It's probable that many of us missed this story when it came out 2 weeks ago, but there is definitive proof that Trump partisans are purposely impersonating Clinton and Sanders supporters in order to create animosity between the two groups.
BUSTED: Trump-loving comment trolls pose as Sanders and Clinton supporters to divide Democrats
An Internet troll who claims to have found deep divisions among factions of the Left on Twitter laid out a plan Saturday for fellow Donald Trump supporters to exploit those fissures.
Posting on the sometimes-dubious message board 4chan, the anonymous poster wrote a post entitled, “Let’s troll Bernie and Hillary supporters systematically,” where the writer says he/she posed as a Democratic voter and trolled supporters of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton in an effort to deepen divisions and help Trump secure a victory in November.
The 4chan user suggests fellow Trump supporters do three things:
1.If hundreds of accounts on the Hillary or Bernie/Stein side were saying even worse things it’d make the divisions deeper. 2.If we got people to agree with us the opposing sides would blast each other as dangerous extremists but each would defend horrible tweets. 3. Even if a few or a lot of us were caught, it would increase distrust tremendously among ANYONE on the opposing side.
This is the very definition of a false flag operation. When we read attacks against a figure whom we admire and even love, our emotions rise immediately to the forefront: anger, outrage, and hostility towards the other side. Right now, there is a recommended diary that displays just that response. It attacks ostensible Sanders supporters who are trolling Elizabeth Warren via Twitter withe names such as #BernieorBust, calling her a “sellout” and other offensive statements. The diary is a passionate defense of Sen. Warren, laying out an excellent history of her positions and Progressive battles. But the diary also uses these tweets as a reason to once again rain fire on Sanders supporters, and the man himself, condemning them as if they were a monolithic group who actually believed the tweeted sentiments. Once again, Clinton supporters and Sanders supporters are spending their time attacking each other.
This is exactly what the Trump trolls want us to do - condemn each other, insult each other, get each other angry and defensive. These Trump operatives are using Twitter and comments on Liberal websites such as this to purposely divide us. They want us to shoot at each other, instead of focusing our attentions and passion on attacking the most destructive and insane Presidential candidate in living memory.
Of course, we can’t tell by looking at names or by reading the messages just who is a legitimate Sanders or Clinton, and who is not. But it is more than being unable to discern the sockpuppets from the actual believers. Paying attention to divisive comments, getting emotionally invested, opening time reading — or answering — is doing the Trumpian devil’s work. It sucks us into negative emotions; we spend time writing angry diaries about “BernieBros” or “Clinton corruption”. It is falling prey the very tactics that Trump himself is using to rile up his voters: inflammatory language designed to inspire rage and the desire to hurt “enemies.” Rather than sway people with reason, using verifiable evidence, Trump appeals to superstition and emotion, using anecdotes and fiction. His supporters create fictitious versions of “Sanders” and “Clinton” supporters with the same aim: to inspire emotions that will overwhelm us, stop us from pausing and thinking, and make us lash out.
That is why I am calling upon all of us to ignore negative comments from Sanders or Clinton supporters wherever we may find them. Becoming emotionally drawn in to comment or Twitter battles is not only a waste of time — it depresses our enthusiasm for our joint venture.
We are Democrats, and the Trumpians and the GOP will attempt to divide us and dishearten us wherever they can. They chortle with glee when they see us attacking each other. Don’t do their work for them. We must protect ourselves and each other psychologically as individuals, and practically as a political force. That will mean a concerted and sometimes difficult effort to pay no attention to divisive attacks, sneers, smears, retorts, insults, and condemnations. No matter how tempted we are to respond in kind, we have to let it go — because negativity harms both our joint purpose and ourselves. In order to crush the Trumpublicans in November, all of us — on both sides-must dedicate ourselves to approaching each other, and Sanders and Clinton themselves, with respect and good will, with the benefit of the doubt. We must be willing to find and affirm the positive in our fellow Democrats — even if it takes effort at first.But if we do so, we can form alliances now that will work synergistically during the years of work ahead.
Today Trump held a rally which ended by him literally hugging the American flag. The man is a complete fraud and charlatan, but he is leading a party of Know-nothings towards a path of world destruction. This is our true enemy — not each other.