SF CHRON ON FR: FReep This -- How The Right Wing Is Making Itself Heard

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | January 30, 2003 | Joyce Slaton

[L.N. Smithee]

Something strange happened during the 2000 Gore-Bush election fiasco you may have missed.

CNN, which was running 24-hour special election coverage, hosted a program with conservative columnist Bob Novak shortly after the disputed election results were returned. Novak was adamant that Al Gore should quit trying to steal the election and concede. To bolster his point, he brought up the results of CNN.com's public-opinion poll "Should Al Gore concede?" Poll results showed that a full 89 percent of the thousands of people who had visited CNN.com and voted had agreed -- Gore should give up the ghost.

[finnman69]

"Online polls are silly -- everybody knows that," says liberal political analyst William Rivers Pitt, whose book War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know made him something of a FReeper target for a time.

While we are talking about Freeping.

Amazon.com - War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know by William Rivers Pitt, Scott Ritter

[sweetliberty]

"It's not thousands of people voting one way; it's one or two people voting hundreds of times"

Sounds kinda like the way Rats vote in REAL elections. And actually, I think with few exceptions, most FReepers only vote once in most of these polls. Looks to me to be just another case of liberal sour grapes and blaming conservatives for behavior that they themselves are famous for.

[Fred Mertz]

There's definitely a sort of hardcore wackjob segment of FReepers," agrees William Rivers Pitt.

I think I know who he's referring to...the harpies....lol

[No Left Turn]

Or were they worried I would ask about embarrassing incidents like Steele's and Chuy's?

Didn't he ask a Freeper about this for his article, and didn't she answer him? Oh and what a scary underbelly: a guy's name was put on the Internet. Oooooh. I know it shouldn't have been done, but please.

[sweetliberty]

"Online polls are silly -- everybody knows that," says liberal political analyst William Rivers Pitt, whose book War on Iraq: What Team Bush Doesn't Want You To Know made him something of a FReeper target for a time"

Pitt is a political analyst now??? ROTFLMBO!!!!!!!!! And he thinks his PITTiful little book, co-authored with Ritter the pervert made him a FReeper target???? I can't stop laughing!!!! Indeed! Pitt was born with a bullseye on his mouth! His mama probably threatened to get him a live teddy bear to play with. ROTFL!!!

[TLBSHOW]

Wait till you get my freep mail!

[George W. Bush]

Hmm...

Given a few years and a great deal of investigative journalism, they may discover we won the Battle For Floriduh and impeached Clinton. Among a very long list of other accomplishments. And our direct influence on media reporting and economics is undeniable.

Congratulations, JimRob.

[kristinn]

I've only got time to post this comment on the article for now.

I long ago gave up on the press writing articles that fairly describe a situation or subject. At least the reporter got my name and my comments right.

Unmentioned, even though I told her about it, is that my personal info was twice posted on DU in December (it got pulled each time after a while.) Nor did she mention the beatings of Don and Teri Adams by supporters of Bill Clinton in 1998.

At least she reported that we don't tolerate that kind of behavior.

[PJ-Comix]

Pitt is a political analyst now???

Actually Pitt is the TRUE AUTHOR of this article. Read THIS and find out where Ms Laton lifted her material from.

[Smile-n-Win]

And us "hardcore wackjob segment" FReepers are to right even futher?

This could be series.

Yup. Those dovish, emotionally advanced left-leaners better avoid our company, lest they suffer a vey series shock and keel over from their leaning when they hear our lunatic fringey hardcore wackjob comments.

[finnman69]

There is now a "Flush Rush" effort by the lefties targeting the advertisers of the Rush Limbaugh show.

There is also an effort by Freepers and Rush fans to inform the advertisers that they are being targeted by anti-American anti-free speech pro-terroist goons. One even advocated targeting his own 1-800 customer service company that represents a Rush advertiser, asking people to call and burn through 800 time repeatedly. The same group was discussing ordering products and then returning them to run up charges.

This dingaling from the 800 company left his real name under his profile and his hometown. His company was happy to have this information.

[Chad Fairbanks]

From Mr. Pitt's article: "...Those who sexually stalk teenage girls in internet chat rooms use similar tactics..."

Ah well, regarding his good buddy Ritter: What did he know, and when did he know it???

[xzins]

As SF Gate News Director (and poll writer) Vlae Kershner put it, "People are finding a way of getting around our system that only allows one vote, and they're voting hundreds of times. It's not thousands of people voting one way; it's one or two people voting hundreds of times."

Bull puckey....no one has the time to vote even "tens" of times. Some might vote more than once. But the really good polls make that difficult/impossible.

No one is gonna sign on various times from various computers or constantly clear cookies or whatever it would take. It's too time consuming.

Unlike liberals....FReepers have lives.

[justshe]

Good catch, PJ. Mo1 thought this article sounded familiar.

[Chad Fairbanks]

Common courtesy would dictate that you ping the people you are maligning, Fred...

Should I ping "The Harpies" for you, or would you prefer to do it yourself? Come on, Fred, be a man...

[EdReform]

"The online polls must be freeped."

Amen!

[PJ-Comix]

Good catch, PJ. Mo1 thought this article sounded familiar.

Ms Laton is guilty of blatant plagiarism. Even worse she never mentioned the source of the material she lifted was one of the people she quoted on opinions about Freepers---Pitt. At most other newspapers such a lack of journalistic ethics (plagiarism) is a FIRING offense. It remains to be seen as to the fate of Ms. Laton.

[TLBSHOW]

I know and this is a attack against the right from Pitt and Ritter!

[TLBSHOW]

We are under attack and we don't need the child in on it.

[TLBSHOW]

You have freep mail!