The attack on Sanders' Facebook pages: The Stone theory

Someone hacked into several Bernie Sanders Facebook pages and filled them with porn, forcing their (temporary) removal. Whoever did it deserves to be whipped. The question is: Who?

At least one Facebook user linked to the pro-Hillary Clinton group Bros 4 Hillary was reported to have participated in the attacks.

The Bros 4 Hillary team disavowed the user in a statement posted Tuesday morning, which condemned any "harmful or offensive rhetoric or harassing behavior targeting supporters of any other candidate in the race.”

Several websites and online forums and website attempted to draw a connection between the attacks and Clinton ally David Brock’s social media initiative, Barrier Breakers 2016, after noting that the former Bros 4 Hillary member had recently “liked” the initiative on Facebook.

In a statement to The Hill, Correct the Record denied any involvement in the attacks.

"Correct the Record's Barrier Breakers 2016 had nothing to do with this," said Elizabeth Shappell, the group's communications director. "Currently, Barrier Breakers is exclusively engaged in positive messaging supporting Hillary Clinton."

"Was reported..."? The kind of weasel-wording won't do. Who reported what to whom, exactly? We need actual evidence.

Of course, when it comes to the Clintons, many Americans disdain the need for evidence. Thanks to Clinton Derangement Syndrome, many ninnies consider themselves to be the epitome of hip when they make evidence-free presumptions: "Oh, everyone knows they're guilty." Just as everyone knew that Hillary killed Vince Foster...

Obviously, the Hillary Clinton campaign had no link to this attack. Hillary's people have behaved well heretofore. Hillary was a class act throughout 2008 (despite the many smears against her), and her husband did not resort to dirty politics throughout 1992 and 1996. And there was clearly no need for an extreme maneuver, since she was already poised to capture the nomination.

Even if you despise the Clintons and are willing to believe the worst of them, you have to look at the matter from an objective, practical standpoint. On that night, Hillary stood to gain nothing -- absolutely nothing -- from such a childish, repellent strategy. Hacking into those Facebook pages and uploading the worst kind of porn never stood a chance of attaining a single extra vote for Hillary Clinton. Quite the opposite. Neither Hillary Clinton nor anyone who supports her would do something so self-destructive.

The BernieBros, by contrast, have been fighting dirty for months. They've become increasingly desperate -- and downright maniacal. That's why my first theory was that the BernieBots attacked their own Facebook pages. (You don't need to do any hacking if you already own the password.) The goal was to smear Hillary.

Remember when Karl Rove "found" a bug in his office that he planted himself? The goal was to smear an enemy.

So that was my initial theory: A crazed BernieBro decided to pull a Rove. But then a more persuasive theory popped into my mind. I would like to propose an even likelier suspect.

As most of you know by now, Donald Trump wants to see Bernie Sanders mount an independent run. That won't happen. But it is certainly to Trump's advantage if Sanders supporters become so enraged with Hillary that they stay home in November.

The sexual nature of the attack forces us to consider Trump's filthy-minded henchman Roger Stone. Stone and his buddy Robert Morrow are absolutely obsessed with sex. This stunt fits in with their modus operandi.

As a general rule, every time a new scandal arises, you should ask these questions:

1. Does the scandal ultimately help Trump?

2. Does the scandal involve the salacious?

If the answer to both questions is yes, Stone should be your first suspect. In fact, you should suspect Stone even if the only question you can answer in the affirmative is the first one.

What happened to Salon? In the 1990s, Salon made its mark as a refuge of sanity at a time when everyone in the media had caught the rabies of anti-Clintonism. Now Salon is frothing at the mouth.

Salon -- indulging in its usual casuistry -- actually wants to you to believe that Bill Clinton said something vile and indefensible when he uttered these words:

“The reason that there’s so much anxiety, intensity, anger, blame in this election is that 80 percent of the American people have not gotten a pay raise since the crash eight years ago, after inflation,” said Clinton, at a rally in Pennsylvania. A valid observation, but Bill just couldn’t help taking a swipe at all of those young voters who overwhelmingly support his wife’s opponent: “If all the young people who claim to be disillusioned now had voted in 2010, we wouldn’t have lost the Congress, and we’d probably have our incomes back.”

Oh my stars and garters. How dare Bill Clinton say such a thing?

At this point, Bill C could mutter something utterly innocuous, and the folks at Salon would faux-faint in faux-horror. Suppose Clinton were to say "I like to eat food." How would Salon respond? Like this:

"That...that unspeakable FIEND! How dare he say 'I like to eat food' when so many people in this world don't have any food to eat?"

Here's my Theory of Salon:

1. Salon has perpetually been in need of money.

2. Donald Trump happens to have some money. Maybe not as much as he pretends, but still: He has money.

3. Therefore...

UPDATE: There's a report (see the comments here) that thousands of FB pages were hit by this porn attack. Apparently, this has not stopped the BernieBots from going to the Alex Jones sites and screaming "Conspiracy!"

Bernie and AJ. How predictable. They make a very predictable couple.

And it turns out that I was not the only person to suspect Stone. New York Magazine independently came to the same conclusion.

Roger Stone is a longtime Trump ally, who most recently made headlines by threatening violence against any GOP delegates who defy the Donald’s will. Stone got his start in politics working for Richard Nixon’s 1972 reelection campaign. One of the many nefarious tactics that campaign employed was to divide Democrats against each other, by impersonating one of the party’s campaigns while attacking others.

UPDATE II: Congrats to Chris Von Hollen, who knew how to win while keeping it classy. Donna Edwards has excellent qualities and may yet have much to offer the political world -- but on this occasion, she was unable to resist going the low road.

As did Bernie.