Column: How comment section trolls took over the Republican Party

Yahoo.com ^ | 5/2/23 | Jonah Goldberg

[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.”

[newzjunkey]

Nothing wrong with comments. Yes trolls, disrupters and shills can crowd out normal people offering their voice and viewpoint. How’s he feel about social media in general because that only amplifies the problem.

Trump was a key pivot point, hopefully a positive inflection that would get us back on track on America for the benefit of Americans rather than the radicals, anarchists and self appointed elite. His failure to be re-elected and erroneous strategy since has let America First down. We need someone else to pick up the torch and run.

Trump gave voice to the real feeling that the political class were more interested in themselves than getting things done, that foreign policy experts in government had tunnel vision that was not in America’s, and the world’s, best interest.

[sport]

And she is despised by some on this forum. I am not one of them. But I read many derogatory posts about her. Why do they hate her? Simply because she fights. She does not kiss the Democrat’s asses.

[euram]

Coming from a party taken over by AOC and The Squad, this is pretty comical. Just taking a look at the crazy train that the Media-Dem Party has become far outpaces anything that the GOP even at its weirdest has ever done.

[Leep]

Moderators are only as good as the site. Ive been in chats where the moderators are obviously leftards.

“folk just decide not to hang out anymore”

Kind of true. In that i don’t really hand out anywhere particular..FR excluded.:) Anyhow,I make my point. ..will have a back and forth with someone with a opposing view if they are sane. Or, to clarify. But don’t bother with people who do not sound sane.

[Brian Griffin]

Whenever a blog comes to Disqus, I’m speechless.

[Bishop_Malachi]

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

____________________________________________________

Exactly! Who gets banned from social media more? The Left or the Right? The Right gets banned, while the Left is free to troll. This sounds like just another whiny excuse to ban political speech from the web.

[mewzilla]

Meanwhile, has anyone paid attention to just who runs comments sections for enemedia outlets now...

And not just in the US, BTW.

Maybe someone should look into that.

Hint, hint...

[LS]

TRANSLATION OF THIS ARTICLE:

“Boo hoo. We lost our ability to control comments, the majority of which hate us.”

[Bob434]

Shut up jonah!

[Leep]

“His failure to be re-elected and erroneous strategy since”

Leftards and RINOtards had a little to do with it. They did everything possible to discredit him, Hilaretard made crap up about Trump colluding with Russia (and the FBI and media ran with it as if it were a fact), falsely impeached him twice. The media was 24/7 negative Trump throughout his entire presidency.

Psychotards.

[Bob434]

Trump exposed all the nasty rinos in the party. Jonah outed himself as one for sure

[Bob434]

He’s definitely ately projecting- all liberals do

[absalom01]

I cannot abide this smug tub of lard.

[Bob434]

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

Jonah clapped for him and that encouraged him lol

[GOPJ]

Jonah Goldberg hates traditional Americans so much he's taken to drinking Bud Light. He drinks in honor of a company willing to go broke just for the joy of giving loyal Americans supporters the finger.

[GOPJ]

“It was the commenters,” Miller writes, “the hobbits who had taken charge. And they were the ones dragging us along, no matter how we assured ourselves that we were in control.” And they dragged the right into Trump’s arms.

Yes, 'the hobbits' - the little people - also known a common everyday citizens.

The people Goldberg and other 'elites' look down on... The people our founding fathers trusted... the basis of American justice isn't the exalted judge it's 12 common everyday 'hobbit' citizens... Goldberg's a smart man but he doesn't 'get the American experiment...and probably never will... a pox on his house.

[rockrr]

Hmmmm, “Jonah Goldberg” - didn’t he used to be somebody?

Nah, I must be mistaken.

;’}

[one guy in new jersey]

“[Trump’s] failure to be re-elected and erroneous strategy since...”

Tough crowd in that there comments section!

[Blurb2350]

"There are only two ways of telling the complete truth, anonymously and posthumously." - Thomas Sowell What an excellent quote. I've also noticed that prominent public figures will throw caution to the wind and say or write things they kept to themselves over the course of their career. No more self-censorship as the inevitable end approaches, it's now or never.

[FLT-bird]

Jonah Goldberg is a RINO.

I doubt any Conservative takes him seriously any more.