If you're going to post demented anti-candidate screeds...

[WilliamPitt]

Do yourself and your tattered credibility a favor and remove your pro-candidate avatar first. The avatar is the little picture jobbie to the left of these words.

So for example, if you post a strange, deranged, slobberingly incoherent anti-Dean thread - which is your right, for whatever that's worth - remove the Gephardt avatar first. If you're going to post some rambling Rush-inspired gibberish about Clark, get your Kerry avatar out of there first.

This, you see, will fool a goodish number of DUers into actually taking you seriously, and this will further your clear agenda of fucking us all over for the sake of whatever narrow ideological axe you have to grind.

But if you leave that avatar in, you just get dismissed. Come on, folks. If you're going to be a true-blue flame warrior, you should at least make a stab at being clever.

(/sarcasm)

[Clete]

1. Why can't everyone just post what they like

about their favorite candidate. Let others come in and argue what they don't like about that candidate, if they dare.

[dorktv]

2. Xena would be a canidate everyone would like. :)

And they dare to argue about what they do not like.

[Clete]

18. Yes, and she is a feminist who has done military service.

:-)

[wryter2000]

42. I'd vote for her

Unfortunately, she's a Kiwi and can't run for Pres.

[WilliamPitt]

4. Ypu miss the point

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=239123&mesg_id=239123

[dorktv]

6. The anti-whoever posts are not very nice. I think we have

all forgotten that we are on the same side.

[shanti]

12. all?

not hardly...there are some wolves in sheep's clothing here...

[dorktv]

14. True...if I could figure out what the hell the format is over at

Freerepublic.com I would be flaming them until I got thrown off. :)

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[diamondsoul]

17. Awww, come on Will, he was at least good for a laugh!

Poor Gep, though!:evilgrin:

[Starpass]

3. pssst, Will, I'm so cleaver that

I don't even know how to put one of those in my post. Besides, I'm about ready to find Saddam and ask him if he would like to run.......okay, maybe just put his name on the ballot in CA. I figure by now he has to fucking hate repukes to his core. That, to me, makes him a real possibility.

[Cha]

5. Good Point!

[West Coast Democrat]

7. No...the best thing to do is....

claim to be a rabid supporter of candidate ___, but then bring up a huge problem you're having with _____'s stand on this or that policy, and how you're thinking of just voting Green because of it.

[WilliamPitt]

8. You're just saying that because you like Wellstone

;)

[indictrichardperle]

19. actually, that could be said about my post regarding Dean

as far as im concerned, its just being honest. Im voting for Dean, but i have real concern about his stance/policy regarding the middle east. If i think he is to beholden to non-american special interests, i might consider Kerry.

Stopping more needless war, and PNAC is issue #1 to me.

Being 100% behind a candidate would be nice, i hope its possible, but im going to examine the candidates closely and honestly.

[OrdinaryTa]

9. Will Pitt's My Write-In Candidate

Go ahead and flame me.

[WilliamPitt]

10. You've got the avatar right

:)

[sandnsea]

11. Muhammad Ali for President?

I didn't know he was running, but I'd definitely vote for him!

(kidding, I agree with your post)

[never cry wolf]

36. Yeah Will

Don't go posting any anti Joe Frazier threads now. Hypocracy wouldn't look good on you!!

I like the post and you are correct. Personally I could care less about the anti-whomever posts, I don't even go there unless it's anti-repug.

(damn bears, laid down for the pats)

[mitchtv]

13. Does telling Arianna that it's time to drop out

of the Gov's race count? aside from that I don't trash Dems, but then again, she's not a Dem is she?

[Duncan Grant]

15. I appreciate your post Will...

but you can't teach pigs to sing.

(Re: my avatar -- there won't be a gay President for ages! When's an appropriate time for me to launch my own advocacy flame-baits? /sarcasm)

:kick:

[diamondsoul]

21. Damn, now there's a depressing thought!

Huh...maybe I should write in my cousin. She's pretty brilliant and I KNOW she'd do a better job than Chimpy and Co!

[dorktv]

24. James Buchanan was gay...You mean openly gay then?

[Duncan Grant]

28. oops, forgot about that.

Guess I'll just have to wait for the first FEMALE President now!

[dorktv]

31. That would be either Gov. Janet Naplitano or me.

Probably Janet first though.

[Wonk]

20. Speaking of avatars, I've got your face! Whadya think of that?

Now I think I'll go post an irrational candidate bashing thread.... ;-)

[dajabr]

22. Classic!

LOL

Also, any man who uses the word "screed" in a post topic automatically gets the vote of the HST Wing of the Party!

My avitar? I can't wait to turn my flag right-side-up again...

[WilliamPitt]

23. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! You've got my face!!!!

Give it back!!!

:)

[Wonk]

26. I wonder how many DUers are looking through the avatar list now

searching for the Will Pitt avatar and wondering why they can't find it? B-)

[wryter2000]

43. Looking through

I don't even know where to find it. I just figured out the smilies.

:crazy:

[diamondsoul]

34. ROTFL Dammit Will!

Ok now you have to send me a recent pic so I can prove to my 12 yr old you're as darling as I told her you are! She says that one is "GEEK!".

**on edit- PUHLEEEEAZZZZEEE help me prove I do NOT have rotten taste in men!

[never cry wolf]

37. HAHAHAHA

You've got his face, but he's got my roosevelt colvin ;(

[JVS]

25. In the spirit of my Avatar: BITE MY CRANK!

Just kidding.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

27. Yeah do it right or not at all!

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

29. ********

Sandnsea beat me to it.

Sorry.

[SOteric]

30. And if y'all are gonna get medieval,

sporting quotes and avatars of people like Gandhi and Thoreau will only serve to make you look like a clueless patoot.

But then perhaps I'm the only one who's that an admiration of passive resistance seems oddly tied to a flair for aggressive behaviour.

[Julien Sorel]

33. LOL

Too true.

But for years, I've said there are no 'pacifists;' just 'pacifists -aggressivists.'

[Tinoire]

32. There have been cases of musical candidates here/ Professional disruptors

Unfortunately we don't live in an honest world; just because someone says they support X or places Y's avatar in their profile doesn't mean that's who they support. It only serves to pretend you support someone so you can a. fit in and b. get one camp angry at the camp of another candidate.

A rookie class from PsOps 101 could run rings around DU and that's exactly what's going on. I know people who do this for a living- problem is they're not highly paid and few take want to the time to master their role which is why such people most always only have vapid synchronized contributions, repeat the same shallow talking points, and have absolutely no finesse. Someone recently posted a thread in GD about 2 companies offering their services for precisely this sort of thing.

(With thanks to Stephanie)
There really ARE professional disruptors (http://www.technomania.com/)

Our political practice group consults for Republican party campaigns and party organizations in the United States and center and center-right parties around the world, continuing to pioneer new initiatives online.

http://www.technomania.com/onlinemarketing.asp

An online marketing campaign employs several tactics simultaneously. Our Online Services Department develops and implements online marketing programs using:

Advertising - Online branding, banner ad creation, placement & analysis, strategic link placement, channel advertising, directory placement

Promotional Marketing - Electronic Direct Marketing (EDM), direct opt-in e-mail and viral communications, search engine submission, bulletin board posting, newsgroup and chat room posting, guerilla marketing, permission marketing, online newsletters

Public Relations - online promotions, proactive media relations, news releases, crisis communications, activation and mobilization

Research - competition monitoring, market research, news group monitoring, Internet trends monitoring, site evaluation, site traffic monitoring, site analysis, and site reporting

Technology - site hosting, site optimization, database integration

from thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=225788
--------------------
ABC's The Note: RNC's/Rove's strategy for interfering in the Dem primary (thanks w4rma) ((easily adaptable for ANYONE wanting to "divide and conquer"

Circle of Blue
A Political Week More Fun Than an Archie Comic!
…
At some point, somebody should take all the e-mailed press releases from the crackerjack research team at the Republican National Committee attacking the Democratic presidential candidates, print them out, and publish them in a bound, leatherette hard copy edition.

Like a fine Julie Teer quote LINK, or a "Breck Girl" anonymous missile from a "Bush adviser," these releases are intended to make mischief in the Democratic nomination fight — destabilize things as much as they can, dragging the process out as long as possible, trying to produce as weak a Democratic nominee as they can in the end, and basically playing bad cop, so the president can stay above the fray until the last possible moment.

These releases, read in their totality, are brilliant, but they can also cause some cognitive dissonance, because they do hit on some contradictory themes (sometimes, for example, attacking a candidate for being too liberal, but, sometimes, attacking someone for being to conservative).

The main themes are that one or more of the Democratic candidates are:

1. missing too many votes
2. changing their positions
3. itching to raise your taxes
4. inconsistent
5. attacking each other
6. too negative about President Bush (Note the irony!)
7. wimpy, effeminate, and crass
8. obstructionist
9. unconcerned with homeland security
10 borderline communist (ok: we are — pretty much — kidding about that one)

The RNC attacking the Democratic candidates is dog-bites-man, except, pace Karl Rove, this is arguably the most organized operation of this type in the modern era (You should see their tape library!!!).
…
http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/TheNote/TheNote_July14.html
from thread: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=225788


Who called C-SPAN this morning to report on the paid disruptors?
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=233630

[WillyT]

39. WOW Tinoire, Good Stuff !!!

Good to know they're that scared of us!!!

:hi:

[JasonBerry]

41. Tinoire, You Speak The Truth - MY OPINION IS HERE....

How is it that you always seem to find the energy to post - just the right thing - in so many threads. I respect Will, and all he's done, but you nailed this one. There is no question in my mind that this is exactly what's been happening at DU - especially lately.

I also, frankly, see nothing wrong in a primary campaign to posting a post about a candidate that is essentially negative. After all, we do it daily about Republican candidates. In a primary, we choose our standard bearer. If we have strong feelings against a candidate, we shouldn't hold that back. If I were to support a candidate, only to find out later something really bad, I would be angry that people who knew before didn't say anything. Of course, they would have been considered a "trouble-maker."

My big problem is when the discourse becomes personal as opposed to issues-oriented. This happens too much on DU. And I mean against each other! I get tough in my postings about certain things, but I try to never, ever, allow it to become personal against other posters. I know that nice people can disagree. Sometimes, in the heat of the moment, I have failed. I have, a few times, requested a post of mine be removed because I didn't think clearly before hitting "post." It's been awhile, but I have done that. Many here have. Nobody is perfect (though Tinoire is close).

I like to read about all the candidates. I remember when I first started posting on DU, I was really pushing for Kucinich to become a candidate. You wouldn't believe the hate posts against Dennis for, especially, his abortion votes in the past. But, I only let it bother me when people began to bash me. Lately, I have been outspoken on certain issues involving another candidate - things I believe strongly in. Unpopular opinions. The postings that try to refute my points -strongly - never bother me. Some are posted by people, while we disagree, I personally have grown fond of through "getting to know them" and reading their other posts. But the ones that begin to bash me (how dare I have a minority opinion) - those bother me.

Sometimes I have to "take a breather" from DU to gain perspective on life and remind myself that life truly is more than politics. But, I use the time to recharge my batteries so I can advance my beliefs, some "off the wall" to others - most very mainstream for DU.

There is a line. That line is not crossed, in my opinion, when attacking other candidates. They are big enough to take whatever is thrown their way. They are running for the highest office in the land. The line is crossed when I am cussed and told I am not welcome to speak ill of this or that candidate and their positions, or speak ill of me because I hold a minority opinion on a particular issue.

DU belongs to us all. We can disagree without us all losing the spirit of DU.

All the best - to ALL -
- JB

[Wonk]

35. kick

[Coffee Coyote]

38. tattered credibility?

Credibility is cheap in GD. Screeds are a dime a dozen, insane or not. :-) Credibility is already rare, lol.

All this sound and fury shall too, pass. Let 'em all rip each other up, then we'll all take a bloody group hug come next summer - minus the few hardcore dissenters still bitter over their candidate dropping out or losing.

But mostly, we'll stand raggedly divided, and should forgive old wounds inflicted.

[leftofthedial]

40. does that mean if I post ademented anti-Texas screed

I should remove my New Mexico avatar?

[Darranar]

44. Okay...

in keeping with my promise not to bash any candidate, I will stop bashing Clark as soon as he announces himself as Democratic candidate for President.

All of you Clark fans who are ignoring me, you can take me off your ignore lists as soon as he announces.

[JasonBerry]

45. ** Kick **

Kick