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This was a coordinated hit job. (Original Post) MelissaB Nov 2017 OP
K and r. cwydro Nov 2017 #1
+1000 !! n/t jaysunb Nov 2017 #8
I definitely did not take the bait. FarPoint Nov 2017 #27
yep.... dhill926 Nov 2017 #2
K&R 2naSalit Nov 2017 #3
Very likely Progressive dog Nov 2017 #4
Excellent time line. Makes crystal clear coordinated. Purely a hit job. Not "coming forward". nt Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2017 #5
And what about those people who take the bait? flamingdem Nov 2017 #6
If it's a Dem voter and they bite..... wolfie001 Nov 2017 #9
No doubt we have several Russian trolls that are active here BannonsLiver Nov 2017 #13
My question always winds up being the same thing. WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS? calimary Nov 2017 #15
Because we don't hate the other side like they hate us. Volaris Nov 2017 #36
Agree. FuzzyRabbit Nov 2017 #37
Bill Maher and I have been saying this over and over! BigmanPigman Nov 2017 #45
I agree. Tired of being a nice guy and losing. Pepsidog Nov 2017 #50
I agree! LiberalLovinLug Nov 2017 #71
I don't think we need the same thing on our side. kcr Nov 2017 #42
We don't even bring knives to gunfights; we bring plastic party sporks The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2017 #51
wrong approach. the only reason r-cons are competitive is liberals ignore talk radio certainot Nov 2017 #70
it keeps happening because it works. it works because limbaugh and talk radio give it weight certainot Nov 2017 #69
Savransky could not write article in 17 minutes; nor Nolte in 35. TheHill couldn't approve in 17 min Bernardo de La Paz Nov 2017 #7
That's right! People need to see and know this. MelissaB Nov 2017 #10
They have a slick, sophisticated machine. Denzil_DC Nov 2017 #11
Disagree...it's more like the Katzenjammer Kids or Keystone Cops pecosbob Nov 2017 #17
Well yes. They have in the past tended to get too cocky and fall over themselves. Denzil_DC Nov 2017 #19
I wonder if there will be some investigation by the media to try and prove this. lancelyons Nov 2017 #12
The so called "Ethics Committee" should have all of this info but most BigmanPigman Nov 2017 #46
I thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning. GoCubsGo Nov 2017 #14
underhanded republican sleazeballs dumping on Achilleaze Nov 2017 #16
Richard Painter, again octoberlib Nov 2017 #18
I think we have to watch the Alabama vote counting CAREFULLY! lastlib Nov 2017 #24
In Alabama, you have to watch for election results being reversed after the winner goes to sleep. L. Coyote Nov 2017 #28
Shit. We're screwed. Again. lastlib Nov 2017 #35
yep...the details are included in my following op questionseverything Nov 2017 #65
Wake up America. oasis Nov 2017 #25
A sane Republican. MelissaB Nov 2017 #29
Exactly on point Ferrets are Cool Nov 2017 #33
Did you see his later one? Denzil_DC Nov 2017 #39
The readerly news. Good job. McCamy Taylor Nov 2017 #20
K and R for the Franken trolls. Kingofalldems Nov 2017 #21
a hit job that's getting lots of help from DUs RW HIT SQUAD tenderfoot Nov 2017 #22
Again and again. Kingofalldems Nov 2017 #23
Total smack job. From day 1 K&R Guilded Lilly Nov 2017 #26
J&E Nitram Nov 2017 #30
Bots were pushing second accusation hard riverwalker Nov 2017 #31
Wonder where they get all the faces to use? TrollBuster9090 Nov 2017 #41
Does the name of Lee Atwater ring a bell? Butterflylady Nov 2017 #32
Stone worked for Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972. The Velveteen Ocelot Nov 2017 #52
How Quickly Too Many Dems Forget About the Russian Bots dlk Nov 2017 #34
K&R fleabiscuit Nov 2017 #38
I love the timeline. Moldavia is 7 hours ahead of Washington. TrollBuster9090 Nov 2017 #40
They are probably making twice or 3 times the the average income elmac Nov 2017 #48
Links don't work for me. No idea what's going on. Help? trof Nov 2017 #43
Bots all tweeted riverwalker Nov 2017 #49
The Russian trolls and comrads who push these bots are nothing but cowards.... Kleveland Nov 2017 #44
No doubt a smear campaign. nocalflea Nov 2017 #47
Thank you! I feel vindicated ProudLib72 Nov 2017 #53
Its so obvious this was planned - those rethugs are so devious and frickin liars. kimbutgar Nov 2017 #54
I admit to being disgusted with Al at first but Hannity changed all that. Hannity brewens Nov 2017 #55
Yes, yes it is Hekate Nov 2017 #56
They cannot win w/o and stealing. Dark n Stormy Knight Nov 2017 #57
This is the point that keeps getting missed, from day one. kcr Nov 2017 #58
I knew I smelled MFM008 Nov 2017 #59
Putin putting it on, via Trump. C Moon Nov 2017 #60
This is the testing stage orangecrush Nov 2017 #61
K&R treestar Nov 2017 #62
Thanks. When there's no map of the designs on breaking news, we have to remember... ancianita Nov 2017 #63
Why did they make it so obvious? Turbineguy Nov 2017 #64
Very sad AND outraged K and R. n/t BlancheSplanchnik Nov 2017 #66
k and r--that was certainly my first thought. all the more so when I saw where leeann works. niyad Nov 2017 #67
they are going after franken...hot and heavy. spanone Nov 2017 #68

FarPoint

(12,209 posts)
27. I definitely did not take the bait.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:29 PM
Nov 2017

Sure got some DU flack for calling this a Trial by Media etc.....

flamingdem

(39,304 posts)
6. And what about those people who take the bait?
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:35 PM
Nov 2017

Who are they? Why do they? How can they be "taught" not to or at least called to task?

This can't keep happening.

wolfie001

(2,131 posts)
9. If it's a Dem voter and they bite.....
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:51 PM
Nov 2017

.....We True Blue Dems call them spineless and to please grow one!

BannonsLiver

(16,162 posts)
13. No doubt we have several Russian trolls that are active here
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:56 PM
Nov 2017

But I think a lot of the “Franken must resign” crowd are just good old fashioned moralists who are hopelessly naive.

calimary

(80,700 posts)
15. My question always winds up being the same thing. WHY DON'T WE HAVE THIS?
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:03 PM
Nov 2017

WHY doesn't OUR side have our own dirty tricksters?

Why can't WE fight fire with fire? Why can't WE go on offense like this? Why can't WE fight dirty like they do? Taste of their own medicine. See how they like it.

Why can't WE have our own "Dark Arts" division?

Or do we just like being patsies and sitting ducks like this?

Volaris

(10,260 posts)
36. Because we don't hate the other side like they hate us.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:00 PM
Nov 2017

We want them stopped, they want us KILLED.

It's why, had Grant surrendered to Lee instead of the other way round, Davis would have had Lincoln hanged.

A lot of it has to do with we don't see ourselves as cornered Rats, and that's the only way they can perceive themselves.

BigmanPigman

(51,432 posts)
45. Bill Maher and I have been saying this over and over!
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:55 PM
Nov 2017

We take the fucking "high" road and get screwed every time! Playing dirty works and we need to take a few pages from the GOP playbook...It has worked for over 30 years so it has been long enough to turn the other cheek. Obama tried to work with them for 8 long years and they walked all over us. Boehner, Gingrich, McConnell never wanted to work with us, only against us so FUCK THEM. Let's play ball!

Pepsidog

(6,252 posts)
50. I agree. Tired of being a nice guy and losing.
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 12:08 AM
Nov 2017

By taking the high road our republic has been tarnished and diminished in so many ways. It’s time to play by their rules. How about a bot attack of our own against Trump properties and products. Hit him in the only place he will hurt, his wallet and businesses. While we take the high road our country is going to shit. It’s time to take the gloves off and get into a good old fashioned fist fight with the GOP!

LiberalLovinLug

(14,154 posts)
71. I agree!
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 05:01 PM
Nov 2017

No more Mister Nice Guy,
No more Mister Clean,
No more Mister Nice Guy,
He's (Trump's) sick, he's obscene.

kcr

(15,300 posts)
42. I don't think we need the same thing on our side.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:26 PM
Nov 2017

We just need less naivete. I do believe some of it is trolling, but knowing the history of some of those believing Franken is guilty, I believe some are just naive. They either don't understand how bad the other side is, and can't conceive of such hit jobs, or they're just blatantly ignorant of them. I share many of their principles, so I get where they're coming from, but I'm not blinded to the right-wing hit machine.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
51. We don't even bring knives to gunfights; we bring plastic party sporks
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 12:12 AM
Nov 2017

which we hand over as soon as they start acting mean.

It's way past time for that to stop.

 

certainot

(9,090 posts)
70. wrong approach. the only reason r-cons are competitive is liberals ignore talk radio
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 04:31 PM
Nov 2017

notice limbaugh's inclusion - it's the only medium with no free easy alternatives - it's a 95% monopoly with a near captive audience.

here are a few things people can do:

to start, dems and media and political scientists need to be encouraged to poll trump support for talk radio. too much analysis ignores the fact that this is actually the talk radio president and most of putin’s trolling piggybacked it. i’ll bet it shows the closest association outside of ‘white’, and that will help establish it as a major factor.

monitor it —  should be easier now to automate recording and transcribing the main rw talkers so people can search and study the patterns and repetition. if all of a sudden there’s a spike in, say the word ‘iran’ or ‘mueller’ or ‘deep state’, etc, it probably means something. knowing about it before  it becomes reality means not always having to play catch up

credit it —  trump needs a RUSH tattoo on his forehead, as do all republican pols and media hacks. they all ride the talk radio bandwagon and feed from the daily smorgasbord of talking points and excuses. dems in media could accurately preface answers to republican media hacks and politicians with “that’s what limbaugh says but...”

investigate it —  how long has putin been using it? did they find a way to feed limbaugh and coordinate with him and others? are any of them being paid  freelance money? exposing the talk radio gods as tools, especially russian tools, would help. Trump guy Sam Nunberg analyzed 1000s of hrs of RW radio & reported to Trump in 2014. to coordinate with Russian ops?

‘thank’ all local businesses that advertise on RW radio stations —  thank them for trump, trumpcare, global warming, privatization of public education, voter suppression, deregulation, tax breaks for billionaires, etc. it’s easy and fun to listen to a few minutes here and there and get a few  email addresses for thank-you notes that can get to the boss/owners.

protest it —   include the radio stations in any progressive protests —  they may  be better places to protest than capitols —  politicians and media will notice.

and to combine a few of those, push the 88 universities that endorse 257 limbaugh stations to stop crapping on their mission statements and start  looking for apolitical alternatives to broadcast sports on —  maybe their political science faculties and students can start studying the most dominant political factor in the US the last 30 years. people need to wonder why the unis should drop rw radio. it will start a discussion, gop will freak out, media will notice, and advertisers will flee.Why these 88 universities are good places to protest global warming, Trump, everything…

 

certainot

(9,090 posts)
69. it keeps happening because it works. it works because limbaugh and talk radio give it weight
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 04:25 PM
Nov 2017

notice limbaugh's involvement. talk radio is key to giving this crap buzz. everyone says the trump base is old - many are and many don't use social media - they listen to talk radio and those they trust who listen to racist liars on talk radio and 1500 radio stations and the buzz they create have been instrumental for the russian bot work that stuck. that's why trump studied talk radio in 2014, according to sam nunberg.

talk radio is the most important part of the r-con/russian media work and democratic and progressive groups are fucking negligent for ignoring it and wasting our donations for 30 years.

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
11. They have a slick, sophisticated machine.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:55 PM
Nov 2017

In this case, too slick - you can see the workings, and as pointed out above, the timings of the articles show this was a prepared push.

pecosbob

(7,511 posts)
17. Disagree...it's more like the Katzenjammer Kids or Keystone Cops
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:05 PM
Nov 2017

That doesn't mean it's not effective...people can be pretty stupid. The southern strategy proves this.

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
19. Well yes. They have in the past tended to get too cocky and fall over themselves.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:11 PM
Nov 2017

Let's hope.

Interesting times, huh?

Welcome to DU, BTW, and Happy Thanksgiving.

 

lancelyons

(988 posts)
12. I wonder if there will be some investigation by the media to try and prove this.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:56 PM
Nov 2017

I wonder if there will be some investigation by the media to try and prove this. I do believe he is being setup.

How she can show the picture as proof of groping while she is on film groping somebody herself almost like it was part of the act.

Roger Stone knowing early is the proof it was already in the process and known by a group of individuals.

BigmanPigman

(51,432 posts)
46. The so called "Ethics Committee" should have all of this info but most
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:58 PM
Nov 2017

likely will not share it with the public. This is why Franken wanted an investigation...to clear his name and show the BS set up. If the Dems do not go with it the we should give them Hell and hit the phones (202)224-3121.

GoCubsGo

(32,061 posts)
14. I thought it was pretty obvious from the beginning.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 05:57 PM
Nov 2017

If Roger Stone and Infowars are involved, I don't see how anyone could think otherwise.

lastlib

(22,981 posts)
24. I think we have to watch the Alabama vote counting CAREFULLY!
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:17 PM
Nov 2017

with all this sh1t happening, I smell a fix....... Anybody else?

Do we have any forces in AL that can stand guard on this?

L. Coyote

(51,129 posts)
28. In Alabama, you have to watch for election results being reversed after the winner goes to sleep.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:30 PM
Nov 2017

Just ask Don Seigelman.

Denzil_DC

(7,188 posts)
39. Did you see his later one?
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:20 PM
Nov 2017



Richard W. Painter @RWPUSA

The polling data is in. By huge margins bots on Twitter and Facebook are demanding that Al Franken resign.

Butterflylady

(3,523 posts)
32. Does the name of Lee Atwater ring a bell?
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 06:40 PM
Nov 2017

Well if it doesn't google the name and you will know that this is definitely a hit job. Mr. Atwater was a senior partner in the political consulting firm of Black, Manafort, Stone, and Kelly. Atwater was king of dirty tricks and I'm sure Stone learned a lot from him.

The Velveteen Ocelot

(115,280 posts)
52. Stone worked for Nixon's re-election campaign in 1972.
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 12:19 AM
Nov 2017

He's been a ratfucker even before he worked for Atwater.

TrollBuster9090

(5,953 posts)
40. I love the timeline. Moldavia is 7 hours ahead of Washington.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:21 PM
Nov 2017

So, the teenage Moldavian trolls start work at 4pm, as soon as they get out of school.

 

elmac

(4,642 posts)
48. They are probably making twice or 3 times the the average income
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 08:06 PM
Nov 2017

which is about $20 a day there. Cyber jobs are a way out of poverty for a lot of Russian youth. The seedy side of the job doesn't matter as long as they have money for Iphones and the latest wears. Its probably a prestige thing also.

riverwalker

(8,694 posts)
49. Bots all tweeted
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 11:54 PM
Nov 2017

Same Franken story worded identical with identical hashtags all from fake “MDs” from Ukraine, and other foreign accounts. About 10 maybe more.

Kleveland

(1,257 posts)
44. The Russian trolls and comrads who push these bots are nothing but cowards....
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 07:35 PM
Nov 2017

Too intellectually vapid to deal with the real physical world, so they have to hide behind a computer screen.

Dishonest Vodka soaked Putin sucking cowards.



nocalflea

(1,387 posts)
47. No doubt a smear campaign.
Thu Nov 23, 2017, 08:04 PM
Nov 2017

No doubt, other dem commitee members dealing with Trump/Russia issues took due note of this the second it came out.

ProudLib72

(17,984 posts)
53. Thank you! I feel vindicated
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 12:21 AM
Nov 2017

All the nay sayers who didn't see the resemblance between this and HRC, Pelosi, Obama smear campaigns need to figure this shit out!

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10029877908

brewens

(13,400 posts)
55. I admit to being disgusted with Al at first but Hannity changed all that. Hannity
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 01:38 AM
Nov 2017

made Tweeden's shit stink all by himself, then it got worse. I'd already predicted we'd see "O'Queef" or another of Gannon's minions ginning up phony accusations.

Now if a legit accuser is not believed, I say go complain to Gannon or Stone.

Franken's statements have been understandable. Why not diffuse things best he can until the truth comes out? Plus he did have a pic out there that regardless of the circumstances, as a Senator, he would rather it not be seen.

Dark n Stormy Knight

(9,760 posts)
57. They cannot win w/o and stealing.
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 02:55 AM
Nov 2017

And this could well be the most corrupt lying, cheating, stealing admin in American history. Definitely the most classless.

kcr

(15,300 posts)
58. This is the point that keeps getting missed, from day one.
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 03:19 AM
Nov 2017

The second I found out Roger Stone was involved, I knew it was a smear job. It should have been obvious to everyone. This is the key point, right here:

"Who does she reach out to though? Under normal circumstances, the needle in the haystack nature of this KABC-AM article would all but ensure the story barely sees the light of day. But when you have the muscle of the Alt-Right Propaganda Machine behind you, a pizza parlor without a basement easily becomes an underground child trafficking hub. And clearly, Leeann Tweeden had that muscle on deck."

But they knew they could exploit #MeToo as their sickening sarcastic tweets clearly show. This outrages me and makes me feel hopeless and helpless that so many easily fell for it.

C Moon

(12,188 posts)
60. Putin putting it on, via Trump.
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 05:00 AM
Nov 2017

It couldn't have been made it any more obvious:
Trump gets back from meeting with Trump, and these new attacks on the Dems start.

orangecrush

(19,237 posts)
61. This is the testing stage
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 09:24 AM
Nov 2017

and unfortunately it is working beautifully.

Unless we stop responding to it when it pushes the buttons, it will become impossible to distinguish truth from lies in this country.

Turbineguy

(37,212 posts)
64. Why did they make it so obvious?
Fri Nov 24, 2017, 12:15 PM
Nov 2017

They want people to know they can ratfuck Democrats whenever and wherever they want.

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