Are Liberal Blog Trolls A Coordinated Effort?
Andrew Breitbart seems to think so:
Much of Mr. Obama’s vaunted online strategy involved utilizing “Internet trolls” to invade enemy lines under false names and trying to derail discussion. In the real world, that’s called “vandalism.” But in a political movement that embraces “graffiti” as avant-garde art , that’s business as usual. It relishes the ability to destroy other people’s property in pursuit of electoral victory.
Hugh Hewitt’s popular site shut off its comments section because of the success of these obnoxious invaders. Breitbart.com polices nonpartisan newswire stories for such obviously coordinated attacks. Other right-leaning sites such as Instapundit and National Review Online refuse to allow comments, knowing better than to flirt with the online activist left.
I’ll admit to, at times, feeling that some of the trolls in the past that have posted here at Say Anything are coordinated efforts to sabotage discussion. But then, a simpler explanation is that politics on an anonymous and impersonal forum such as the internet is just going to be nasty thanks to some immature louts who just can’t control themselves.
I don’t doubt that at times there are commenters who are deployed as advocates by this or that organization in order to target a specific campaign or issue, but I think those instances are pretty few and far between.
