Posted on 09/23/2014 11:54:29 AM PDT by servo1969
I can’t believe I’m writing about “StopRush” again.
Longtime readers will recall my extensive and groundbreaking research into the StopRush operation just after Limbaugh’s comments about Sandra Fluke in 2012, for which he apologized.
I proved then that the operation — at least at that time — was a Media Matters astroturfed assault on Limbaugh’s advertiser base, based on a pre-existing plan just waiting for the right moment. Supposedly independent groups coordinated their efforts with an MMFA operative, and then tried to cover it up.
My research led Limbaugh to activate his personal Twitter account to spread the results of my research. It also earned me threats to interfere in my employment, although those threats never materialized as far as I know.
I continued to follow the main group, as it targeted advertisers and eventually imploded from infighting and infiltration. The efforts largely failed at causing any meaningful damage to Limbaugh. Carbonite, one of the mains sponsors to drop Limbaugh, suffered as a result.
Nonetheless, a small cadre of operatives, who often used multiple proxy accounts to multiply their effect, continued to plug away at harassing Limbaugh advertisers over a variety of issues. Because I stopped following their efforts, it’s unclear if it is the same original group members, or not. My sense is that some of the original crew have faded away.
Over time, I stopped writing about the anti-Limbaugh effort as it was a sideshow. But the group never went away, and succeeded in antagonizing people. The StopRush group elicited this response from a college student who objected to their taking over other groups’ hastags, Dear #FillTheBowl Twitter trolls: go home.
This summer seem to have reignited its efforts, leading to an investigation of who was behind the group:
Clear Channel Networks Group and iHeartRadio President Darren Davis said this week that social media attacks on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh have come mostly from a small but dedicated group of activists.
“[A] huge focus for me is to have Rush be appreciated for what he truly is,” Davis said in an interview this week.
The radio boss, whose company carries the Limbaugh program, said that his team investigated numerous campaigns aimed at removing the conservative radio host from the air and found that a very small group was responsible for a majority of the complaints.
The other day, Limbaugh read a post from College Insurrection about Ohio State’s requirement that students not only have consent to have sex, they needed to agree on why they were having sex. Otherwise, it’s a campus violation.
In the course of reading our post, Limbaugh made the following comments:
Here’s what consent is at Ohio State. After you and your partner decide that you’re gonna make out or have sex, you agree to do it, then you have to agree on why. “Consent is the act of knowingly, actively and voluntarily agreeing explicitly to engage in sexual activity. Consent must be freely given and can be withdrawn at any time.”
“You have to be sober, not coerced, imaginative, enthusiastic, creative, wanted, informed, mutual, honest, verbal. The absence of ‘no’ does not mean ‘yes.’ It must be asked every step of the way. It cannot be implied or assumed, even in the context of a relationship. Circumstances in which a person CANNOT legally give consent: (No matter what he or she might verbalize): The person is severely intoxicated or unconscious as a result of alcohol or drugs. The person is physically or developmentally disabled. The victim is under the age 13 or is elderly. So as long as the girl is thirteen years old, she can give consent for sex, provided it’s creative and enthusiastic.”
“Consent must be freely given, can be withdrawn at any time, and the absence of ‘no’ does not mean ‘yes.’” How many of you guys, in your own experience with women, have learned that “no” means “yes” if you know how to spot it? Let me tell you something. In this modern world, that is simply not tolerated. People aren’t even gonna try to understand that one. I mean, it used to be said it was a cliche. It used to be part of the advice young boys were given.
See, that’s what we gotta change. We have got to reprogram the way we raise men. Why do you think permission every step of the way, clearly spelling out “why”… are all of these not lawsuits just waiting to happen if even one of these steps is not taken?
Those comments then were twisted by the DNC for fundraising purposes, purporting that Limbaugh was advocating sexual assault, even though he clearly was not. A DNC petition demanding that Limbaugh be dropped by radio stations has over 300,000 signatures as of this writing (which, of course, means the DNC has 300,000 more names and email addresses in its get-out-the-vote database).
The false narrative was pushed very hard at left-wing websites looking to promote the DNC “War on Women” campaign theme. Via Politico:
A representative for Rush Limbaugh is accusing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee of intentionally lying about the radio host’s remarks in “a disturbing and cynical attempt to fundraise from the serious problem of sexual abuse.”
“The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee emails about Rush Limbaugh are an intentional lie, using 10 words carefully selected from his full comments to imply the opposite of what he actually said,” Brian Glicklich, a spokesperson for Limbaugh, told POLITICO on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, DCCC Chairman Steve Israel sent a blast email asking supporters to sign a petition calling on Limbaugh’s sponsors to pull their advertising from his program because of remarks he had made about rape. Israel characterized Limbaugh as saying, “…No” means “yes” if you know how to spot it…” The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee sent out a similar email on Wednesday.
The StopRush group apparently is part of or piggybacking on the DNC effort.
The Limbaugh spokesman, Brian Glicklich, has been tweeting vigorously that the StopRush operatives will to be forced “sign your name” to their anonymous actions, and used the hashtag “SignYourName”.
#stoprush distributes target lists widely, while hiding in shadows. If you intimidate anonymously, get ready to #signyourname and be known
— Brian Glicklich (@brianglicklich) September 22, 2014
Big Day for #stoprush bullies, who will finally #signyourname so all can judge your credibility. Anonymity is over for harassers
— Brian Glicklich (@brianglicklich) September 23, 2014
Glickitch has had numerous back and forth tweets with the Media Matters operative who originated the StopRush effort:
.@GoAngelo Always appreciate on the record comments from the creator & leader of #stoprush After 2+ years, you know what is bad for business
— Brian Glicklich (@brianglicklich) September 23, 2014
I emailed Glickich with the following questions:
“Are you going to be identifying the true identities of people currently using pseudonyms on Twitter and elsewhere to contact Limbaugh advertisers?
And if so, how many such people?”
Here was his response:
“Yes, we are identifying the true identities of these people, at about 5PM eastern today, on Rush Limbaugh’s website.
We are identifying about ten such individuals today, and have many more available.
Our desire is to educate those targeted by these extremists about who is contacting them, and what their real motivation is, since these protestors portray themselves as customers when they are not.”
This should be interesting.
We will update.
Did set up a post about Dems efforts to get Rush off the air again. Good grief, this never stops.
Bkmrk.
I am a Rush subscriber; I pay $5.95 a month to be a subscriber. I heard that comment live and, if I could have, I would have reached through the radio and punched his lights out once just for being that effing stupid to say something like that on the air and then again just for saying something like that and actually believing it.
Twitter and Facebook were created so that six activists could look like an army.
These people at MMFA must have absolutely no life. Spending all day listening to Limbaugh and watching Fox News so they can deliver mundane retorts to every syllable.
Aren’t there like 5 people who make this their full time job?
Would you mind pinging me?
Bookmarked
“I would... punched his lights out ...just for saying something like that and actually believing it.”
The problem that I have with your comment is that Rush is right. I, and numerous other men, know this from personal experience. I knew Rush was going to get in trouble as soon as I heard him say it. I also knew he was right.
7
Sorry, I won’t be anywhere near a computer this afternoon.
This bunch is especially inept, having taken what he said totally out of context. And none of the boycotters understand how the radio business works, and that even if they get one of his own national sponsors (like Carbonite was) to drop their ads, there’s a waiting list of others willing to pay even more to replace them.
Active cooperation, accompanied by the word "no" is a definite yes. That's how you spot it. < donning flameproofs >
ForLater
This list was developed so that advertisers and others can judge the credibility and motives of the activist bullies anonymously behind Stop Rush. Any other use is not endorsed.
Name: Matthew Mitchell Location: Altamonte Springs, FL ID: Captain Murdock/@CaptMurdock
Name: Nancy Padak Location: Kent State University ID: npadak@kent.edu, facebook.com/nancy.padak
Fun Fact: Emails advertisers with harassment from her official Kent State email address. Gives businesses she has no relationship with 1 star ratings if they advertise on Rush. Friend of Cherie Richards
Name: Jason Rey Location: Georgia ID: Frantic Quark/@FranticQuark
Name: Lauren Reynolds Location: Los Angeles, CA ID: Lauren Reynolds/@chloesty, lonelydays46@gmail.com, facebook.com/lauren.reynolds.946179
Fun Fact: Gives businesses she has no relationship with 1 star ratings if they advertise on Rush
Name: Cherie Richards Location: Powell, Ohio ID: Kitty Fitzgerald/@KittyFitz50 kittyfitzgerald@gmail.com, facebook.com/cherier1
Fun Fact: Regularly changes online identity to hide anonymously, gives businesses she has no relationship with 1 star ratings if they advertise on Rush
Name: Sarah Smyea Rivers Location: Whittier, CA ID: SueBryce/@eurekasue49
Fun Fact: Changes ID frequently with different numbers to remain anonymous, has sent over 96,000 tweets
Name: Dennis William Rohner Location: Gainesville, FL ID: Shawtoo@Shawtoo
Name: Linda Kotsenburg Swanholm Location: Covina, CA ID: CMMorgan/@socallks, lswanholm@aol.com
Fun Fact: Develops, administers, and distributes target lists indiscriminately, gives businesses she has no relationship with 1 star ratings if they advertise on Rush
Name: Carol Kernahan Wallin Location: Anaheim, CA ID: Uses @Flushfools and @hrhprincess, facebook.com/carol.kernahan.7, flushfools@gmail.com
Fun Fact: Writes for DailyKos under both identities, long bullying/harassing pieces about political opponents.
Is there a link to read? Thanks. :)
Well, I, and numerous other women, are damned sick and tired of you, and other men, making that assumption.
“Well, I, and numerous other women, are damned sick and tired of you, and other men, making that assumption.”
What assumption? I never made an assumption. I LEARNED that women often said one thing while not actually meaning it definitively. They felt obligated to say certain things so they would not be thought of as the “wrong kind of girl.” Why don’t you think about how damned sick and tired many men are over the bizarre mixed messages they get from women in the last few decades?
When I was young I often felt sorry for women because they were always so damned confused and so few of them actually could be convincing about taking a stand. Believe me they were lucky I was basically a nice, decent guy who didn’t want to hurt anyone. These days women should read Wendy Shalit’s books and get a clue.
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