[US Politics] Republicans setup 'fake pro-democrat candidate websites'

[Sunaka]

It's that libel and therefore, obviously illegal?

It'd be up to the candidate, but the vagueness implying accusations just screams libel. So ya, very potentially illegal.

[Wildtree]

Make one, this whole US style of politics of discrediting the opposition rather than focusing on your own positive traits needs to go.

Rich, does it surprise you, when you learn that there are more parties? The political dominance of the two big parties is just so immense, that they sorta kinda brainwash the American public in a sense, that pretty much everyone believes there are no other options..
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...itical_parties

There are heaps of parties... But Reps and Dems doing a great job on keeping them under the rug..

[Sunseeker]

It'd be up to the candidate, but the vagueness implying accusations just screams libel. So ya, very potentially illegal.

Right, the candidate would actually need to find the website(which shouldn't be hard if they Google themselves and find they've got a website before they even start running) and then get a lawyer involved to get it shut down.

[Rukentuts]

Right, the candidate would actually need to find the website(which shouldn't be hard if they Google themselves and find they've got a website before they even start running) and then get a lawyer involved to get it shut down.

Libel / Slander is also harder to prove in the USA than other nations across the pond.

[bergmann620]

It's still buried at the bottom of the page beyond the scroll down, below the 'donate' form, twitter link, and (laughably named) privacy policy. If they were interested in being remotely honest (instead of precisely as dishonest as the law allows) then the disclaimer would be right under the banner at the top.

Buried? Hardly. Further, did you really get more than 3 lines into the site thinking it was a pro-Democrat page? Were you almost tricked into donating?

Also, you completely failed to address the site's lack of references (html links, printed materials, or even time and place) to the attacks made on the candidate. Heck, they may even be true, but 1) failing to source them, and 2) making it appear to be from the candiate, make the whole thing rather sleazy.

It's not court. They don't have to provide references. I still don't get how you think they were making it appear to be from the candidate? Because his name was in the URL? Really?

I'm not sure if it's more sad or troubling (maybe both) that the National Republican Congressional Committee is convinced their candidate in a 'red' state won't be able to win on their own merits.

Their candidate likely has very few merits.

I edited your quoted text above solely to make a point. I'm sure you don't mind since I'm putting in this disclaimer in the same font size as the rest of this post.

Except you didn't put the disclaimer in 'his' post. Applying the analogy, your disclaimer appears on a different web page.

[Cthulhu 2020]

Just imagine if the shoe was on the other foot and a Democrat group was making fake spoof sites as a strategy to defame Republican candidates. The people defending this would be screaming bloody murder.

[lawow74]

And stuff like this works and will continue to work so long as bread and circuses remain enough for the majority of the voting public. Doesn't matter which party does it.

[Frogguh]

Funny thing is the Dems didn't do this.

No, but they have run fake candidates for the purpose of siphoning Republican votes away from the primary challenger, which is pretty pathetic as well. Of course the Dems denied it, but the evidence would seem to suggest they are lying. Getting MMO-C to admit that Dems are not more ethical than Repubs is a fruitless battle that I am unwilling to expend energy on, though, so here is a link for you to gauge for yourselves.

http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/201...s_planted.html

[Deleted]

Pretty cheap but this is standard tactics. The republicans try pretty hard to stop people voting mainly because most non voters find themselves being democrats. They know that the more people who vote the less likely they have any power. Class war 101. Impede any which way they can.

Relevant link : http://www.people-press.org/2012/11/...at-they-think/

[stumpy]

Anyone else loling at the fact that anyone who speaks out rationally against the OP gets banned? Vyxn was right on the money with what he said. This site is a fucking joke. Fortunately legislation is in the works to make such behavior even on private sites illegal. Made an account because he's my friend and it's lolworthy that you idiots bitch about stuff, but the next elections can and will swing Repub while your busy playing WoW.

I'm trying to figure out which is more likely...

That Vyxn doesn't actually have any friends,
or that he actually bitches to all his friends in real life about getting banned from an Internet forum.

[mvaliz]

I'm trying to figure out which is more likely...

That Vyxn doesn't actually have any friends,
or that he actually bitches to all his friends in real life about getting banned from an Internet forum.

...enough where his "friends" feel compelled to create a dummy account just to defend him...on a gaming website no less...

[plat0nic]

That's pretty facing dirty

[Deleted]

How about Americans stop blaming the political parties and start blaming the voters for voting idiotic powerhungry parties into office?

[Steampunk]

Political parties are poison and everyone's an analyst, when in an online forum... :\

[Aeluron Lightsong]

Political parties are poison and everyone's an analyst, when in an online forum... :\

Everyone has a Master's Degree in every field of study.

[lockedout]

Make one, this whole US style of politics of discrediting the opposition rather than focusing on your own positive traits needs to go.

I think it came over from england.

[Steampunk]

I think it came over from england.

Still happening today.

http://youtu.be/TpYIKF1wuyE :P

[Twotonsteak]

There are plenty of absolutely arbitrary laws in US that make running as a third party candidate nigh impossible. Like, your name would not even be on a ballot kind of impossible.

Actually you CAN run as a third party. The state of PA, for example, recognizes at least four different parties. (Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green.) The catch is in who can vote. In the same state (PA) only registered Republicans/Democrats can legally vote in primaries.

This isn't exactly a new tactic. I vaguely recall Bush using fake "news stories." (IE: Looked like real news articles save for the small-print notice that it was an ad.)

And "lying through your teeth" isn't restricted to the Republicans. Obama does it on almost a weekly basis.

[Tastyfish]

Make one, this whole US style of politics of discrediting the opposition rather than focusing on your own positive traits needs to go.

But then what will you have to argue about on here?
Imagine if you were required to know who Jill Stein was. lol Riiiight.

[Dazzy]

Can't beat 'em? Make it look like you are them and lie through your teeth to make them seem bad. Hooray!

Except they don't have to lie to make them seem bad, they are bad, both of them equally.