Are GOP opertives paid to troll Left leaning blogs and message boards?

[Walt Starr]

I say yes they are. DU has many wonderful examples.

Can't wait to see Malkin parroting the right wing trolls who post crap to make DU and the left look bad...

:thumbsup:

:thumbsup:

[blm]

1. Damn straight.

.

[ima_sinnic]

2. oh that is so funny-- I just NOW

sent alerts on a couple of threads, noting that one esp. was of no redeeming social value except to expose the poster as a paid operative

[LeftNYC]

15. which threads were these? nt

[ima_sinnic]

27. one of them was a little way down in this one:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x48491

it has since been deleted, along with the rest of the idiot's swill.
It was just a long list of Democrats (copied from FR), with absolutely not even a HINT of a link for credibility, who have "received money from Abramoff." The responses are good for educating the uneducated.

I can't find the other one, which I REALLY objected to, it might have been deleted altogether by now--it was just a subject-line thread with no body (hey, aren't those not allowed now anyway here on DU?)--something like "I'm against Alito simply because he's Catholic" -- I am not making this up! whoever that is, he is WAY overpaid!! he just does NOT have the talent for persuasive message-board posting :D

It was just so glaringly a plant for someone like Mawdlin and O'Lielly to glom onto with glee.

[ixion]

3. Yup. Without a doubt.

[Caution]

4. I doubt they need to pay anyone

I'm quite sure there are hundreds of free republic types who have accounts here wh oas soon as they find a new talking point jump onto DU and pretend to be Democrats and say things that exactly match what the talking points say we are doing/saying.

[MnFats]

5. probably, but you have to toil for peanuts before they..

...actually give you a real fat ass Armstrong Williams-type big money job.
...fuggin' idiots.

[JAbuchan08]

6. Jusst out of curiosity how mant troll do you think have gotten

either over 1,000 posts or bought a donor star. I read some questionable things from posters with quite a few posts under their belts, but I'm not always sure if they are trolls or not. On the other hand if they can keep posting without revealing their biases, its probably about equal to banning them.

Your thoughts?

[Walt Starr]

11. This is just an opinion, mind you

Tons.

Watch consistent thread kickers over time. somebody who kicks multiple threads over a short period of time builds up post counts relatively quickly.

[JAbuchan08]

18. I'll keep that in mind

mostly though I don't "watch" anybody. I tend to conflate all DU users who reply to my posts into two people: the guy that agrees with me and the guy that doesn't. :P

[MissWaverly]

20. I would say there's a small amount

they troll here, post snarky comments to make us look bad which are then picked up
and commented on by Malkin, et al, they then leak information to RW sites that pay
cash in hand for hot tips on our postings, which are then lifted and posted over on their sites. I do believe this is totally cash driven.

[librechik]

7. Have you all seen this? I wonder if Dems have the same thing

anywhere

who needs to pay them? they're powered by bile.



http://www.gop.com/GetActive/CallTalkRadio.aspx

[leveymg]

8. They'll send in 10 DU boxtops and get that Decoder Ring.

20 will get them a Dick Tracy wrist radio. Amaze your friends.

[InsultComicDog]

9. Where can I get a gig like that?

I can do a good wingnut impersonation.

[sweetheart]

10. if they were serious, they would do it in packs

50 bloggers can hyjakk a board, and as many bloggers can make
a board so full of irrelevant chaffe, that those who are there
for more substantial reasons are undermined.

In that sense, many persons on DU write a lot of silly things if
all of our work is to be seen as potential fodder to make "the left look bad."
Bottom line, they can't hyjakk the truth, just spam the medium, so
just sift the chaffe and keep speaking truth to power.

[Tab]

12. With the exception of a few "intelligent" trolls

I can't imagine how anyone would pay the rest of them - some are so obvious it's a joke, and we usually catch most of them in a short amount of time.

I think there are enough wingnuts out there willing to do it for free, because "Democrats hate America" and they're more than happy to do their part to try to make our lives difficult.

That said, there are probably some who are active in their political parties and take it upon themselves to make things disruptive.

But for the most part, the nation as a whole is unaware of DU. They'd get more mileage overall out of paying fake reporters and preparing news shorts and financing Fox. I'd be surprised if any trolls were paid.

But hey, who knows for sure?

[troubleinwinter]

13. It's fact.

[Walt Starr]

16. I remember political message boards inundated with pro-Bush

posters who were definitely paid operatives.

Of course, that was long before the dynamics of DU.

[troubleinwinter]

28. They are not neccessarily posting pro bush

It is a whole shitload of trouble and cover. There ARE operatives. Not just on DU, but various other boards and sites. It's an ugly work. Those that are accused here of being 'freepers' are not the paid professional operatives for the most part... those are just followers of freepdom, thinking they are clever(!?).

[LeftNYC]

14. Man, imagine we got paid per post...Sweet! nt

[Lone_Star_Dem]

17. I'm not sure if they're paid or if it's Pro Bono...

A person can find plenty of time for such volunteer work when they live in their mother's basement after all. :P

[LSK]

19. and DLC and DCCC operatives? n/t

[Rex]

21. Yes

I believe the GOP support base is small (excluding the wacko fundies) and that they have to hire people in order to give the perception of a close-to-majority. Just look how many RW morans show up for political rallies as opposed to democratic rallies. Malkin is a perfect example of a paid GOP operative; she totally sucks as a journalist (worse than Gannon IMO), gets all kind of air-time and has NO redeeming qualities.

[benburch]

22. We know this for FACT.

Some of the people who attacked Andy Stephenson were funded by GOP operatives.

[SoFlaJet]

23. I have no doubt

especially those that spew the company line that dems have no cohesive message on whatever subject is in the headlines.Iraq-why are the dems not united and wishy washy?Saw one yesterday saying that Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi should be out as leaders,,crap like that,and don't get fooled by post counts my friends-they walk among us.

[shraby]

24. If you read Huffington Post, it's obvious

that there are some paid disruptors there.
They are incredibly stupid or paid.

[movonne]

25. YES!!!! after all they steal elections, why not paid opertives..radio,

writing letters to the papers,and I think even some of the pro war are paid to stand out against the anti war protesters..

[Walt Starr]

26. We know all about teh Astroturf campaigns

So instead of blogging, these assholes are "Plogging" (Blogging while being paid to offer up views of those who pay you).

[EarlG]

29. Locking

For the ten millionth time... if you think you see a troll please hit the alert link.