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Whiskeytide

(4,459 posts)
Thu Dec 7, 2017, 02:45 PM Dec 2017

SKINNER is a Russian BOT! The cumulative ...

... evidence is overwhelming. As much as it pains all of us, it looks like DU will have to be shut down. I don’t see any other solution.

For those of you who are not already familiar with the timeline, I’ll lay it out.

Several weeks ago, an administrator at Free Republic, "SeanStone", posted a cryptic message on that site saying “Soon - as soon as we get the story tidied up - it’ll be Skinner’s turn in the barrel”.

6 hours later, another freeper, "NotABot1917", posted a link to the following 2015 tweet by Skinner:

Skinner: (bird)

Oh yeah, Right. I'm a Russian bot. Good one.

11:21 AM - August 16, 2015
57 32 106



"NotABot1917" also said that he worked with Skinner on the site Discussionist around the time of the tweet, and that they were working late one evening when he asked Skinner if he wanted to order pizza from Comet Pong Pong. Skinner allegedly replied “Nyet..., uhh, I mean 'No'. No thanks”.

Message boards lit up and wasted little time running with the story. Skinner immediately issued a statement saying “Really? Are you all idiots over there? I would never turn down pizza. I like pizza”.

But 30 minutes later, a Cave poster tweeted that he had met Skinner at a junior high school football game in the late 70s. “RoidMoore14” said he was 32 and single, and attended the game to admire the cheerleaders after leaving the mall when a "misunderstanding" had resulted in some guy named Paul Blartt asking him to not return. He says he overheard Skinner at the concessions stand telling a hot little 7th grader “I have a Comrade 64 at home”, or something to that effect (he admits being distracted because the 7th grader was blonde and, well, a 7th grader). He says he was surprised that so many Russians could fit in Skinner's house, and he contemporaneously mentioned that to the 7th grader later that same night under the bleachers.

Almost immediately following that tweet, a JPR poster named “LeftierThanThou” came forward to announce that she once saw Skinner at a County Fair where he was irate that the food truck vendor didn’t have caviar OR vodka, and that he had to settle for stale funnel cake and a diet Fresca. The post received 43,000,000 recs in just under 11 minutes. Much credibility was given this account because it came from a site that's not considered conservative and is known for being highly resistant to Russian influence.

Skinner issued more statements, including “WTF?”, “Seriously?”, and “You've gotta be kidding me”, and said he welcomed an official internet Message Board Investigation.

Later that day, however, Jones Alexander's site - BullShitWars - published a story revealing that 3 new accusers had anonymously refused to come forward to report similar behavior. One claimed that Skinner, as a child, frequently rooted AGAINST Rocky and Bullwinkle. The second alleges that he sometimes rode his horse shirtless (Skinner was shirtless - not the horse... although, I guess the horse was technically shirtless too). The third source says Skinner once grabbed his waist and twice firmly said “I’m a Russian Bot. No really. I am”. The source indignantly shouted "I don't let Ms. O'Keefe grab me like that in public, and I never heard of Veritas. Stop saying that!"

Within days, more than 30 DUers were calling for Skinner to step down and close the site, saying that they believe the accusers because it was on the internet. "It would be extremely unlikely that all of these accusers who are from different sites and don't know each other would just make up stupid shit for nefarious purposes, no matter how made-up, stupid and nefarious it sounds" said DUer "MorganFairchild'sHusband". Long time DUer "IvanBotskyandYouCanToo" noted that Cucker Tarlson was being mean and making fun of DU, and "that has to stop because people in Alabama won't start visiting our site". Moderator "SebGorkaIsMyCodeName" also reported hearing a White House leak that Skinner may have attended the Trump Tower meeting as "Russian number 17". Many other DU members are simply concerned that these revelations could be interpreted as conceding the moral high ground to Breibart News, causing Bannon to ask "the what?"

Folks, this is simply too much. All of these accounts are suspicious and lack credibility on their own, but now there are a lot of them, all together, in one place. That has to mean something. And we haven't even heard from the more than 144 million other Russians who haven't yet accused Skinner.

Skinner is expected to make an announcement later today after consulting with friends and family. Brace yourselves.

___________________

Sexual assault and sexual harassment victims need our support, and the culture needs to change. But anyone who takes an objective and close look at this Franken "scandal" can damn well see that the probability that it's an orchestrated take down of a Dem who consistently goes after and embarrasses this administration is pretty freakin' high. But I guess that's unlikely in the age of Swiftboat, Veritas, Rovian politics, etc..., huh?

Victims are not served or respected by this kind of crap. We're losing one of our best today, and it sucks. It's also very - VERY - convenient for republicans and the White House. We've been outplayed again by people without a conscience, and this time they played our collective conscience against us beautifully. Gee. I wonder if we're going to see this tactic again?

9 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
SKINNER is a Russian BOT! The cumulative ... (Original Post) Whiskeytide Dec 2017 OP
This is BS! I have it from very well informed sources that... Lochloosa Dec 2017 #1
Ha. More suspicious mystery to the story. He has to go! n/t Whiskeytide Dec 2017 #2
That's Completely Untrue! ProfessorGAC Dec 2017 #4
I hear he eats it... Whiskeytide Dec 2017 #5
Clearly A Communist ProfessorGAC Dec 2017 #7
Whiskey, dark humour saidsimplesimon Dec 2017 #3
Skinner is not a bot. A bot would respond to an email. n/t rzemanfl Dec 2017 #6
Hmmm. Perhaps further evidence... Whiskeytide Dec 2017 #8
Well, the bot will miss out on a nice Nigerian inheritance and lots of rzemanfl Dec 2017 #9

ProfessorGAC

(64,413 posts)
7. Clearly A Communist
Thu Dec 7, 2017, 03:51 PM
Dec 2017

Or a fascist, or a cat lover or something! Give me some time. I'll think of something.

saidsimplesimon

(7,888 posts)
3. Whiskey, dark humour
Thu Dec 7, 2017, 03:00 PM
Dec 2017

Laugh or cry, both seem equally attractive logically at the moment. Skinner and Earl are Russian bots? They both fooled me, you and US? "Brace yourselves"

Whiskeytide

(4,459 posts)
8. Hmmm. Perhaps further evidence...
Thu Dec 7, 2017, 06:38 PM
Dec 2017

... of botness? Maybe that’s because you would EXPECT a bot to respond.

rzemanfl

(29,540 posts)
9. Well, the bot will miss out on a nice Nigerian inheritance and lots of
Thu Dec 7, 2017, 06:41 PM
Dec 2017

pictures of Russian girls looking for husbands.

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