Go to about 2:02 of this video. There's a guy carrying a sign with two SS
lightning bolt symbols (Sig runes). I believe the sign reads "SStop SSocialized Medicine", with the
runes starting the first two words.Have the Republicans really sunk to this level? Amazing. I was going to call this post "Thug Life" until I found out that Rachel Maddow beat me to the punch.
Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
I wonder how many of those participating in this organized campaign of chaos favored arresting Henry Louis Gates for disorderly conduct for speaking in his own home, while they incite riots at public meetings with congressional representatives.
Starting with Think Progress (here), several media outlets have debunked this campaign's claims of being a grass roots movement. They've got the memos which plan in great detail these disruptions of public meetings with our representatives. For starters, check out BradBlog here, and Talking Points Memo here and here.
Here's some more video of a Republican planned town hall disruption, with one activist waving a bible while shouting "the only truth", and another (an elderly woman) with a bumper sticker on her forehead.
Meanwhile, Republican pundit Michelle Malkin used her appearance on ABC's This Week last Sunday to both push the line that this movement was completely grass roots and state with certainty that it would disrupt many more such meetings in August.
It seems that all's fair when the GOP gets desperate.
UPDATE August 4, 2009 10:45 pm
Check out this video of Republican activists ambushing Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut from the blog My Left Nutmeg. That blog found that the hooliganism was sanctioned and facilitated by the state GOP. (Read here.) Especially noteworthy in this planned chaos is the guy who refers to Sen. Dodd's cancer which was diagnosed just last week. The guy shouts out
Nice.
Meanwhile, Republican pundit Michelle Malkin used her appearance on ABC's This Week last Sunday to both push the line that this movement was completely grass roots and state with certainty that it would disrupt many more such meetings in August.
It seems that all's fair when the GOP gets desperate.
UPDATE August 4, 2009 10:45 pm
Check out this video of Republican activists ambushing Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut from the blog My Left Nutmeg. That blog found that the hooliganism was sanctioned and facilitated by the state GOP. (Read here.) Especially noteworthy in this planned chaos is the guy who refers to Sen. Dodd's cancer which was diagnosed just last week. The guy shouts out
"How come we don't just give Chris Dodd painkillers? Like a handful of them at a time! He can wash it down with Ted Kennedy's whiskey...!"
Nice.
UPDATE August 5, 2009 9:45 am
Followers of extremist cult leader Lyndon LaRouche are taking part in these demonstrations as well. (Read here.) That piece by Josh Marshall of TPM also cites the case of a protester apparently objecting to all medical research by shouting out that the congressman discussing it was a "Doctor Mengele". Offended yet?
UPDATE August 6, 2009 4:00 pm
Don't bother writing me to say that this isn't a Republican thing. Yes, there are Libertarians, LaRouchies, Ronpaulians. But this thing is a product of Republican PR organizations. Watch this:
11 comments:
If it bothers you Adam you can just join Obama's informers brigade.
Facts Are Stubborn Things
There is a lot of disinformation about health insurance reform out there, spanning from control of personal finances to end of life care. These rumors often travel just below the surface via chain emails or through casual conversation. Since we can’t keep track of all of them here at the White House, we’re asking for your help. If you get an email or see something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy, send it to flag@whitehouse.gov.
Everyone now has a chance to inform on that pesky neighbor.
Oldguy:
The Republicans are organizing disorderly conduct to disrupt meetings by Democratic officials. That's hardly comparable to the White House organizing responses to disinformation.
My understanding of informing is that the object of the informing suffers as a result. Just who do you claim is suffering as the result of the White House program?
>Just who do you claim is suffering as the result of the White House program?<
I make no claim that anyone is suffering.........yet.
Oldguy:
You're starting to sound like Michelle Bachmann. Next thing you're going to say is that you won't fill out the census so ACORN doesn't steal your identity.
>Next thing you're going to say is that you won't fill out the census so ACORN doesn't steal your identity.<
Interesting that you bring up ACORN, why is it permissible for Moveon.org, ACORN and the SEIU to organize protests and action groups to protest for issues but it's "scary" when conservatives do it.
As an aside, I also find it interesting that you don't have a problem with people sending information to the white house detailing who and where people are who disagree with the Obamessiah.
Richard Nixon compiled an enemies list and was soundly vilified for it.
Do you not see a similar potential here?
>Next thing you're going to say is that you won't fill out the census so ACORN doesn't steal your identity.<
Naw I'll go ahead and fill it out, I just won't be surprised to find out that I'm registered to vote in 15 or so states.
Besides it's a way for my name to live on, if ACORN has it I'll still be voting in 2212.
1) I oppose Code Pink disrupting Senate hearings when do that. I opposed it when "truthers" disrupted Nancy Pelosi's talk in Los Angeles last year. (Now one of them is running against Jane Harmon in the Democratic primary.) But when you talk about Move On and ACORN acting in this manner, you're talking through your hat. When did they do this?
2) We're talking here about a concerted effort organized by the GOP to disrupt meetings where Democratic representatives meet their constituents. That is pathetic. It subverts democracy. Ultimately, it will come back to haunt the Republicans. That's a big price to pay for some shaky YouTube video of idiots shouting at congressmen.
3) ACORN is not what you think it is. McCain said they were undertaking the most massive voter fraud in history. Where's the evidence of that bizarre claim? I guess that the ACORN conspiracy is like so many of the others: massive and entirely covert. Good trick, that.
The fact that anyone believes the crap dished out on Fox News about this says more about their viewing habits than it does about reality. Repeat after me: Fox does not tell the truth.
> Fox does not tell the truth.<
And so who in the media does Adam?
Are you the sole arbiter of truth justice and the American way?
Like em or not FOX is hugely successful now, and bad mouthing them don't change that.
There's a reason for it.
I get my news every day from MSNBC, CNN, ABC, CBS, Asian Times, the Canadian Free Press, google news stream and even *gasp* FOX news.
They all spin and twist the news to fit their preconceived notions of the world.
So "FOX lies" is meaningless.
Believe or not people have a right to oppose the socialization of their health care, I also oppose cash for clunkers because we shouldn't be subsidizing ownership of cars or homes for that matter, nor should government be in the business of social change to advance a one sided argument against a thoroughly unproven environmental issue, these are the functions of the market.
One of the things you overlook is the obfuscation and out and out BS these "elected" officials are spewing, it's one thing to sit and listen to a position, it's another to be talked to like a child and lied to.
The only thing "universal health care" will lead to is higher and higher taxes and poorer and poorer services and no one wants it.
If you believe that a majority do then you are really more deluded than a FOX news viewer.
The point is if I don't want it then I or anyone else is entitled to petition my government and protest against it.
Those rights are not only reserved for liberals.
The most disturbing part of the protests is that there are actually people who come to find out what the health care plan is all about...to try and make a decision to support or oppose it.
When people try to shout down the speaker, it deprives those who have taken time and effort to attend the meetings to get the information they need to make a decision.
If those who shout and yell are really are sure that they are right, they should state their case and allow the speaker to respond. A debate is more constructive than a shouting match where no one listens anyway.
I fear the health care issue and many other problems that face our nation has gone beyond searching for solutions..and has deteriorated into an ideological rift .
Countries like China are taking advantage of the paralysis in American politics to further their goal of overtaking the United States as the number one economic and military power by the middle of this century.
Those who doubt their will to meet their target need only remember that just 30 years ago China was a poverty stricken nation of peasants.
Looking back historians will likely say that the decline of the United States was brought about, in part, by an intractable unwillingness of Americans to solve their problems by compromise.
It's the hope that "the other side fails" that will drag us all down together.
The most disturbing part of the protests is that there are actually people who come to find out what the health care plan is all about...to try and make a decision to support or oppose it.
When people try to shout down the speaker, it deprives those who have taken time and effort to attend the meetings to get the information they need to make a decision.
If those who shout and yell are really are sure that they are right, they should state their case and allow the speaker to respond. A debate is more constructive than a shouting match where no one listens anyway.
I fear the health care issue and many other problems that face our nation has gone beyond searching for solutions..and has deteriorated into an ideological rift .
Countries like China are taking advantage of the paralysis in American politics to further their goal of overtaking the United States as the number one economic and military power by the middle of this century.
Those who doubt their will to meet their target need only remember that just 30 years ago China was a poverty stricken nation of peasants.
Looking back historians will likely say that the decline of the United States was brought about, in part, by an intractable unwillingness of Americans to solve their problems by compromise.
It's the hope that "the other side fails" that will drag us all down together.
Oldguy:
You asked "why is it permissible for Moveon.org, ACORN and the SEIU to organize protests and action groups to protest for issues but it's "scary" when conservatives do it."
I asked you to site examples of those groups stifling political speech preventing forums from taking place. The right to protest is not at issue. We're discussing the Republicans' organized campaign to deny others' their rights.
As an aside, if you equate Fox News' reliability with that of CBS, ABC and "all" news sources, we'll have to agree to disagree.
Norris Hall:
"The most disturbing part of the protests is that there are actually people who come to find out what the health care plan is all about...to try and make a decision to support or oppose it.
When people try to shout down the speaker, it deprives those who have taken time and effort to attend the meetings to get the information they need to make a decision."
Exactly. That's why these protests are taking place. Not to express an opinion or promote a political proposal, but to silence the opinions of others and stop their proposals from taking shape.
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