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cabdriver

Published Letters: 1896
Editor's Choice: 12

Monday, June 16, 2008 11:18 AM

@theplanner

It's going to take more than re-printing lengthy cut-and-pastes to shake us.

Monday, June 16, 2008 11:24 AM

@planner

hey, planner!

Or is it "Fred"?

http://www.topix.com/forum/who/barack-obama/TER0MLQ2DLR7RGP52/p24

(page down to comment #499)

Monday, June 16, 2008 11:39 AM

@planner

The previous link was to a respondent- here's "Fred", himself, comment 1162, June 7, 2008- posted to

http://www.topix.com/news/2008-presidential-election/2008/06/

hillary-clintons-2-00-am-e-mail-to-supporters-i-concede/p57

(click on my highlighted screen name for link)

Monday, June 16, 2008 12:01 PM

Hey, it's "theplanner" again!

...or is it "Hinnis"?

http://forums.mercurynews.com/

topic/a-lot-of-us-are-heartbroken-as-clintons-campaign-ends

(linked at my highlighted screen, "cabdriver", in this post)

Comment Sat, 06/07/2008 - 19:09 — Hell Hath No Fury

"I think the DNC and party elite have grossly underestimated the fury they have unleashed by attempting to shove Obama down our throats..."

See comment in this thread, Monday, June 16, 2008 11:11 AM

Monday, June 16, 2008 12:12 PM

Hey, it's "theplanner" again!

Or is it..."Truth"?

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thefix/2008/05/managing_the_obamaclinton_merg.html

(click on my screen name for link)

see comment Posted by: Truth | May 19, 2008 11:12 PM

compare with comment in this thread Permalink Sunday, June 15, 2008 08:06 PM

Monday, June 16, 2008 12:57 PM

"theplanner"'s Greatest Hits, now in Rotation on Huffpo

hey "planner"- rotate!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/hinnis

(click on that ol' screenname of mine, "cabdriver", highlighted in blue, for the link!)

Monday, June 16, 2008 03:07 PM

handling political junkmail posts

Unless the sheer volume of page after page of cut-and-paste/spam diatribes begins to choke out the content of contributors with original comments, I'm opposed to deleting it or censoring it.

As it is now, I find the posting privileges and archive of such commentators to fulfill a function that's useful and educational. It's a key to exposing the existence of such single-minded agitprop campaigns and discrediting them- be they the inspiration of a single individual or a group effort.

Junkmail political posting is a weak-ass tactic, easily annoying enough to be counterproductive (although I find that personally speaking, exposing and ridiculing the recycled falsehoods and absurdly hyperbolic scare tactics is not wholly devoid of entertainment value.)

Unless it gets to the point where the size and volume of such posts is swamping out other content, I say give them all the rope they want.

Monday, June 16, 2008 03:20 PM

a patient and earnest attempt at engaging "theplanner" in dialogue...

@theplanner-

on at least 3 separate occasions, I've heard you repeat the claim that "according to the polls", large percentages of those who voted for Hillary Clinton in the primary would never under any circumstances support Barack Obama for president.

The first figure you mentioned was 25%; then 30%, then between 30 and 40%.

However, you only mentioned a specific poll once- Pew, for the first figure mentioned, 25%. And you provided no link reference. I haven't been successful in doing a search for that poll.

Would you please do the readership and myself a favor, and provide your sources for those poll numbers you quoted?

Monday, June 16, 2008 04:09 PM

@Farhad

I think you've brought up some valid points. I hope that Obama's counter-intelligence people consider them.

I share your opinion that chain e-mailing is of scant benefit. In fact, I tend to agree with a previous poster who said that it's most likely counterproductive.

I think that mass media access is key- along with having articulate spokespeople who are able to unpack the smears and lies without aggravating their energy through over-focusing on them or descending into paranoia. I think that have the response project an element of unflappability is imperative. Humor can be effective, too- but for the most serious slanders and libels, it isn't called for, and finely controlled outrage is more appropriate.

Also- if possible, trace the lies to their source. And once the source is found and confirmed, hammer their integrity to pieces.

Monday, June 16, 2008 04:20 PM

@Rohidas

"it's going to be bad enough this fall to have to put up with the inevitable ignorant right-wing attack on Obama (terrorist fist bumps? My God!)"

It all depends on how you want to take it. If that's a representative example of what the Republican Scare Machine will be dishing out this fall, it's so sad-ass that I find it amusing.

Monday, June 16, 2008 04:27 PM

There's nothing like Newt Gingrich in full twitter...

it's like someone just turned up the pitch control on a tape recorder.

Once he gets rev'ed up, he sounds like Professor Harold Hill giving his pitch in The Music Man.

[click on my highlighted screen name for youtube link!]

Monday, June 16, 2008 04:44 PM

@theplanner

Hey, there you are!

When you're done here, I have a question waiting for you over in the letters forum attached to the story advocating Hillary Clinton as Obama's VP. Nothing too complicated, just wondering if I can get the references for some poll numbers you quoted in various letters in your archive...

Monday, June 16, 2008 05:05 PM

introducing "theplanner"

That's "theplanner", everybody. Also known as "Fred", "Fred Jones", "Hinnis", and who knows what other screen names.

theplanner, aka, has been racking up a track record far and wide on various sites from topix.com and Huffington Post to daily newspapers across the USA- from San Diego and San Jose, Ca., to Hampton Roads, Va. and Washington, DC, ever since his debut as an informal Internet political commentator, which dates back nearly three months, as best I can tell- the last week in March, 2008.

How did I learn this? Well, theplanner is in the habit of cutting and pasting his favorite writings and bestowing them wherever he decides that they would do the readership the most good.

(Hence "theplanner", I suppose.)

You know how people like to choose a special focus for their political comments, sometimes- well "theplanner" has done this. His preferred subject of concentration is Barack Obama's presidential candidacy. In fact, as far as I've been able to determine- both here at Salon, and elsewhere- that's his sole topic of commentary!

Monday, June 16, 2008 07:03 PM

re: baggage

Well, I don't want Biden or Dachle to be V.P., either.

Now Dobbs, on the other hand...J. R. "Bob" Dobbs...that would be The Revolution.

And no ego hang-ups, either...Dobbs would simply milk the job for all the Slack that it's worth.

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