Smear Campaign: Troll-Posts Regarding Alleged Bernie-Bro Protesters

[davidlynch]

Just because some idiot wears a Bernie sticker doesn't make Bernie responsible for that idiot's behavior.

Is *anyone* on DU going to be convinced by all of this troll-driven activity and suddenly say "Wow, Bernie must be really bad after all, I'll have to vote for Hillary?"

This is obviously some kind of organized campaign to smear Sanders.

But it begs the question: why is it necessary to run this negative campaign if Sanders has already been utterly defeated?

If it is *so* over, why do you *so* care?

[hrmjustin]

1. Who exactly are you calling trolls?

[reddread]

2. probably the million dollar Brock Brigade?

just guessing?

[hrmjustin]

3. Are you saying they are here?

[virtualobserver]

6. why wouldn't they be everywhere? Isn't that the stated purpose of the million dollar project?

What we can never know is precisely who.

[hrmjustin]

7. Oh.

[juxtaposed]

12. Who would ever think that, lol!

I've been told that they have been here.

[hrmjustin]

13. Who told you?

[juxtaposed]

15. someone from the cave told me.

[hrmjustin]

16. Of course.

[99Forever]

24. Looks like a troll, acts like a troll....

... smells like a troll.

It's probably a troll.

[hrmjustin]

25. A troll is in the eye of the beholder.

[99Forever]

28. Not so much.

Just because they are getting paid by the Clinton campaign, doesn't mean they aren't what they are, trolls.

[hrmjustin]

29. Or by the Sanders campaign.

[moriah]

30. Or the Trump campaign.

[99Forever]

32. Got any evidence of "The Sanders Campaign" paying trolls?

It's public knowledge that The Clinton Campaign is indeed laying out $1,000,000 to pay trolls. Care to put up? Or perhaps you should just shut up.

http://usuncut.com/politics/clinton-super-pac-busted/

[hrmjustin]

34. Oh yeah I'm going to shut up because you tell me.

[99Forever]

36. So you have no evidence, just empty lies and smears.

A perfect example of the kind of dishonest people who Hillary attracts.

And you think it's funny.

Says a lot about you and nothing about the Sanders Campaign.

[hrmjustin]

37. You sound angry.

[99Forever]

38. Not a bit.

See? Another thing you know nothing about, but chose to pretend you do.

[hrmjustin]

39. .

[JTFrog]

52. And bitter. n/t

[MrWendel]

51. Love dishing it out...

but unfair to take it.

[passiveporcupine]

61. So in other words you have nothing to refute the fact that Hillary has paid a lot of money

to hit social sites with anti-Bernie material and defending Hillary attacks, and it's documented.

But there is nothing like that being done by Bernie. If you try to say there is, then you also need to document it. You see Bernie never employed a David Brock, because that's not his style. I know you can't get over that...he's really a good man no matter what you do to try to smear him.

I know it's gotta be upsetting that you can't come back with something tangible...instead all you can come back with is a wisecrack.

[hrmjustin]

65. Ok document the fact it is here.

[passiveporcupine]

97. I accidentally responded to the wrong post...this was supposed to be for you

But if you really need a good one (link to proof of OP's post), how about correct the record.

http://correctrecord.org/barrier-breakers-2016-a-project-of-correct-the-record/

Do you not know how to google?

I thought this part was funny:

Hillary’s supporters are more enthusiastic than Sen. Bernie Sanders’ supporters, yet oftentimes are discouraged from engaging online and are “often afraid to voice their thoughts” because of the fear of online harassment.

You guys keep telling us you're winning, yet you are discouraged by the voices of the underdog...the minority?

Poor babies.

Correct The Record will invest more than $1 million into Barrier Breakers 2016 activities, including the more than tripling of its digital operation to engage in online messaging both for Secretary Clinton and to push back against attackers on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram.

Believe it or not, this is coming from the horse's mouth.

[99Forever]

91. That's what lying liars do when confronted with facts that prove them lying liars.

They go personal.

Kind of pitiful actually.

[Tess49]

96. DU really needs a "like" button. n/t

[passiveporcupine]

83. sorry, responded to wrong person

nt

[riversedge]

56. whow. an unbiased source!! NOT

[passiveporcupine]

85. see my post...it's from correct the record.

Not an unbiased source.

[840high]

21. Yes.

[hrmjustin]

22. And who are they? How do you know they are here?

[moriah]

31. Have to say, if I had a million dollars...

... I too would eat Kraft Dinner, but as far as trying to do payroll for a troll brigade... it'd be a mightly small brigade.

(But not a real troll brigade, that's cruel.)

[davidlynch]

4. I'm saying there is an obvious smear campaign replete with pictures...

Photoshopped with the words "SANDERS SUPPORTERS" on one side and "HILLARY SUPPORTERS" on the other. All of this is 100% astroturf-style troll posting, nothing organic about it.

[hrmjustin]

5. So people call out these nasty protestors for their behavior and they are trolls?

Seems rather desperate to call people trolls for calling out nnastnasty behavior.

[Armstead]

40. Calling out their nasty behavior and attributing it to Sanders is trollish

From what I've read, the protests have been largely organized by Latino community groups protesting her stance towards immigration and Honduras. And anytime you have protests there is the risk of people either getting carriedf away by emotions, and/or the presence of a small number of disruptors.

But even if it includes Sanders supporters....These smear campaigns linking them to him and/or claiming the moe vuilent ones represent a significant majority of his supporters is political trolling of the first degree, whether paid or unpaid

[hrmjustin]

41. No it is not trollish to point out their abusive behavior.

It is not trollish to acknowledge they were Sanders supporters.

[Armstead]

42. I acknowledge some Sanders supporters are a-holes

Some Clinton supporters are a-holes.

Any campaign or movbement involving millions of people is going to have bad actors in it.

But these endless posts characterizing them as typical sanders supporters, etc........That's trolling and propaganda.

Same shit Bush and the GOP did during the Iraq war protests, for example. Highlighting protesters who acted badly and claiming that was typical of the anti-war movement.

[hrmjustin]

43. Everyone has an opinion.

The Sanders supporters I know would n9t behave like that.

[Armstead]

45. I wish that standard of understanding would be applied more widely

Most of us are just ordinary well behaved people (orl as well behaved as anyone is).

These posts here and in the larger "convosphere" trying to depict the worst abuses as representing the Sanders campaign are...well, you know the rest

[Dem2]

50. False cause, slippery slope, loaded question,

As with most threads here, it's an amalgamation of logical fallacies.

[MattP]

8. Bernie protesters make themselves look stupid they don't need help

[passiveporcupine]

64. Right now you don't appear to need any help.

Just sayin.

[MattP]

9. Calling the Democratic front-runner a assassin is a troll post

[-none]

14. Where does it say that?

[wendylaroux]

10. just some more greasy troll stuff from h and co.

[reddread]

20. dealbreakers

I assume trump is paying Brock more.

[JaneyVee]

11. MOAR TINFOIL ASAP!

[pmorlan1]

17. Most Certainly

an organized smear campaign but I'm not surprised in the least. I'm just glad that I'm not part of it.

[Henhouse]

18. Step in the right direction.. At least you are not defending their behavior like many others...nt

[Bobbie Jo]

19. "Alleged" my ass.

Past behavior tells me the latest installment is spot on.

[KittyWampus]

33. IKR. If it was just one or two- MAYBE. Confronted w/their own unsavory & aggressive

behavior, it seems some Sanders supporters don't like what they see.

[frylock]

44. Past behavior?

Do tell.

[Bobbie Jo]

47. Do tell?

Seriously? Not sure where you've been since last summer.

Here's a quick Google search, start there.

https://www.google.com/search?q=bernie+supporter+behavior&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari#hl=en-us&q=bernie+supporter+rude+behavior

Short of that, try the DU search function.

[frylock]

48. Yes, I'm familiar with the narrative of the Obama Boys.

[Bobbie Jo]

58. uhuh

I wouldn't claim that mess either.

[passiveporcupine]

68. OFFS

Did you even read that?

I’m not saying Bernie Sanders instructs his supporters to interrupt and heckle the speech of a U.S. Senator.

But what Bernie Sanders does is constantly tell us is Congress is corrupt and the political system is corrupt, and he calls for a political revolution. His supporters clearly have internalized this message.

Sanders has long been calling for a revolution, but any time bad behavior comes up he strongly opposes it.

This is just so much bunk, but I can see why the Hill camp gobbles it up as truth,..because they fucking don't have anything real and negative to hold against Sanders.

You should all be ashamed of yourselves.

[Bobbie Jo]

70. Did I even read what?

What on earth are you going on about, and what are you quoting here? I didn't make the claim that he condones this crap, I'm saying that it has been going on REPEATEDLY since last summer.

There is a PATTERN of this nasty behavior, and it's getting worse.

"You should all be ashamed of yourselves."

And how...

[passiveporcupine]

87. But nobody is ashamed of Hillary supporter's nasty behavior...here on DU

Yet we are supposed to accept blame and shame for what people do out in the real world while wearing Berine paraphernalia.

I tell you what. You guys clean up your act in here and stop all the transparency pages full of hides and maybe we can look into responsibility for someone else's actions out in the real world.

Oh no...wait, that is not the same thing at all.

I may be my brother's keeper but I am not responsible for what he does. But you just might be responsible for what your DU group does here.

[Bobbie Jo]

88. Oh please

Tend to your own damn house.

Now you want to talk about DU transperency pages? Seriously? Ok, just take a quick look up at your partner who also responded to my post. Check his page and get back to me.

This is just dumb.

[passiveporcupine]

89. Every time I come across somoene with a yellow tab, I put them on ignore.

I have a long page of ignores and only one or two are Bernie supporters. I think the "Oh Please" melowdrama is mine.

[passiveporcupine]

99. No it's not dumb. And I don't have any partners.

When I see a lot of nasty posts and check transparency pages, I put them on ignore, regardless of who they support.

I have a recent growing list of transparency ignores...It's been building for the last couple of weeks.

You guys have your blinders on. You accept and agree with your side, and pat each other on the back for the nastier comments, even those that deserve a hide. I never see you call them out. I constantly am calling my side out for those kinds of posts...but I've given up in the past few weeks because the attacks and attempts to drag us into your nastiness is getting old. I'm not fighting it any more. If my side wants to react in kind, then hell with it.

I don't know who you are referring to in this thread, because I may have already put them on my ignore list, but out of 56 on my ignore list, I only see one that I've confirmed to be a Bernie supporter.

So, go on...please!

[passiveporcupine]

86. So you agree that Bernie is to blame for any idiot who supports him and acts like an idiot?

Because this is the OP you were respoinding to:

Just because some idiot wears a Bernie sticker doesn't make Bernie responsible for that idiot's behavior.

[Broward]

23. Ostensibly, informed Hillary voters are pro war, pro fracking, pro death penalty

anti whistleblower, against the legalization of marijuana and so on. Yet, they get upset by the behavior of a few presumed Bernie protesters. The Third Wayers and their complicit enablers are responsible for the country's slide to the right over the past several decades. They continue to be a big part of the problem.

[SharonClark]

98. Hey, most Hillary supporters are against those things, too

We just don't think Sanders is the right candidate to make progress on those issues.

[Metric System]

26. Organized smear? It was Sanders supporters shouting at and intimidating Hillary supporters entering

an event.

[dlwickham]

67. you must be new because it's ALWAYS the fault of Hillary and her supporters no matter what

Bernie's lost taxes-our fault

His campaign hacking the computer files-our fault

Him losing the nomination-our fault

Trump-our fault

and so on...

[Else You Are Mad]

27. Just wait...

When if it is Hillary v Trump, his supporters will really behave like how the manufacturered 'Bernie bros' are accused of acting. Except, Trump supporters are real and will threaten violence and will be doxxing most Hillary supporters. It will get even worse once Hillary supporters accuse Trump supporters of things they haven't done.

I am against all of that, but I am wondering how Hillary supporters will deal with actual asshole and not just some made up PR campaign.

Note, I am 100% against any threats against anyone.

[Lil Missy]

35. Another conspiracy. I see ..

[Armstead]

55. No just a particularly nasty smear campaign

[nolawarlock]

46. I think a candidate that openly supports people swearing at small children ...

... is someone we need to be careful of.

[NurseJackie]

49. You're not the only one who feels that way.

[Armstead]

54. ..............................................

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=1920658

[riversedge]

59. Bernie has lots and lots of Pinocchios --he might share some for you.

[ebayfool]

69. Speaking of Pinnochios ...

[Armstead]

53. I would like you to point to where Bernie suggested that people swear at small children

Your own nose just grew by seven inches

[riversedge]

57. Bernie said last night on Maddow he encourages protests.. Therefore he IS responsible for their

vile behavior. He needs to condemn this outrageous NOW!

[Armstead]

62. So no one should ever protest ever again?

I'm so glad we now want to be getting is of those messy freedom of speech and freedom of assembly things. Ohhhh those nasty protesters.

I hated them when they were protesting Buish's plans to go into Iraq too. How dare they!?!

Bernie defending the right to protest is so........unAmerican, according to the Republicans -- and now the Clinton campaign I guess.

And I suppose you were equally critical of Clinton due to the behavior of the BLM protesters who took over the mike in Seattle at the beginning of the campaign too?

[NurseJackie]

66. So you're saying that terrorizing children is a good campaign strategy?

(See? You're not the only one who can play that silly game.)

And I suppose you were equally critical of Clinton due to the behavior of the BLM protesters who took over the mike in Seattle at the beginning of the campaign too?

So you're saying that black lives don't matter? (Wow, this word-twist game is easier than I thought! No wonder you guys like it so much.)

[Armstead]

73. Please point me to the exact quote where Sanders suggested that people should terrorize children

He said people have a right to protest in a general sense. He did not suggest harassing children or bullying people.

He also said they should not disrupt events inside.

[NurseJackie]

75. See: Fig. 1:

Fig. 1

He did not suggest harassing children or bullying people.

But he didn't explicitly say they shouldn't harass children. So is this why it's okay with you that they do? (Special Note: If the previous statement riles you, please refer again to Fig. 1.)


and You guys crack me up!

[Armstead]

76. I guess i'm too stupid to understand your artistic and obtuse chart

[nolawarlock]

71. And my ignore list just grew by one. Bye bye now. :)

[chwaliszewski]

79. Why don't you make it two.

[nolawarlock]

80. You haven't said anything to justify it. :)

But there's still time, I'm sure.

[chwaliszewski]

94. Thanks for the vote of confidence!

Go Bernie!

[grossproffit]

60. Your graphics crack me up.

[nolawarlock]

72. Feel free to use 'em!

[glowing]

63. I think it's because there were more protestors outside against Clinton

in an Hispanic area (her "voting bloc" that isn't young white male). It looks bad that she has this much blow back in CA on Cinco de Mayo and for legitimate issues. Plus, that white dude with the Liar sign makes for a great "Bernie Bro" meme that they have fostered this whole time... Doesn't look good when that many "minority persons", as I said, are protesting against her... And that many of them are Bernie supporters. It deflates their narrative that Bernie only has young, white, male voters.

[hopemountain]

90. are you saying white young male demostrators

carrying a "liar" sign outside of a clinton rally is not okay and not good for bernie? seriously, hillary supporters need to get a grip.

[glowing]

93. I think you didn't read my post properly...

I think they are going negative smear on the protest because so many of the protestors were legitimate concerns and were in her "voting block" as many of us were told.

They did happen to find the one white dude with the liar sign, placing it up and in faces... It'a the most photographed person at the event because it fits the Hillary meme of Bernie Bro's... But a few spaces over was a native dressed protestor.

Not a Hillary fan ever!

[hopemountain]

95. thanks for clarifying

so, they pick the one white male carrying sign and try to make it about something it is not. i'm beginning to feel sorry for the desperation of brock's hired staff. he must be cracking a whip.

[Renew Deal]

74. Do you denounce how the protesters behaved regardless of who they support?

[riversedge]

77. Sanders on top. Trump on bottom. Hostile and mean.

Cornelia ?@PaladinCornelia 8h8 hours ago

Sometimes you're judged by the supporters you attract.
Sanders on top.
Trump on bottom.
Hostile and mean.
#ImWithHer

[cantbeserious]

78. Might It Be Possible That It's Not Over And Playing "Dirty" Is The Only Option Left For Some

eom

[redstateblues]

81. Sorry cantbeserious. It's over for Bernie

[bjo59]

82. We'll see. Don't count your chickens before they hatch

[HassleCat]

84. They're all Bernie Bros.

Anybody who says or does anything against Clinton is assumed to be a Sanders supporter. I guess it's impossible they might be Republicans?

[CobaltBlue]

92. davidlynch—It is about control. (To whatever extent may be possible.)