despite the best efforts of Ventura County

David Atkins spoke the truth about Republicans in this area. And now he's being hounded and harassed, Breitbart-style. You know that style. It's the one where they attack you and amplify it, hoping that at some point you'll just get so sick of the hounding you'll give up.

David isn't giving up, despite the best efforts of Ventura County Star's Republican thug blogger's efforts to make him. Of course, this follows the Star putting a story on their front page about the local Democrats distancing themselves from Atkins' remarks. Because in this county, we cannot actually call these xenophobic folks on Social Security and Medicare who always vote for do-nothing thug Republicans the bigots that they are.

    But on a larger note, this incident has become about taking a stand. Not just taking a stand against racism, but taking a stand against trollery and Breitbartism. The usual rabid wingnut commenters at the Star have made intimations about calling my company's client list and otherwise harrassing me in my personal life, and are trying to force me out of the Democratic Central Committee to make an example of me and stop me from doing my work here. Ingemunson and his friends and allies have a gameplan--one that they have seen work in the past with ACORN, Van Jones, and Shirley Sherrod: gin up faux outrage, try to get a scalp, and assume that Democrats and the left will panic and "make the problem go away" rather than stand up to the bullies and fight for what's right.