March 28, 2014

RW knows what appeals to their base and demoralizes ours. No wonder we've got a troll invasion.

I knew the bashing was sweet music to them. Why anyone doesn't believe it effects new voters and Democrats, and independents, is beyond me. I'm not sure how they can read the forum if they can't see that. Sadly predictable results.

March 28, 2014

Thanks for the OP and your words. And a warning from an effective activist:

These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.

~ Saul Alinsky

March 28, 2014

Rec'd. Don't see much in the other threads that show anyone gives a flying fuck about people...

These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.

~ Saul Alinsky

March 28, 2014

Certainly not coming here to talk *to* people, but rather talk *at* people. It wastes our time here.

As far as them making their own blog, an anti-Democratic one, they don't have the ability to do so. So they feed off DU like vampires. They will not stop coming here. The Admins have made a site that is the envy of others with its features. It will always draw those who have no interest in Democratic ideas or winning elections but use it to further other agendas.

The Admins cannot control those who come here and use DU as a public toilet, and if they banned these people they would take their page views with them. Possibly the hope is that these threads will breed resistance to this process, but that's not what's happening, nor has it been for a long time.

What we read here abuses the conscience and insults the intelligence of Democrats. IRL, Democrats who are making a difference do not fall for outrage, and they work with facts to change things. The outrage machine is a rightwing methodology that bypasses the thinking part of the brain, it goes to the gut, the technique of Fox News. But there is no objection to this allowed here anymore. There are no rules here on the level of discourse or of truth or facts, and that is not liberal or progressive and won't accomplish those goals.

These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.

~ Saul Alinsky

I've posted on sites before that did not permit an unlinked OP to stand, or assertions that could not be backed up. That is now the norm today at DU, except for news pieces and articles quoted.

Those sites did not permit OP posters to ignore facts posted on their threads rebutting them, or abuse those posting facts personally, while never offering facts to argue with them. This goes on daily here, where facts are ignored and never answered by OP writers, or they or others abuse those who post facts to prove their side of a discussion. And those sites did not allow posters to dump a thread and never come back to answer anyone. It is one thing to do such when posting something that is not one's personal opinion, but a news story. Those who ignored their responsiblity to have a fair discussion were banned.

DU has become the equivalent of the last call at a honky tonk, with language and jumping to conclusions very much like Rush, and extremely hostile to Democrats, period. This place is destructive to those looking for information they can use to win elections and to bring about progressive change.

I don't think the Admins have a solution to this, although it is against the mission statement of DU. Since the TOS is not going to be enforced, perhaps it should be eliminated. It has only caused people who post here expecting DU to support Democrats and allow free discussion of how to achieve the goals of the Democratic Party platform disappointment.

March 28, 2014

Thanks. Julian and Ed? What about Alex? You know, the Patriot on KLBJ there:

March 27, 2014

They come in as Concern Trolls, as if they care about our deepest issues, as cited plus my views:

A concern troll is a false flag pseudonym created by a user whose actual point of view is opposed to the one that the user claims to hold. The concern troll posts in Web forums devoted to its declared point of view and attempts to sway the group's actions or opinions while claiming to share their goals, but with professed "concerns". The goal is to sow fear, uncertainty and doubt within the group.[37]

That is F.U.D., meaning 'fear, uncertainty and doubt.' It is the majority of posts at DU on any given day, on any subject that one might name. From hysteria to condemnation, it is always designed to depress the voting pool that comes to DU for information but end up feeling hopeless or betrayed. Often with fact free posting styles.

A lot of bombastic and profane posts cannot help but get a reader's attention and build up an emotional response. I look for a the lack of solutions in such posts, because those would require being educated in civics and practical matters of winning elections. The all or nothing, name calling and other methods are used to stifle people talking about issues that will change their lives.

It wastes the time and energy of those with real life problems looking for solutions. Some trolls also use JAQing, or the 'Just Asking Questions' method (despite the other meaning for the term, and it's sometimes referred to as JAQing off), that everyone either knows or can quickly google to find the answers or solutions.

If called on their alleged naivete, they call the target audience the questioner is being intolerant and making the group look bad. I used to respond to such JAQ with facts but they don't answer, just move to the next thread to disrupt. So I no longer answer them. Because they aren't looking for answers or solutions and if they do respond they're even more disruptive, roundly abuse the person giving them facts.

They want reaction and exhaustion. This process benefits only the 1%ers who want our time wasted so they can continue the status quo. Just like media that fails to cover stories that give people information to change things in their life.

That's how I've come to see such kind of discourse used here, idisruption to maintain the status quo and not allow people to freely discuss how to change things. Any thread that seeks solutions within the Democratic candidate or elected official realm from the membership is either not responded to, or gets a hail of comments dismissive of the Democrats in general, snark posts or nihilism.

A direct GOP use of Concern Trolling:

An example of this occurred in 2006 when Tad Furtado, a staffer for then-Congressman Charles Bass (R-NH), was caught posing as a "concerned" supporter of Bass' opponent, Democrat Paul Hodes, on several liberal New Hampshire blogs, using the pseudonyms "IndieNH" or "IndyNH". "IndyNH" expressed concern that Democrats might just be wasting their time or money on Hodes, because Bass was unbeatable.[38][39] Hodes eventually won the election.

How many posts like that have we been treated to on DU? Who is constantly saying that all our candidates suck, can never say that they have ever done one single thing right, and are most vehement in their hatred of them? And more importantly, degrade the height of our electoral success, our leaders in Washington?

These are not off the cuff. And I know no real life Democrats who value outrage over facts and getting the job done.

Although the term "concern troll" originated in discussions of online behavior, it now sees increasing use to describe similar behaviors that take place offline. For example, James Wolcott of Vanity Fair accused a conservative New York Daily News columnist of "concern troll" behavior in his efforts to downplay the Mark Foley scandal. Wolcott links what he calls concern trolls to what Saul Alinsky calls "Do-Nothings", giving a long quote from Alinsky on the Do-Nothings' method and effects:

These Do-Nothings profess a commitment to social change for ideals of justice, equality, and opportunity, and then abstain from and discourage all effective action for change. They are known by their brand, 'I agree with your ends but not your means'.[40]

They never present any real life means for change, do they?

The Hill published an op-ed piece by Markos Moulitsas of the liberal blog Daily Kos titled "Dems: Ignore 'Concern Trolls'".

The concern trolls in question were not Internet participants; they were Republicans offering public advice and warnings to the Democrats.

The author defines "concern trolling" as "offering a poisoned apple in the form of advice to political opponents that, if taken, would harm the recipient".[41]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_%28Internet%29#Concern_troll

Impeach Obama, anyone? Fire Eric Holder? All based on biased news media reports we know are funded by right wing billionaires with a great interest in stopping our agenda? Use conspiracy and libertarian hate memes, which always defame Democrats? Refuse to support anyone but a 'pure' candidate they know there are no means to get elected, but who support other Democrats? Those details are brushed aside.

If no one hears a bell ringing, was any impact made, were any molecules shifted, was there any movement?

That's what it's intended to do. Not likely that anyone will hear any bells ringing above a calliope of dog whistles...

March 27, 2014

It'll be too late by then. And supporting Democrats on DU will never happen again.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110215862

Because the dripping disdain and contempt will have done its job and those who may have wanted 'more Democrats elected to public office' will be too ashamed by the constant derision to speak out or vote.

All of this disregards the GOP and others doing massive damage in every venue, taking away the rights of people and openly promoting oppressing the poor and minorities, and doing their best to shut people out of elections.

But the knife in the hand of a 'friend' cuts deepest to leave a wound that will never heal.

The resulting apathy is what fascists count upon to increase their power, normalize their rule and implement economic stratification which benefits the 1% while the only instrument the people had to resist, the government organized by the people, is left fo wither on the vine as people are too cynical to do their part to keep it alive. And some wonder why they have no say anymore, as when they had a chance, they didn't exercise their say with words of support or encouraging others to resist the real agents of repression.

And because they didn't really believe in democracy, or the people, they believed the words of the corporatists who own the media or saw they were powerful, and refused to take their own power at the voting booth. It's not a matter of attacking people only, but the ideas they work to bring to fruition, and there are always the one who pile on because they see it's popular, and discard the ideas they claim so vigorously to support.

Many see the power wielded by the neo-cons, and have not realized it was against our ideas and our candidates that they were fighting. War always transforms the nation waging it so that it is impossible to go back to the world as it was before, even though Obama has tried. We are ceding the ground to them here by going after Democrats, as planned by the purveyors of opinion.

Their attempts to overthrow the engine of our rights is not an outrage here, but any word or deed is used to attack the government and all members of change, shows support for the status quo benefitting the powerful, even though it's on the subconscious level.

And people want to get along, so the more they hear disdain and contempt, even without facts or logic or substance, just emotional appeal, they know that's the way to survive in the world or an online forum, and they repeat what they read.

Basic psychological training. It's been working for the status quo for over 40 years.

March 27, 2014

Classic GOP technique since the CREEP - campaign to re-elect the president - Nixon. They have never

stopped using the technique and we see it applied here at DU every single day. Are the ones posting GOP or simply deluded into thinking they are accomplishing anything but depressing the vote every day?

There is no way of telling, but opinions are not formed the week before elections. The sour taste in the mouth from seeing all the contempt and memes used to discourage voters throughout the year is very, very effective.

I'd hate to think that so many claim to be Democrats are really so gullible and as badly informed as Teabaggers. Yet that's how much of it looks.

Here is a thread about that technique if you have not seen it and the history of its success. There is big money behind in many venues. I hope you will give it a read:

The term 'Ratfucking' and how it applies to Obama and Democrats



Don Segretti 4.0, A Teabagger Nation

http://www.democraticunderground.com/110215862

March 27, 2014

Yes, those names and a lot more! Beware, we's acoming for ya! Muahaha!

P. S. It was either Barack or Michelle who said going through the many traditional ceremonies they are asked to do at the White House was a bit surreal. Like living in Disneyland, I think was the term used.

Obama looks like he's thinking in the first photo with the Easter Bunny I posed, 'Why as the President of the United States, am I required to pose with a Harvey the Pookah size Bunny Rabbit at Easter?'

Well, it turns out that Bunny has a lot more power than anyone would have ever thought:

http://cherokeetribune.com/view/full_story/6935548/article-A-history-of-the-White-House-Easter-Egg-Roll?instance=secondary_story_left_column

One more of Barack and the Bunny:

US President Singing the National Anthem with the Easter Bunny of the Day




http://www.dailyedge.ie/us-president-singing-the-national-anthem-with-the-easter-bunny-of-the-day-412377-Apr2012/

Warning! Bush pics follow:

Bush standing next to Boss Bunny.



And again:



Okay, was he really in charge?

This guy at the Daily Mail said:

By George, how we'll miss him

Perhaps Umbrellaigate was the GOP and their media's way to get revenge for this event?


Windblown in 2004: I should've got me a nuckular umbrella

Unbelievable gallery here:


Mission accomplished: I've won the war on terriers

Is that him giving America the kiss off as he left the White House? The captions are hilarious I don't think anyone but media is missing the Shrub, but these are good pics:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1082805/By-George-miss-him.html

March 27, 2014

Obamabot reporting for duty! Been called one since 2008 online. (Warning: Obama pictures!)

Been called one since 2008 online. It was better than the other names I earned, like godless, pinko, commie, tree hugger, lie-beral, demon-rat, man hater, pervert, baby killer, and one closest to Obamabot, an n-lover.

Really, it's the same thing no matter where you go, at least I thought it'd be better here on DU2. Now I'm an cheerleader, worshipper, mindless sheeple, authoritarian swooner, fascist, fanboy and a few other things by now. For I am legion, and I contain multitudes. Und now, I vill punish you with pictures:











And last, but not least :