Quote from 377OHMS:
I'm wondering what the deal is with all of the aliases showing up in the last few days. What is the advantage of creating an alias?
1) Deniability?
An established person can make all sorts of speculative assertions and if they turn out to be completely wrong and downright stupid they don't have to be subject to being reminded of their folly in the future.
2) Reputation?
A person who has normally been posting politely and has exhibited respectful behavior toward other members can be far more aggressive and spew personal attacks without having their reputation diminished. They can say things about somebody's spouse or mother or cite personal detail about medical conditions or attack people who have a service sector type job etc.
3) Consensus?
A guy can create several aliases and seek to give an impression of consensus for whatever they are asserting. I've seen sock puppets responding to themselves in some twisted attempt to give weight to whatever they are saying. It is hard to believe that anyone would take P&R so seriously but it does happen.
I could be wrong but it looks as though *all* of these new aliases that have showed up in the last week are Obama supporters. The reports I'm seeing in the news today about polling station shenanigans and cheating seem also to be mostly involving Obama supporters. What is it in the heart of a Democrat that justifies cheating in order to win?
