# Is the Sanders campaign using professional trolls online? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [April 23, 2016, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913 "2016-04-23T16:31:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/21 "2016-04-25T18:30:52Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Boy, I’m glad you posted this. I was getting tired of the other six “Bernie is evil!!! and his supporters are the dumb!” threads and this Hillary fans another one to feel good about. Keep it up! It’s sure to convince his followers that Clinton is clearly the better candidate! But this thread isn’t a rant against Bernie, it’s a question about a political tactic. For example, there are media companies that will hire people to go online and praise your restaurant and trash your competitors. I pointed out that I thought it was interesting that I saw some of the vicious anti-Hillary comments, complete with hashtags in the comments section of the New Yorker and Foreign affairs, which is pretty far from the norm there. ---
**Author:** ![CGav8r](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/34f0e0/32.png) [@CGav8r](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CGav8r)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/22 "2016-04-25T19:05:50Z")
The comments I’ve seen on The Economist, NY Times, WaPO, etc., are so vitriolic and anti-Hillary that I wonder if they are actually right-wing paid trolls. They normalize the idea that "I’m never voting for that war-monger-hawk!!!1!"and make it seem viable and a vote of conscience, they show that ersatz-Sanders supporters will only support him (or vote Green), and they get Hillary folks angry so that real Sanders supporters think that Hillary supporters are officious jerks. Sowing dissent within the Dem party, if you will. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/23 "2016-04-25T19:05:54Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > But this thread isn’t a rant against Bernie, it’s a question about a political tactic. For example, there are media companies that will hire people to go online and praise your restaurant and trash your competitors. > > I pointed out that I thought it was interesting that I saw some of the vicious anti-Hillary comments, complete with hashtags in the comments section of the New Yorker and Foreign affairs, which is pretty far from the norm there. So it’s not a rant against Sanders - it’s merely an accusation of him using an offensive and sneaky political tactic. Why so touchy, Bernheads? ---
**Author:** ![Nonsuch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nonsuch/32/2922_2.png) [@Nonsuch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nonsuch)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/24 "2016-04-25T19:09:30Z")
I don’t know what Revolution Messaging actually does, but I highly doubt the Sanders campaign has to pay people to post obnoxious comments. All it takes is one DailyKos or Reddit poster to point out the latest (so-called) hit piece against Sanders, and the Bernheads\* come out in force. I haven’t gone looking, but I’m sure there’s plenty of pro-Sanders/anti-Hillary diatribes out there ready to be cut and pasted. \*_Not All Bernheads_ ---
**Author:** ![Grumman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/43a26b/32.png) [@Grumman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grumman)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/25 "2016-04-25T19:11:11Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > …What I do think is silly is that some people have given Clinton flak for hiring people to counter negative statements about her online. This isn’t censorship, this isn’t some scary Big Brother-ish world. Clinton has the same right to go online to post stuff as anyone else does and she has a lot of supporters willing to do that… If Hillary Clinton was making a video game, paying people to speak positively of her product without disclosing the fact that they are being paid for the endorsement would be rightly considered dodgy behaviour. Why would you want to hold someone trying to become the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military on the planet to a lower standard of ethics than someone who makes toys? ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/26 "2016-04-25T19:24:17Z")
Silly behavior, no matter who is doing it. If you aren’t paid and you’re getting into flame wars in comments sections, you’re doing more harm than good. If you are getting paid, well, I guess you’re getting paid. So there’s that. ---
**Author:** ![Sherrerd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sherrerd/32/8_2.png) [@Sherrerd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sherrerd)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/27 "2016-04-25T19:58:14Z")
> [@YogSothoth](#): > > … What I do think is silly is that some people have given Clinton flak for hiring people to counter negative statements about her online. … > [@Grumman](#): > > If Hillary Clinton was making a video game, paying people to speak positively of her product without disclosing the fact that they are being paid for the endorsement would be rightly considered dodgy behaviour. Why would you want to hold someone trying to become the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military on the planet to a lower standard of ethics than someone who makes toys? Apples and oranges. “Countering negative statements” about either a product or a candidate is not the same thing as shilling for the product or candidate (your “speak positively of her product without disclosing the fact that they are being paid for the endorsement”). For example, there is a fundamental difference between these two posts: > [@](#): > > _Uncharted 4_ is NOT made up of outtakes from _Motorbike_, nor does it use voice actors from used-car commercials, nor are the load-times unusually long, nor is it as badly-scripted as _Ride to Hell: Retribution_. Here are the facts about each of those false accusations: [facts follow.] versus > [@](#): > > Uncharted 4 is the GREATEST GAME EVER RELEASED and it changed my life! If a post contains verifiable facts that counter false accusations, then it doesn’t much matter what the poster’s motivations may have been (pay or otherwise). Non-specific praise, of course, should be taken with a grain of salt, whether about games or politicians; a paid source is always a possibility. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/28 "2016-04-25T20:23:19Z")
> [@Grumman](#): > > If Hillary Clinton was making a video game, paying people to speak positively of her product without disclosing the fact that they are being paid for the endorsement would be rightly considered dodgy behaviour. Why would you want to hold someone trying to become the Commander-in-Chief of the most powerful military on the planet to a lower standard of ethics than someone who makes toys? Sherrerd said it too. There’s a difference between countering falsehoods and shilling. Whether you want to believe that there are falsehoods about Clinton probably dictates how you feel about her countering the claims. There’s another way to look at it too. By claiming Clinton is being unethical or should not try to fight back, you’re basically saying she doesn’t have the right to go online and post like you and I have. She can go online or hire people to go online and say anything she pleases. It sounds like what she’s doing is going after people in comments sections and message boards. She is free to say almost anything she wants in there ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/29 "2016-04-25T20:36:42Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > The Daily Kos and Electoral-Vote articles I linked to mention Sanders’ FEC filing which shows payments to the alleged professional troll company, Revolution Messaging. And you classify [that](https://revolutionmessaging.com/) as a “professional troll company” why? ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/30 "2016-04-25T20:39:42Z")
> [@nate](#): > > I don’t know if they are paid or not, but I do know the [reddit.com](http://reddit.com) frontpage is always littered with pro-sanders anti-hillary links. I understand the demographics of the site, I think, but what’s strange is the insinuation and half-truths and hyperbole associated with the link titles. I thought reddit users were more the truth-seeker/skeptic type, but it’s like reading a left-wing version of breitbart or foxnation, it’s really weird. Without weighing in on the does he or doesn’t he debate, I will note that if you unsubscribe from r/politics, then blissful quiet reigns. OK, I’ll weigh in a little. I think the generation that most strongly supports Bernie is also the generation that grew up trash talking on video games and social media. It seems to foster a very black and white, no shades of grey, scorched Earth mindset in which winning is everything. They’re also of the age where they get very passionate about stuff. So there might be some astroturfing going on, but I think the majority of the anti-Hillary sentiment is just positive reinforcement from within the Bernie bubble – “all the other Bernie supporters say Hillary is a horrible person, so I’ll repost this clickbait article that supports that view and get some karma”. ---
**Author:** ![Claverhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/13edae/32.png) [@Claverhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Claverhouse)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/31 "2016-04-25T21:50:15Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > And you classify [that](https://revolutionmessaging.com/) as a “professional troll company” why? Because only _ **Trolls** _ would work for Bernie Sanders, The Prince of Darkness. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2016, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/32 "2016-04-25T22:04:00Z")
I wonder how many Bros are kicking themselves reading this, saying “I coulda got _paid_?” ---
**Author:** ![coremelt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/4491bb/32.png) [@coremelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coremelt)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/33 "2016-04-26T00:34:27Z")
Lets get one thing clear. A troll is specifically someone that takes an extreme view that they don’t believe in, in order to get a reaction. If a young Bernie supporter believes in what they are saying, then no matter how obnoxious they are, they are not a troll. If you want to see Trolling in this election cycle then go see reddit’s forum The Donald ([https://www.reddit.com/r/The\_Donald/](https://www.reddit.com/r/The_Donald/)). While no doubt there are some genuine Donald supporters on there, a lot of them are just doing it “for the lolz”, because they love pushing controversial posts up onto the front page of reddit and seeing the “SJW” (Social Justice Warriors) react. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/34 "2016-04-26T01:43:02Z")
Look, all the candidates have trolls. The difference is that Bernie has **real** ones, imported from Norway. Vote for Bernie. Or the trolls will know you didn’t, and they ain’t gonna like it. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/35 "2016-04-26T16:39:07Z")
Very odd, Pro-Sanders groups on social media are claiming that pro-Hillary groups orchestrated an online takedown of Pro-Sanders Facebook groups. I’m calling BS on this. This sounds like the tactic that extreme social justice warriors will engage in, and I suspect pro-Sanders people engaged in an attack on their own Facebook pages. > **[Hillary supporters accused of taking down Bernie FB pages in porn attack](https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/277657-hillary-supporters-take-down-bernie-fb-pages-in-coordinated/)** > > Cyberattack takes down Sanders Facebook pages, floods them with porn. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/36 "2016-04-26T17:09:43Z")
Ah, so _that’s_ how Scandinavian-style socialism works! ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/37 "2016-04-26T17:20:05Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Very odd, Pro-Sanders groups on social media are claiming that pro-Hillary groups orchestrated an online takedown of Pro-Sanders Facebook groups. I’m calling BS on this. This sounds like the tactic that extreme social justice warriors will engage in, and I suspect pro-Sanders people engaged in an attack on their own Facebook pages. > [http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/277657-hillary-supporters-take-down-bernie-fb-pages-in-coordinated](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/277657-hillary-supporters-take-down-bernie-fb-pages-in-coordinated) Yeah, one Clinton supporter admitted reporting lots of posts on Bernie FB pages. Big deal. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/38 "2016-04-26T17:30:53Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Very odd, Pro-Sanders groups on social media are claiming that pro-Hillary groups orchestrated an online takedown of Pro-Sanders Facebook groups. I’m calling BS on this. This sounds like the tactic that extreme social justice warriors will engage in, and I suspect pro-Sanders people engaged in an attack on their own Facebook pages. > [http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/277657-hillary-supporters-take-down-bernie-fb-pages-in-coordinated](http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/277657-hillary-supporters-take-down-bernie-fb-pages-in-coordinated) Yes, it’s much less odd if it was self sabotage despite a certain “Bros for Hillary” member being specifically identified.:rolleyes: Get a fucking grip dude. Hillary is getting the nomination. Relax. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/39 "2016-04-26T18:28:36Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > This sounds like the tactic that extreme social justice warriors will engage in Wait, so now Democrats are using ‘social justice warrior’ as an insult too? ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913/40 "2016-04-26T18:49:38Z")
Only if you think dalej42 is a democrat. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-the-sanders-campaign-using-professional-trolls-online/752913.md?page=3)