Community | August 05, 2009 | 18 comments

Lobbyist group 'Freedomworks' orchestrated the ambushing of key town hall meetings

source: http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/03/durbin-townhalls-gone-wild/

WakeUpPeople
ThinkProgress reported today on the growing number of angry right-wing activists viciously harassing Democratic, as well as moderate Republican, members of Congress on health care reform. Jonathan Cohn wrote that these tactics represent “classic astroturf organizing, in some cases bankrolled by the health care industry.” The insurance industry is sending staff members to over 30 states to “confront” lawmakers about health care reform. Simultaneously, Cohn writes, the health care industry will use the August recess to “flood the airwaves with ads picking apart reform legislation.” Indeed, AHIP, the lobbying juggernaut for the health insurance industry, has promised to change its tone and begin running negative ads on reform soon.

ThinkProgress sat down today with Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) to discuss efforts by the health insurance industry and the right wing to derail health reform. Asked about the recent ambushes at town halls, Durbin expressed confidence that his “colleagues won’t fall for a sucker-punch like this”:

DURBIN: Well I think members should be out, speaking with the public, meeting with people who are the health care professionals and talking about the current situation. I’ve done it and I’ll continue to do it. But you know, I hope my colleagues won’t fall for a sucker-punch like this. These health insurance companies and people like them are trying to load these town halls for visual impact on television. They want to show thousands of people screaming ‘socialism’ and try to overcome the public sentiment which now favors health care reform. That’s almost like flooding the switchboards on Capitol Hill. It doesn’t prove much other than the switchboards have limited capacity. So, we need to have a much more balanced approach that really allows members of Congress to hear both sides of the story, rather than being sucker-punched or side-tracked by these types of tactics.

The same lobbyist-run groups which orchestrated the tea party protests — Americans for Prosperity, run by a former associate of Jack Abramoff, and FreedomWorks, run by former Republican Majority Leader and current lobbyist Dick Armey — are now pushing to use the August recess as an opportunity to present a guise of public opposition to health care reform. ThinkProgress obtained a leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with Tea Party Patriots, a website sponsored by Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, that details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress. Recommended tactics include: “yell,” “stand up and shout,” and “rattle” lawmakers.

See full memo here: http://thinkprogress.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/townhallactionmemo.pdf
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    Community,   Current Democrats,   Healthcare,   Health Care Reform
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    News and Politics,  US News,  US Politics,  Health Care Reform,  2 more
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18 comments // Lobbyist group 'Freedomworks' orchestrated the ambushing of key town hall meetings // Video

  • maasanova
    • 0
      maasanova  

    • Wow, imagine the phony outrage of the foundation funded (by Center for American Progress Action Fund) Think Progress to scream about lobbyist as if that is not how things are done in Washington in general.

    • 2 years ago
  • artemis6
    • 0
      artemis6  

    • They are gonna throw all their trickery and money at it to prevent loosing corporate power . That means we have a chance to take it back .

    • 2 years ago
  • maasanova
    • 0
      maasanova  
    • Image

    • There were no lobbyist-funded buses in the parking lot of Mardela Middle and High School on Tuesday evening, and the hundreds of Eastern Maryland residents who packed the school’s auditorium loudly refuted the notion that their anger over the Democrats’ health care reform plans is “manufactured.”

      “I went to school in this school,” a man named Bob told me. “I don't see anyone in this room that isn't from Mardela Springs right now.”

      “We’ve been quiet too long,” said a woman named Joan.

      They came to yell at their congressman, freshman Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil, and they were surprised to hear that the “Congress in Your Corner” event to which they had been invited -- by a robocall from Kratovil himself -- was not to be a public airing of grievances, but instead an opportunity for private, one-on-one sessions with the freshman Democrat.

      As the crowd grew, and began venting frustration over the fact they would only be meeting with the congressman behind closed doors, Kratovil’s aides suggested he switch to a town hall format.

      The aides seemed nervous. Last week, someone hanged Kratovil in effigy outside his district office in Centreville, Maryland.

      “I am here because I understand that I do represent you folks, okay?” Kratovil said, after entering the auditorium to applause. “The opinions that you folks have, I need to know. There are legitimate concerns.”

      Just then, someone in the audience shouted back, “Our freedom is being taken from us!”

      Kratovil is a Blue Dog Democrat who signed onto a letter last month urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay a vote on a health care reform bill until after the August recess. His officially “undecided” stance on health care reform makes him a prime target for frustrated constituents already miffed that he voted for the House Democratic leaders’ energy bill last month, after initially telling voters he was “undecided” on Cap and Trade.

    • 2 years ago
  • WakeUpPeople
  • montesooma
    • 0
      montesooma  

    • You all are funny, 8000 people turned up in ohio alone and the media writes it off as a couple hundred "planted" protesters. The whitehouse gets their misinformation czar to make a video to marginalize anyone against goverment takeover of healthcare.
      You guys lap it up like a bunch of dumb puppies.
      Dont you know when someone is trying to quell free speech? Is that what you want from the govnment? a crackdown on free speech?
      A.C.O.R.N sends out real manufactured protesters to A.I.G employees homes and you take it serious.
      The congress rails on execs for flying their planes to washington when their out of money, then congress turns around and wastes 300 million on new planes when we are out of money and nothing is said.
      Hypocrites is a kind word to use.

    • 2 years ago
  • bastional
  • Armageddon_Now
  • bluestranger
    • 0
      bluestranger  

    • If you are one of those that did not see this as an organized effort by the right wing nuts, then your membership in the don't get it club is secure. Look at the faces and the way they are dressed. Just short of the typical crowd at a gop convention. It's the tea party crowd folks.

    • 2 years ago
  • uroborus8
    • 0
      uroborus8  
    • Image

    • Freedom Works, huh? Sounds familiar? I wonder where they stole that name from? Sounds pretty close to the name for a campaign Join the Impact a progressive LGBT equality group came up with for their teach ins about the Employment Non Discrimination act, the repeal of Don't ask Don't Tell, and the passage of EFCA. Strange coincidence I suppose.

    • 2 years ago
  • settler
    • 0
      settler  

    • About the instructions of Right Principles:
      The name of the person who signed this memo is called Bob MacGuffie. I did some research and it led me to Right Principle’s website. There I found Mr. MacGuffie’s profile, which contained following text: “I am a firm believer in our founding fathers’ concept of a “citizen legislature”, whereby a representative of the community does their service and represents the community in the state capital or Washington D.C., and then returns to the community.”

      So now it’s recess time in the congress. The representatives return home to their communities and are welcomed by naiv mobs, supported among others by Mr. MacGuffie, which foolishly disturb them while they’re speaking. Is this what you believe in Mr. MacGuffie? You don’t believe in the Founding Fathers’ concept. You’re representing the corporations of right wing lobbyists and not the community!

    • 2 years ago
  • synjun
    • 0
      synjun  

    • I agree Politics do suck but what sucks more is when folks stand up for what they believe and are shot down, the civil rights movement was orchestrated and look how long it took before the IDIOT Polititians listen to them...They are going to listen or the crowds will GROW!!!!

    • 2 years ago
  • WakeUpPeople
    • 0
      WakeUpPeople  
    • synjun:

      The civil rights movement was NOT orchestrated by lobbyists claiming to be "grassroots", and they were not trying to misinform the population with fake injustices. I can't believe that you are actually trying to equate MLK with private insurance lobbyists!

    • 2 years ago
  • Eleganza
  • isnamthere
    • 0
      isnamthere  

    • What I think is funny is how all of these wingnuts get on current and talk shit when a story like this first appears. Then a day or two later when it has been fully debunked as fraud, where are they? Where are the birthers? Oh right, they're busted, they're frauds. Where are all the teabaggers now? Not defending this fraud on current any more huh? I guess many of them are out disrupting townhall meetings where HONEST citizens are trying to get information from their rep.s so that they can make informed decisions.

    • 2 years ago
  • montesooma
  • WakeUpPeople
    • 0
      WakeUpPeople  

    • Politics suck. You can't even ask an honest question of your representative because a heckling mob has been planted by a lobbyist group. Where is our democracy? It is being overrun by money and power. This is not acceptable. Another lobbyist group has admitted to sending forged documents from organizations to our representatives claiming that the group opposes the health care reform. This is shameful, and it is desperate.

    • 2 years ago
  • montesooma
  • WakeUpPeople
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