The fairly well organized conservative disruptions of Lawmaker speeches at a number of locations across the country has been widely covered by the mainstream media like NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=111605707
One of the principal activitists put out a “best practices” memo on how to most effectively disrupt lawmaker’s presentations. As an example, the protestors who will shout out their complaints are told to spread out as much as possible, so that it will seem to the politician that the majority of the crowd supports the protestors.
The document linked below is the protest organizer’s memo. This memo spread rapidly accross the internet:
http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/townhallactionmemo.pdf
The man who wrote this memo claims that he is not a Republican, but is instead a libertarian. Is it just me, but are those who are inclined to the libertarian bent especially nutty, or am I being unfair?
How do people consider it a victory when they help deny healthcare to others? That question has always puzzled me.
PrairiePopulistsAndProgressives.net 
Another comment on this rent-a-mob phenomenon:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-mann/four-creative-ways-to-dea_b_252974.html
The White House is getty testy about the use of the “Nazi”-word by Limbaugh:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/07/white-house-warns-rush-na_n_254147.html
Here’s what Sarah Palin posted today on her Facebook (she has 693,652 friends). This is part of the reason for the disruptions. These people really truly believe this stuff! What can any rational person do in the face of such blatant hate mongering?
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Statement on the Current Health Care Debate
Today at 3:26pm
As more Americans delve into the disturbing details of the nationalized health care plan that the current administration is rushing through Congress, our collective jaw is dropping, and we’re saying not just no, but hell no!
The Democrats promise that a government health care system will reduce the cost of health care, but as the economist Thomas Sowell has pointed out, government health care will not reduce the cost; it will simply refuse to pay the cost. And who will suffer the most when they ration care? The sick, the elderly, and the disabled, of course. The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil.
Health care by definition involves life and death decisions. Human rights and human dignity must be at the center of any health care discussion.
Rep. Michele Bachmann highlighted the Orwellian thinking of the president’s health care advisor, Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, the brother of the White House chief of staff, in a floor speech to the House of Representatives. I commend her for being a voice for the most precious members of our society, our children and our seniors.
We must step up and engage in this most crucial debate. Nationalizing our health care system is a point of no return for government interference in the lives of its citizens. If we go down this path, there will be no turning back. Ronald Reagan once wrote, “Government programs, once launched, never disappear. Actually, a government bureau is the nearest thing to eternal life we’ll ever see on this earth.” Let’s stop and think and make our voices heard before it’s too late.
– Sarah Palin
Rep. Bachmann’s speech can be viewed here:
She writes about her son, “my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel”
How long will it be before she is complaining the press won’t leave her children alone?
Here’s Sarah’s Facebook page — you can read it without asking to be her friend. Don’t stay long, I think it could be dangerous. Her diatribe on health care and Obama’s death panel in under ‘Notes.’
http://www.facebook.com/s.php?q=sarah+palin&init=quick#/sarahpalin
saw this comment over at calculated risk thought it was worth repeating.
“for all the conservatives and opponents of health care reform you all should be applauding Obama’s bailout of the financial industry rather than criticize it. IMO if health care fails it will be because of the moves made by Geithner and Summers- not to say the personal arrogance of Obama.
Lets face it moderates have all the energy of a bucket of piss. If Obama thought he could run the political process through “radical moderates” (oxymoron if there ever was one) and the force of his own personality he is getting a taste of humble pie right about now. Much to his horror he is discovering that in fact he is not the head of some kind of cult. It is not surprising that all the town halls are packed with right wing nuts. Those on the left who might have brought the same passion are in my opinion complete turned of first by the financial industry bailout and then by backtracking on Iraq and Afghanistan and the entire Patriot act bullshit. Political organizations all need foot soldiers and moderates will never be those. Unlike degree laden Democrats Republicans never forgot that.”
Republicans will never be happy until they have their lily-white world back in order.
That horse left the barn a long time ago and ain’t ever coming back.
Unbelievable! As much stating by Conservatives “ Yes we are being disruptive and dishonest, but the good side is it is getting people out and attending these town hall meetings!”.
If the town hall meeting is disrupted that means the whole purpose — opportunity to dispense information and ask / answer questions — is also impossible.
This is the first time, as far as I can remember, that the party who suffered election losses didn’t work harder than before to come up with alternate plans and policies, to showcase how they would do it differently than the majority party in an effort to win back power. The Republican Party doesn’t have alternate plans or policies, just criticisms. And now, it seems, they’ve decided to shout those criticisms since it’s all they’ve got.
Repeating Iggy’s question, “How do people consider it a victory when they help deny healthcare to others?”
I think they are so full of disinformation and fear they don’t even know what they’re protesting. They are leaderless, lack ideas, and so full of hate and anger they buy into the propaganda and repeat it. In the repeating it becomes like that children’s game, “gossip,” where one child whispers into the next child’s ear and by the time it gets all around the circle what comes out bears no resemblance to what started.
“Those on the left who might have brought the same passion are in my opinion complete turned of first by the financial industry bailout and then by backtracking on Iraq and Afghanistan and the entire Patriot act bullshit.”
And dont forget the gays. I said early on obama wasnt going to lift a finger to help us.
I wish I hadnt been right.
That tired ol’ canard about “well, he’s better than any repuke” kinda rings hollow for me.
What difference does it make which party I support if they both hate me equally?
You all know what a political and news junkie I am, and I’m not even following the health care debate.
I have absolutely no reason to believe anything good or meaningful will be enacted. Obama owes the same people as our previous masters. Witness the financial bailout. And the lack of promised regulation that has followed it.
Do we really think health care “reform” will turn out any differently?
“I think they are so full of disinformation and fear they don’t even know what they’re protesting.”
These people believe everything fux news tells them.
What else did we expect?
How’s that bipartisanship thingy working for us?