Read on Twitter
<Thread> The pattern of attacks on Biden that we’re seeing on leftist Twitter look very similar to those against HRC, down to spread of the #DemExit slogan & the acid-trip arguments that Trump will be better on progressive priorities, Biden will appoint conservative justices, &c
Some of this is explained by the fact that both HRC & Biden are from the center-left of the party and both are beating Bernie. I’m sure some of the people making these arguments are sincere, if wrong on the facts.
But what we learned from analysis of Tweet activity in 2016 is that fake accounts — some Russian, some probably tied to right-wing dark money groups — were important vectors for amplifying these messages.
The idea is to set left and left-leaning groups against each other.
For foreign actors the goal is some combo of helping Trump & just exacerbating societal tensions (what @drfarls calls “chaos muppetry”).
For right-wing dark money groups it’s to forward reactionary interests.
For foreign actors the goal is some combo of helping Trump & just exacerbating societal tensions (what @drfarls calls “chaos muppetry”).
For right-wing dark money groups it’s to forward reactionary interests.
The key thing is that both are anti-progressive in intention, effect, or both. Bernie’s *given multiple speeches about this, and about how the people amplifying these bullshit arguments do so to forward oligarchy and kleptocracy.* And yet here we are again. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/world/2017/9/21/16345600/bernie-sanders-full-text-transcript-foreign-policy-speech-westminster
We discuss some of this — largely in terms of Russian “wedge” and “brokerage” efforts — in Chapter 6 of @ExitHegemony. So I guess I’ve gotta end by promoting the book. https://global.oup.com/academic/product/exit-from-hegemony-9780190916473?cc=us&lang=en&
NB: I should’ve worded this a bit better (and more grammatically) to make clear that I am talking about a pattern of disinformation-based attacks that are gaining traction, not that all left attacks on Biden are problematic or fodder for ratf***ing.
