Are cynical political operators exploiting public anxiety just to further the economic interests of their backers?
see Congressman Bishop video
Friday, August 7, 2009
Demonstrations or Demons?
At town hall meetings, congressmen are shouted down, hanged in effigy, surrounded and followed by taunting crowds. Key organizers include two Astroturf (fake grass-roots) organizations: FreedomWorks and Conservatives for Patients’ Rights (itself with ties to the Columbia/HCA hospital chain).
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Claire McCaskill -
ReplyDelete"Real Folks. Strong Opinions."
Everett Dirksen - "When I feel the heat, I see the light."
Former President Palmisano linked to Astroturf?
ReplyDelete'Although the American Medical Association has endorsed the House health reform bill ...(Donald) Palmisano has been using his title as a former AMA president to smear reform.
Not only does DCI’s (lobbying group for tobacco, pharm and exxonmobil) involvement in CPPR diminish its credibility as a genuine grassroots coalition, but Palmisano himself has proven less than committed to ... doctors and patients. Under Palmisano’s tenure ... the organization pursued ... a system that involved the AMA selling drug companies its “Masterfile” of doctor profiles'
http://thinkprogress.org/2009/07/28/cppr-dci-astroturf/
from today's nytimes:
ReplyDeletemost of the shouting and mocking is from opponents ... Many of those opponents have been encouraged to attend by conservative commentators and Web sites.
“Become a part of the mob!” said a banner posted Friday on the Web site of the talk show host Sean Hannity. “Attend an Obama Care Townhall near you!”
...some (exhortations) urge opponents to be disruptive. “Pack the hall,” said a strategy memo circulated by the Web site Tea Party Patriots that instructed, “Yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”
“Get him off his prepared script and agenda,” the memo continued. “Stand up and shout and sit right back down.”