Those of us who post at other sites (HP, Raw Story, McClatchy, The Hill) are all too familiar with the infiltration of Talking Point Trolls. They’re everywhere, posting inaccurate right wing propaganda, disrupting threads, shouting “prove it!” whenever anyone tries to correct their lies. Even more disturbing, a lot of these posts are coordinated sponsored efforts rather than the sincere concerns of individuals.

Here are a few articles about the astroturf nature of troll activity on the web:

The Low Spark of Well-Heeled Trolls
Wal-Mart’s Hidden Cashroots Advocacy Exposed in Chicago
Trolling for Dollars
Advantage Consultants
Exposing Heritage Foundation and AEI Lies on Health Care Reform

A lot of people who post here — myself included — spend a lot of time answering these folks, trying to set the record straight wherever we might come across corporate talking points, trying to get discussion threads back on track, trying to get the facts out there.

It occurred to me that one of the things we might do at POV is stock up on progressive talking points — make a library of them — that are available to people for posting on other sites. Wouldn’t it be great to be able to carpet bomb sites all over the net with the TRUTH — to see the TRUTH become the leading talking points.

This could be something we do on a very casual level. For example:

  • whenever we write a really good response elsewhere, we can cut and paste it here for others to use
  • if we come across an important factoid that the msm is ignoring, add it to our “library”
  • if we already have links, graphs, or written arguments saved for our own use that we don’t mind sharing

These would be comments that we post with the understanding that they will be copied and pasted elsewhere.

As an example, here is a comment posted by escribacat in the Time Out section. I would ask permission to grab this and add it to our Troll Buster Library:

Interesting chart showing the rate of job losses under Bush and Obama, from Organizing for America:

http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/recoveryanniversary/

graph

I can recall so many comments that would be excellent for our catalog. It just remains to figure out how to organize it. I’m thinking about that now. But I wanted to throw the idea out there to see what people think.

Click here to go to the Troll Busters! Home Page

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AuntieChrist
Member

From Think Progress

Stimulating Hypocrisy: 111 Lawmakers Block Recovery While Taking Credit For Its Success

http://thinkprogress.org/touting-recovery-opposed/

SueInCa
Member

I have an email with alot of talking points I keep so I don’t have to bookmark or search the web all the time. I am more than happy to supply them. Just let me know where.

Chernynkaya
Member

Today:
CNN Fact Check: Is the President keeping his promises on stimulus?

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2010/02/17/cnn-fact-check-is-the-president-keeping-his-promises-on-stimulus/

The conclusion is YES!

One year ago today, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Investment Act. He called it “the most sweeping economic recovery package in our history” at a time when many feared the United States was on the brink of another depression.
To mark the anniversary, the president is launching something of a media blitz, dispatching Cabinet members across the country to share stimulus success stories and counter critics’ accounts of stimulus shortcomings and waste. To help you weigh the stimulus progress, or lack thereof, the CNN Fact Desk thought it would be helpful to look back at what the stimulus was supposed to do in the first place.
Fact Check: What did President Obama promise the $862 billion stimulus plan would achieve when he signed it into law one year ago?

Chernynkaya
Member

Here’s a thought:

I just visited Blogspot and did a search on Progressive blogs. Ecstatic!

How about I compile a few dozen and then we look at them with the idea of writing them saying we will link to them from PlanetPOV if they will do the same? (Even if we do anyway.)

I used to do this as a cancer patient advocate– go to the other advocacy sites and offer to link if they did. Most want to!

AdLib
Admin

Wanted to quote this here so it will be added:

bitohistory says:
02/17/2010 at 9:13 AM (Edit)

❗ 111 GOP members praising the stimulus bill after voting against it ❗

Think Progress has done a great job collecting the names and projects of these

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

Here is one that is pretty effective… I think I posted it before for Javaz…

Since Truman was elected in 1948, 53.2 million new jobs were created during the 24 years when Democrats held The White House, and 38.3 million were created during the 36 years of Republican administrations. Check it out for yourself:

Millions of Jobs Added
Truman 1949 -1952 5.2
Eisenhower 1953 – 1956 2.7
Eisenhower 1957 – 1960 0.8
Kennedy/Johnson 1961 – 1964 5.7
Johnson 1965 – 1968 9.8
Nixon 1969 – 1972 6.1
Nixon/Ford 1972 – 1976 5.2
Carter 1977 – 1980 10.4
Reagan 1981 – 1984 5.2
Reagan 1985 – 1988 10.8
Bush 1989 – 1992 2.5
Clinton 1993 – 1996 11.6
Clinton 1997 – 2000 11.5
Bush 2001 – 2004 (0.1)
Bush 2005 – 2008 5.1
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-fiderer/the-simple-arithmetic-of_b_124510.html

Chernynkaya
Member

Superb!

escribacat
Member

Excellent list.

Chernynkaya
Member

Should I put all my categorized bookmarked articles here? I don’t mind–it’s easy– but it’s EXTENSIVE! Just checking before I do it.

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

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BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Tiger my newest move when dealing with Trolls is to throw their right wing talking point or blanket statement back at them with a question such as “How would you handle it, what policies would you like to see?” or “Where would you cut to reduce the deficit, subsidies, entitlements?” Seems to make them stop and think, or just leave….

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

*

AdLib
Admin

I have a very basic philosophy when it comes to blind followers.

They didn’t use reason to become a follower so you can’t use reason to convince them out of being one.

Such people NEED to believe what they do and follow who they do, for emotional and psychological reasons. They can’t be talked out of an emotional need. You just have to accept that they are lost causes and focus on those who aren’t.

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

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PatsyT
Member

Fantastic, I have thought of this many times.
They may have corporate funds buying these trolls and marketing this dribble

but we have

REAL Passion
Serious Concern
Actual Facts
Reality

and I must add…..

Humor, quick wit and great taste in music!

Ever notice how Trolls stink in the music and joke department?

Khirad
Member

Ever notice how Trolls stink in the music and joke department?

Just the personality department altogether. LOL

{Yes, that ‘LOL’ was put there purposefully}

AdLib
Admin

Minds need to be able to create thoughts to make jokes, music and art.

Trolls faced with creative thinking is like bulimics faced with an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

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PatsyT
Member

Blues Tiger,
Hilarious !! and SO TRUE !!!
Can we start a joke section ?

bito
Member

There is a humor section. All you joke tellers need to use it. I can’t tell a joke but I do love a good laugh.

AdLib
Admin

Indeed, people click on Humor (under the Arts & Entertainment category) and you will find many posts that should give them a smile or two!

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Blue Tiger, this is a keeper! This beats the quote that I liked from the NYT op-ed that nellie posted yesterday:

bito
Member

💡 Someone needs to write a post for the humor section called “Best Jokes On The Planet” and everyone can add to it in the comments section

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

Bito – Sarah Palin One Liners:

I can’t comment on the Kyoto Accord as I’ve only ever seen the Honda.

I wouldn’t want to go over to Kabul. I’m perfectly happy with my DirectTV.

I think that the drop in the price of stock is a good thing, as now people will be able to make their soups cheaper.

I’ve got a four month old, I’m about to be a grandmother, and I have to change McCain’s diapers too?

I told John McCain I don’t know how to deal with the nasty rumors about me on the internet! John replied “what’s the internet?”

I think Dion should win the Canadian election because I loved her Vegas show.

I’m against free trade. I think other countries should pay for our products.

I believe illegal aliens should be deported and their flying saucers impounded.

http://womenagainstsarahpalin.org/sarah-palin-humor.htm

bito
Member

BDM, those are good and so is that site.

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

bito, there are tons of them out there, some pretty raunchy or about her kids, I tend to stay away from those…

Last week I happened upon a Palin thread on the Mudflats, where there was a game of “Name Sarah’s next kid” going on in the comments section, I never laughed so hard in my life…I’ll try to find it, I think you will like it.

escribacat
Member

This is a fantastic idea, Nellie. I’ve still got that list of accomplishments that Hume Skeptic posted…but it’s out of date by now. I can definitely come up with some stuff for this and I would definitely use it — a lot!

Khirad
Member

Him and a few others I still may have, as well. Some of them took three separate posts!

bito
Member

Should we all post our top 5-10 links to share with each other? While I think this is a great idea, I am unclear on how do this. Help!!??

Blues Tiger
Member
Blues Tiger

*

AdLib
Admin

Excellent, Nellie! This is the kind of thing we can do as a concerned community, collaborate to create resources that can help many of our colleagues and knock down the BS.

With you on this!

BigDogMom
Member
BigDogMom

nellie sounds like a good idea, like Khirad I have so many links and docs. saved that it takes me forever to retrieve them.

And yes, Khirad, one can become a link hoarder, my list of bookmarked items is quite a long one, too scared to delete, because you never know when you are going to need it! 😡

Khirad
Member

I have topics and subtopics, etc. My bookmarks can get intricately filed.

Chernynkaya
Member

Please see my post below, fellow nerd.

Khirad
Member

It’s a bit sad really. For my core issues, I’ve got word documents with quotes and passages and links galore in my arsenal ready to go – though so long and disorganized more trouble than a quick google sometimes.

However; on other issues, I am woefully unarmored. I end up bookmarking a few I pick up from other posters, then delete them from my bookmarks after not using them, needing them again when I least expect it (could make one become a link hoarder!).

I think this is a fabulous idea, and just what is needed. If we are to live up to any reputation of being a liberal cabal of any caliber we must stock up an armory, get coordinated, and deploy for counterattack!

Chernynkaya
Member

Nellie, I LOVE this idea! When I posted at HP I always would first write any substantial response in Word first, in case it went pending or was scrubbed. That way, I could post it again with misspellings or somewhere else. I kept many of those. I also bookmarked any references that I could quickly go to, to refute troll lies. I would be happy to add what I have–It’s extensive. (I was really serious about posting there for a while, until I burnt out!)

(I just read Khirad’s comment and it seems we both did the same thing. What a couple of obsessives we are! 🙂 )