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Town halls 'gone wild' part of right's well-oiled fake freakout against reform.
Obama's bid faces frenzied conservatives.
Global downturn drives new rise of ultra-con parties.
[Editor's note: Canadians might understandably despair over the state of U.S. political culture, seeing the wild claims and public tantrums there against Obama-supported reforms that would move the United States toward the kind of universal health care enjoyed in this country. But this report unveils how the far right is faking the freak-out.]
With U.S. federal lawmakers returning home last week to begin their month-long recess, the far right is welcoming them with large, angry throngs at "town halls gone wild."
"Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops [and] congressmen fearful for their safety" have marked the ugly scenes that have become the rule in recent days, as normally respectful meetings between representatives and their constituents have been inundated with right-wing protesters focused on killing health care reform.
Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX) became one of the more widely publicized victims, when a mob of protesters chanting "just say no" to health care followed him out of an event. These encounters are being orchestrated by the same lobbyist-run groups -- Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks -- that brought together the tax-day tea parties in April.
While trying to give the appearance of a "grassroots" uprising, the demonstrations are cover for a corporate-lobbyist engineered harassment strategy that encourages participants to "yell," "stand up and shout," and "rattle" elected officials in favor of reforming health care. Their goal -- recently outlined by an influential lobbyist as "delay" then "kill" -- is apparent: Having successfully delayed a vote until after the August recess, lobbyists are seizing on town halls to ambush lawmakers in an attempt to fool them and the greater public into thinking there is wide opposition to health care reform.
Last week, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs took a "hard line against the Tea-Party organized disruptions," labelling them a "Brooks Brothers Brigade," a reference to GOP staffers staging protests during the 2000 Florida recount.
The memos
As with the tea parties, these town halls are "lessons in how political interests enlist human and technological resources to build political pressure while those responsible remain safely behind the curtain." Last week, The Progress Report obtained a leaked memo from a volunteer with Tea Party Patriots, a website sponsored by Americans for Prosperity (AFP) (led by a former associate of Jack Abramoff) and FreedomWorks (led by former Republican majority leader and current lobbyist Dick Armey). The memo detailed how town hall goers should infiltrate meetings and harass Democratic members of Congress.
The memo said activists should "stand up and shout out and sit right back down" so the representative is "made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington."
The overall goal, said the memo, is to "rattle" the elected official. Earlier this week, a FreedomWorks volunteer, who doubles as a Tea Party protester, published another memo that outlined a strategy "for his fellow activists -- a playbook of sorts for protesters seeking to disrupt and harass members of Congress during town hall forums in their districts."
A broad strategy
Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has endorsed the strategy of staged protests, telling Politico the days of civil town halls are now "over."
In a memo to House Republicans, minority leader John Boehner (R-OH) promised "anger" during the August recess: "Americans' anger will be on full display in the weeks ahead as members of Congress leave Washington and travel the nation listening to the voices of their constituents."
The published memos are similar to talking points being distributed by FreedomWorks that push an anti-health reform assault all summer. Patients United, a front group maintained by AFP, is busing people all over the country to protest health care reform. America's Health Insurance Plans, the trade group and lobbying juggernaut representing the health insurance industry, is also sending staffers to monitor town halls in 30 states. Meanwhile, Conservatives for Patients' Rights (CPR), led by disgraced hospital executive Rick Scott, is running a national campaign against a public health care option.
Last week, the group took credit for "helping gin up the sometimes-rowdy outbursts targeting House Dems at town hall meetings around the country, raising questions about their spontaneity." Earlier in the week, a representative of CPR "sent an e-mail to a list-serve (called the Tea Party Patriots Health Care Reform Committee) containing a spreadsheet that lists more than 100 congressional town halls from late July into September." And last weekend, CPR announced it will send staff to "confront" lawmakers at town halls and then transition to negative ads.
Town halls gone wild
In one incident of right-wing outrage, protesters surrounded Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY), forcing police to escort him to his car. In another, anti-health-care protesters hung up an effigy of Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) outside his district office in Salisbury, MD. The city was the site of a recent symposium on the dangers of "government-run health care," sponsored by a group called "Patients First," a project of AFP. Two nights ago, Reps. Steve Kagen (D-WI) and Steve Driehaus (D-OH) had to face down angry mobs. Kagen, whose town hall was targeted by the Wisconsin chapter of AFP, was "repeatedly disrupted" by "incomprehensible" shrieks and shouts from conservatives.
On Aug. 4, Fox's local Houston affiliate reported that at a rowdy town hall hosted by Rep. Gene Green (D-TX), some attendees admitted "they don't live in the district." Still, Democrats are vowing not to let the disruptions stop health care reform. "I hope my colleagues won't fall for a sucker punch like this," Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) told The Progress Report. "These health insurance companies and people like them are trying to load these town halls for visual impact on television." Doggett agreed.
After his town hall was ambushed, he declared, "I am more committed than ever to win approval of legislation to offer more individual choice to access affordable health care. An effective public plan is essential to achieve that goal."
Senate majority leader Harry Reid (D-NV) promised Democrats wouldn't waiver: "In spite of the loud, shrill voices trying to interrupt town hall meetings and just throw a monkey wrench into everything, we're going to continue to be positive and work hard." ![[Tyee]](http://thetyee.cachefly.net/ui/img/ico_fishie.png){kind=small}
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OilbertaRedTory
3 years ago
Astroturf grows wild in Northern climes
Starting with the anti-medicare insurance salesman Colin M. Brown founder of the NCC (now run by his son) which helped spawn our current PM.
And the fear works :
http://www.garth.ca/weblog/2008/06/09/fear-factor/
Moonbug
3 years ago
this kind of manipulation
should be illegal, period. These companies and lobbyists are making a mockery of democracy.
Fiat lux
3 years ago
It is amazing how people's
It is amazing how people's minds can be warped by special interests.
Millions of Americans have been and are visiting Canada and have friends who could be asked, so it isn't as if we were some hidden country on another continent, yet, the degree of their ignorance is not only astonishing, but frightening.
At the same time, I'm not the least bit surprised, as I have seen the same hysteria whipped up by mind benders under fascists, nazis and communists.
All we can hear from our American friends, who still have some brains left, are medical horror stories that happened to their friends and families, yet these crooks can get away with it.
Like some senator said it on TV a few weeks back:"When people are sick they should be able to and see a doctor, or a nurse and not some government bureaucrat!"
How they can get away with such idiocies is the most frightening part.
Ed Deak.
Skywalker
3 years ago
Fiat lux has the $64,000 question.
I guess the answer is, because one should never over estimate the intelligence of the voter. Imagine believing the utter crap spewed by some of those Republican politicians. You think Bill O'Reilly is off the wall?
dorothy
3 years ago
Think about this
"How they can get away with such idiocies is the most frightening part."
Whenever you marvel about that kind of thing, just hold one fact clear in your mind: Disney is still in business.
People are running on fright these days. Everyone is aware that something fishy and sticky and not good for them is ahead, and they try to position themselves in the right corner, hang on to their dollars and cents way beyond what would even make sense in a real pinch, where it's always smarts that counts - and sometimes being faster on the trigger. I use that as a metaphor only. I mean being able to look ahead. Folk wisdom handed down through the generations has it that:
11.
A better burden can no man bear
on the way than his mother wit:
and no worse provision can he carry with him
than too deep a draught of ale.
http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/havamal.html
But these days, not many of us have 'mother wit' in our baggage, seeing that mother was out there trying to 'secure' the family. Ironic, isn't it? People have the strangest notions of where 'security' may be found. Not in a heap of money, that's for sure. But those who now make asses of themselves wreaking havoc in the public square are all about money, totally fixated on it, hence the screaming. I think that, ironically, contrived as it may be, the mayhem accurately portrays these people's true feelings.
crh
3 years ago
The polarized American
The polarized American population seems to be reaching a fever pitch. In the good ol' USA where homelessness is rapidly on the rise and unemployment higher and higher. Americans amaze me on how they can ignore their problems. Their reality check is near, and then things will get uglier and uglier.
Obama and his administration have been making sure to take care of the pharmaceutical corps and their profits during this reform. Same with the HMO's. The corporations are still calling the shots within the Democrats, where left is right light.
Yet, the right nuts are still screaming about everything and anything, relying on their idiotic theories and brainless leaders.
wayfarer
3 years ago
staged protests
The idea of staged protests is nothing new. The PR profession has perfected the strategy with the use of front groups in various campaigns, including those in support of big oil and tobacco. Why should this issue be any different? The trick is to expose it and counter it, which the left and Obama don't seem to be doing very well.
And frankly, is it the nature of these protests or the side they represent that really has many of us hitting high blood pressure? The left has done a great job of staged protests on various issues in the past and present, and I support a well-orchestrated agit-prop campaign if the aim and intent is good and just. The right-wing feels the same.
Michael Moore, where are you and your corporate chicken et al when the US realy needs you!? - especially given your wonderful film on the subject (Sicko).
All is fair in love, free speech and democratic protest. I want to see Obama and health care supporters mount a better fight in favour of single-payer medicare.
alive
3 years ago
Not my problem man
The average citizen in USA and Canada are mostly interested in getting back into their "comfort zone" where nobody rocks the boat!
That is not so different from the british "I'm allright Jack" attitude a number of years ago.
The idea of having to think is foreign to most people, they prefer to just hang out and let shit happen.
And that is exactly what the manipulators bank on.
Booker
3 years ago
Obama's election
These people's brains cracked when Obama was elected. If you look at the crowds, they are entirely white, mostly male, and of a certain age. They aren't overly bright either. There is a part of the population there that simply can't believe the liberals won a national election. (I can't quite believe it myself).
Unfortunately, it doesn't really look like they will improve their health care system very much, but that's their problem. I just hope we stop crippling our own system.
Jerry Munro
3 years ago
The bogeyman is alive and real...
And the Right is getting more into bullying everyday and everywhere, including on the internet, even here on Tyee, because they know as well as we all do, or should by now, what is coming. And the right represents the interests of those in power and with the wealth, and they are increasingly worried by the voices of discontent and impatience they are starting to hear. The way to deal with it, from their perspective is to build the fear and intimidation factor, in an effort to silence their critics and intimidate potential dissenters yet lacking confidence and unsure of themselves.
It's not that it is new, just for most of you younger folks currently alive. But really, it's always been there, including in the trade union movement, though it manifests itself a little differently there. But when things are going well for "the system", they can play the bullpoop democracy game and kind of tone things down a bit, sheath their swords, and play the tolerance card that goes along with their own time of confidence.
But when the economic worm turns especially and they feel their property and wealth interests may be threatened, and that their enemies may be enjoying new influence, the pretences get dropped quick and we begin to get to see the real faces that exist behind the nice guy ruling class masks.
And no doubt, it can be scary poop.
But really, it is a measure of their fear and sense of gathering vulnerability. It is the Left's own time to be emboldened, and to reach out to the increasingly concerned masses with confidence, a bold analysis, and daring action. We are approaching a new time of struggle for the direction in which society will be moved into the future.
Bob Watts
3 years ago
No Care
Share your Doctor with a poor person, my God what is the world comming to. The only reason to not have health care for all is greed in its lowest form. Let see 911 saw about 4,000 die, and 18,000 people die each year because they don't have insurance in the USA. I have a 62 year old family member in Texas, she lost most of her retirement funds to ENRON, and has just lost her two houses due to medical bills. Land of the free? Free what?
Free to get legally robbed! Free to become homeless! Free to die in poverty after a lifetime of hard work! And you want to share this freedom with the whole world! A little Insane, or is that the master plan. God help the USA.
mary jane
3 years ago
Only dumb kids say no to good medical care
Most people don't realize that health care for all Medical care at a reasonable price saves everyone from suffering when things like swine flu gets going. Those that can't get to a doctor spread diseases other catch it and everyone gets sick. That applies to the whole world as we have just wittnessed with H1N1. There are far to many people who say to h-ll with you as long as I'm alright.
zalm
3 years ago
It's about time...
...to paraphrase that genius of the Latin American religious heterodoxy, Dom Helder Camara, who turned that world on its collective ear with his pronouncement about the poor.
Let's translate it into American for all those hard-of-thinking folks south of the border.
"When I give health care to the poor, they call me a saint. But when I ask why the poor have no health care, they call me a Communist."
Think it through, Sam... think it through...
RickW
3 years ago
maryjane
But isn't that just what Big Pharma wants - a captive market? And by extension so do all the political lackeys B.Ph. money can buy?
As an aside, the Russian Igor Panarin has predicted the breakup of the US in 2010
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123051100709638419.html
Maybe the kafuffle over healthcare is a manifestation of the beginning of the end........
Jack's
3 years ago
Healthcare for every US citizen - no way!
The inventory of very expensive healthcare equipment (i.e. MRIs) in US hospitals precludes a Canadian-style system. The Health Maintenance Orgs will be alive and well forever.
robertjb2
3 years ago
US health care
This isn't just about health care. Americans are fighting to restore their democracy and rescue it from the corporate welfare state. This is just the start of what will be an epic conflict for progressive reform in that country.