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Joe BidenCongratulations to our presumptive Democratic nominee, Joe Biden!
 

dalton99a

(81,065 posts)
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:05 AM Apr 2019

Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters - and help elect Trump (WP)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/inside-the-russian-effort-to-target-sanders-supporters--and-help-elect-trump/2019/04/11/741d7308-5576-11e9-8ef3-fbd41a2ce4d5_story.html

Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters — and help elect Trump
By Michael Kranish
April 12 at 6:00 AM

After Bernie Sanders lost his primary campaign for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016, a Twitter account called Red Louisiana News reached out to his supporters to help sway the general election. “Conscious Bernie Sanders supporters already moving towards the best candidate Trump! #Feel the Bern #Vote Trump 2016,” the account tweeted.

The tweet was not actually from Louisiana, according to an analysis by Clemson University researchers. Instead, it was one of thousands of accounts identified as based in Russia, part of a cloaked effort to persuade supporters of the Vermont senator to elect Trump. “Bernie Sanders says his message resonates with Republicans,” said another Russian tweet.

While much attention has focused on the question of whether the Trump campaign encouraged or conspired with Russia, the effort to target Sanders supporters has been a lesser-noted part of the story. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, in a case filed last year against 13 Russians accused of interfering in the U.S. presidential campaign, said workers at a St. Petersburg facility called the Internet Research Agency were instructed to write social media posts in opposition to Clinton but “to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump.”

That strategy could receive new attention with the release of Mueller’s report, expected within days.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
36 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Inside the Russian effort to target Sanders supporters - and help elect Trump (WP) (Original Post) dalton99a Apr 2019 OP
Good article Gothmog Apr 2019 #1
And Bernie implicitly encouraged it BlueFlorida Apr 2019 #2
And then blamed Hillary for the Russians supporting him comradebillyboy Apr 2019 #3
+1. Hillary was no longer in government dalton99a Apr 2019 #4
Still important to many zentrum Apr 2019 #8
Yup. It's impossible to post anything about Bernie here... thesquanderer Apr 2019 #12
But justie18 Apr 2019 #13
Yes, there are Sanders voters who did not vote for Hillary. But... thesquanderer Apr 2019 #18
+1 progressoid Apr 2019 #21
Well justie18 Apr 2019 #24
The point of the WP story is that what you quoted there is bogus. thesquanderer Apr 2019 #25
These were voters who got sucked into the LIES Cha Apr 2019 #28
I disagree that Sanders was overly hard on Clinton. thesquanderer Apr 2019 #29
Eric Alterman who was a BS supporter Disagrees Cha Apr 2019 #30
Eric Alterman is not the Ultimate Arbiter of Reality. (n/t) thesquanderer Apr 2019 #31
Oh, it's not just Eric Alterman.. so Cha Apr 2019 #32
And there are others who were there who remember things differently. thesquanderer Apr 2019 #33
Bottom line.. BS is too Divisive. Cha Apr 2019 #34
++Yup. zentrum Apr 2019 #22
BS not taking Cha Apr 2019 #27
K&R betsuni Apr 2019 #5
Great reminder and article. LakeArenal Apr 2019 #6
Let's hope DownriverDem Apr 2019 #7
And they will do it again if we let them. athena Apr 2019 #9
Imagine that UniteTheLeft Apr 2019 #10
Yep. And they knew who the easy marks were. NT WeekiWater Apr 2019 #14
If Bernie wins the nomination this time the Russians will know who the easy marks will be in 2020 Tom Rinaldo Apr 2019 #19
One is known. One is a presumption. NT WeekiWater Apr 2019 #20
This article is worthy to post here as a reminder that there are foreign trolls out there seeking KPN Apr 2019 #11
K and R oasis Apr 2019 #15
i was on mirt at about that time. mopinko Apr 2019 #16
Interesting times. And more to come. Hortensis Apr 2019 #23
I thought the influence was obvious. I believe there were posts on DU at the time that Nitram Apr 2019 #17
I like Bernie's. Which is why I support Elizabeth Warren. malchickiwick Apr 2019 #26
From my twitter feed Gothmog Apr 2019 #35
Russia was very successful Gothmog Apr 2019 #36
 

BlueFlorida

(1,532 posts)
2. And Bernie implicitly encouraged it
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:55 AM
Apr 2019

and made no effort to stop it.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

comradebillyboy

(10,119 posts)
3. And then blamed Hillary for the Russians supporting him
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:07 AM
Apr 2019
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/21/bernie-sanders-trump-russia-interference-420528
“The real question to be asked is what was the Clinton campaign [doing about Russian interference]? They had more information about this than we did,” Sanders said in the interview with Vermont Public Radio.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

dalton99a

(81,065 posts)
4. +1. Hillary was no longer in government
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:20 AM
Apr 2019

Hillary left her government job in 2013

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

zentrum

(9,865 posts)
8. Still important to many
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:59 AM
Apr 2019

...to keep demonizing Bernie. Finding any excuse for her loss of the electoral college except the way the DNC and she ran the campaign in those three critical states.

While actually, Bernie's progressive influence is the only thing that has a prayer of successfully opposing Trump in 2020. To continue to demonize him is useless and actually harmful.

AOC for instance managed her tremendous upset, not because of Russians but because her Bernie-like progressivism.

I'm glad so many Democratic candidates for President in 2020 have endorsed his Mediare for All plan. They don't seem too concerned about how the Russians kept "pushing Bernie" or whatever the damn, sad, theory is.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
12. Yup. It's impossible to post anything about Bernie here...
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:52 AM
Apr 2019

...that someone won't then use to attack Bernie.

For all intents and purposes, Bernie is one of us. As Obama said, we are a circular firing squad.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

justie18

(169 posts)
13. But
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:56 AM
Apr 2019

The Bernie Bros are not without blame in the circular firing squad. As stated before, the actions during 2016 left some deep wounds. To make matters worse, Trump won. Many Bernie Bros voted for Trump or Jill Stein or Johnson.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
18. Yes, there are Sanders voters who did not vote for Hillary. But...
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 12:34 PM
Apr 2019

Last edited Fri Apr 12, 2019, 03:13 PM - Edit history (1)

... for the most part, these were people who were never going to vote for Hillary, period. They were not "traitors to the party," we never really had them to begin with. And I wouldn't count on them voting Dem in 2020 either, unless we have a candidate who appeals to them.

Remember, not every voter is a Republican or Democrat, there are tons of independent/unaffiliated voters, as well as voters who were registering for the first time and had no long term allegiance behind them. Sanders had more appeal with these groups than Hillary did. So particularly in states with open primaries (i.e. you didn't have to be a registered Dem to vote in the primary), you had people who voted for Sanders in the primary, but were never going to vote for Hillary in the general. And instead of being happy that we had a candidate who was able to bring some of them closer to our side, or register new young voters for the first time, folks are mad at them for not having made the full conversion.

The point is, it's a double-edged sword. You can say "Those outside-the-devoted-Dem-base Bernie supporters were terrible, they didn't support Hillary in the general" -- but the flip side of that is "Hillary had less appeal outside the devoted Dem base and couldn't appeal to the voters Bernie was bringing in." It is not a shock that she couldn't take those votes for granted, and how much of that you put on Hillary vs. how much of that you put on the voters who didn't like her is two sides of the same coin.

BTW, I'd say using the term "Bernie Bros" itself is a circular firing squad weapon, probably best avoided.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

justie18

(169 posts)
24. Well
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 03:57 PM
Apr 2019

I will continue to use Bernie Bros as it should not be forgotten how they booed every speaker at the convention in 2016, even Hillary while St. Bernie sat there and let it happen.

I suggest reading today's WP article about how the Russians helped St. Bernie:

After Bernie Sanders lost his primary campaign for president against Hillary Clinton in 2016, a Twitter account called Red Louisiana News reached out to his supporters to help sway the general election. “Conscious Bernie Sanders supporters already moving towards the best candidate Trump! #Feel the Bern #Vote Trump 2016,” the account tweeted.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
25. The point of the WP story is that what you quoted there is bogus.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 04:33 PM
Apr 2019

It was from Russian trolls, not legit Sanders supporters.

As for what you say "should not be forgotten," that sounds like refighting the 2016 primaries, not permitted here. And the same goes for insulting the supporters of any candidate for the Democratic nomination. Check the Terms of Service link at the bottom of the page.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,899 posts)
28. These were voters who got sucked into the LIES
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 07:10 PM
Apr 2019


Second, a lot of Bernie Sanders supporters weren’t big fans of Clinton. So Stein campaigning on the idea that Clinton and Trump were similar made it harder for Clinton to win over those voters — even if Sanders voters didn’t vote for Stein, they may have stayed home out of disgust.

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/jill-stein-democratic-spoiler-or-scapegoat/

The Liberal case against Bernie

by Erci Alterman.. former BS supporter..

snip//

Senator Bernie Sanders’s presidential candidacy poses a conundrum for progressives. Not since 1936, when Franklin Roosevelt said that he “welcomed” the hatred of corporate interests, has a serious presidential candidate offered so aggressive a challenge to the conservative powers that be. At the same time, however, a dangerous lunatic is president of the United States, and Sanders, of all the major Democratic contenders, is the one who will make Donald Trump’s reelection most likely. Eight years of a Trump presidency could mean the end of meaningful democracy in the United States, along with many of the rights that women, minorities, immigrants, LGBTQ people, and others now take for granted.

Let me clarify: I’ve been a fan and supporter of Sanders ever since he was elected mayor of Burlington, Vermont, in 1981. I was honored to be asked to testify before him in Congress years ago, and I voted for him in the New York presidential primary in 2016. I did so, however, not because I imagined he might win the nomination, but because I hoped that a strong showing by Sanders would help wake up Hillary Clinton to the importance of addressing economic inequality, and also to honor his brave criticism of Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.

I was wrong. Sanders turned so negative toward Clinton that it hurt her in the general election. Even though he campaigned for her after he lost the nomination, roughly 12 percent of Sanders’s supporters switched to Trump, and enough of the rest supported Jill Stein’s kamikaze candidacy that it helped tip key states to Trump.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1287&pid=42334
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
29. I disagree that Sanders was overly hard on Clinton.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 08:15 PM
Apr 2019

I don't think he was as hard on her as Trump's Republican opponents were on him. Or harder on her than any candidate should expect when entering the primaries. I can even think of a couple of times where he clearly let her off easy. And I could be wrong, but I don't remember him ever misrepresenting her. (As opposed to what's described at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/03/10/5-times-hillary-clinton-has-played-fast-and-loose-with-the-facts-on-bernie-sanderss-record/ )

But as they say, politics ain't beanbag. Everyone gets a little bruised, it's par for the course, and no one should go in expecting otherwise. And despite voting for Sanders in the primary, I eagerly voted for Hillary in November. My feeling is that neither Bernie nor Hillary were perfect, but either would have made a fine president.

The fact that 12% of Sanders' primary voters switched to Trump does not mean they would have voted for Hillary if Sanders had not been in the race. That is really the point of the post of mine that you responded to.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,899 posts)
30. Eric Alterman who was a BS supporter Disagrees
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 08:25 PM
Apr 2019

with you.

You can deny it all you want. Doesn't change reality.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
31. Eric Alterman is not the Ultimate Arbiter of Reality. (n/t)
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 08:34 PM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,899 posts)
32. Oh, it's not just Eric Alterman.. so
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 08:36 PM
Apr 2019

many others were there.. we know what happened.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

thesquanderer

(11,953 posts)
33. And there are others who were there who remember things differently.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:26 PM
Apr 2019

Are you seriously going to disagree that Republicans went harder on Trump than Bernie did on Hillary? (Not that Trump didn't deserve and even provoke it.) Or that primaries are not intended to be love fests? Do you not recall that Clinton campaigned at least as hard against Obama in 2008 as Sanders did against Clinton in 2016?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,899 posts)
34. Bottom line.. BS is too Divisive.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:36 PM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Cha

(295,899 posts)
27. BS not taking
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 07:02 PM
Apr 2019

any "responsibility"?

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

LakeArenal

(28,713 posts)
6. Great reminder and article.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:47 AM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

DownriverDem

(6,205 posts)
7. Let's hope
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:58 AM
Apr 2019

those Sanders folks wake up and vote for whoever the Dem nominee is this time. Unless they like what trump et al is doing.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

athena

(4,187 posts)
9. And they will do it again if we let them.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:03 AM
Apr 2019

A month or two ago, I was looking at a Kamala Harris campaign video on YouTube and saw comment after comment attacking her. Most comments were from accounts that had nothing publicly visible, but I saw one comment that had three liked or favorite (I don’t remember which) videos with Russian titles. The Russians are already causing discord. After all, there was never any reason for them to stop.

If you see a post by someone disparaging any candidate, consider that it may be from a Russian troll. Even high post counts are no guarantee that someone is for real, since the Russians have been planning this interference for years. I am convinced that the reason DU was so inhospitable to Hillary supporters throughout the primaries in 2016 was due to Russian manipulation, which unfortunately resonated with some here. Based on what many DUers have been posting about some of our strongest candidates, I see no reason to think that anyone has learned anything from the 2016 experience. If people don’t open their minds and hearts this time around, I fear we will get another four years of Trump. And that will mean the end of American democracy.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

UniteTheLeft

(49 posts)
10. Imagine that
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:48 AM
Apr 2019

Russians for trump.... who'd have thunk it.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

WeekiWater

(3,259 posts)
14. Yep. And they knew who the easy marks were. NT
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:58 AM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Tom Rinaldo

(22,911 posts)
19. If Bernie wins the nomination this time the Russians will know who the easy marks will be in 2020
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 02:19 PM
Apr 2019

They would target voters who have been fed a steady diet of anti-Sanders propaganda for years and work to keep them away from the polls for the General Election in November, thus helping Trump win again. That was the exact playbook they used to elect Trump the first time, except they were working to keep people fed an anti Clinton diet for years away from the polls that time. There are always a small percentage of voters who are susceptible to this form of manipulation. With Hillary out of the race for 2020 the Russians will be looking for new easy marks. and some of those who have been nursing grudges against Sanders and or his supporters will definitely be targeted if Sanders is our nominee. And some will fall for it.

I am not suggesting that you personally would fall for that. Most on DU would not. Just like most Sanders supporters on DU in 2016 went to the polls and voted for Hillary.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

WeekiWater

(3,259 posts)
20. One is known. One is a presumption. NT
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 02:20 PM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

KPN

(15,585 posts)
11. This article is worthy to post here as a reminder that there are foreign trolls out there seeking
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:49 AM
Apr 2019

to interfere and influence our elections. But for that reason only.

Using articles/reminders like this as a tool for bashing candidates or Democratic party members is inappropriate and serves only to divide. In the end, it is exactly that kind of behavior, especially when unsubstantiated accusations or claims are made against others that drives would be Democrats to withhold their votes.

Let's unite folks, not divide!

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

mopinko

(69,804 posts)
16. i was on mirt at about that time.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 12:22 PM
Apr 2019

we were tossing the bernie bros 24/7. someone thought it was a good idea to use 'bernie' in their handles, which probably was working in a lot of places. but here it was like swatting flies on fresh, warm shit.
and some old timers got the boot for being useful idiots.

i dont doubt that russia was behind the hack.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Undecided
 

Hortensis

(58,785 posts)
23. Interesting times. And more to come.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 03:38 PM
Apr 2019
for all MIRT's hard work.
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Nitram

(22,663 posts)
17. I thought the influence was obvious. I believe there were posts on DU at the time that
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 12:33 PM
Apr 2019

were designed to look like a Clinton supporter rudely insulting Bernie supporters, and others designed to look like Sanders supporters that very nastily attacked Clinton. It worked. I don't know how many posts I saw where both sides were accusing the other of unfairly and rudely trashing their preferred candidate, even after the primaries. Both sides wondered why the other side was being so nasty.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

malchickiwick

(1,474 posts)
26. I like Bernie's. Which is why I support Elizabeth Warren.
Fri Apr 12, 2019, 04:43 PM
Apr 2019

I feel she shares his progressive principles but without all of Bernie's baggage like the above, and including Bernie Bros, tax returns, and his status as an independent.

If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
 

Gothmog

(143,998 posts)
36. Russia was very successful
Mon Apr 15, 2019, 08:00 PM
Apr 2019
If I were to vote in a presidential
primary today, I would vote for:
Joe Biden
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