Jane Hamsher tries to "out" anonymous blogger critic

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

And she recklessly threatens to tattle on his/her employer for blogging at work. It's all on twitter.

What DC job pays you while you spend entire day attacking critics of PhRMA bill & promoting President on DKos/twitter @Mmonides? Who r u?

http://twitter.com/janehamsher/status/5460390765

Outing anonymous bloggers is a big no-no, and Jane Hamsher should be shunned and shamed for such irresponsible activity.

[librechik]

1. When she actually does it instead of talking about it, you can diss her

until then you are my favorite troll-like creature with a real cute name! (:puke:)

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

2. You think threatening to out a critic is OK?

[dmr]

3. I don't see a threat, I see a question.

Where's the threat?

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

5. Read the rest of her tweets

[librechik]

4. Maybe it's Cheney--in which case I say OK!

time to play hardball like the other team, isn't it? After all, if he's sincere about his beliefs, why would he stay anonymous? Jane uses her real name...

[sabrina 1]

6. Where is the threat?

This OP is very mis-leading, if that quote is what it is based on. She asked a question. If this is it, I think you need to change your title as it is not correct.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

7. Read the rest of her tweets

like this one, for example:

Stuff like that in DC not so easy to hide if a journalist starts asking @NicoleBelle. @Mmonides friends r known political operatives.

http://twitter.com/janehamsher/status/5460954197

She's threatening to get him outed. It's very very clear.

[sabrina 1]

14. If they are political operatives and are being paid, then

as far as I know, they are supposed to reveal that.

That quote is stating a fact. I still do not see proof of your claim in the OP. If this anonymous person is attracting enough attention to their cause, then it is possible that a journalist might want to know if they are working for say, the Insurance Industry. Almost all political blogs now, require people to reveal who they working for if they are. Most people want to know that the people they are talking to are not paid operatives.

In fact, Daily Kos made quite a big deal recently over two of Jane Hamsher's bloggers not revealing who was paying them, even though they actually had. So, a political operative posing as an ordinary citizen, would be against the rules of that blog.

So, if this person is simply posing as 'citizen' just like the teabaggers' were doing and they are not, then she has every right to get an answer to her question.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

16. So

anyone who blogs needs to reveal who they are to prove that they are not a paid operative? Is that what you are saying? If so, you are advocating getting rid of anonymous blogging altogether.

[girl gone mad]

If you're a paid operative lobbying on behalf of industry, you need to reveal that information.

If you're unaffiliated, it isn't necessary.

It's just like all of those groups working for the health industry that bus people to supposedly grassroots teabagger rallies. Rachel Maddow rightly outed them on her show.

Are you new to the internet or something? No blogger should ever expect total anonymity. Those who use anonymity as a means to hide financial motives deserve no special protection.

[earth mom]

27. There are a lot of paid operatives here on DU no doubt-I'd love to see them outed. nt

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

28. Yes but

to do that, you'd have to out everyone.

[sabrina 1]

29. You posted an OP making claims that turned out not to

true. From what you have posted so far, Jane Hamsher seems to believe that this person is a political operative. You have given no information as to why she may believe that. However, what you have posted shows so far, that she has directly asked this person a question. You do not say whether the person has answered the question or not.

If the answer is 'no', then presumably they have said so.

She is a smart woman. I doubt she would make that accusation without some foundation for it. No doubt if the person states clearly that they are just an ordinary citizen, people will have to make their own decisions as to what they believe.

I did not see from anything you have posted where Jane Hamsher is threatening to out this person. If they are not an operative, they have nothing to worry about, as far as I can see.

They do not have to identify themselves, all they have to do is say 'yes' or 'no' to the question she asked, and if the answer is 'yes' then state who is paying them.

So, no, I did not advocate the end of anonymous blogging. Just the end of political operatives using that to hide their motives. If anonymous blogging ends, it will be because of these deceptive practices. This has happened far too many times in the past not to believe it is a possiblity.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

30. She threatens

to sic her journalist friends on him to ferret out his identity:

Stuff like that in DC not so easy to hide if a journalist starts asking @NicoleBelle. @Mmonides friends r known political operatives.

http://twitter.com/janehamsher/status/5460954197

Definitely threatening and stalkish behavior.

[MattBaggins]

34. Absolutely

You do not have a right to anonymity. You can certainly try to remain unkown but if people discover who you are they have right to make that info public.

[roguevalley]

23. Jane is a hero. Find another place to crap on. As for outing a

dickhead, good for her.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

25. "dickhead"

is in the eye of the beholder. Would you like to be outed because some A-List blogger concluded you were a "dickhead"?

[roguevalley]

36. if I was, it would be the way of the world. that is the game when you

play at such high stakes.

[Mist]

8. Congratulations! The OP won my first "unrecommend"! nt

[Missy Vixen]

9. Wow, you sure have a hate-on for Jane Hamsher, don't you?

Weren't you behind the attacks on her the other day as well?

Jane has just as much a right to ask questions as the "anonymous blogger critic" has to make allegations.

[seabeyond]

35. .

[Bitwit1234]

10. I might be different but this person deserves to be outed

It is too bad that they use their time at work to try to prevent people in this country from getting health care. Maybe they could be fired and have to look for work AND HEALTH CARE them self. Wouldn't that be poetic justice. I say tell their name. Let them explain it to their boss.

It is about damn time that we started to fight back. A small minority is making the country think they are the ones in charge. And the darn democrats sit back and do nothing.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

12. You have no idea who the person

he/she may have no job and no health care, for all you know. All you know about her is what is based on Hamsher's unsourced ad hominem attacks.

[Hello_Kitty]

33. Gee, I guess that means they haven't been outed yet.

Which means that you're babbling about nothing right now.

[Engineer4Obama]

11. Damn thats the third time this week!

Hamsher is in a personal war with any Kos blogger who dares to challenge her opinion. She called droogie a McCarthyest and MahuikiOverdrive a "paid shill". The ironic part about the latter is that Jane herself pays people to blog at kos.

[Howardx]

17. bingo!

you are correct sir!

[Hello_Kitty]

13. My ass it's a no-no. You post stuff on the internet you're fair game. eom

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

15. "Fair Game"?

Who are you, Karl Rove?

[Hello_Kitty]

22. Oh spare me the drama. We're not talking about a deep undercover CIA agent.

If you're worried about being "outed" for posting shit on the internet, don't post shit on the internet. And if you're he kind of dumbass who trolls blogs from your JOB you deserve to lose it.

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

24. Wow

That's a pretty extreme position. You basically don't believe in anonymous blogging at all. You're on the side of that odious Alaska legislator who outed the Mudflaps blogger for criticizing Sarah Palin.

[Hello_Kitty]

32. You simply don't get it. It's not about being on anyone's side.

The fact is that when you put stuff on the internet, people have ways of tracing it to you.

[Engineer4Obama]

26. So by that logic if someone was employed by the federal government

lets say during the Bush administration. And went on to criticize the administration using an anonymous web handle. A freeper should be able to out that person possibly costing them their job?

[Hello_Kitty]

31. A freeper WOULD out that person.

Which is why it's breathtakingly stupid to troll from your work computer.

[FLAprogressive]

18. The anti-Jane DLC crowd is sure fired up!

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

19. I hate the DLC and hate Jane Hamsher's FDL blogging

Not everyone who criticizes Jane Hamsher is a corporate DLC shill.

[FLAprogressive]

20. and why do you hate her?

[Cheney Killed Bambi]

21. For her irresponsible and fact free attacks

on very progressive congresspeople who refused to sign her P.O. petition. Many of those Congresspeople favored single-payer, and were on record as opposed to any bill that lacked a P.O., but she accused them of being on Pharma's payroll because they refused to sign her personal FDL petition. She made it all about her, instead of about good health care reform.

[TheWraith]

37. Kicked and recommended. Hamsher is on a massive ego trip.

She needs a reality check.

[philly_bob]

38. REC Not sure what to think of Hamsher. Harsh critics/passionate defenders.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Hamsher

[philly_bob]

39. I just got email from her "Death sentence in health care bill?"

It was about lack of provision for expensive biologics in health care bill.

She's right about the expense of biologics -- drugs that are "grown" not mixed -- and I certainly have problems with the health insurance bill. But the "death sentence" rhetoric is Tea-baggish, over-the-top.