I don't know if I qualify as an old-timer, but I tried to stay off the DPW threads for almost two weeks. Wasn't there a word to describe the mentality being shown early on? I know it's not "coven," but that is the only word that's sticking in my mind right now. The word I'm thinking of pre-dates "bushbot."
I seem to recall it being used to describe a general level of hysteria.
Bushbot is a term that is flung at anyone who disagrees with someone. Usually one of the 1 percenters. The general hysteria was egged on here by a lot of people who were deliberately trying to spread dis-information.
Freepers, as a rule, tend to research things, not jump off a cliff following some mindless leader.