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Column: How comment section trolls took over the Republican Party
Yahoo.com ^ | 5/2/23 | Jonah Goldberg

Posted on 05/02/2023 6:32:23 AM PDT by CFW

Is the GOP becoming a dysfunctional chatroom?

In economics, Gresham’s law on currency markets holds that “bad money drives out good.” That principle also applies to the comment sections on online sites.

In comments sections — including such mega-versions like Twitter — the nastiest commenters post more, and more obnoxiously, than the decent ones until, eventually, the decent folk just decide not to hang out anymore. The only remedy for this is comment moderation, where grown-ups in charge try to thwart the trolls lest they lose their more valuable customers.

In Tim Miller’s book, “Why We Did It,” the former Republican operative has a chapter titled “Centering the Comments Section.” In it, he explains how as the communications director of Jeb Bush’s 2016 presidential campaign, he courted Breitbart News, then run by self-described “Leninist” Steve Bannon. The courtship didn’t work out. But Miller describes how Bannon and other right-wing outlets embraced a strategy of pandering to the comment section warriors to boost traffic and “engagement.”

(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Extended News; Front Page News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: breitbart; goldberg; greshamslaw; jarjarfatberg; jebbush; jonahgoldberg; nevertrumper; projection; rino; stevebannon; timmiller; twitter; whywedidit
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Wow! I'm glad I had taken my blood pressure medication before reading this piece!

As usual, the left and their reliable Never-Trumper GOP foot soldiers consistently accuse conservatives of what they themselves are doing.

Take the paragraph below. The GOPe brag about the fact that they are abandoning their base and are ignoring the wishes of their voters.

"Michelle Cottle of the New York Times recently reported from Georgia, where the state party has effectively been taken over by the comments section. Republican Gov. Brian Kemp, who defied Trump’s attempts to destroy him in the primaries, has essentially washed his hands of the state GOP, directing donors to ignore it and give their money to his PAC."

1 posted on 05/02/2023 6:32:23 AM PDT by CFW
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To: CFW

Didn’t Jonah Goldberg throw his Republican credentials on the table and quit over Trump? And who says DJT wasn’t a necessary political enema?


2 posted on 05/02/2023 6:36:03 AM PDT by JonPreston
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To: CFW

Yeah, what else do we expect from yahoo and goldberg. Both are firmly in the “the people are revolting” camp.


3 posted on 05/02/2023 6:37:23 AM PDT by Prolixus (In all seriousness:)
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To: JonPreston

clingers like Goldberg are what enemas are for, and for the same reason.


4 posted on 05/02/2023 6:38:06 AM PDT by Dr.Deth
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To: CFW
I used to use this pic as my Disqus avatar to argue with the demcommies


5 posted on 05/02/2023 6:40:44 AM PDT by Pollard ( >>> The Great Reset is already underway! <<<)
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To: CFW

more preparation for government censorship of social media and news/discussion sites like FR


6 posted on 05/02/2023 6:40:50 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: CFW

.


7 posted on 05/02/2023 6:42:30 AM PDT by sauropod (“If they don’t believe our lies, well, that’s just conspiracy theorist stuff, there.”)
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To: CFW

i.e. if practiced upon the right, censorship is for the greater good.


8 posted on 05/02/2023 6:44:10 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: CFW

Jonah GoldenCalf needs to look in the mirror. He single handily destroyed National Review with his nasty, obnoxious articles, of which decent folk just decided to cancel their subscription to that rag.


9 posted on 05/02/2023 6:45:07 AM PDT by Flavious_Maximus (Tony Fauci will be put on death row and die of COVID!)
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To: CFW

Georgia re-elected him as a so called Republican and he rewards them by ignoring the base and turning his nose up at them. He let the 2020 be stolen & turned Georgia purple by fraud. MTG is the best thing out of a Georgia.


10 posted on 05/02/2023 6:46:41 AM PDT by Tea Drinker (Live From Sunny Tucson)
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To: CFW

This is the third time in the past week or so I have heard references to Jeb Bush.

That’s what this whole article is for imho. A PR piece for JB.


11 posted on 05/02/2023 6:47:22 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: CFW

Jonah Goldberg....this butt wipe has been pathetic for 10 plus years. I think he even edited National Review for a while way back then. Or was an editor.


12 posted on 05/02/2023 6:47:49 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: CFW
"There are only two ways of telling the complete truth, anonymously and posthumously." - Thomas Sowell

If not for the comment sections, the bald-faced lies of korrupt government and korporations would be unchecked.

13 posted on 05/02/2023 6:49:03 AM PDT by T.B. Yoits
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To: Beowulf9

Maybe ¡Yeb! is gearing up to run again. Due to popular demand.


14 posted on 05/02/2023 6:49:36 AM PDT by dennisw
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To: dennisw

“The New Yeb! It’s short, sweet, and everybody wants to see it!”


15 posted on 05/02/2023 6:50:28 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: CFW

No surprise. The only people who despise regular Americans more than the left are the GOP establishment.


16 posted on 05/02/2023 6:50:44 AM PDT by No.6
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To: dennisw
Jonah Goldberg....this butt wipe has been pathetic for 10 plus years. I think he even edited National Review for a while way back then. Or was an editor.

Proving than a small handful of individuals can bring down a once well known magazine, or even a well known popular light beer, or a major top news network. And even a major financial institution. Unfortunately, even a country.

17 posted on 05/02/2023 6:51:27 AM PDT by 1Old Pro
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To: All

NeoCons are war profiteers and Trotskyites, I doubt Goldberg has any real conservative beliefs. National Review was always a gatekeeper for conservatives but at least Buckley was intelligent, funny , and a Christian.


18 posted on 05/02/2023 6:52:26 AM PDT by escapefromboston (Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.)
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To: dennisw

Right. He’ll sink like the Bismarck.

These guys never get a clue.


19 posted on 05/02/2023 6:54:28 AM PDT by Beowulf9
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To: CFW

Goldberg. Yawn.


20 posted on 05/02/2023 6:54:56 AM PDT by Recovering_Democrat
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