FreedomWorks: Of Course We’re Pumping Up Turnout Of Town Hall Rallies!
Health care reform proponents are about to jump on this exchange from Hardball last night, in which a top official for FreedomWorks, the industry-funded group staffed by GOP operatives like Dick Armey, explicitly takes credit for pumping up turnout at town hall meetings and gives a bit of detail on how, to boot.
Here’s the exchange, between Chris Matthews and Max Pappas, FreedomWorks’ vice president for public policy:
MATTHEWS: Right now, you guys are killing these — you`re going to every town meeting in the world, blowing them apart.
PAPPAS: Yes, just like we blew up…
MATTHEWS: How many people you got working — how many people are on your payroll, Dreamworks — FreedomWorks, whatever it`s called.?
PAPPAS: Oh, 18.
MATTHEWS: And how do you organize these meetings, these — these — where people do like the ACORN-type meetings, where they show up and…
PAPPAS: Mostly through the Internet.
MATTHEWS: OK.
PAPPAS: Yes. We have about 400,000 on-line members who we can contact with an e-mail database that we have, send them information about when the town halls are, give them briefings on the health care reform plans.
In case you had any doubt. Again, there’s nothing wrong with FreedomWorks or any other group doing this. But if industry-funded groups are pumping up turnout at town hall meetings, it makes it perfectly fair game for reform proponents to argue that the industry is trying to manipulate perceptions of public opinion for the sake of its bottom line.
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Greg
You should check out Rachel Maddow from last night if you want to see some information be reported about these folks and an interview with the head of Americans For Prosperity where she connected him with astroturfing and the religious right
Dude – “it makes it perfectly fair game for reform proponents to argue that the industry is trying to manipulate perceptions of public opinion for the sake of its bottom line.”
No justification is necessary. It is what it is – no need to tiptoe around it politely. “Fair game” is what is reserved for more ambiguous situations. This one is very clear cut – it’s the insurance industry against the people and the people they’ve duped to be on their side mostly are on government health care right now – Medicare.
Who knew our seniors were so damn gullible and stupid?
Whether someone or something is propping them upy believe President Obama is a foreign-born, socialist, Nazi, enemy of the state. I watched Fox News all day and listened to Fat Limbaugh just like they do, I’d have some anger too.
The issue isn’t these groups trying to flood townhalls with reform critics. That’s fine – just like it’s fine for OFA to try and flood the townhalls with reform supporters.
The difference?
Supporters for reform are trying to get people there to show support, thank their representative, or ask questions as to why a rep. opposes reform.
Critics are trying to get people to scream beligerantly until the townhall gets cancelled (and now incite violence) – thus denying the rights of everyone else at the meeting.
One is organizing. One is a mob.
@Greg: Are we going to see a post on the unemployment numbers? I was looking forward to the wingers’ heads exploding with rationalizations and spin.
“It makes it perfectly fair game for reform proponents to argue that the industry is trying to manipulate perceptions of public opinion for the sake of its bottom line.”
Has anyone argued to the contrary? I have heard plenty argue that you shouldn’t demonize the ENTIRE LOT of protesters… Greg definitely sounds like he’s on the defensive.
“I watched Fox News all day and listened to Fat Limbaugh just like they do, I’d have some anger too.”
That’s the origin point for this phenomenon. So how far is this thing going to go before someone says: O snap, maybe this isn’t protected speech? Ten people dead? Or just one – the one they want?
This country is so damn crazy – these very people who are all but rioting at the Town Halls are the ones who believe most strongly in American Exceptionalism. The only thing America is exceptional at is violence – we are exceptionally violent as a society. No other country kills its leaders like we do here – one after another.
This is so terribly irresponsible and yet no one makes even any noise about possibly getting Limbaugh and the rest to tone down the rhetoric under the mistaken assumption that free speech means you can say any damn thing you want to.
Once again, the Framers are spinning in their graves and this keeps up much longer, they’re likely to reverse the earth’s axis with their spinning.
the industry is trying to manipulate perceptions of public opinion for the sake of its bottom line
As they have been doing for quite a long time. In this they really aren’t any different than the tobacco companies were before they were forced by the courts to acknowledge that they’d known for decades just exactly how harmful and addictive their products were.
@ sbj, boo!
“Has anyone argued to the contrary? I have heard plenty argue that you shouldn’t demonize the ENTIRE LOT of protesters…”
You’ve heard ONE Democratic representative say that. Everybody else making that claim either works for the same bunch of people organizing these riots, or is GOP.
There is beaucoup evidence to the contrary of your constant assertion that these are outraged Ordinary Citizens.
“You’ve heard ONE Democratic representative say that.”
No Tena, I’ve heard Casey, Cardin, McCaskill, and Murphy.
Are you sticking with your fantasyland notion that not one anti public option protester is legitimate?
Find me the legitimate protester and we can talk.
You untangle the terrified Rush dittoheads from the industry plants – I don’t really think you can. I don’t think anyone can.
And yes, I’ll stand by this: no one who is protesting has any idea about what exactly they are protesting, besides having a black president whom Rush Limbaugh has convinced them is a fascist dictator.
Prove me wrong.
I know that many attendees are from organised groups: Acorn, Americore, Black Panthers ex members of SDS, obama pres corps and so many from the secret obama army of brown shirts.
“# Jose | August 7th, 2009 at 11:33 am
I know that many attendees are from organised groups: Acorn, Americore, Black Panthers ex members of SDS, obama pres corps and so many from the secret obama army of brown shirts.”
And I know you are a BIG FAT LIAR.
Ex members of the SDS? Do you have any ******* clue how long ago the SDS broke up?
Good god – way to pull ancient and irrelevant history into this.
“. . . give them briefings on the health care reform plans.”
Right. Briefings. Like, OBAMA WANTS TO KILL YOUR GAMMY AND GAMPA!!!!! GUVMINT TAKEOVER AND SOCIALIZED MEDICINE! THEY WANT TO STEAL YOUR MEDICARE! FUND ABORTIONS AND *** CHANGE OPERATIONS WITH YOUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLLARS! IT WILL COST A TRILLION DOLLARS EVERY YEAR SO OBAMA CAN BUY VOTES FROM SHIFTLESS UNEMPLOYED PEOPLE WITH YOUR HARD EARNED TAX DOLALRS!!!! OBAMA AND ACORN AND THE YOONYINS ARE TRYING TO FORCE YOU TO CHANGE DOCTORS!!!!
Have any of you making comments read even a portion of the Bill? Do you not want your congressional reps to read and fully understand what they’re voting for? If so why are those of you who are for this legislation wanting it rushed through without a thorough and complete review? And why are you denigrating those of us who have read at least some of it, realize there are questions that need answering and think our reps should take the time to do so?
The answer is self evident. When complex and controversial legislation is rushed onto the floor of the House or Senate with no appropriate review, someone is trying to pull a fast one on the citizens/taxpayers of this country. If the issue at hand is a national emergency there can be a basis for prompt action. There is NO national emergency. I keep telling you guys the public is catching on to these political games that the party in charge is playing. Keep it up and enough Independents and real centrist Democrats are not going to stick with you at mid-term or in 2012.
“There is NO national emergency.”
Yeah. Like there’s been no national emergency for healthcare reform since it all began back in Harry Truman’s time.
You ought to read this article, from the St. Petersburg Times.
http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2009/jul/30/e-mail-analysis-health-bill-needs-check-/