General Discussion
Showing Original Post only (View all)GOP PACs are inhabiting liberal roles on social media-duping lefties into sharing anti-Hillary memes [View all]
It takes a criminal mind
It seems Republican PACs are making a concerted effort to "inhabit the liberal role" on social media and dupe lefties into sharing anti-Hillary Clinton memes. Bill McKibben (350.org), the A.F.L.-C.I.O., and others have fallen prey to the tactic:
For months now, America Rising has sent out a steady stream of posts on social media attacking Mrs. Clinton, some of them specifically designed to be spotted, and shared, by liberals. The posts highlight critiques of her connections to Wall Street and the Clinton Foundation and feature images of Democrats like Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York, interspersed with cartoon characters and pictures of Kevin Spacey, who plays the villain in House of Cards. And as they are read and shared, an anti-Clinton narrative is reinforced.
America Rising is not the only conservative group attacking Mrs. Clinton from the left. Another is American Crossroads, the group started by Karl Rove, which has been sending out its own digital content, including one ad using a speech Ms. Warren gave at the New Populism Conference in Washington last May.
The Times continues, "Conservative strategists and operatives say they are simply filling a vacuum on the far left ..." Out of the goodness of their hearts.
Ken Goldstein, a professor specializing in political advertising at the University of San Francisco, explains that this effort shows Republican strategists are "thinking a couple steps ahead. Steven Law, president of American Crossroads, says the goal is to erode support for the Democrats' presumptive 2016 presidential candidate among base voters:
It can diminish enthusiasm for Hillary among the base over time, he said. And if you diminish enthusiasm, lukewarm support can translate into lackluster fund-raising and perhaps diminished turnout down the road.
MORE:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/17/us/politics/the-right-aims-at-democrats-on-social-media-to-hit-clinton.html?_r=1
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2015/05/it-takes-criminal-mind-by-bloggersrus.html