The 5 guidelines according to a paid Hillary poster..

[insta8er]

The full article can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3rncq9/confession_of_hillary_shill_from/

Just to give you an idea, here are some of the guidelines for our posting in October:

1) Sexism. This was the biggest one we were supposed to push. We had to smear Bernie as misogynistic and out-of-touch with modern sensibilities. He was to be characterized as "an old white male relic that believed women enjoyed being gang raped". Anyone who tried to object to this characterization would be repeatedly slammed as sexist until they went away or people lost interest.
2) Racism. We were instructed to hammer home how Bernie supporters were all privileged white students that had no idea how the world worked. We had to tout Hillary's great record with "the blacks" (yes, that's the actual way it was phrased), and generally use racial identity politics to attack Sanders and bolster Hillary as the only unifying figure.
3) Electability. All of those posts about how Sanders can never win and Hillary is inevitable? Some of those were us, done deliberately in an attempt to demoralize Bernie supporters and convince them to stop campaigning for him. The problem is that this was an outright fabrication and not an accurate assessment of the current political situation. But the truth didn't matter - we were trying to create a new truth, not to spread the existing truth.
4) Dirty tactics. This is where things got really bad. We were instructed to create narratives of Clinton supporters as being victimized by Sanders supporters, even if they were entirely fabricated. There were different instructions about how to do it, but something like this (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/10/31/1443064/-Dis-heartened-Hillary-Supporter) is a perfect example. These kind of posts are manufactured to divide and demoralize Sanders supporters, and are entirely artificial in nature. (The same thing happened in 2008, but it wasn't as noticeable before social media and public attention focused on popular forums like Reddit).
5) Opponent outreach. There are several forums and imageboards where Sanders is not very popular (I think you can imagine which ones those are.) We were instructed to make pro-Sanders troll posts to rile up the user base and then try to goad them into raiding or attacking places like this subreddit. This was probably the only area where we only had mixed success, since that particular subset of the population were more difficult to manipulate than we originally thought.

[MgtPA]

1. Lee Atwater would be so proud.

[Logical]

71. Alert it or quit whining! Nt

[MgtPA]

84. I think you misunderstand.

Clinton campaign tactics are Atwater-esque.

[creon]

2. I am told

I am told; so I believe it.
I believe everything I am told; everything I read.

I am told:

Sanders supporters are paid to post.
Clinton supporters are paid to post.

Who pays them?

Vladimir Putin plays both of them.

Putin wants Trump to be POTUS.

[silvershadow]

4. bookmarking for later. nt

[insta8er]

7. I am using these to respond to all of the things they trow at us (copy paste) in the end

we just need to reference the numbers.

[jillan]

5. Just confirming what we already knew. Altho I do have to laugh at #5.

[pnwmom]

45. How do we know this anonymous person isn't a Bernie troll posing as a Hillary worker?

[truedelphi]

6. HRC's campaign is channelling Karl Rove. n/t

[Uncle Joe]

8. Brock hasn't changed one bit since Anita Hill.

Thanks for the thread, insta8er.

[moriah]

9. The Reddit piece looks an awful lot like....

http://consciouslifenews.com/paid-internet-shill-shadowy-groups-manipulate-internet-opinion-debate/1147073/

Remember that conspiracy theories evolve.

[Octafish]

10. Undemocratic as all get out.

Money can buy you Likes on Facebook, but it shouldn't buy elections.

[itsrobert]

11. It's the law, you can't lie on the Internet

[insta8er]

14. No, it is a right wing smear tactic!

[renate]

12. some of this sounds plausible, except I have to say...

... there's no proof that this is true.

A monitor of SandersForPresident on Reddit said this very thing:
Just to set the record straight....
The post was removed by us on /r/SandersForPresident because the OP failed to provide any proof of his employment with the Clinton campaign.
We didn't remove it for any other reason other than that. If he provides substantial proof that he is who he says he is, and that the campaign is implementing the strategy that he says they are, then we'd likely allow the content. But until then, it's no different than saying something like, "I met Obama at a bar once and he spit on my baby!"
Anyways. That's all. I've seen people suggest that we, the mods, are Hillary shills. This is false. We've been campaigning for Bernie since before Bernie even had a campaign. I wish I got paid for this work, though...

And he/she also said:
There was literally zero proof of it's validity.
It could be anyone making up anything and we'd be spreading it around as fact, and encouraging others to do so.
Largest pro-Bernie organization gets trolled and spreads around false conspiracy theory about Hillary.
or
Bernie supporters launch smear campaign against Hillary
That's a potential headline we're looking at. I mean, we've had plenty of news outlets cover our behavior (outcries about debate results, mostly) and it makes us look like a bunch of petulant children. And you're suggesting we want MORE of that?
The OP was asked to provide proof. ANY proof. Anything. He or she didn't even reply. That's a pretty big red flag if you ask me. You'd think someone who is so willing to convert people from Hillary to Bernie would also be willing to provide proof to make the argument even more compelling, right?

I don't doubt that there are people being paid to do something like this online, but I think it's only fair to point out that there's no proof of these particular claims.

I support Bernie because he's utterly ethical, and I think he wouldn't like to see something that's potentially a partial or complete lie being spread about her campaign.

[moriah]

13. Thanks. It appears to be an evolution of the ATS "I was paid to shill for Israel"...

.... never-proven bit.

[grossproffit]

15. +1

[athena]

16. This was posted in November. Reddit removed it for lack of proof.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1251773551

Is there any evidence that it's true? I haven't been able to find any.

Here is an explanation of why it was removed by Reddit:

https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3rncq9/confession_of_hillary_shill_from/

[–]Vermonty_Python 81 points 5 months ago

Just to set the record straight....

The post was removed by us on /r/SandersForPresident because the OP failed to provide any proof of his employment with the Clinton campaign.

We didn't remove it for any other reason other than that. If he provides substantial proof that he is who he says he is, and that the campaign is implementing the strategy that he says they are, then we'd likely allow the content. But until then, it's no different than saying something like, "I met Obama at a bar once and he spit on my baby!"

Anyways. That's all. I've seen people suggest that we, the mods, are Hillary shills. This is false. We've been campaigning for Bernie since before Bernie even had a campaign. I wish I got paid for this work, though...

(Emphases mine.)

Please stop spreading baseless conspiracy theories unless you can provide evidence to back them.

[athena]

17. Here is more evidence that it's probably a lie:

from https://www.reddit.com/r/conspiracy/comments/3rncq9/confession_of_hillary_shill_from/

Vermonty_Python 21 points 5 months ago*

There was literally zero proof of it's validity.

It could be anyone making up anything and we'd be spreading it around as fact, and encouraging others to do so.

Largest pro-Bernie organization gets trolled and spreads around false conspiracy theory about Hillary.

or

Bernie supporters launch smear campaign against Hillary

That's a potential headline we're looking at. I mean, we've had plenty of news outlets cover our behavior (outcries about debate results, mostly) and it makes us look like a bunch of petulant children. And you're suggesting we want MORE of that?

The OP was asked to provide proof. ANY proof. Anything. He or she didn't even reply. That's a pretty big red flag if you ask me. You'd think someone who is so willing to convert people from Hillary to Bernie would also be willing to provide proof to make the argument even more compelling, right?

(Emphases mine.)

[moriah]

19. More evidence is contextual similarities to the "I was paid to shill for Israel" piece.

ATS article:

I am writing here to come out of the closet as a paid shill. For a little over six months, I was paid to spread disinformation and argue political points on the Internet. This site, ATS, was NOT one that I was assigned to post on, although other people in the same organization were paid to be here, and I assume they still walk among you. But more on this later.

I quit this job in the latter part of 2011, because I became disgusted with it, and with myself. I realized I couldn’t look myself in the mirror anymore. If this confession triggers some kind of retribution against me, so be it. Part of being a real man in this world is having real values that you stand up for, no matter what the consequences.

Reddit:

As of today, I am officially a former "digital media specialist" (a nice way to say "paid Internet troll&quot previously employed by Hillary Clinton's campaign (through a PR firm). I'm posting here today as a confession of sorts because I can no longer continue to participate in something that has become morally-indigestible for me.

ATS:

My story begins in early 2011. I had been out of work for almost a year after losing my last job in tech support. Increasingly desperate and despondent, I jumped at the chance when a former co-worker called me up and said she had a possible lead for me. “It is an unusual job, and one that requires secrecy. But the pay is good. And I know you are a good writer, so its something you are suited for.” (Writing has always been a hobby for me).

Reddit:

wasn't really planning on getting involved in this cycle until I was contacted by a friend from college around six months ago about working on Hillary's campaign.
I was skeptical at first (especially after my experience as an unpaid volunteer in 2008), but I eventually came around. The work time and payment was flexible, and I figured that I could bring in a little extra money writing about things I supported anyways.

ATS:

And indeed, the job was easier than I’d imagined. My task was simple: I would be assigned to four different websites, with the goal of entering certain discussions and promoting a certain view. I learned later that some of the personnel were assigned to internet message boards (like me), while others worked on Facebook or chatrooms. It seems these three types of media each have different strategy for shilling, and each shill concentrates on one of the three in particular.

My task? “To support Israel and counter anti-Israeli, anti-Semitic posters.” Fine with me. I had no opinions one way or another about Israel, and who likes anti-Semites and Nazis? Not me, anyway. But I didn’t know too much about the topic. “That’s OK,” she said. “You’ll pick it up as you go along. For the most part, at first, you will be doing what we call “meme-patrol.” This is pretty easy. Later if you show promise, we’ll train you for more complex arguments, where more in-depth knowledge is necessary.”

Reddit:

At first, the work was fun and mostly unsupervised. I posted mostly positive things about Hillary and didn't engage in much negativity. Around the middle of July, however, I received notification that the team would be focusing not on pro-Hillary forum management, but on "mitigation" (the term our team leader used) for a Vermont senator named Bernie Sanders. I'd been out of college for several years and hadn't heard much about Sanders, and so I decided to do some research to get a feel for him.
To be honest, I was skeptical of what Sanders was saying at the beginning, and didn't have much of a problem pointing out the reasons why I believed that Hillary was the better candidate.

ATS:

After a while of doing this, I started to feel bad. Not because of the views I was pushing (as I said, I was first apolitical, then pro-Israel), but because of the dishonesty involved. If my arguments were so correct, I wondered, why did we have to do this in the first place? Shouldn’t truth propagate itself naturally, rather than through, well…propaganda?

Reddit:

I had one of those "what are you doing with your life" moments. When even the scum of 4chan think that your candidate is too scummy for their tastes, you need to take a good hard look at your life. Then this morning I read that the National Association of Broadcasters were bankrolling both Clinton and Rubio, and that broke the camel's back. I emailed my resignation this morning.

Sure, it's not exactly the same, but when people spout extremely similar stories, and neither offer any proof at all, and even the Sanders Reddit agrees it was most likely a fraud....

[dreamnightwind]

87. That isn't evidence of anything whatsoever

Lack of supporting evidence is far different than evidence that it's probably a lie.

[amborin]

18. we've seen plenty of this

[JoePhilly]

20. Made up shit on the internet ... yes, yes we have.

[amborin]

21. yes, baseless smears from Hillary campaign paid trolls

[athena]

22. Your post itself is a baseless smear.

Provide proof that any of us Hillary supporters here are paid. Claiming that we are paid is an outrageous and offensive lie.

In the real world, it would be called libel.

If you have proof that anyone is paid, provide it. If it's true, you should be able to find someone who is willing to admit it. In the absence of proof, stop making baseless accusations.

[JoePhilly]

23. Poor baby.

Your candidate is losing.

Meanwhile, you search the net for all manner of old recycled outrage hoping to maybe make something stick.

Don't you think a paid troll would post many, many outrage OPs?

I do.

[Tarc]

24. "submitted 5 months ago"

You know this has been posted roughly 189 times by now, right?

[athena]

25. Moreover, there is zero evidence for it. Reddit removed it for that reason.

See my posts above:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1832106
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1832129

[LonePirate]

26. Why do people care about this sort of thing? It's simply modern day propaganda.

People simply need to learn to recognize it as such and move on.

[JTFrog]

27. Gotta love that ya'll keep trying to recycle this bullshit. Reddit Sanders group removed that fairy

tale because the guy never offered any proof.

But you can't expect that kind of integrity here.

[insta8er]

28. You don't have to read it, the methods however mentioned in this piece are spot on and

you can witness them on this board in real time.

[athena]

33. I see very similar methods being used by Bernie supporters.

Much more often, in fact, than by Hillary supporters. I don't, however, claim that Bernie supporters are paid.

Just because something sounds right to you doesn't mean it's true.

Please refrain from posting baseless smears. Or, if you must do so, do it at Free Republic.

[insta8er]

34. So wait you are telling me what I can and cannot do? next thing you are going to tell me

what I cant and cannot say right? and how baseless are these points as I can show you numerous posts where the exact thing is happening. Please move on, don't read my posts if you find them offending.

[athena]

36. You are free to make logical fallacies.

Don't expect to convince anyone with them.

You're claiming that the points in the post appear to be true, and suggesting that that means the smear is true. That's like saying the Earth appears flat to you and therefore it must be flat. I pointed out earlier that Reddit itself removed the post because they couldn't verify it. Yet you keep pretending the smear is true. That is what is called lack of intellectual integrity.

[insta8er]

37. Just press that button man, stop wasting everyone's time.

[athena]

38. I'm not the one wasting people's time.

Spreading falsehoods, and doing so knowingly, is what wastes people's time.

[insta8er]

39. Press that button.....shuuuuush...go irritate someone else....

And they are not falsehoods, plenty of posts that will show you the attack line verbatim.

[athena]

46. Let's review what has happened here.

Let's review what happened:
1. You posted a falsehood.
2. I provided evidence that what you posted was a falsehood.
3. You ignored the evidence and made a logically fallacious argument.
4. I pointed out the logical fallacy in your argument.
5. You ignored my point and are telling me to ignore you.
If you think this proves anything but the weakness of your own position, you're kidding yourself.

Incidentally, you're the one using the types of tactics that you claim paid Hillary supporters use. The great thing about all this, of course, is that they don't actually work.



Why don't you go and press that button if you like it so much?

[JTFrog]

59. If you post bullshit here, expect push back. You don't get to dictate who posts or responds to

your nonsense.

[JTFrog]

58. Says the guy who just signed up and is spamming anti-Clinton propaganda. n/t

[lumberjack_jeff]

29. I saw this before, but I didn't really think about #5 very much.

But now, in retrospect it makes perfect sense. Go troll a righwing board such as discussionist with Sanders posts and you get general agreement (i.e. "at least we can agree that something needs to change and Clinton sucks&quot

You'll immediately find that right wingers would prefer a socialist to Clinton or even most of the Republican field.

Not even the Koch brothers are gonna get conservatives to vote for Clinton - nor many independents for that matter.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

30. Posted without comment

From Daily Kos Staff: (9:15 PM Pacific) The original author of this piece, quoted here in full, was suspended by the admins of /r/SandersForPresident subreddit for using multiple different fake IDs (but same IP address) and numerous claims of being a shill from big oil to airline companies, he/she issued repeated mea culpas about life as a shill. This post is five months old and has been debunked numerous times. In general, linking /r/conspiracy is not a good idea. The diarist was asked three hours ago to unpublish his diary. He has not so he has been banned for posting CT, which against our rules.


http://m.dailykos.com/story/2016/4/24/1519540/-Paid-Clinton-Troll-Speaks-out-I-was-aghast-at-what-I-saw

[insta8er]

35. Guys, just click the button if you don't like what you are seeing...very simple, easiest way to shut

anyone up..because that is what we do in a democratic society, we shut people up that have a different opinion. While the post might have been mentioned in the past, the content is very much active on this board. The sexist card, the racial card .. all of which have been used by the Hillsquad.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

40. I have the right to post what I want.

Thank you for the instruction though.


Have a lovely week.

[insta8er]

41. So do I....and you don't have to like it.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

43. It doesn't matter if I like what you post or you like what I post. Just don't tell me what to post.

Thank you for the instruction though.


Have a nice week.

[insta8er]

44. That was my line! where did I say what you could and could not post btw????

[DemocratSinceBirth]

53. Please see Post# 43

Thank you for the instruction though.


Have a nice week.

[insta8er]

54. 43 is your post, I said you don't have to like it which is a choice..like it or not..I am not tellin

g you to like something...neither am I telling you to not like something. Sigh...I am sorry but you just answered why you support your candidate in this one post.

[JTFrog]

60. Not for long. n/t

[insta8er]

62. Did you just threaten me?

[JTFrog]

65. Nope. No need for that. You're doing fine all on your own. n/t

[insta8er]

66. Sigh, I'm doing fine threatening myself? If you have something to say why not say it?

[JTFrog]

75. Lol.

Please proceed, governor.

[Dr Hobbitstein]

31. .

[1StrongBlackMan]

32. Posted to now for chuckles later.

[imagine2015]

42. Thanks. We're on alert for those kinds of misleading and disruptive propaganda postings.

[insta8er]

48. Like how the shill gang is using sexist smears, racial smears and such? I bet you guys didnt

even read it. And I am so glad you are on the alert...did you press the button already? maybe that will make something you don't like go away.

[pnwmom]

47. Care to explain how we know that this anonymous reddit poster is who s/he says s/he is? n/t

[insta8er]

49. Care to explain who you are? and why your opinion would matter to me in the slightest?

[pnwmom]

50. I'm not claiming to be an insider with special knowledge. Your reddit poster is. n/t

[insta8er]

52. And if you looked at the "talking points" you would have seen that he/she is spot on with what

is happening here, VERBATIM.

[pnwmom]

55. Maybe the poster got his or her ideas from here -- and places like DU. We don't know. nt

[insta8er]

56. Fact is that the race card is being used, the sexist card is being used in the exact way that this

person is claiming how it should be used.

[pnwmom]

57. Fact is that there is a huge gender gap and race gap in the support between the two candidates.

That wasn't made up by the Hillary campaign.

[moriah]

61. Well, I can say that, as often as pnwmom and I have butted heads before in my 8 years...

.... that she has been a great contributor to this forum for quite a lot longer than I've seen you around.

[insta8er]

63. Congratulations on your relationship with pnwmom, as to my posts

Please feel free to put me on your ignore list...or not. Whatever makes you happy. And congrats on your 8 years posting here.

[moriah]

64. You asked why her opinion should matter.

My response was to say that one reason it might, and why I read her posts, was that she has been here a long time and has demonstrated she is very capable of debating even contentious issues without having to go below the belt to make her points.

For people who like to have civil, intelligent discussions, she's a good person to consider reading.

Sadly, I don't know whether your hides have been from below-the-belt personal attacks or from partisan juries. I haven't taken the time or interest to stalk your posts, and I am no longer on MIR so it's not a volunteer duty for me to investigate new posters either.

[athena]

51. Here is what Reddit had to say about it:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1832106
http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1832129

And what DailyKos had to say:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12511831731#post30

(All posted earlier in the thread.)

[Hydra]

67. Lol

I see all of the usual suspects showed up to say how this was inaccurate...because they are busy doing it.

[moriah]

68. So go report said "Usual Suspects"...

... and stop ad-hominem attacks.

It just makes DU suck otherwise.

[Hydra]

70. Why, so I can get jury results that ask why I alerted?

I already know this behavior is sanctioned by the the site, or these people wouldn't be here now. Some of them have 7-11+ hides on their transparency and used to be on one timeout after the other.

DU doesn't suck, it's just in the middle of an identity crisis right now. I'm sure it will all clear up after the convention.

[moriah]

72. I was more suggesting Admin/MIR....

.... because I, with no hides ever, experience on MIR, and a pretty decent post count have been accused of working with the shadowy cabal that people are accusing of trying to destroy DU because thry support Hillary.

The accusation of being a shill of any stripe is a personal, ad-hominem attack. There are people who are supposed to deal with them, and so report them there. But it's no excuse to justify your own incivility or inability to come up with a better argument.

You aren't responsible for anyone's behavior but your own.

[Hydra]

73. If you want to plant yourself in the camp with Brock's minions, feel free

It's out in the open that he is paying people to troll non-Hillary supporters. We've had the playbook for months. We've watched talking point after talking point rolled out in a coordinated fashion here and then later on the MSM. If you support that behavior, by all means, help them continue!

What's the worst that could happen?

[moriah]

74. I'm stating my own opinions, and I don't care who agrees with me or not.

But if ststing my opinions is somehow making me part of a conspiracy just because I support Hillary, Trump's hair is both real, his, and hair. And stylish.

[Hydra]

77. Obviously you do care who agrees with you, otherwise you wouldn't be upset about it

But I fail to see how that translates to supporting paid trolls. Do you feel Hillary Clinton needs that sort of advocacy to win? It's the kind of thing I'd expect from the Bush Family.

[moriah]

79. I don't support paid trolls at all, but I also see no evidence for them...

.... especially in this rehash from /r/conspiracy that the official Bernie Reddit disclaimed months ago.

I also see remarkable similarities to a much better written hit piece about far more likely ways paid trolls would actually operate, that I thought of when I saw this one months back. It has been retracted by its author for being over the top as well as unproven.

Here's that link:

http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread826545/pg1

[Hydra]

80. Brock is paying for them. They are out there drawing paychecks

Are you or are you not supporting that? A Hillary "No, but..." is certainly not unexpected, but does not answer the question.

Should Hillary call Brock and tell him to knock it off?

[moriah]

81. Okay, so... if this exists, where does one sign up undercover?

Correct the Record, which I receive emails and reqests to FB and Tweet stuff favorable to Clinton since I'm a supporter, hasn't been suggesting a Pay Per Tweet to me, at least...

I've never seen job postings...

So let's look.at the actual project proposed by Brock, shall we? To invest a millon more into people making graphics and sending to Hillary supporters, posting on CTR and emailing people to get them to spread the word.

Not to start some kind of paid posting brigade.

[Hydra]

82. *lmao*

They paid $1 Million for those lame graphics and a retread of the "Love and Kindness" meme that failed so well a few weeks ago?

Now I've heard it all.

[moriah]

83. I'm sure that sending the endless emails I get take quite a few people.

Really, if they're paying people, it's going to be to spam our inboxes. Which I've gotten used to in election years.

[Samantha]

69. Many Sanders' supporters picked this up on their own -- here is my post April 22

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1810545

It is a massive psychological warfare plan designed to demoralize Bernie supporters

Just ignore them.

The second group of people they target with this propaganda is people who have not yet voted. Convince them Sanders cannot win and they will swing to Clinton. After all, who wants to waste their vote by casting it for a loser?

And the third thing is a real stunner. The most effective way to disable the Sanders' campaign is to take down his core donors willingness to donate. Break his bank. And that is exactly why the Clinton campaign has sent out her surrogates to loudly proclaim his taking money from supporters when he clearly has no path to winning is a fraud. My response to that was to take a look at my finances yesterday and see what I could afford to donate. And donate I did. I hope everyone does this. Make those people pay for their asinine comments by giving Sanders the support you can. Ironically, this propaganda coming from the Clinton campaign then only serves to enrich Sanders' ability to continue to compete.

Sam

[ReasonableToo]

76. K n r

[procon]

78. I always believe everything I read on the Intertubes.

Now, let me tell you about the secret CIA lab under the White House where an army of thousands of Hillary clones are awaiting her orders to round up all Bernie fans and herd them into those abandoned FEMA camps for reeducation and indoctrination. No... really, it was on the Intertubes!

[auntpurl]

85. it must be true - someone posted it on the internet!

:eyeroll:

[dlwickham]

86. Cool story bro

[MaeScott]

88. God I can't stand this woman. nt