Desperate Dems Hire E-Thugs
Strategy
In February, 2010, Bill Clinton called for attacks upon leaders of the Tea Party movement. Breitbart’s Big Government site reported:
Clinton calls for all out assault on Tea Party leaders
“Big Government has learned that Clintonistas are plotting a “push/pull” strategy. They plan to identify 7-8 national figures active in the tea party movement and engage in deep opposition research on them. If possible, they will identify one or two they can perhaps ‘turn’, either with money or threats, to create a mole in the movement. The others will be subjected to a full-on smear campaign.”
The article goes on further to say:
“As the Clinton’s know, ‘politics ain’t beanbag.’ Expect the counterattack soon. Don’t say you haven’t been warned.”
In August, 2009, Umair Haque published an article in Harvard Business Review, “The 10 Rules of 5G Warfare.” The article is written as an open letter to Obama, detailing tactis for using all media, but especially social media, in a new form of warfare to ensure the political destruction of the other side. (Special thanks to @TalulahStarr for locating this information for us.) The article is brief and worth reading.
Now this strategy is being utilized against less prominent, but still well-known, rank and file members of the movement toward smaller, less intrusive government. The strategy involves personal smears, harassment, and outright threats of harm to dissenters and their families. The evidence is compelling and overwhelming.
The initial phase of the investigation was reported in “Enemies Lists Being Created on Twitter.”
Nexus Of The Strategy
Twitter avatar picture of Neal Rauhauser from his StrandedWind Twitter page. Photo Credit: Unknown
Meet Neal Rauhauser, (pictured on the left) a Founder of Progressive PST (PPST). Rauhauser is a Community Organizer, a network manager with Cisco ratings, a political activist, a radical environmentalist, an extreme-leftist blogger and on Twitter as @StrandedWind, @NealRauhauser, and formerly as @WingNutWatch, a now defunct account which was detailed in the prior investigation. Rauhauser admitted on DailyKOS he had created this account. KosAdmission
Beth Becker is a co-founder of PPST and on Twitter as @SpedWhyBabs, @BethABecker and @RealSped. Beth quotes on her site that she attended “Netroots Nation 09, where the ‘Blog Workers Industrial Union’ and ‘Progressive PST’ were born.”
Their company twitter account is @ProgressivePST.
Rauhauser recently wrote that the entire Republican Party, the Koch brothers, everyone with Citizens United and each person with the Tea Party are all racists who want “economic ethnic-cleansing in Arizona’s District 05.” Rauhauser’s rationale for such a statement is “SB1070 and the ugly mood in Arizona overall, but I really think that was the ‘in-district calculus.’” He actually used the term “in-district calculus,” while blaming others for controlling society. This seems to reveal a cold and calculating desire to win, regardless of consequences.
One might think that Rauhauser’s above hateful rhetoric is a rarity, that is, until one examines the rest of the evidence and the associations that have come to light with the “volunteer group of social activists” and those that appear to be paid to harass and threaten private citizens.
Rauhauser is known in the blogosphere as “StrandedWind”— an implication that “wind energy” is being laid to waste by a lack of investment into wind-mill development —an inefficient technology from the Dark Ages. He is a writer for the DailyKOS.com, who lets their writers use pseudonyms and be anonymous, thus removing the standards of responsible public speech. He also appears on the TheOilDrum.com and the CuttingEdgeNews.com.
Rauhauser has appeared on a couple of radio shows, most notably Nicole Sandler Show. Rauhauser talks about activism and Agro-Innovation.
Cozad campaign coordinating with Rauhauser on Twitter
He is member of the radical-left’s blogger campaign, Net Roots an organization with the goal to unite and fight for socialized platforms and to unionize bloggers. Apparently, in their collective mind having a union boss will somehow bolster free speech. Rauhauser was featured as a speaker at their meeting last spring which was supported by DailyKOS.
After having been a radical blogger for several years, Rauhauser realized that he may have been only spinning his tires in the mud (or stranding his wind energy without a mill) so he helped found Progressive PST in 2009.
According to its website, “Progressive PST was created by progressives, for progressives. We have developed a set of proprietary tools to create the strongest possible online presence for progressive candidates and causes.”
PPST according to its site is assisting campaigns with, “TOOLS that are active 24/7 delivering (Democrat’s) message to select Twitter audiences in novel ways” [emphasis added] and further goes on to say they use “The ability to have campaign volunteers engage others on Twitter with prescripted messaging, allowing the campaign to maintain strict message control.” [Emphasis added.]
These volunteers, “discreetly monitor likely voter conversations,” and do so on behalf of the candidates they represent while “coordinating efforts across social media platforms” in conjunction with a campaign’s strategy.
Some of the testimonials on the site include:
“Progressive PST rustled up volunteers and donors for Maine’s ‘No on 1′ campaign with equal parts ease and speed. The campaign was, frankly, floored by the support it got from the online community, and Progressive PST is sure to be an influential force in future campaigns around the country. Excellent work!” exclaims Bill Harnsberger, Core Writer for the Daily Kos & Activist, on PPST’s site.
Lainey Edmisten, Campaign Manager for Democrat Billy Kennedy states, “Progressive PST was just the social media firm we needed at the just the right price.”
Implementation
Monitoring of tweets coming from the @StrandedWind Twitter account revealed that at least some of Rauhauser’s activities on Twitter have been legitimate coordination of messaging and blogging to further PPST’s clients’ interests. However, there was also a great deal of activity that appears to amount to nothing more than cyber-thuggery. The connections between the intimidation tactics of the @WingnutWatch account and Rauhauser are already conclusively proved. Again, it is by his own admission that information is available showing that he set up the account to intimidate other users of social media.
Twitter thug acknowledges Rauhauser as leader, while Rauhauser offers compensation to another attack troll
Rauhauser appears to be the leader of a group of E-Thugs using social media to harass, threaten, provoke, disparage, intimidate, verbally assault with hate-speech and berate anyone (and their children) on Twitter who is not in agreement with the progressive left’s collective thought pattern. The question is: Are they acting on the instructions of any of the clients listed below?
While presenting himself to be acting on behalf of the listed Democrat candidates, Neal Rauhauser appears to have enlisted a squalid group of anonymous twitter users as a means to attack the tea party and conservatives alike — even if not posting anything relative to Rauhauser’s list of clients.
At this point the reader should be warned that any further clicks on links will expose them to extremely graphic language. The individuals involved are obsessed with masturbation, pedophilia, excretory functions, violent threats, racism, religious bigotry, and complete disregard for social norms in general. In fact, some of these individuals, in fact, appear to be sociopathic. They have a penchant for exposing personal information about their targets and misrepresenting any partially factual information that they might have. In other words, libel, slander, and defamation are the norms with this group of social misfits.
Please take a few minutes to look at this collection of screen shots that has been amassed. The reader can click on and enlarge the screen shots. Also dragging while clicking can be used to scroll up and down in the long lists of members of these groups. Take the time to note the conversations between these various characters and Rauhauser’s two accounts in question, @StrandedWind and @WingnutWatch. Note how he offers to provide payment for services to these persons.
Rauhauser, through now defunct sock account, endorses TeaPartyTracker.org while hinting at his more aggressive tactics
Another, extremely graphic collection of these thugs’ tweets is found here, assembled by @NSOLD.
By no means is this the extent of the documentation and evidence assembled in our investigation. We have cached all web pages referred to in links, cached entire sites if they should be taken down, and cached the last 30 days of tweets from each one of the members of the “Legumes of Mass Destruction” list assembled by Rauhauser. If our information is disputed, we will be more than able to provide additional proof of these outrageous acts.
In a recent article, Rauhauser says his children and family have been threatened as result of the extreme, racist “tea-baggers” and conservatives. Note the haphazard use of a pornographic term to describe those with whom he disagrees. However, even though he has been asked for proof of this threat, he refuses to provide it. We offered repeatedly to assist in taking proper action if an actual threat had occurred. He went so far as to tie the unamed individual to one of the authors by stating he had “received a threat from one @GregWHoward’s associates.” However, he has not proved the actual threat, nor has he proved any association. We suspect that the only association involved would be the follow/follower Twitter relationship that exists between the author and over 14,000 individuals using Twitter.
As a matter of fact, Rauhauser may have cried wolf in his latest (and seemingly last) article because he was aware that an article of this nature was being prepared. This band of e-thugs has literally incited the masses on twitter, threatened violence, rape and pedophilia. They have employed heated racism, religious bigotry, intimidated private citizens by exposing personal information (a tactic learned by KOS and Alaskan bloggers via the meteoric rise of Sarah Palin), which is now apparently being used by desperate Democrats in losing campaigns as a last resort. They cannot stick to issues because their issues are losers.
Like all bullies, the thugs attempt to hide their actions when confronted
So Rauhauser looks like he’s employing the age-old tactic of pointing a finger at others before being exposed. Note the last paragraph in his article: he is still apparently trying to intimidate others by saying he has underground connections through his ex wife in Iowa, who “knows cops” that he recently contacted. Also note that he has yet to provide proof of any legitimate threat — no names, no dates, no screen shots. Again, to date, we have seen no threat, credible or otherwise, directed at Rauhauser or his family, while we have a great many threats collected in cached pages and screen shots directed at private citizen users of Twitter’s service.
It should be noted that Rauhauser, while serving in his capacity to handle the above campaigns “social media needs,” also listed @TeaPartyTracker and appeared to follow them very closely. Apparently, part of his own agenda intertwined with his goal to get progressives elected, appears to be to incite and provoke others to react negatively so that the NAACP funded “discreet monitor of the Tea Party on social-media” could document their reactions to Rauhauser’s associates’ vile assaults.
Based upon this evidence, Rauhauser appears to not only endorse, but use extreme tactics against normal, every day users of social media in order to effect his goals, with no regard for any societal norms of behavior.
According to PPST’s web site, these campaigns hired Rauhauser and PPST to represent them. Rauhauser is shown in the evidence to offer to pay these cyberthugs for their “services.” Is this what the candidates intended to be done with the hard-earned money of their contributors when they hired Rauhauser? We have repeatedly asked the David Cozad campaign to either endorse or deny affirmatively their involvement in this street level thuggery. Thus far, we have received no response.
Any person who has evidence to contradict any of the foregoing is urged to provide that to us. Otherwise, we let this article and the supporting evidence stand on its own merits.
Candidates/Clients
According to the PPST site client page, the following are listed as clients and have hired Neal Rauhauser’s company to represent their message and to handle their social-media interests:
(Due to formatting, the reader may need to click on the browser “back” button upon clicking any of these links to return to this article.)
Rodney Glassman Candidate For Senate, AZ
David Cozad Candidate For TX-06
Billy Kennedy Candidate For NC-05
Lois Herr Candidate For PA-16
Hank Gilbert Candidate For TX Agriculture Commissioner
Brett Carter Candidate For TN-06
Lance Enderle Candidate For MI-08
Scott McAdams Candidate For Senate, AK
Manan Trivedi Candidate For PA-06
John Bottoroff Candidate For IN-09
Ryan Bucchianeri Candidate For PA-12
Joe Hoeffel Candidate For Governor, PA
Connie Saltonstall Candidate For MI-01
Good Job! I am so glad you published this and included the candidates who had paid for the crud these guys were putting out. Honestly, as I went through their follow lists, blocking one after another, I could see the vile, sick tweets they were doing. That’s how I could identify them as connected to each other and to Stranded Wind. They were all just as sick. And all the candidates that hired them have a whole lot of apologizing and explaining to do. This bunch was sick.
So do we know yet if this was the garbage Clinton and Carville were talking about doing a few months ago?
This is the idea that has been spawned by Clinton, Carville, and Obama. These folks have no compunction over trying to destroy anyone who gets in their way, and this attitude comes down from the very leadership of the Democrat party.
Bugdeal, I deleted your post because I don’t think we want to hear how much you like to smell feces.
What is sad is that they don’t see their own hate. I want to thank you for pointing out how this works and their tactics. Another point that I want to make is that their tactics work becase we on the conservative side are Christians and have morals and values that keep us from using tactics like this. I unfortunately believe that we will hit a point where we will not accept this or any other form or rhetoric from the left. We have proven time and again that their ideology fails yet they just want power. They are the racists and the thugs and definietly the hypocrits on every social issue that you can imagine. When all talking is done it will come down to who is left standing and if the country survives the conflict of the two ideologies. My guess is that it will but there will be a huge price to pay in lives and that will be the truely sad thing. Thanks again for bringing this to our attention.
@ Pdalrymp
” Another point that I want to make is that their tactics work becase we on the conservative side are Christians and have morals and values that keep us from using tactics like this.”
No one likes to be harassed, but it’s not as if Tea Party candidates aren’t pulling some of the same nonsense. Joe Miller’s campaign has been called out numerous times for inappropriate comments on their twitter account, including insinuating that incumbent Lisa Murkowski is a whore. There are many Christians on the Left, and many people on the Left who don’t resort to harassment. This is less a religious issue than it is an issue of trolling on the internet.
Great work, Greg.
I’ve linked your post here:
http://www.ibleedcrimsonred.com/2010/09/are-democrat-candidates-using-social.html
Thanks, Dave. It’s high time people knew the truth of how evil these people are and how they will stop at nothing to destroy what’s left of America, by going after the people themselves.
You can’t stop us. We have the fake retweets. Are you afraid?
No. We’re not.
And yes. WE CAN.
Greg,
Thanks for the props in the opening paragraph, brother! I am working on my 3rd edited edition (no new info, mostly trimming and photo content) and would be happy to link back to this article. I am also adding the night we verified WingNutWatch and Rauhauser were at least part of the same organization (from about a month ago) when I did a search on their listed telephone numbers and they traced back to the same location (and were virtually the same number but for the last 2 digits). I still have that photo. And if you’ll recall–I sent a certain public address at an approximate location, in this time frame to these thugs, who were mortified I would post their address on twitter. (soon)
I wonder how much Billy Kennedy’s Campaign Manager paid Progressive PST to represent their campaign in such a filthy manner. Some are missing the point that Rauhauser has been hired to handle the social media interests of several national campaigns; and he is using social media and redefining the word “interests” to mean “organizing and coordinating vile attacks on ‘PRIVATE citizens”—who are NOT part of a business, nor paid by a political party.
btw–I called that DC lawyer again and verified–one can NOT be sued for libel unless the offended party contacts the writer (or organization) to ask for, and proves his case for, a retraction or correction. If the writer or organization refuses, then a libel suit maybe filed and dispositioned. They are a hard case to prove and very rarely are filed. Have you been contacted? Me neither.
If others can’t understand the difference between a business being hired by political candidates, who then organize & coordinate attacks (as those above) and those “PRIVATE citizens” rebutting these thugs—who are not part of a social media business being funded by political candidates–then you just have to shrug your shoulders and go on with it. Either PPST & Rauhauser’s actions are an issue of interest or they are not. Either way, it has little to do with who they are confronting & arguing with on a daily basis. It has to do with who hired them and how they’re interests are being served.
I look forward to our continued collaboration and diligence as we uncover this story bit by bit. With so much to report on and only weeks until election–the motto has to be—expose, expose, expose. Not personal information, as Neal’s group does, we are not a character assassins, but public and political information.
P. Swift Read
http://swiftread.blogspot.com/
Thanks Greg and Swift Read -
I did post several tweets with links to Swift Reads article. I wasn’t choosing one article over the other – it was just the link I started with and kept going.
But what I think is very, very important is to get it out there about these candidates. They are the ones that paid for this and need to called to account. That’s why I’ve tweeted re McCain’s opponent. I think – I’m going to call McCain’s campaign and tell them about Greg’s article and the troubles we’ve had with these really gross, vile representatives of his opponent. I urge people to call the opponents of all the above campaigns and let them know about this article.
I agree. The key target at this point is to call out the campaigns providing money to PPST and demand they acknowledge or deny their role in this. Also, since guilt by association is fair game political strategy these days, let’s make sure the opponents and voters in these districts become aware of this activity. “You are known by the company you keep.”
I sent a link of your article about Rauhauser, as well as your interivew on BlogTalkRadio from October 2 to my local news station in Tucson, AZ, as one of Rauhauser’s customers is Rodney Glassman, who is running for Senate in AZ
They are interested in the story.
[...] Note: This video is loaded with profanity. Rauhauser’s firm is Progressive PST. Greg Howard has a detailed post describing the tactics used by this cyber-thug, as well as a list of the [...]
Greg, do you have a list of twitter accounts that are associated with this harassment network? I’ve compiled a list of my own and I suspect many are associated with this group you’ve highlighted.
Look at my 9/8/10 article, “Enemies List…” It gives a pretty thorough list of the antagonists. Another would be found at @strandedwind twitter account. Look under lists and find anything with “beandogs” or “legumes” in it.
not sure if y’all saw this one but one of ‘em posted this on twitter last night and then they deleted it in a hurry
they were excited cause this one was signed by bill clinton
http://tinyurl.com/ppstcheck
evidence do you think?
I saw the so-called pay check in question and found it to be a completely bogus attempt at disinformation. Why on earth would Bill Clinton be using a machine signature on a PPST checking account. That didn’t even get past the laugh test.
[...] a Twitter harassment campaign against conservatives was not clearly proven by this video, or by the blog articles of Greg Howard and Patrick Read. The key evidence that appeared to connect Rauhauser to these Twitter trolls was [...]
Greg –
All I can say is – Great Work on this story
- amazing how low they go – to think that this type of crap would accomplish anything.
This is the Liberal/Progressive/democrat Party in America today.
If Clinton isn’t raping Juanita Broddrick or getting a hummer from Monica or Sandy Berger isn’t stuffing doc’s down his pants to steal them from . . .
Conservatives are always appalled by this type of ploy but actually have come to expect it from Alinsky Progressives – people who lack a soul.
Perhaps we should show all this ploy to the Dems themselves – - I am wondering what the Dem voters in the mid-west would think of such a ploy – such language – such BS. I know many families who are Reagan Democrats and not Liberals – this type of S$^# might make them move their vote a bite more to the right.
[...] (Hey, Kossacks: You’re not the only ones who know how to use Google.)Congratulations to Greg Howard, Patrick Read and others who helped compile the “Twittergate” research. That video [...]
Why isn’t MSM covering this? This reflects directly on the candidates involved, and their supporters deserve to know who they are throwing away their money/support on. This could change the entire outcome of several elections, and rightly so. Greg, you have a clear case for defamation, slander and libel against these trolls, among other charges. We can’t allow this to go unpunished.
Very interesting. I think moving forward the level of counter intelligence and political warfare that can be done online leveraging social media will completely change the game.
This is interesting, as I have been hassled by people in the trucking community on twitter that I know are leftists in the very same way this happened here. I had to take down a twitter account due to their actions, and have been seeing others being attacked by this group.
I have had threats, gossip and lies spread about me, and had contacted a lawyer on this. Which I was told that there was nothing I could do about it. I had a feeling that they could track things, as I have seen evidence along this line. There has been several people that have now gone into hiding due to these people, But I refuse to back down. I feel like I am going at the trucking industry part alone. But am so glad you are able to get these fools that are attacking you.
I think you will all find the real story here – http://bit.ly/bYITM0
This kind of spat really does make Americans a laughing stock, globally speaking. Does you lot no credit at all.
Yeah, it’s all just a joke. Thanks for spurring me to release some of the most vile aspects of this. You’ll note that it’s directed at multiple persons, including Obama, and it goes way beyond a joke. But that’s okay, going on with blinders is how you got where you are now.
http://bit.ly/dzSI5X