You, too, can be a mindless, rewarded McCain campaign troll
By Steve Benen Thursday Aug 07, 2008 2:00pm
Ideally, a presidential campaign would inspire supporters to defend the candidate’s ideas, promote his/her agenda, and advance his/her policies.
But the McCain campaign has already been suffering from an “enthusiasm gap,” so it appears his supporters need a little incentive to say nice things about the presumptive Republican nominee.
On McCain’s Web site, visitors are invited to “Spread the Word” about the presumptive Republican nominee by sending campaign-supplied comments to blogs and Web sites under the visitor’s screen name. The site offers sample comments (”John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan . . .”) and a list of dozens of suggested destinations, conveniently broken down into “conservative,” “liberal,” “moderate” and “other” categories. Just cut and paste. [...]
People who sign up for McCain’s program receive reward points each time they place a favorable comment on one of the listed Web sites (subject to verification by McCain’s webmasters). The points can be traded for prizes, such as books autographed by McCain, preferred seating at campaign events, even a ride with the candidate on his bus, known as the Straight Talk Express, according to campaign spokesman Brian Rogers.
Crooks & Liars, by the way, is on the list of targeted sites.
It appears McCain hasn’t actually earned actual grassroots support, but he’s certainly willing to buy it, and catapult the propaganda online.
The WaPo noted why these tactics might sound familiar: “[D]issidents alleged earlier this year that the Chinese government has paid Chinese citizens token sums for each favorable comment about government policies they post in chat rooms and on blogs.”
Yes, let’s pause to appreciate the ways in which the McCain campaign has borrowed the tactics of an authoritarian communist regime.
In some ways, I’m a little surprised conservatives aren’t more insulted by this. The McCain campaign assumes a) his supporters need prize incentives to say nice things about him; and b) these same supporters aren’t quite smart enough to come up with their own ideas, and need to copy and paste pre-approved comments that the campaign has come up with for them.
D-Day’s take was spot-on:
This is just an evolution of the Bush Administration paying Armstrong Williams and Maggie Gallagher to carry water for their policies. It’s wingnut welfare at the micro-level. And it’s kind of sad that you can’t find a conservative who is legitimately excited enough about John McCain to promote him online for free. I think the accurate response to any McCain supporter at this point is “how many buttons did you just win for that comment?”
Matt Ortega also had a great line: “Commanding an army of spammers on the internet: now that’s leadership you can believe in.”
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Paying people to spam.
If only I was a hacker.
Ques princess.
Dr. Britney Hussein Matt @ 2:
errrr, *cues*
(”John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan . . .”) Now where is my damn book?
How many points for a date with Mann Coulter?
Damn...
That's the level of dickery you expect in a Third World nation, not the US!
Not even the Calderon-Obrador election got this nasty...
Wow! A ride on the short bus. How cool is that?
”John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan . . .”
How many points did I just earn?
I didn't believe this story at first...oh well
From ABC News:
Subtle derogatory messaging much?
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Red State
A leading online political community, focusing on national political issues from a conservative perspective.
Jeff Emanuel
The official blog of a leading conservative writer and Pulitzer-Prize nominated combat journalist.
Daily Kos
A liberal online community, focusing on national political issues from the liberal point-of-view.
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Why do they hate the liberal so much?
In other news, John McCain himself will personally tap a few of his talking points into the nation's telegraph system:
"..-. .-. .. . -. -.. ... "
Hu Jintao does look a bit like a maverick...
John McCain has a comprehensive economic plan!
:D
How many points does one need to earn for McCain to call you a c**t and threaten you with physical violence? That would be awesome...
John McCain has a prehensile ectomonic plant.
Do I get to watch his wife feed him for that one?
ROTFLMAO. I doubt McOlderthandirt has a comperhensive anything much less a plan that is one.
We need to vote for McCain. The man on the news just told me that Russia invaded Georgia! If they take Atlanta we're screwed!
John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known...
.................John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known...
..................................John McCain is the kindest, bravest, warmest, most wonderful human being I've ever known...
Hey, on the upside McCain is still in the "buying votes" stage. Just think, if a few months he'll be stealing them.
And yet, does the
uppityclean young man have any experience? Will checking your tire pressure really save as much money as AAA says it will? What are we really getting our country into here, my friends? (off to claim 100 McCain Points)I understand that you can win a prize from McCain if you design a viable electric car... maybe GM should pull their old one out of mothballs and claim the prize?
shaz @ 19:
I understand you can win a tire gauge for a 100 points... ;)
Dr. Britney Hussein Matt @ 2:
Does that make him an Orc?
That would explain why my elven sword "Stink" gets all glowy
and sends out a foul odor every time
McCain's speaks on tv!!
JOHN MCCAIN is a great man. Once I fell off my bike and JOHN MCCAIN came to help me up, and while doing so he elaborated on his extremely well written and thought out ECONOMIC PLAN for AMERICA. Then JOHN MCCAIN gave me a ride home and bought me ICE CREAM.
(easily worth a few dozen points)
Russia invaded Georgia? Do you think we can get them to take Alabama and Mississippi too?
McCain good. He want more oil. Obama bad. He want less oil.
Bam! Two points!!!
John McCain making an absolute fool of himself at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sK-LEyyf7d4
McCain’s Major Gaffes ~ Compilation…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWX5u69hmzY
Green Eagle @ 24:
Wrong Georgia. This invasion is typical Russian power-politics.
Crooks & Liars, by the way, is on the list of targeted sites.
Shows just how stupid McCain campaign is. Like any bullshit extolling McCain's strengths/virtues wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb on this site. There would be something like "John McCain has a great economic recover program". Then there would be 232 responses of "name ANY of it", then a major profanity or description of an an object and the orifice they should place it in. Then the 32nd response would be eliminated by the site manager, and for the life of me I couldn't imagine why.
As has be brilliantly said "Bring it on!"
This is ironic because I just got banned by RedState for posting to their blog. They do not like to be disagreed with. Substance and debate do not matter.
One time I was with John McCain in the back of a pickup truck, along with a live deer. McCain goes up to the deer and says, 'I'm John McCain! SAY IT!' Then he manipulates the deer's lips in such a way as to make it say, 'JohnMccain' ... It wasn't exactly like it, but it was pretty good for a deer!'
If you drop a phonograph needle on McCain's nipple, it plays the Beach Boys' 'Pet Sounds.
Effin' pathetic that McSame campaign... tards and trolls abound...
St. Paul Scout @ 14:
I thought that was a penalty not a reward??
McCain's site = Subtle derogatory messaging much?
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Red State
A leading online political community, focusing on national political issues from a conservative perspective.
Jeff Emanuel
The official blog of a leading conservative writer and Pulitzer-Prize nominated combat journalist.
Daily Kos
A liberal online community, focusing on national political issues from the liberal point-of-view.
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Why do they hate the liberal so much?
Economy? McCain has a plan!
War? McCain has a plan!
High gas prices? McCain has a plan!
Food prices going through the roof? McCain has a plan!
Trust him! McCain has a plan!
More points than skeeball! W00t!
so we can either get recycled bush, or inexperience and flattery, with no proven track record.
I'll just sit back and watch this all unfold.
I loved it.
It was brilliant.
Much better than "Cats".
I'm going to see it again and again.
You've gotta have a sense of humor about all of this...
I just add, "...in bed" to end of every talking point to make them funny.
Straight Talk Express here I come!
"John McCain knows how to win wars. His military information and propaganda films helped the Vietnamese win independence in the American War."
"John McCain has an economic plan. Continue all the tax breaks to the wealthiest 1% who contribute nothing to society."
"John McCain has an energy plan. Cut off the electric to the servants rooms."
o.k.
this crosses a line. i wouldn't be expecting john mccain to have any web sites that you can actually gain access to or for any of them to remain unhacked into in the near future
VeeKaChu @ 5:
thats the booby prize to motivate the lower 10%, they work hard to avoid that prize...
mmm John McCain = free stuff. Sign me up.
Can I have my concubine now?
LibertyLover @ 21:
going by their catalog of prizes, 1000 points wins a tire iron or was it a 'Scarborough' desk, me forgets.
Maverick @ 42:
slight problem (for law abiding moral peoples), the standard Republican concubine isnt legal, they tend to be school age etc, IOKIYAR
sir jorge @ 35:
So what would you call Chimpy then, did that dry drunk coke sniffing psychopathic monster have experience !!!!
Why the need for a script? How is it that McCain's supporters don't spontaneously and enthusiastically praise their candidate's wonderful policies?
VeeKaChu @ 5:
As the old joke goes: First prize is a date with Mann Coulter. Second prize is two dates with Mann Coulter.
"I... believe that John... McCain... *chokes back vomit* knows what's best for America..." *sheds a tear as a little part of soul dies.*
This better be worth it...
Where can I get that "McCain: 100% Recycled Bush" bumper sticker? Do they have a similar one as "McSame: The Status Quo Leadership We Can Believe In"? Would the McCain trolls copy/paste and manipulate text of wanting a mock-McCain bumper sticker?
America Online was a popular destination for political message board and chat room spammers. Right wing "consulting firms" paid people by the hour to enter these chat rooms and paste talking points disguised as chat, and paid them a dollar or two for each message posted on a message board. It got so bad, they removed the political chat rooms from their site.
The strategy is not new. It first came into use when brokerage firms began paying teams of pumpers and bashers to post information, most of it false, on financial message boards to influence stock prices. Yahoo Finance is still famous for its stock bashers.
Wait, Wait, Wait. We're doing it all wrong. The proper way to support McCain is to slam Obama, remember? It is with this revelation that I feel compelled to inform you all....
Barack Obama has no comprehensive economic plan.
ROFLMAO
Last night, after work, went to dKos. There was a snark diary from someone pretending to want a new toaster from McSlime. Granted, I arrived late to the party: but the whole diary was so obviously a joke that I couldn't help laughing at the commenters who didn't "get" it: until a snark tag was posted!
LOL! Idiots on both sides of the aisle!
And now I'm going to go quietly weep: this nation doesn't need more idiots on EITHER side of the aisle. There are sufficient numbers of them for any 10 other countries.
Where's Dennis to tell us we're all paranoid?
I'm surprised he never showed up on the Harry Shearer thread to accuse the Simpton's of using Montgomery Burns for bashing the wealthy and calling for class warfare.
"Look out, spit-ball, incoming!!!!"
Of course Dennis probably would thank Harry and all the Simpson folks for helping to create FAUX news, the home of "un-biased" reporting (snarque.)
[Deleted]
Sitemonitors- Even after you ban me you continue to let this clown trash me.
[You aren't banned. Your comments are being read before they post. The fact that you are trying to get something going 26 hours after the fact makes me glad I kept forgetting to take you off that list. You've devolved to flamebaiting and are, more often than not, off topic, and the first to go there. I don't have time to clean up after you, dennis-Sitemonitor]
Re: Gramps McCain
I heartily endorse this good or service.
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