Right -Wing Harassment Strategy Detailed in Memo

[Pam]

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/31/...rassment-memo/

The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:

[elganned]

*shrug* Sounds like politics as usual...

[ccbatson]

"Create an image"? Haven't looked at the polls yet? Or just believing that the public is stupid enough to believe that this isn't a real concern? Guess what libs? That tactic will not work.

[Pam]

"Create an image"? Haven't looked at the polls yet? Or just believing that the public is stupid enough to believe that this isn't a real concern? Guess what libs? That tactic will not work.

"Libs"? Read the article. This is a program of the right wing.

[Papasito]

So what? This country is founded on having the freedom to oppose the views of others.

Seriously, let's not act as if one party actually gives a crap about us over the other one. All they are interested in are themselves and their political agendas. The "left wingers" and the "right wingers" wrote us off a long time ago.....

[oldredfordette]

You're changing the subject, Papasito. It's kind of like this forum, people show up, seemingly out of nowhere, with no real connection to the city of Detroit, have a right wing mindset, and start lots of "discussions" based on right wing talking points. They throw this stuff out then disappear for a while. They never participate in Detroit discussions.

Much like the people the right wing Republicans are sending to town hall meetings and such.

[WolverinesA2]

"Create an image"? Haven't looked at the polls yet?

As a matter of fact, I have.

http://www.pollingreport.com/obama.htm

Obama job approval rating: 55%
Favorability rating [[latest Fox News poll): 62%

Who do you trust more to develop new health care legislation: President Obama, or, Republicans in Congress?
Obama: 47%
Republicans in Congress: 32%

[gibran]

The AWM syndrome is an attempt to swift boat our health and safety- hidden very thinly as the hubris of the extremists in the rightwing party and corporate fear mongers. If given a chance they will show their asses and in the long run when as usual they will be the ones screaming for help if their jobs are outsourced.... while nothing is perfect in the health care debate; we need to fine tune it to really help all Americans before it is too late...and we cave to those who profit from the anger--Insurance Companies and For Profit Medical Interests...

Freedom of Speech is a valuable when it isn't bought by special interests and comes from the heart...if bought by corporate interests then it comes with a cost..our values.

The only thing that is consistent in their positionsis the shouting of Socialist ...and the drone of anger in their shouting matches at civil discourses.

[oladub]

Much like the people the right wing Republicans are sending to town hall meetings and such.

I know some libertarian and constitutionalist types that go to town meetings and ask questions that politicians would rather not have asked but they show up at both Republican and Democrat town hall type meetings. Do you have any evidence, surveys or something, that right wing Republicans are sending people to town hall meetings who are not residents of the respective representative's congressional districts or senator's states? I watched a couple of Tea Party videos where Republican elected representatives were hooted off the stage for voting for the Wall Street bailout. Which Republicans sent those people?

myobama.com has informed me that over 1M people have signed a petition in favor of Obamacare and we are encouraged to send letters to the editor in support. I don't see anything wrong with that and it isn't much different from attending town meetings.

[jiminnm]

You are right again oladub. OldRed, as usual, you are wrong.

Here in NM, a few folks from the Republican state party organization wanted to get involved in local Tea Party events. They were told to kiss off because they were part of the problem. Those who believe that Tea Party organizers and other local folks who are protesting the attempt to raise taxes and spending, under the guise of improving health care, are merely tools couldn't be more wrong.

[Pam]

Do you have any evidence, surveys or something, that right wing Republicans are sending people to town hall meetings who are not residents of the respective representative's congressional districts or senator's states?

Didn't anybody read the link?

Patients United, a front group maintained by Americans for Prosperity, is currently busing people all over the country for more protests against Democratic members.

[ghettopalmetto]

I know some libertarian and constitutionalist types that go to town meetings and ask questions that politicians would rather not have asked but they show up at both Republican and Democrat town hall type meetings. Do you have any evidence, surveys or something, that right wing Republicans are sending people to town hall meetings who are not residents of the respective representative's congressional districts or senator's states? I watched a couple of Tea Party videos where Republican elected representatives were hooted off the stage for voting for the Wall Street bailout. Which Republicans sent those people?

There is nothing wrong with showing up to a "town hall" meeting to gain information from and ask questions of one's elected officials.

It's quite another thing to intentionally pack a meeting to shout down your Congressman, become so unruly as to prohibit others from speaking, and fill the seats so that those truly interested in rational discourse are shut out of the process.

It seems, though, that a very vocal, idiotic, and insecure minority are more interested in politics over policy. Their goal is not anything productive, but simply to make Barack Obama look like a failure. These folks should go worship at the altar of Jim DeMint, while the other 72% of Americans work with their elected representatives to achieve the health care reform they desire.

[rb336]

It's quite another thing to intentionally pack a meeting to shout down your Congressman, become so unruly as to prohibit others from speaking, and fill the seats so that those truly interested in rational discourse are shut out of the process.

That is what happens when your side has no ideas and the public knows the status quo is crap. fear, smear and yell loudly. The loudest voices have the least to say

It seems, though, that a very vocal, idiotic, and insecure minority are more interested in politics over policy. Their goal is not anything productive, but simply to make Barack Obama look like a failure. These folks should go worship at the altar of Jim DeMint, while the other 72% of Americans work with their elected representatives to achieve the health care reform they desire.

that vocal, idiotic and insecure minorty are what is left of the Republican base

[ghettopalmetto]

These "meeting busters" were discussed a fair amount on NPR yesterday. Frankly, I welcome them, if not for their preclusion of interested Americans from the democratic process. The only people who are going to subscribe to their vitriol are the mindless sheeple who already take marching orders from right-wing media, anyway. The mainstream of the country, who know that we need health care reform, are going to quickly grow tired of these pro-19th Century retards [[no insult to actual retards intended) and swing toward the left.

I hope the Republicans aren't counting on these strategies to actually work for improving their prospects in the midterm elections next year!

[Detroitej72]

People need to be aware that the right wing have been perfecting and employing these tactics for the last 16 years or so. They are masters of deception.

Remember all the looney milita clowns running around the woods when Clinton was president proclaiming that he was going to take away all the guns? They even had one of their less stable members cause the Oaklahoma City Bombing.

They sat on their hands while Bush took away many of their charished rights, under the guise of the Patriot Act, screaming the whole time that "George is protecting us from terrorists".

Then, knowing that their man didn't have a military record to stand on, they launched a viscious attack on a war hero, John Kerry to shift the focus away from Bush's known AWOL in the National Guard. This was combined with the phony raising of the security color code, every other day, to scare the gulible voters ensured their man was re-elected.

Now with Obama as president, the racial code speak has been out of control by the right. First, they tried the whole lie about Obama being a secret Muslim who was going to force all Americans to convert to Islam, then, he was a black supremest who was going to force white women to marry black men.

Now, they have multiple attacks and lies in the form of supposed questions about his birth cirtificate, the tea bagger's protesting him continuing the Bush bailout gifts to Wall Street, and gun nuts claiming he is out to steal all their guns.

Luckily, the majority of American's see through the smoke and mirrors and the hidden motives of these radical right wing facists and reject their evil, sinister agenda.

[bailey]

There is an old lawyer saying...."If you don't have the facts, pound the law. If you don't have the law, pound the facts. If you don't have either, pound the table."

It's easy to see what they are doing here. They have no plan, and very little national support. They are pounding the table. It's unfortunate that this is where our national discourse is on such an important topic, but that is what you get when the head of your party is a radio personality.

[vetalalumni]

There is an old lawyer saying...."If you don't have the facts, pound the law. If you don't have the law, pound the facts. If you don't have either, pound the table."

It's easy to see what they are doing here. They have no plan, and very little national support. They are pounding the table.

What to do [[next) when you no longer have a table?

[Omaha]

Hey, it’s really nice to see a topic that pulls many of the DY libs together. Thanks for starting it Pam. BTW, where’s Lilpup on this one?

As a Colbert Conservative and Social Darwinist, I applaud the efforts of anyone who will cut off attempts to change how health care is currently rationed in the U.S. I want to keep in in the hands of insurance companies based upon who CAN and CANNOT pay. Why give people an affordable [[public) option when what we got works…for those for whom I care about most.

And let’s be clear, “pounding the table� is just another tactic in a battle to control what kind of health care policy is enacted. The 912 project people in Omaha have a history of showing up to liberal events and disrupting them. I assume they will proudly show up to town hall’s over this recess and try to disrupt them as well.

Who wants reasoned discourse when placing yourselves around the room and shouting slogans can disrupt that idea all to hell?

Back in 2000, the loud protests of a few dozen [[bussed in) Republicans complaining about a Florida Supreme Court decision had an impact. It was not spontaneous; it wasn’t local folks; it was orchestrated and coordinated by the GOP. You libs need to get over it. Many of those protestors rode that day to jobs as Congressional staff. That kind of stuff looks good on a resume.

Now the conservative Republicans and their allies are using what tools they have left to “just say NO� to whatever is outside of their ideology. In at least one example, they are bussing protesters around from state to state to make an impact at town hall meetings and support conservative talking points.

It is Sol Alinsky turned on his head. It is Margaret Mead’s saying [[Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens…) turned 180 degrees to keep the status quo.

I just wish that K Street, Dick Army and the rest of the puppet masters were more open and transparent. Working behind the scenes to coordinate this stuff and make it feel spontaneous and grass rootish is kind of punk. But big buck lobbyists will do whatever it takes to turn the tide of public opinion and the votes of elected officials.

After all, we CURRENTLY have the best health care in the world…for those few who can afford it. And as it becomes more and more cost prohibitive, only the rich and well-born will have their health take care of. As more and more employers find it impossible to afford health care for their employees only senior decision makers will be able to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

Let’s keep rationing health care by price, it’s the American Way.

Here are some ideas for protest signs that could make the unclear more obvious. I just hope that the 912 folks and the Teabaggers, and the Birthers use them.

Birthers and Tea Baggers Against Obama

Take Their Marching Orders

from Dick Army and K Street

OR

Private Insurance Companies

Ration Health Care.

It’s an American Tradition!

OR

FreedomWorks

Proudly Astroturfs

Grass Roots Protests

OR

Keep Insurance Companies in Charge:

Ration Health Care Based Upon

Who Can Pay

OR

Do Nothing!

Keep What We Got.

Why Tinker with Success?

And always remember to choose your parents well. It’s the best way I know of to maximize your chances of living a comfortable life.

[bailey]

What to do [[next) when you no longer have a table?

yell really loud so that sane debate and rational discourse is impossible.

[ejames01]

People should just start beating the shit out of those loud mouth idiots. They might stop it once a few of them get stomped.

[oladub]

As a Colbert Conservative and Social Darwinist, I applaud the efforts of anyone who will cut off attempts to change how health care is currently rationed in the U.S. I want to keep in in the hands of insurance companies based upon who CAN and CANNOT pay. Why give people an affordable [[public) option when what we got works…for those for whom I care about most.

Omaha, I'm surprised. As a Colbert Conservative you should support Obamacare. Just between us, it expands our present system to include more people including illegal aliens who bodies will now all be pumping up the profits of big pharmacy and insurance companies. You know what corporatists have been saying, "socialize debt and privitize profits". Obamacare does just that. It keeps all the existing non-medical parasites... errr "stakeholders" in the system, adds some new ones, and bills taxpayers to pay for our present system's expansion. Those of us who understand this have been investing in our corporate health care system. I hope you aren't missing the boat. The venerable Vanguard Health Care mutual fund [[VGHCX), for instance, has gone up 18% in value in the last six months while the S&P 500 has only managed an 8% recovery. President Obama has been good for corporate health care! He's the man! Nice touch bringing the word 'affordable' into this. It is affordable if we invest properly and rake in the profits while the taxpayers pay for the expansion. It's the best thing for earnings since Bush and Obama elevated Goldman Sachs to be our financial praetorian guard. As you know, GS is still a 'buy'.

p.s. I'm glad you didn't try to confuse anybody with talk about a Canadian single payer system. That would do nothing for our corporate profits. It would only be affordable to commoners, What's the use of that?

[zitro]

People should just start beating the shit out of those loud mouth idiots. They might stop it once a few of them get stomped.

Really? What happened to rational debate and discourse? I thought this was the mentality of the far right nut jobs. You must be changing gears then. Nice!

[Jimaz]

Attachment 2617
"Enough of the Mob"

[ccbatson]

Oh..look, they are doing what Obama advises people to do...he must be proud. Good for the goose and the gander, right?

[jams]

Unfortunately,we are headed down a terrible road most of us thought we would never see in America.

I guess you never read Sinclair Lewis.