I suppose everyone saw this headline from the NYT in GD.

[Jackpine Radical]

The Right Baits the Left to Turn Against Hillary Clinton

Wow, let us consider ourselves properly chastised. Anything we do to promote any candidate but the anointed leader is an act of sabotage against the Democratic Party. Any questions we might raise about said AL's attributes, any light we might shine on such a person that illuminates unsavory behavior, plays into the hands of the Republicans. Such a person should never be embarrassed with questions in areas where they would prefer to remain silent.

Got it.

Aren't you all now ashamed of yourselves?

[daleanime]

1. Unnnh.......No.

[Demeter]

2. Not in the slightest

I'm a fickle consumer, after all.

[Warpy]

3. That's a thread I was too pissed off to answer

so thank you for doing so.

AL's fans can't conceive of any flaws in AL, so those of us who do must be manipulated by right wingers.

Yeah, got it too.

[nashville_brook]

4. DFHs -- all of ya'll :)

[Jackpine Radical]

5. Say wha…?

Edited to add, in case you've been in a cave & missed it--

[RoccoR5955]

15. And damnside proud of it! n/t

[Historic NY]

6. Why not put the link....wouldn't it be embarrassing to some here...shilling for the pukes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/us/politics/the-right-aims-at-democrats-on-social-media-to-hit-clinton.html?_r=0

The tactic is making for some awkward moments online. The A.F.L.-C.I.O. sent to its more than 60,000 followers an America Rising tweet praising its president, Richard L. Trumka, for a speech that was seen as challenging Mrs. Clinton on economic issues, only to take it down a few hours later, saying it was a mistake.

Laura Hart Cole of Verbank, N.Y., whose father, Philip A. Hart, was a senator from Michigan and a liberal icon, was shocked to learn that she had, like Mr. McKibben, shared the meme from America Rising on Twitter. Republican groups, she said, “have a history of sleazy tactics.” But she added: “I guess it’s fair. If what they’re saying is factual, then I guess it’s fair play. It’s a dirty game.”

Conservative strategists and operatives say they are simply filling a vacuum on the far left, as well as applying the lesson they learned in 2012, when they watched in frustration as Mitt Romney was forced to expend time and resources in a protracted primary fight. By the time he secured his party’s nomination, President Obama hardly had to make the case that his opponent was a coldhearted plutocrat; Republicans like Newt Gingrich had already made the argument for him in the primaries.

Few Republicans are more familiar with that nightmare than Matt Rhoades, who was Mr. Romney’s campaign manager. He founded America Rising in response to a recommendation contained in an autopsy of Romney’s failed presidential run that was ordered by the Republican National Committee. The group’s original goal was to compete with American Bridge, the Democratic opposition research group, but its focus under Mr. Rhoades has been to subject Mrs. Clinton to an ordeal similar to Mr. Romney’s.

“The idea is to make her life difficult in the primary and challenge her from the left,” said Colin Reed, America Rising’s executive director. “We don’t want her to enter the general election not having been pushed from the left, so if we have opportunities — creative ways, especially online — to push her from the left, we’ll do it just to show those folks who she needs to turn out that she’s not in line with them.”

[Jackpine Radical]

7. Because:

a) I didn't have it immediately handy
b) I'm terminally lazy
c) Some kind soul would probly come along & do it for me.

[merrily]

36. You don't need to explain.

You are not the one who is out of order.

[merrily]

29. Don't fall for "Primaries will only help the other side."

In our system, primaries are about the last vestige of getting to make a choice of any kind, even an illusory one. It's bad enough they've done away with primaries when an incumbent President is running. It's bad enough how many thumbs are on the scale in primaries.

If we allow this meme, wave bye to whatever you imagined was left of democracy.

BTW, just to remind anyone who needs a reminder. In reality, the primaries did not seal Romney's fate. It was the video taken by a bartender at a Romney fundraiser that "just happened" to end up in the hands of Jimmy Carter's grandson and then just happened to land on TV. And Ms. Romney's sob story about eating pasta off an ironing board. Oh, and Romney's entire life. Those three things helped convince America that Romney was a bloodless plutocrat who had no idea how people live and what they need.

[merrily]

35. This is the Bernie Sanders Group. Your subject line is way out of order here.

[NYC_SKP]

41. I like America Rising:

You should visit their site.

It's good to see what it is that they are going to used to bring heat on Hillary.

WARNING! Oh, hell, Google it yourself.

No link.

[zeemike]

8. A case of child psychology being used.

If the pubs are against her we will be for her.
The GOP wants to select their next opponent and the NYT will help them.

[Jackpine Radical]

32. Kinda like the old story about Milton Erickson and the calf. (nt)

[Scuba]

48. Being much, much younger than you, I don't know the story about Milton and the calf.

Please, please enlighten me.

[merrily]

52. Google. I did. (It's too long to type out.)

[zeemike]

53. Had to look it up...but it was worth it.

My first well-remembered intentional use of the double bind occurred in early boyhood. One winter day, with the weather below zero, my father led a calf out of the barn to the water trough. After the calf had satisfied its thirst, they turned back to the barn, but at the doorway the calf stubbornly braced its feet, and despite my father's desperate pulling on the halter, he could not budge the animal. I was outside playing in the snow and, observing the impasse, began laughing heartily. My father challenged me to pull the calf into the barn. Recognizing the situation as one of unreasoning stubborn resistance on the part of the calf, I decided to let the calf have full opportunity to resist, since that was what it apparently wished to do. Accordingly I presented the calf with a double bind by seizing it by the tail and pulling it away from the barn, while my father continued to pull it inward. The calf promptly chose to resist the weaker of the two forces and dragged me into the barn.[13]

[merrily]

33. Exactly. It's beeen used as a campaign strategy.

Hillary gets a question about something along the lines of whether she's changed her positions to sound more like Warren and her reply begins,"The Republicans..."

Politicians on both sides have invested a lot in "divide and conquer" and they want to reap the benefits. They want it to be that all a Democrat has to do is say "Republicans" and all Republicans have to do is say "Democrats" and their own respective side knee jerks.

[Scuba]

49. Bingo!

[Cheese Sandwich]

9. I'm not going to tiptoe around the issues just because the right wing are jerkfaces

We can draw clear distinctions between Bernie and Hillary on the issues and their public track records.

And not feel bad about it.

[smokey nj]

10. Amen!!!

[Enthusiast]

47. +1! And no shit!

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

11. Nope.

Must have been posted by someone I have on ignore as a waste of my time to read or reply to.

[L0oniX]

12. I'm trying to wash the repuke off of me.

I'm 103 and I have these 18 year old blue eyed blonde republican girls clamouring all over me telling me to turn against Hillary if I want to have them stay over night.

[Mnpaul]

13. The only problem with that

is that the criticism from the left deals with actual issues

I see few here jumping on the Clinton Cash nonsense or Benghazi

[MisterP]

23. well, her supporters say she's the biggest enemy around of Honduran coups, support for AQ in Libya

and Syria, the TPP, Big Pharma, fracking, and Wall Street

the danger isn't just that this is all false (they'll have a clubhouse to kick everyone out who says otherwise, but still) but that that brings criteria into the mix: we're supposed to like her because her opponent will lower wages, break Medicare, kiss up to the MIC, etc. (and therefore, the syllogism goes, she can't be for any of those things, because she's not the eventual GOP nominee); IOW it brings something other than "just clap and cheer forever" into the mix

[merrily]

39. When Schiefer criticized Syria, Hillary replied something like

Many in Congress on both sides see Bashir Assad as a reformer.

Typical slice and dice. The viewer is left with the impression that everyone thinks Assad is a prince, but Hillary has said nothing that she cannot explain her way out of, should it come back and try to bite her later.

TPP. Senator Sanders had something to say about Hillary and the TPP.

Sanders, a senator from Vermont, pointed out his role in "helping to lead" the fight against the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, known as TPP, and urged voters to "look at the record" -- a record that shows Clinton advocated for TPP during her time as Secretary of State.

"I have voted against every disastrous trade agreement coming down the pike and helping to lead the effort against this Trans-Pacific Partnership, which would mean the outsourcing of more good paying job to low-wage countries," Sanders said Wednesday on CNN's "New Day."

"People have got to look at Secretary Clinton's record," Sanders added.

(We're trying, Senator, we're trying!)

Wall Street? Wall Street had something to say about that.

Hillary Clinton’s Wall Street backers: We get it

Populist rhetoric, many say, is good politics — but doesn’t portend an assault on the rich.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/04/hillary-clintons-wall-street-backers-we-get-it-117017.html#ixzz3aSUKVEDR

Wall Street Not Remotely Worried About Hillary Clinton’s Rhetoric

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/04/hillary-clinton-wall-street-rhetoric

Fracking? Mother Jones had something to say about that.

How Hillary Clinton's State Department Sold Fracking to the World

http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2014/09/hillary-clinton-fracking-shale-state-department-chevron

(And environment is supposed to be one of the issues that she really champions most, women and children being the others)

What else ya got?

[Enthusiast]

46. It's pretty obvious ain't it?

[Jack Rabbit]

14. Absolutely not

I happen to agree with my views on Mrs. Clinton and I will continue to express them.

As my man said on CNN today, Mrs. Clinton should express herself on the TPP. Even if she comes down on the wrong side, although that would consistent, it's simply ridiculous to think she has no view.

[DJ13]

34. I happen to agree with my views on Mrs. Clinton

It would be odd if you didnt agree with yourself, wouldnt it?

[Hoppy]

16. I'll be good. No more bad comments about St. Hillary from me anymore.

[smokey nj]

21. This group is a safe haven for supporters of Bernie Sanders.

[Gman]

22. My apologies to the group. I should have noticed.

[treestar]

18. Where do you get all that from the article?

They weren't talking about what you talk about.

[smokey nj]

20. This group is a safe haven for supporters of Bernie Sanders.

[BrotherIvan]

19. I love it when neoliberals punch left and then scream "teabagger!"

It just wouldn't be a regular day without being repeatedly chastised.

[Enthusiast]

45. Heh heh. +1!

[aspirant]

24. If I understand this;

The RW forces the Left (the Dem base) to go after HRC, then the HRC supporters go after the Left as purist ponies and then the Left is so confused they forget Bernie is even running..

So now the Left is totally out of control, bombarded by both sides and has completely lost our identity. We have become the shivering, disoriented masses that will now submit to any blood oath demanded of us.

[merrily]

38. No, not as elegant as that. You're simply supposed to knee jerk mindlessly into shamed silence.

[Autumn]

25. I'm really fucking proud of myself. I have chosen to support the best damn Presidential

candidate of my lifetime, and I'm somewhere in my 60's

[Jackpine Radical]

26. I've been lost in the 60's twice.

The 1960's and my 60's. I survived both. (Now 70.)

[Autumn]

28. I like being lost

[Jackpine Radical]

30. So I'm now lost in the 70's.

I have a vague recollection of having done that before too.

[Autumn]

31. The 70's twice is a great thing . I'm hoping to relive the 90's

a few times.

[merrily]

37. How many times you gonna brag about being 70?

(kidding)

[Jackpine Radical]

59. It's not a brag. I just want people to cut me a little geezer-slack.

I'm getting a little feeble, I'm having these paranoid thoughts because I really don't understand what's going on around me any more. I keep thinking there's some sinister worldwide collusion to steal everyone's wealth and leave them choking in the hot dust of a barren, ruined planet.

That kinda thinking can't be sane, can it?

[merrily]

61. Shhh. They'll be bringing the Jello cart soon. I'll make sure you get a red one.

NO GEEZER SLACK FOR YOU! That would be ageist.

[L0oniX]

64. LMAO

Yer bad!

[merrily]

66. Jackpine brings out the the worst in me.

He's a socialist, you know.

[Paka]

42. I'm 74 and totally stoked to support Bernie.

I haven't been this excited since I poured my heart in to working for McGovern in '72.

[Enthusiast]

44. Far out!

McGovern was the first vote I cast.

[merrily]

55. Not LBJ?

[Enthusiast]

62. No. I wasn't old enough.

[Autumn]

56. I gotta say I wake up every day and log in to see what awesome thing Bernie

has said or done. Haven't felt this damn good since I was a DFH

[Paka]

57. I'm with you there.

Everyday it gets better. He is a real treasure.

[Jackpine Radical]

60. I have said exactly that same thing.

I feel precisely that.

The McGovern thing still hurts. He tried to play by gentleman's rules--against Nixon, of all people.

[onecaliberal]

27. I'm not ashamed. We haven't heard the 5th iteration positions she will take this time around.

I don't care what the third way thinks about my candidate. They feel threatened, I'm glad.

[L0oniX]

65. It can take a little time to learn how to play that multi-dimensional chess thingy.

[Punx]

40. I stopped

Listening to the "Right" a long time ago. Or for that matter following the MSM's...err...suggestions. Prefer to think for myself at this point in life, painful as that is at times. If that doesn't work for one candidate or another then so be it.

My opinion is that the "Right" would like as little daylight in policy between the two presidential candidates as possible. Then they can do the old character assignation, guns, gays (not a lot left there imho), abortion, fear based crap they normally do to get their base and the middle of the road voter distracted and voting against their interests, or not voting at all.

p.s. I know plenty of "Righties", they all talk about the preferred candidate's connections to Wall Street, fairly or unfairly. Don't think for a second this won't be used in the general election next year. Cogitative dissonance is a wonderful thing.

Remember Truman's comment:

"The people don't want a phony Democrat. If it's a choice between a genuine Republican, and a Republican in Democratic clothing, the people will choose the genuine article, every time; that is, they will take a Republican before they will a phony Democrat, and I don't want any phony Democratic candidates in this campaign."

A bit unfair of me but remember we are talking about the less informed than those here.

[Enthusiast]

43. I'm feeling just awful about myself.

[URL=.html][IMG][/IMG][/URL]

[Scuba]

50. Sure, 'cause those of us on the left are weak-minded and easily manipulated by KKKarl Rove.

Yeah, that's it.

Now get in line and support Hillary no matter how awful her policies.

[MannyGoldstein]

51. Once again, the BOG and HCG were way ahead of the curve

They've known for years that I'm a hard-Left Libertarian Firebagger Republican disruptor.

[L0oniX]

63. Well now that Obama and Mitch are pals the BOG is with the repukes. Right?

[geek tragedy]

54. I think policy critiques from the left are absolutely necessary.

But, the inflammatory, personal attacks are not helpful. Alleging personal corruption is not progressive, for example--but pointing out the corrupting influence of money in politics is. Bernie does a great job walking that line.

[sabrina 1]

58. I just assumed that it came from one of the phony 'progressive' organizations we have also read

about. Great article on the Astroturf groups calling themselves 'progressives for job creation' or some such deception.

So no, I am proud to be able to support a candidate who is honest, not controlled by Big Money and with a long record to prove it.

If all you can do to defend your candidate is to try to distract from the issues, my advice would be to find another candidate.

[Doctor_J]

67. actually the far right is trying to bait us into supporting an unrepentant corporatist

When will this be in the nyt?