Bernie Sanders employs online trolls via Revolution Messaging. They are still hiring.

Want to be a paid troll for the Bernie Sanders’ presidential campaign?  You are in luck.  Revolution Messaging is still accepting applicants. 

The gig: You will work directly with Revolution Messaging staff to assist clients in shaping, maintaining and evolving their online presence in a niche technology market during an election year. Interns will get direct, hands-on experience with cutting edge digital targeting tools that are vital in the campaigns of today and tomorrow in a fast-paced political environment. This is a paid internship.

As an aside, it’s interesting seeing many of the jobs offered are paying $10.10 an hour, far less than $15.  

To date, Revolution Messaging has been paid $16,315,080 by the Sanders campaign, according to Open Secrets.  How much of that money is spent on trolls is not clear. 

Last night in a diary about a pro-Hillary Clinton PAC employing similar tactics, I suggested that Bernie Sanders uses the same techniques.  I would have to assume in the digital age that every high profile candidate uses these techniques.  I’m not knocking anyone.  It is what it is, and it doesn’t mean that these candidates don’t also have plenty of flesh and blood supporters that aren’t on the payroll.

The level of vitriol I experienced here on DailyKos was shocking, some of it even coming from long time, highly respected members of this community.  I was called both dick and asshole, both mastermind and idiot, a liar, a shill, and a paid agent of Brock.  People searched through my comment history for clues that I’m some kind of political operative, people said I should be banned and 3 of my comments were wrongfully flagged.  All because I mentioned that Bernie Sanders also hires people to comment on his behalf on social media, just like every other Presidential candidate.  I tried to keep a sense of humor about it, because you need a thick skin to argue politics on the internet, but being bullied is never fun, especially on a site that was founded on liberal ideals.

I like Bernie, even though I’m not supporting him in the primary, but he’s not a deity.  He’s a politician.  He employs marketing agencies, engages in message testing, hires people to influence the conversation online and targets demographics.  He says calculated things to motivate you to behave in manners befitting his political aspirations.  He plays the game like everyone else, even as he campaigns on a theme of not playing the game.  I’m not knocking him for it, but I do think some of us are a little too in love to hear the sounds of the sausage making machine in the engine room of the good ship Bernie.  

I’m not looking for apologies (though being able to admit you were wrong is a great virtue) but maybe we should take a step back and examine the way we treat minority opinion on this site.  I would hope a leftward revolution would be based on respect, inclusion and community, not on cliques, hierarchy and bullying.  

Peace. 

NOTE: I’m not trying to smear anyone, just trying to illustrate the double standard that exists on this website.  I believe the comments prove my point about as well as could be hoped for.  I don’t begrudge Bernie for using tools to shape opinion on social media anymore than I begrudge Clinton.