With federal lawmakers returning home this 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. Over the weekend, 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. Yesterday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs took a "hard line against the Tea-Party organized disruptions," labeling 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. Yesterday, 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 email to a list serve (called the Tea Party Patriots Health Care Reform Committee) containing a spreadsheet that lists over one hundred 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. And just last night, 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." And 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."
ECONOMY -- ANTI-EFCA BUSINESS FRONT GROUP HIRES KARL ROVE & CO.: The Economic Freedom Alliance (EFA), a conglomeration of Midwestern business interests, is currently targeting Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) with a billboard campaign and website that implores constituents to "not let Evan Bayh kill jobs" by supporting the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA). As a part of its effort to kill EFCA, EFA has hired Anne Layne-Farrar, an economist who works for the corporate consulting firm LECG, to produce a report that claims EFCA would "cost the U.S. economy 600,000 jobs" by the end of 2010. Layne-Farrar's report was funded by the "Alliance to Save Main Street Jobs," which includes anti-labor industry titans such as the American Hotel and Lodging Association, the Associated Builders and Contractors, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. As the Institute for Southern Studies notes, "Even as a piece of business research-for-hire, Layne-Farrar's study is shockingly weak -- based on a thin set of old and irrelevant data that doesn't even bear out her own conclusions." In addition, EFA's newest ally in its war against organized labor is former Bush adviser Karl Rove; this year alone, EFA has paid $100,000 to Karl Rove & Co. Given Rove's long history of engaging in spin, distortion, falsehoods, and lies, it's no surprise that an organization like EFA -- which also has recently teamed up with notorious astroturf group Americans for Prosperity -- would enlist his help in smearing EFCA.
U.S. journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, accompanied by President Clinton and CAP President and CEO John Podesta, arrived back home in California this morning after being held for five months in North Korea while reporting for Current TV. Current co-founder Al Gore released a statement, reading, "Our hearts go out to them -- and to their families -- for persevering through this horrible experience."
Two former employees of Xe -- the private military company formerly known as Blackwater Worldwide -- are alleging that founder Erik Prince is complicit in the murder of individuals who worked with federal authorities investigating the company.
MoveOn.org recently announced it would place ads to pressure centrist Democrats on health care reform, but yesterday, President Obama told Senate Democrats that he wanted "left-wing groups" to back off. "In this context about the less productive tone of the debate in Washington, he said he didn't like to see 'left wing groups attack fellow Democrats,'" a While House official said.
Groups on all sides of the health care reform debate are "pouring tens of millions of dollars into advertising campaigns designed to push the cause of reform forward, slow it down or stop it in its tracks." According to the Campaign Media Analysis Group, more than $52 million has been spent on health care related ads nationwide.
Democrats in Congress are worried that with the intense focus on health care reform, "a major climate change bill may be left on the cutting-room floor this year." Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) has asked Senate committees to complete their work on cap-and-trade legislation by Sept. 28.
Prison employees and residents of Standish, MI want to keep the city's maximum corrections facility "open at all costs, even if that means becoming the new home of Guantanamo Bay detainees." While Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) opposed moving the detainees to Michigan, local residents "are most concerned about keeping some of the 340 jobs and other economic sustenance the prison provides."
The city of New York has accused Lehman Brothers of underpaying its taxes by $627 million since 1996. The city is working to persuade a federal bankruptcy court in Manhattan to move it up the list of Lehman's creditors.
And finally: Washington, DC had fun yesterday celebrating President Obama's 48th birthday. Z-Burger -- where President Clinton recently stopped by and picked up a "double burger (hold the mayo), onion rings, french fries, apple pie milkshake" -- gave out free burgers and cake during lunchtime. The 250-pound cake, which took three days to construct, had "images of Obama throughout his life." Employees at Madame Tussauds also put together "a wax birthday party."
The OMB strikes back.
Meet the Washington Post's new editorial team.
Fox News' Glenn Beck says there's no excuse for violence.
On health care reform, there's a problem with seniors.
Even though jailed journalists were freed, John Bolton thinks Clinton's trip to North Korea was a mistake.
It's time to dump the "Arab rejectionism" talking point.
CNN privately pressured cable operators not to run Media Matters' Lou Dobbs ad.
Would birthers want to see Bobby Jindal's birth certificate too?
"This funding will provide tax relief by savings local tax dollars and, under the stewardship of Chief Livingston, will go a long way to fight crime more effectively through community policing."
-- Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), 7/28/09, touting funds from the economic recovery act
VERSUS
"Mr. President, where's the stimulus package? Where are the jobs? ... Mr. Speaker, this is not the change the folks in Coffee County, Georgia, can use. They need jobs."
-- Kingston, 7/28/09, attacking the economic recovery act
"The Progress Report"
thinkprogress.org
1 comment:
Tom, maybe a fellow Texan can remind you it was Senator Cornyn who was shouted down during an Austin July 4th Tea Party on the steps of our Capital.
Maybe you need to come to Groesbeck and sit in the local cafe's to listen to the anger. These people aren't the politically active types. Maybe you should be on the other line to listen to what we are hearing in our Oil & Gas Transportation Business. People are losing their jobs because of this pending legislation and Cap & Trade. Oil & Gas companies are still stacking rigs both land and offshore. They do not want either bill passed and are canceling projects.
Republicans will get an ear full on this August recess, too. I think it is great Americans are angry, they have every right to be.
Kim
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