks using AI to fill in empty seats at rallies. And then there was the biggest one, the ol’ “there’s no reflection in the shiny engines of Air Force Two” conspiracy theory that suggested that nobody was actually at a Kamala Harris rally.

In fact (because facts exist!), there were thousands of people there, as anybody with half a brain could compute. That said, there is one major piece of misinformation out there that the media at large hasn’t widely debunked. And it comes from right here in Philadelphia.

Late last week, while I was meeting a source at a bar in Delco where the common “no politics” rule isn’t exactly observed and where the politics tend to lean heavily into the red zone, a guy who was spouting a bunch of political nonsense at a very high volume brought up last Tuesday’s Kamala Harris-Tim Walz rally in Philadelphia — a rally I wrote about here the next morning — and said there were no American flags on display there. I knew that to not be the case, so I was confused as to why he would think that. I didn’t ask him because, well, I do observe the no politics rule at bars and even if I didn’t, it was pretty clear to me that I wasn’t going to win hearts and minds by challenging this particular guy.

Anyway, this morning, I came across a photo posted by noted Norristown conspiracy theorist Jack Posobiec on the service formerly known as Twitter. His posts are known to go viral, and are also proven to contain misinformation. Even when they don’t explicitly contain misinformation, they tend to lead to misinformation. Such was the case with this particular photo, which has been viewed close to six million times:

A photo posted by Jack Posobiec of the Kamala Harris rally in Philadelphia (photo via Jack Posobiec/X, fair use)

I don’t know if Posobiec was there and took this photo or if he just swiped someone else’s photo. But what I do know is that some of his 2.3 million followers were quick to point out that there seemed to be no American flags on display in the photo, which naturally meant that there were no American flags on display in the entire venue, which was packed with thousands of people. Some of Posobiec’s followers made that exact claim. And as far as I can tell, Posobiec did nothing to correct his loyal legions.

Of course, you don’t need an Ivy League degree to deduce that this claim was probably false. You could just, you know, turn on the television or head to Google. But in the interest of fact-checking and debunking conspiracy theories, I’ll just leave these actual photos right here:

(Photo by Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Oh, and for the people frustrated with the supposed lack of American flags displayed on the clothing of Harris fans, I give you this, which will probably drive you even more crazy:

(Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

For more on Jack Posobiec, read our 2017 feature “How Jack Posobiec Became the King of Fake News.”

By the Numbers

$23 million: What the developer of the historic Beury Building (you might know it better as the Boner 4ever building) on North Broad Street says it’s short to convert the long-vacant (as in vacant for about a half century) property into a 172-room hotel. The developer acquired the building more than ten years ago. They’ve promised this and that. And yet here we are with a graffiti-covered mess and not enough money to even get close to finishing the job. It’s barely begun.

$3.5 million: What it will cost you to live in this magnificent former church on Susquehanna Avenue. We’re talking giant stained glass windows. 17,500 square feet. 128 solar panels on the roof. And it’s smack dab in the middle of Fishtown, which is a very good thing or a very bad thing, depending on who you ask.

1,000,000: Number of oysters this Philly guy has shucked.

Unexpected Headline of the Day

“Groundhog Found Hiding Inside Claw Machine at Pennsylvania Mini Golf Course.”

Yes, there are photos:

(photos courtesy Pennsylvania Game Commission)

No, no one has ever actually successfully won anything from a claw machine.

The Return of the Phillies

It wasn’t really that long ago that the Phillies played a home game. But it sure seems like a long time. And their road trip hasn’t been easy. At times, it’s been embarrassing. But we’re still in first place. Tonight, we play the first of six consecutive games back in South Philly. First against the Marlins. Then against the Nationals. And after that, we head off to Atlanta to play the Braves, who are slightly less far behind us in second place than they were. Wednesday night’s game may feel a little more South Philly than normal. It’s Italian Heritage Night. Tickets for all the games here.

Local Talent

Speaking of homecomings, Pride of Doylestown pop singer and aerial artist Pink comes to the Linc this week, supported by Sheryl Crow no less. You can get in for as little as $50. Well, plus fees. If you don’t plan on sitting at all during the concert, the $90 “dance floor” (aka standing room only) tickets might be for you. Need to be in the front row? Those tickets are currently going for about $1,250 on the resale market. Pink not for you? Here are some other ideas on how to spend your free time.