Democratic Astroturfing in Denver

From the Los Angeles Times, "To Pelosi, Healthcare Protests Are 'Display of the Democratic Process'":

As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats toured a homeless clinic in Colorado this week, supporters of the plan matched the opponents shout for shout, sign for sign, hollering their own slogans at the afternoon traffic passing the Stout Street Clinic in downtown Denver.

Barred from entering the center where Pelosi addressed the news media and homeless advocates Thursday, the protesters on both sides of the debate mingled on the sidewalk. And here’s the interesting thing: They did so with relatively little of the hostility with which crowds have met Democrats making similar pitches at town hall meetings around the country ...

Down the block, Dan Davidson, 56, hoisted a sign featuring ...

... a frothy mug of beer and the words “Obama Care: A Poisoned Beer Summit,” which he said prompted one health reform supporter to accuse him of being uneducated.

The owner of a machine tool repair shop who provides insurance for six employees, he said he’s found a health savings account plan with which he’s satisfied. The government doesn’t belong in the business of health coverage, he said, adding that Obama's plan is “fatally flawed.”

Inside the clinic, which has received federal stimulus money, Pelosi said people should educate themselves about the details of the plan, which she touted as one that would retain choice, lower costs and force private companies to offer cheaper premiums. She downplayed the demonstrations -- calling them “a display of the democratic process” -- and dismissed suggestions of a rift within the party over the plan. “This is called the legislative process,” she said.

As she and Colorado Reps. Diana DeGette and Jared Polis hurriedly entered a waiting car, demonstrators crowded near, trying to catch a glimpse.

Check Talk Left for lots more information, "Denver Health Care Event Went Smoothly."

The most important fact about yesterday's events is the Democratic, Soros-backed Astroturfing.

See for yourself at Looking at the Left, "Nancy and the Astroturfers."

The Democrats' Soros-Backed Astroturfing for Health Care

From Ben Johnson, at FrontPage Magazine, "Soros Care":

A rising chorus of discontent – more a citizens uprising – shows Middle America’s deep suspicion of President Obama’s health care reform proposal. Average citizens have voiced their disapproval at townhall meetings hosted by Sen. Arlen Specter and HHS Director Kathleen Sebelius, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Rep. Tim Bishop, and staffers of Sen. Claire McCaskill. In a burst of passion-envy, Chris Matthews asked on Monday night’s Hardball, “Where the Hell are the people who want health care, the poor people out there…the union people? Where are they? I haven’t seen one placard, let alone one protest demonstration, for health care.”

In fact, tens of thousands of people have rallied in the nation’s capital supporting the president’s health care reform plan, including the controversial public option. However, national momentum is not with them, because they are, to use Nancy Pelosi’s phrase, “Astroturf.” These demonstrations were organized by Health Care for America Now! (HCAN), a new “national grassroots campaign of more than 1,000 organizations in 46 states representing 30 million people dedicated to winning quality, affordable health care.” Most of its component organizations have two things in common: they have no experience or expertise in health care, and virtually all received large, tax-exempt grants from far-Left billionaires like George Soros and Teresa Heinz Kerry. Like the “grassroots” movement for campaign finance reform a decade ago, the public demonstrations for health care reform are largely a Soros-financed operation.

Former Governor Howard Dean announced HCAN’s mission on the first night of the annual “America’s Future Now!” conference (formerly the “Take Back America” conference), hosted by the Campaign for America's Future in June. Dean pledged to spend up to $82 million to advance socialized medicine. HCAN rallied 15,000 people in D.C. in April, 10,000 more in June, and with state affiliates like the Maine People’s Alliance, hundreds more in state capitals in July. A searchable database of upcoming spontaneous demonstrations can be found here.

However, a closer look at its members shows it is less a “grassroots” organization than a series of interconnected left-wing pressure groups united by a collectivist ideology and, for most, a common donor.

Among the 21 members of its steering committee are ACORN, MoveOn.org, and the Center for American Progress. CAP, headed by former Clinton chief of staff John Podesta, was created with Soros’ money as a counterweight to the Heritage Foundation. In 2007 alone, Soros’ charity, the Open Society Institute (OSI), gave CAP $1.75 million in 2007 and approved additional grants totaling $1.25 million. Soros personally gave millions to MoveOn.org before the 2004 elections, and he has funded ACORN, the most notorious practitioner of election fraud in the nation.

Dean announced HCAN’s mobilization before the Campaign for America's Future, another institution that has received funding from George Soros and the Rockefeller Family Fund. CAF, an HCAN steering committee member, pushes for national health care as one means to transform the United States into a European social welfare state. Co-founder Robert Borosage previously served as director of the overtly Marxist Institute for Policy Studies, while co-founder Roger Hickey also co-founded the Economic Policy Institute. Other CAF co-founders include socialist columnist Harold Meyerson, Sixties radical Tom Hayden, socialist feminist Barbara Ehrenreich, Service Employees International Union president Andrew Stern, AFL-CIO president John J. Sweeney, Jesse Jackson, and Julian Bond. CAF is best known for hosting its annual “Take Back America” conferences, a gathering of D.C. “progressives” and far-Left community organizers. Code Pink activists famously booed Hillary Clinton after a tour-de-force leftist speech in 2006. An up-and-comer named Barack Obama also spoke at the ’06 event.

Advancing the welfare state by ruse is old hat to the Children's Defense Fund (CDF). The CDF Action Council is a member of the HCAN steering committee. CDF founder Marian Wright Edelman once admitted she got nowhere pushing a left-wing message until “I got the idea that children might be a very effective way to broaden the base for change.” Hiding behind “the children,” her undisguised Sixties radicalism still shines through. In her 1987 book Families in Peril, she wrote, “We must curb the fanatical military weasel.” At the time, the CDF was chaired by one Hillary Rodham Clinton. In addition to Hillary’s patronage, the CDF received a grant of more than $700,000 from the Carnegie Corporation of New York while Teresa Heinz Kerry sat on its board of trustees, and Edelman received the Heinz Award for the “Human Condition” in 1995.

Labor unions are heavily represented on the HCAN steering committee. Members include the SEIU, AFL-CIO, AFSCME, Change to Win (James Hoffa’s breakaway group of seven powerful unions, which includes the SEIU’s Andrew Stern), UAW, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, Communication Workers of America, and the United Food and Commercial Workers union. Even with the power of compulsory union dues, SEIU received $75,000 from the Open Society Institute in 2007, and AFT was approved for a $150,000 OSI grant.

Read the whole thing at the link.

Photo Credit: Looking at the Left, "Nancy and the Astroturfers."

Democratic Deliberation? Congressman David Scott's Town Hall Meltdown

This is a really mind-blogging report from WXIA-TV Atlanta, "Congressman Scott's Town Hall Meeting Meltdown":

U.S. Rep. David Scott (D-13th) was involved in what many called an embarrassing display of losing his temper at a town hall meeting in Douglasville last weekend.

In the meeting, Scott lost his temper and began yelling at a crowd that included two people who came forward during the question-and-answer portion of the meeting to ask Scott about his stance on the health care plan proposed by the White House and being debated on Capitol Hill.

The city of Douglasville taped the event and you can see Scott become increasingly agitated after a question about health care.

At one point he chastized some in the crowd for "hijacking" the meeting.

11Alive News has found the Douglas County doctor who posed one of the questions. Dr. Brian E. Hill, a urologist, said he simply wanted to know Congressman Scott's stance on government-provided insurance.

"I did not go to a meeting to create any problem. I simply have real questions about the quality of health care my patients are going to get not just now, but down the line," Hill said.

You know, the tea partyers have really been getting to the Democrats. The media-masters, party hacks, and lefty bloggesr have come up with every name in the book to smear and demonize regular citizens - and the vitriol is seeping into mainstream reporting, for example today, when CBS called citizen activists "teabaggers." And the Dems are arguing that all of a sudden democratic delibration is on the line when regular folks aren't getting their questions answered and they're getting mad. Democratic theory doesn't hold that flared tempers are undemocratic.

Just today, in a widely-cited essay, Stephen Pearlstein argued:

Health reform is a test of whether this country can function once again as a civil society -- whether we can trust ourselves to embrace the big, important changes that require everyone to give up something in order to make everyone better off. Republican leaders are eager to see us fail that test.

That is teh stupid if there ever was any!

Why isn't President Obama reaching out to answer those who have legitimate questions, instead of making threats about gathering the names of those spreading "disinformation"? This administration is the utlimate in amateurish nighmare! This country is now way worse off under the Democrats - and considering the serious problems the GOP left the country, that's saying a lot.

This man at the clip, Brian Hill, a doctor, is exactly the kind of deliberative patriot all the Democrats keep idealizing as what's missing from the town hall rallies. And what does he get? A U.S. congressman pointing fingers and screaming at him for "hijacking" the meeting? Man, that's low. David Scott epitimizes not just what's wrong with the Dems, but what's wrong with the Democratic majority in Congress. Expect to see clips of him in upcoming debates, now and throughout 2010.

Democratic Party hypocrisy on democratic deliberation. Priceless.

I'm becoming increasingly convinced that Barack Obama shooting himself in the foot, and dooming himself to a one-term presidency. He'll be remembered as leaving one of the worst legacies of divisiveness in American history.

Missouri School District Cancels Claire McCaskill Event - Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez Holds 'Prayer Vigil' Instead of Town Hall!

Citing "security concerns," the School District of University City has cancelled the contract for Senator Claire McCaskill's town hall event on Tuesday. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports:

A day after a Russ Carnahan event led to the arrests of five participants and a reporter, University City High School — where U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill was set to hold a similar event on Tuesday– announced that the forum has been canceled.

The school district sent a news release this afternoon stating that the “reasons for the cancellation by the school district are due to concerns for the safety and security of its staff, community members attending the event, and for the students who would be on campus during that time.”

There is no word on whether McCaskill will find a new venue or keep a second town hall forum scheduled for later the same day in Jefferson County.

Either way, its hard not to notch the decision as a signal of the growing influence of the Tea Party coalition, who had succeeded at heckling Carnahan at two earlier meetings.

Actually, St. Louis Tea Party indicates that McCaskill has another event planned for "2:00 p.m. on Tuesday at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, MO."

And yes, "the influence" of the Tea Party coalition is growing. I missed this somehow, but it turns out that Democratic Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez disguised her recent town hall last Sunday as a "prayer vigil." Here's this from the YouTube sidebar:

Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez and her Community Organizers held a Town Hall Meeting on 8-2-2009, disguised as a "Prayer Vigil" to avoid any protesters. Loretta Sanchez had a huge banner set up with her name on it. When she spoke, she attacked her political opponents and praised herself several times. She advocated a government single-payer health plan. Several of her Community Organizers also attacked her political opponents and praised Sanchez when they spoke. No one else with opposing views was allowed to speak. The Community Organizers started and stoked the applause as well. Loretta Sanchez and her gang of Community Organizers deceived the public and attacked President Bush,Governor Schwarzenegger and 5 local Congressmen at what was supposed to be a Prayer Vigil. Why would this church allow such a slanted political event to take place? Were they deceived as well?

Hat Tip: Hot Air.

CNN Smears 'Wingnuts on the Right'

First it was CBS slamming citizen protesters as "teabaggers." Now we have CNN smearing conservatives as "wingnuts." Actually, it's young wannabe commentator John Avlon, who is clearly way behind the curve on what's happening with town hall protests.

Avlon, parroting the widely discredited leftist meme, attacks regular activists and concerned citizens as unhinged extremists. Avlon's key piece of "evidence" is the linkage of the town hall protesters to the obscure local Connecticut activist Bob MacGuffie. As Avlon notes at the CNN piece, "The curtain was pulled back on these organized efforts in the form of a wingnut memo written by Connecticut grassroots conservative activist Bob MacGuffie." Avlon is simply recycling the bull we saw earlier this week at Talking Points Memo and Think Progress - that is, he's recycling leftist desperation.

Rick Moran eviscerated the left's line on the "McGuffie memo" a couple of days ago:

This is one of the most dishonest, despicable things I’ve ever seen in politics. TPM and Think Progress published a purported “smoking gun” memo from an anti-health reform group that they were pushing as a blueprint for action that protestors at town hall meetings were following to disrupt the proceedings.

There’s only one problem: The group that is responsible for writing the memo are a bunch of bush leaguers with no more influence than my pet cat Aramas on demonstrators protesting anything ....

There is no “memo” that tells protestors what to do. If anyone else besides this guys mother, grandmother, and maiden aunt saw this “blueprint” I would be enormously surprised. It was a wholly manufactured piece of “evidence” - along with the ridiculously tenuous connections - by TPM.

Josh Marshall bragged to high heaven about the George Polk Award for journalism he received. I am going to write the award committee and ask them to rescind it. This isn’t even yellow journalism. It is propaganda, as Marshall and the rest of the left (who are, in fact, the ones who receive instructions on a daily basis about how to frame issues through their exclusive email list) can’t be bothered with the facts, can’t be bothered with the truth, and are only concerned about demonstrating their rank partisanship and shocking demagoguery.

Well, Avlon's pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel along with Marshall.

Avlon's a regular writer at the far-left Daily Beast, and yesterday he attacked the right for hammering the administration as "socialist." See, "The GOP's Ugly Jokers." Actually, the latter piece makes a couple of decents point, but Avlon's leftist agenda is totally transparent, and his more absured smear-marketing certainly goes over well on CNN.

Dunked Nuts? CBS Goes Urban in Slamming Citizen Protesters as 'Teabaggers'

From Doug Ross and Gateway Pundit, it turns out that CBS News has smeared regular Americans as "teabaggers." See, "Teabaggers Shout Down Tampa Bay Town Hall":

So, for those not hip to the urban jive, "teabagging" is to "dunk one's scrotum into the open mouth of another person."

Dunked nuts. That's real classy, CBS.

See also, Newsbusters, "CBS Online Editor Refers to Town Hall Protesters as 'Teabaggers'."

Javonne Spitz: Democratic Insider Claims to Be Carnahan Staffer

Conservative Nation asks, "Who Is Javonne Spitz?"

It's a good question. Spitz is cited on the Organizing for America website, in a post dated March 2009, as the host of an event called "Canvass for Economic Stimulus (Pledge Project Canvass)."

Spitz is in the middle of the story coming out of St. Louis and the Russ Carnahan town hall melee. The first video below shows Spitz's arrest yesterday. The second video shows Spitz identifying Kenneth Gladney as a "black man" (at about 50 seconds); and the third video shows Spitz claiming that "I work for Carnahan":

However, Dana Loesch has a statement from Carnahan's office denying Spitz's employment:

No member of Congressman Carnahan’s staff was arrested last night.

Further, the LegiStorm Blog lists all the staffers for Representative Carnahan, past and present, and Spitz's name is not on the list.

So what's happening? She might not be lying, actually (check Moe Lane's post).

It's likely that Spitz has been involved in Carnahan's campaign activities. Members of Congress run inside operations, often in tandem with local Democratic Party officials. Depending on the strength of the local party organization, Carnahan may have a ready pipeline of volunteers who work phone banks and walk precincts during election years. Tomorrow morning Carnahan has scheduled a volunteer organizing meeting, "Carnahan Crew Summer Update":

Last year, Russ Carnahan in Congress launched a program called "Carnahan Crew", a precinct captain program that encourages people to make a difference by getting involved in their own community. Since then, Carnahan Crew has built a team of neighborhood leaders throughout the 3rd Congressional District.

We invite you to attend our next Carnahan Crew Summer Update & Training session being held on August 8, 2009 at 9am. The goal of this meeting is to bring together current Carnahan Crew leaders and individuals who are interested in getting more involved in the District's political activities. The meeting will include an update about the Carnahan Crew precinct captain program, a training on the use of new media in campaigns, and a legislative update from Congressman Russ Carnahan.

Such activities are pretty routine, and someone like Jevonne Spitz could be involved in Carnahan's organization at any number of entry points. Folks on the scene might want to request from Russ Carnahan's electoral director the volunteer lists from all of the organization's precinct captains. Considering that Ms. Spitz hosted the "Organizing for America" function, it's probably likely that she's got inside connections to the local St. Louis party machine.

There's more information on Jevonne Spitz at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Also, check Gateway Pundit, "Pajamas Media Article: 'SEIU Thugs Teach Health Care Protesters the ‘Chicago Way’ of Politics'."

I'll update if I get more information.

**********

UPDATE! Gateway Pundit provides this video, featuring local radio personality Jamie Allman, who gained entry to an apparently secret press conference Congressman Carnahan held to repond to his town hall melee:

Plus, Dana Loesch links!

'Disinformation': The GOP's New Ad on Health Care

Via Steve Bartin, "Disinformation: The GOP's New Ad on Health Care":

Also, Charles Krauthammer, a Harvard-trained psychiatrist, responds to those who say the GOP has no plan, "Health-Care Reform: A Better Plan":

The administration’s defense is to accuse critics of being for the status quo. Nonsense. Candidate John McCain and a host of other Republicans since have offered alternatives. Let me offer mine: Strip away current inefficiencies before remaking one-sixth of the U.S. economy. The plan is so simple it doesn’t even have the requisite three parts. Just two: radical tort reform and radically severing the link between health insurance and employment.

More at Memeorandum.

'Nobody is Collecting Names' - Obama Truth Squads Alter the Truth!

The White House blog entry is still up, "Facts Are Stubborn Things." Here's the key quote:

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.

The implication is not hard to discern: Name names. The White House wants them for a political enemies list. And after the ObamaCare truth squads identify political opponents, well, obviously the names will go into a database along with other identifying information on the administration's political enemies.

What's so hard about that? That's what any authoritarian regime would do.

It's thus surprising that the truth squads are out to jigger the truth. Here's the classic line from Steve Benen:

The very idea that the White House would be "collecting names" is about as legitimate as the idea that the president is a not a natural-born citizen. As nutty Republican conspiracy theories go, this was even more headache-inducing than most.

Hey, Benen, duh, THE OBAMACRATS PUT OUT THE CALL FOR NAMES, AND THEY POSTED A WHITE HOUSE E-MAIL ADDRESS SO OBAMALINGS COULD NAME NAMES!! THEY'RE GOING TO DO SOMETHING WITH NAMES!!

Also, from my comments Dr. Ahmadinejad Chavez Biobrain fires up the truth-mobile:

If you guys could find even ONE indication that they were gathering names, I would still think you guys were nutcakes. But you can't. They're NOT collecting names. This ISN'T about the people making these claims. All they did was request that people forward the disinformation that they're seeing, and it's not about reporting the people behind it. And this is the same thing they did last year during the campaign.

Okay. Right. Like last year, when critics of the Obama campaign were threatened with prosecuation for "intimidation insults."

Hey, at least they never actually set up those camps .... or, did they? Gosh, who knows the way the White House is working to crackdown on opponents. It's like Ed Morrissey says, "WH: We’re Not Collecting Names, We’re Storing Your E-Mail Addresses":

The administration clearly wants to activate millions of snoops across America to get tips on what people say about Obama and his health-care plan. One can parse whether that amounts literally to “taking names,” but its design explicitly demonstrates a desire for the White House to track its political opposition. If all Obama wanted was a chance to respond to the debate, it could keep its own tabs on arguments made on Capitol Hill during the Congressional actions on ObamaCare bills. They can also easily keep an eye on lobbying groups and their public campaigns without creating a vast network of snitches to do it.

Ain't that the truth!

Image Credits: The People's Cube.

'Obama Throws a Match on the American Powder Keg'

From Blake Yount, "Obama Throws a Match on the American Powder Keg":

Soon after powerful members of the Democrat party began lying about the interests of the people at recent town hall meetings, President Obama released an email to members of his group Organizing for America. This email told people to attend town halls and "fight lies with truth." The emails that the President is sending out contain information on Republican town halls and they encourage members of Organizing for America to attend.

This strategy is clearly a retaliation against regular Americans who showed up at town halls on their own volition to ask questions and expose lies.

President Obama has chosen sides, lit a fire, and even inspired violence. Yes, reports are coming from St. Louis about a 38 year old black conservative that was beaten so badly by SCIU union members, that he was forced to spend time in the emergency room. People are getting roughed up by union members at town halls in Tampa Bay, Florida. These union punks didn't act because they are passionate about health care, they were told to "punch back twice as hard" by none other than the white house itself.

Attorneys for Kenneth Gladney Call on Carnahan, Obama and SEIU to Apologize: 'A Truly Senseless Hate Crime Carried Out by Racist Union Thugs'

From St. Louis Tea Party," David B. Brown, attorney for Kenneth Gladney, speaks out:

August 7, 2009

Dear Mr. Hennessy:

I am Kenneth Gladney’s attorney. Kenneth was attacked on the evening of August 6, 2009 at Rep. Russ Carnahan’s town hall meeting in South St. Louis County. I was at the town hall meeting as well and witnessed the events leading up to the attack of Kenneth. Kenneth was approached by an SEIU representative as Kenneth was handing out “Don’t Tread on Me” flags to other conservatives. The SEIU representative demanded to know why a black man was handing out these flags. The SEIU member used a racial slur against Kenneth, then punched him in the face. Kenneth fell to the ground. Another SEIU member yelled racial epithets at Kenneth as he kicked him in the head and back. Kenneth was also brutally attacked by one other male SEIU member and an unidentified woman. The three men were clearly SEIU members, as they were wearing T-shirts with the SEIU logo.

Kenneth was beaten badly. One assailant fled on foot; three others were arrested. Kenneth was admitted to St. John’s Mercy Medical Center emergency room, where he was treated for his numerous injuries. Kenneth was merely expressing his freedom of speech by handing out the flags. In fact, he merely asked people as they exited the town hall meeting whether they would like a flag. He in no way provoked any argument or altercation, as evidenced by the fact that three assailants were arrested.
We hope that Kenneth fully recovers from his injuries; however, he is in great pain at this time. We will be pursuing legal action at our discretion. This was a truly senseless hate crime carried out by racist union thugs. Regretfully, Representative Carnahan’s statements blaming Kenneth for being a disruptive force are wholly untrue and slanderous. We would like to think that an elected official in Representative Carnahan’s position would gather accurate information before carelessly rushing to judgment.

Kenneth supports conservative ideals, although he subscribes to no particular political party. We are calling on the SEIU, Representative Carnahan, and President Obama to condemn the racist actions of these union thugs. In the days to come, we will be investigating whether these thugs are working at the behest of Representative Carnahan and how strong their alliances to various organizations–such as ACORN–may be.

We hope the St. Louis Tea Party and tea party organizations around the country will protest Representative Carnahan’s offices and also protest SEIU offices in every major city across the U.S. These Democratic strong-arm tactics must end now.

Regards,

Attorney David B. Brown

Jake Tapper also reports on Gladney, "Town Hall Tumult."

See also, "First They Came for the Black Conservatives!"

Plus, Hummers & Cigarettes, "Townhall Meetings: Alarming Rise in Union Involvement and Violence."

More at Memeorandum.

Added: From Americans for Limited Government, "ALG Condemns SEIU Beating of Kenneth Gladney at St. Louis Town Hall, Calls for Special Prosecutor to 'Investigate White House Complicity'."

First They Came for the Black Conservatives!

From Gateway Pundit, "RAW VIDEO!!.....TEA PARTY PROTESTERS ATTACKED-- 1 Black Conservative Seriously Hurt in St. Louis! ... 6 Arrested Including SEIU Members":

See also, The Astute Bloggers, "Mayhem Breaks Out at St Louis Town Hall Meeting," and St. Louis Tea Party, "Union Thugs Deliver Unprovoked Beating on Black Conservative at Carnahan Town Hall."

More from Patterico, "Angry Mob of Racist Extremists Beats Black Man at Town Hall Meeting." (Via Memeorandum.)

Plus, from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, "Six People, Including P-D Reporter, Arrested at Carnahan Meeting."

I Am the Mob: 'All I Want for Christmas Is to Make Obama’s Enemies List'

From Rick Moran, "All I Want for Christmas Is to Make Obama’s Enemies List":

I was too young and too obscure to make Richard Nixon’s enemies list back in the day. Not yet out of my teens, my attendance at subversive rallies against the Vietnam War and my contributions to a wildly anti-Nixon publication at my high school we bravely called The Truth just weren’t enough to bring me to the attention of Charles Colson. Thus, I never had a chance to get my name listed along with other great Americans like Ted Kennedy, Paul Newman, and Joe Namath.

I was a good little radical back then, mouthing all the idiocy we heard our elders spouting about evil corporations, evil conservatives, and the evil, evil military. Alas, the world passed me by and the one great opportunity of a lifetime to be recognized as an enemy of the state was lost.

Until now.

Having since grown up, gotten a job, and been disabused of the idea that there is, in fact, such a thing as a free lunch — along with other magical ideas liberals hold — you can imagine my delight when I heard that President Obama is going to be starting an enemies list of his own.

This time, I am absolutely determined to make the grade. Nothing will stand in my way. Come hell or high water, I am going to get my name on that list if I have to camp out in front of the office of Linda Douglass, communications director for the White House Office of Health Reform, until she slaps my moniker on that list just to get rid of me.

Douglass, who used to spout liberal agitprop for ABC News, now does something very similar for President Obama. Concerned that opponents of health care were disseminating information about the bill that fell outside the official White House-approved talking points, she made a nice little home video priming her charges for the work ahead. Then she had one of her flunkies ask the millions of Obamabots who still think their Dear Leader can do no wrong to report fellow citizens to the White House who weren’t making approved statements about the president’s plan ...

More at the link.

Image Credit: Atlas Shrugs, "Liar-in-Chief Incites His Thugs, Warns Adversaries "I don't mind cleaning up after them, but don't do a lot of talking".

Dana Loesch: 'Just People Coming Out to Voice Their Concerns'

I watched this interview last night, Dana Loesch speaking to Greta Van Susteren:

Also, check the roundup at Pundit & Pundette, "Slaphappy for ObamaCare

New Rules for Radicals

From David Harsanyi, "Presenting New Rules for Radicals":

For those of you who will gleefully point out the hypocrisy of Democrats grousing about organized grassroots activism — whether well-funded or organic — you just don't get it. It is imperative that we start thinking about the world in a counterintuitive way.

In today's world, the "radicals" are the ones who protest the takeover of a huge swath of the economy by government bureaucrats who have proven they can't even run a program that gives free money away to car buyers properly. It is radicals who want to preserve the pillars of a system that over 80 percent of Americans still believe works — though certainly not perfectly.

In this new world, radicals are the ones who protest adding trillions to our debt and who have the temerity to ask if legislators have read the bills they sign. You've seen them. Those radicals who are ranting and raving about silly things like the Constitution.

So here is a plan. Instead of making the case for health care "reform," let's launch an offensive against citizens. Nazis. Fanatics. Mobs. Thugs. Whatever you call them.

And if you're really patriotic, you can even report them.

More at Memeorandum.

Plus, from Dr. Helen, "I now see these people in a number of public places and all over the internet and I must say, it warms my heart and makes me remember what this country is about."

The Unglued American Left

From Stephen Kruiser, "Of Town Halls, Health Care & The Unglued American Left":

You almost have to feel sorry for the progressives, this was all supposed to be so easy for them ....

The scenario that danced around in the heads of the progressives went like this: we’ve got the president we want, a Senate leader who is wholly incapable of original thought and will obey like a whipped dog and a House Speaker from San Francisco, for Marx’s sake, to implement our agenda. This should be done in an hour or so.

What they are getting, thankfully, is a painful lesson about the difficulties of turning ill-conceived cotton candy rhetoric into something substantive.

So they’re acting out.

And lying almost non-stop.

They are lying about the true nature of health care reform. It’s a bridge to the single-payer system that President Obama has wanted all along. Which he is now lying about. I’m not speculating, I’m listening to a prominent Democratic senator.

They are most certainly lying about welcoming debate on health care. It’s not possible to ram complex legislation through Congress to meet an unrealistically quick deadline and have a substantive debate about it at the same time.

More at the link.

See also, Michael Gerson, "After the Thrill Is Gone."

More at Memeorandum.

Bratton's Resignation: Major Blow to Los Angeles

Recall the recent editorial at the Los Angeles Times on the Michael Jackson memorial, "The Michael Jackson memorial: City Hall blew it; With the Exception of the Police Department, the City's Handling of the Event Was Disorganized, Cheap and Pathetic."

That's something to keep in mind with the news this week of Police Chief William Bratton's resignationt. See, "Bratton's Exit Poses a Major Challenge for L.A.":

William J. Bratton's announcement Wednesday that he would resign as chief of the Los Angeles Police Department caught Angelenos by surprise, including the mayor and police leaders who suddenly found themselves confronted with the daunting task of replacing one of the nation's most influential law enforcement figures.

Bratton's unexpected decision set in motion what promises to be an intense and wide-ranging search for his successor. With just three months before Bratton departs for his new job as head of a private security firm, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and others involved in the selection must act quickly or face the less palatable option of putting an interim leader in place - something Villaraigosa said during a news conference that he'd rather not do.

See also, "Will Bratton's Reforms Survive After His Departure?":

He came to Los Angeles in 2002, a brash New Englander in a hurry to make his mark and unwilling to mince words.

When a community activist attacked the department, Chief William J. Bratton went on CNN and labeled him a "nitwit." When the City Council refused his request for more officers, he bellowed: "Let them start attending some of the funerals of the victims of crime."

But behind the sometimes in-your-face demeanor, Bratton was also a listener, a skilled politician and -- above all -- an effective cop.

He quietly made his way through South Los Angeles, meeting with black ministers and community activists to talk about race and crime. He demanded that his officers change the way they police and imposed strong discipline for misconduct -- yet he maintained the support of the rank and file.

He presided over a steep drop in crime that left the city safer than it has been in decades. And he managed to persuade two successive mayors to make hiring more officers a top priority -- even when that meant cutting into other programs.

Now, as Bratton is about to leave the city's political stage, some civic leaders expressed concern Wednesday about whether his impressive legacy can be sustained and whether he exited too early.

"I wish he had stayed at least another two years," said Connie Rice, a civil rights attorney and longtime advocate for police reform. "I would not be surprised to see the organization slip back."

More reaction here, "Legacy of America's Top Cop."

Los Angeles City College Cuts Sports Program

Pretty big story on the education crisis in California. Los Angeles City College guts sports to save academics, "L.A. City College Suspends Sports Program":

See also my previous report, "California's Master Plan for Higher Education: Facing Crisis."

OMGWTFSCARY! Meet the Town Hall Mobs!

From Dana Loesch, "Meet the Mob":

You’ve heard a lot about this crazy, scary, vicious mob on some shadowy GOP payroll. By the way the DNC, Rachel Maddow, and President Obama talk, you’d think it was a motley crue of Hell’s Angels.

Let me introduce you to the mob:

See also, Big Dog's Weblog, "Town Hall Meetings Un-American?":

The poor Democrats really don’t know what to do- they thought that protesting was exclusively their domain. They don’t know how to handle this “civil disobedience” from the right, even though this stuff is tame compared to the trashing of Tom Tancredo’s free speech rights at the University of North Carolina, or the Minutemen gathering at Columbia University by members of the left. At those gatherings, people’s lives were in danger, and the protesters did not even act human. But then, that’s the left for you.

So now Babs Boxer and Di Feinstein come out and say that these town halls are rigged and “Astroturfed”, as in artificially stirred up. Right out of the radical playbook of Saul Alinsky- ridicule your opponent, and marginalize whatever they say.

Nothing could be further from the truth- These people have one thing in common, whether they are (or were) Democrats, Independents, or Republicans. They know they are being screwed to the wall by King Hussein the Spineless, and they see that he wants to dismantle or country by doing away with any incentive to succeed via the freedom to earn as much money as you can.

Read the whole thing, here.

More at Memeorandum.

Union Thuggery in Tampa!

From Atlas Shrugs, "Tampa, St. Louis ...Obama's Union Thugs are Beating People up at Town Hall Meetings":

The unifier, the great post-American hopenchange fascist, has adopted the street tactics of Chicago thug politics to ram his takeover down our throats. Well, the people are not going quietly - thank G-d. His ACORN/SEIU/Union goons are beating the folks up. America has been sucker punched. Check out this video - stay with it...union thugs are beating up Randy Arthur at Castor town hall meeting in Tampa on Thursday. This is low grade civil war. Are they ratcheting up civil unrest so that they can call in reinforcements? We the people! They answer to us.

More at Memeorandum.

It Looks Like They Are About to Bust into 'Springtime For Hitler'

From the comments at a 2007 Christy Hardin Smith essay at FDL, "Bush Budget A Joke?":

It looks like they are about to bust into “Springtime For Hitler.”

Also, Democratic Underground has a compilation of the "Best of 'BusHitler'":

“Bushitler” (George W. Bush comparable to Adolf Hitler).

So folks can excuse me for laughing at teh stupid at Firedoglake right now, "The Other":

We live in a culture where one side is led by rational accommodationists who want to get along and the other, smaller side, led by a delusional, angry, id who want the majority to surrender. Millions of people "hoped", if nothing else, the tenor of politics would be improved only to find that racist, bigoted messages and implications to violence are more prevalent and more tolerated: Steve Pearlstein of the Washington Post:

Health reform is a test of whether this country can function once again as a civil society -- whether we can trust ourselves to embrace the big, important changes that require everyone to give up something in order to make everyone better off. Republican leaders are eager to see us fail that test. We need to show them that no matter how many lies they tell or how many scare tactics they concoct, Americans will come together and get this done.

If health reform is to be anyone's Waterloo, let it be theirs.

Yeah. Right.

See also, "The Democrats’ Hypocritical Demonization of ObamaCare Protesters."

More at Memeorandum.

The Democrats’ Hypocritical Demonization of ObamaCare Protesters

I'm looking over all of this morning's commentary on the healthcare town halls. I'm tickled at the various reactions from Democrats to the citizens' uprising that we're witnessing. Paul Krugman, try as he might, ends up calling ObamaCare protesters "racist." Let's call Krugman's take the Ivy League version of Janeane Garofalo's infamous excoration, "This is racism straight up."

But Neo-Neocon's got a balanced take on all of this, from the perspective of, "Hey, I'm might be a little upset too if the Democrats were trying to screw me under." See, "The Democrats’ Hypocritical Demonization of Health Reform Protesters":

It’s a tried and true method of political posturing: demonizing the opposition. It’s been especially popular with the Obama administration and the Pelosi-Reid Congress.

But if I were a moderate Democrat or an independent, one who had voted for Obama but was now feeling some wariness about the health care reform bill, how would I react to these sorts of statements by the Democratic National Committee? I believe the answer would be: with increasing distrust and resentment.

That’s because, although I would concede that some of the town hall agitators are probably exactly as described by the DNC, I would also very likely know quite a few persons in the real world who are just as angry about the current health care reform bill as those seen in the videos of the town hall meetings. And I would know that those people I’m acquainted with are not paid operatives. I might not even consider them especially extreme in their views. In fact, I might share some of their deep concerns about the bill as written — including the fact that it’s so long and complex and ever-changing that I’m not really sure what it contains right now, and I’m not sure my representative knows, either.

I might be angry at the idea that the member of the House or Senate who represents me is likely to have failed to even read the bill yet and may not plan to, and that Obama’s press secretary hedged when asked whether President Obama has read it or intends to do so. And I might even be angry about “the agenda for change” currently being implemented, thinking it’s not exactly what I thought “the president was elected to bring to Washington.”

Read the whole thing at the link.

Obama's Health Plan Will Succeed (At Getting People to Die Faster)

From Mark Schiller, M.D., at FrontPage Magazine:

Many critics are busy complaining that President Obama's healthcare reform plans are doomed to failure. It would be nice if they would just quit their whining and get back to caring for their polo ponies or something, because it's clear that the plan will be successful. Think about it -- as severely
ill people die more quickly, costs will inevitably be cut.

It's really quite simple. Take cancer treatment. If we can just make sure to treat cancer patients with older, cheaper, more ineffective treatments, then treatment will actually be more effective -- at cutting costs as more cancer patients die. We not only save the cost of more expensive medication -- we also save by relying on less expensive stays in hospices instead of more extended active treatments.

More importantly, if we can help patients die quickly now, then we can save on the cost of any future major illnesses they would've had that would have cost society a whole boatload of money. Basically, one severe potentially terminal illness is cheaper than two. Some cancer patients may try to demand more up-to-date, effective treatments, but society must obviously ignore their selfish desires to live.

The Obama plan is going to accomplish this with its billion-dollar investment in "comparative-effectiveness research." This is a coup, because it sounds so rational and scientific. A sophisticated observer can see that it will be "comparatively effective" at reducing the rate at which new, more effective treatments are utilized. The kind of large, expensive studies required to prove that newer treatments are less effective at killing off patients will be so difficult to conduct that the newly created "Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research" (or FCCCER, pronounced faux care) will have cover for many years before it's compelled to approve any new treatment.

Such is the excellent model provided by Great Britain's National Institute for Clinical Excellence, known by the wonderful acronym NICE. Indeed it was "NICE" how the agency "regrettably" found last summer that four admittedly "clinically effective" lifesaving medications for kidney cancer were not "cost-effective uses of NHS resources." NICE has been wildly successful in shortening the overall amount of time that the British medical system is forced to treat cancer patients. In Great Britain, survival rates after a cancer diagnosis range from 40.2 to 48.1 percent for men and 48 to 54.1 percent for women. The United States currently boasts an inefficiently high rate of 66 percent for men and 63 percent for women.

See also, Kim Priestap, "Ezekiel Emanuel: Deny Coverage to Elderly and Disabled for the Greater Good."

Angry Constituents Hammer Congressman Chris Murphy at Super Stop and Shop Town Hall!

Via Glenn Reynolds, from the Hartford Courant, "Protesters Confront U.S. Representative At Simsbury Supermarket Meeting":

Chanting "Dump Chris Dodd" and "No national health care," scores of angry constituents confronted U.S. Rep. Chris Murphy at a meet-and-greet outside the Super Stop & Shop Wednesday afternoon.

Murphy, a Democrat who represents the 5th District, routinely holds informal office hours at supermarkets and strip malls, but such gatherings are generally uneventful. This time, many of the 150 or so attendees were so boisterous that Stop & Shop management called the police to ask that the crowd be moved from the store's entrance.

The scene in Simsbury is being replayed throughout the nation this week as congressional Democrats convene town hall forums and other public get-togethers to win support for the Obama administration's plan to overhaul the health care system.

One conservative group critical of the plan has put out a call to members, encouraging them to attend these gatherings and voice their opposition to the member of Congress hosting the event. U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, a Democrat and a leading architect of the health care overhaul, has become a chief target.

Democrats pointed to the rowdy, sometimes vicious tone of some of the comments and said that the protests were part of a well-funded and organized effort to derail the health care plan. Wednesday's protest drew activists from the Tea Party movement and the so-called Dump Dodd campaign.

But many who attended were not affiliated with an established group. Maryann Culkin, a stay-at-home mother from Avon, said she represents no one but herself. She went to Stop & Shop simply because she wanted to have a word or two with her congressman.

"For the first time in my life, I'm embarrassed and scared of where my country is going," Culkin told Murphy. She is worried about how the government will pay for Obama's health care policies.

Murphy apparently wasn't too happy about the protest. Maybe he'll get the message and vote no on ObamaCare.

Carolyn Tackett: No Rioting at Tampa Town Hall; Priority Seating for SEIU Thugs!

Here's a report from Tampa, at Carol's Closet, "The Tampa Townhall WAS NOT Open To The Public - UPDATED":

From time to time people would come outside from the building carrying Obama signs and yell at the crowd. A woman wearing a Obama tee shirt came out and got in to the face of an elderly man standing near me. I've got to give him credit, he held his own even when she was literally nose to nose with him. A policeman worked his way over and told her to move on. At another point, a man came to the doorway who had his shirt all but ripped off and bleeding from scratches in his chest. People rushed forward to find out what happened and I ended up so pent in that I couldn't even raise my arms to get a picture. Despite how he looked, it didn't appear that he was badly hurt because he was smiling and laughing while talking to the police. He was only a few feet away from me but I couldn't hear anything he was saying. I have no idea which "side" attacked him ....

There were a couple of women who had signs that said, "please fix health care." Even when the crowd got loud, the women were treated with respect and everyone gave them room.

At one point someone in an Obama shirt opened the door that I was standing right in front of. Standing just inside was a union member that is affiliated with my employer. He saw me and took my picture. The man standing next to noticed and I explained the situation to him. Within moments I had several people ask me if I would be "okay" and I assured them that I would be. I was really touched that total strangers would show concern for me.

Carolyn adds this update, from Red State:

Early reports coming in from Florida indicate the hastily scheduled townhall with Kathy Castor ended badly, as predicted, because of SEIU thugs.

The event was conveniently held in a forum where only 250 people could fit. 1000 people showed up. SEIU members were given reserved seating that took up at least half of the 250 seats. As people came in who visibly oppose the Democrats healthcare plan, SEIU members barred access to the room.

Again, the people I saw were angry and loud but well behaved. It was awful to stand for so long in blistering heat and humidity only to fins out that the organizers had stacked the hall. There was shouting. People did let their feelings known but I want to emphasize that there was no riot.

My previous report, with video, is here.

Tampa ObamaCare Town Hall Protest: Reports of Violence

Democratic Representative Kathy Castor left early from a healthcare town hall today in Tampa Bay, Florida. The St. Petersburg Times has the report, "Protesters Drown Out Tampa Health Care Summit":

Bitter divisions over reforming America's health care system exploded Thursday night in Tampa amid cat calls, jeering and shoving at a town hall meeting.

"Tyranny! Tyranny! Tyranny!" dozens of people shouted as U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor struggled to talk about health insurance reforms under consideration in Washington, D.C.

"There is more consensus than there is disagreement when you get right down to it,'' Castor offered, immediately drowned out by groans and boos.

She pressed on, mostly unheard among the screams from the audience of more than 200.

"Tell the truth! Tell the truth!"

"Read the bill!"

"Forty-million illegals! Forty million illegals!"

The spectacle at the Children's Board in Ybor City sounded more like a wrestling cage match than a panel discussion on national policy, and it was just the latest example of a health care meeting disrupted by livid protesters. Similar scenes are likely to be repeated across the country as lawmakers head back to their home districts for the summer recess.

Thursday's forum/near riot was sponsored by state Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa, and the Service Employees International Union, who apparently had hoped to hold something of a pep rally for President Obama's health care reform proposal.

Instead, hundreds of vocal critics turned out, many of them saying they had been spurred on through the Tampa 912 activist group promoted by conservative radio and television personality Glenn Beck. Others had received e-mails from the Hillsborough Republican party that urged people to speak out against the plan and offered talking points to challenge supporters.

An overflow crowd of critics was left waiting outside the building – and in some cases pounding on the meeting room doors – while health care reform activists complained that Democrats and union members were guided into the room for prime seats.

This is a surprisingly balanced article. The piece indicates that the protests are "driving home" the "keen opposition to the health care plan."

Tampa's local Fox affiliate reports that over 1000 people turned out for the event. Allahpundit reports that at least one "fistfight" broke out and there were "some scuffles." Police made no arrests, but Allah points ou that this could be the left's "Kristallnacht."

Get Ready to See Nazi Town Hall Protesters With Swastikas

Well, now that Nancy Pelosi smeared town hall protesters as Nazis carrying swastikas, we can expect to see a bunch of leftists infiltrate rallies with ... wait for it ... Nazi paraphernalia and swastikas. I guess it's happening already, according to Sam Stein, "Anti-Obama Protester Compares President To Nazi In Swastika Sign." (Via Memeorandum.) Stein notes that the "image was provided to the Huffington Post by a reader who is a Democrat." Whoa! I'm shocked. The protest was held last week, so who can say if that's the reader's friend posing for the photo?

Either way, we'll be seeing a few more of these images in no time.

Meanwhile, check out Michelle Malkin's post, "How to Dress Like an 'Authentic' Grass-Roots Activist."

Michelle links to Zombie's "Hall of Shame." Here's a few samples, all from San Francisco, California:

"Woman fully exercising her freedom of speech at the anti-war rally on September 24, 2005":

"Rioters burning Bush in effigy and the American flag following the post-election rally on November 3, 2004":

"A prediction of what the future holds, at the post-election rally on November 3, 2004":

The activist base of today's Democratic Party (scroll down that link ... "Bush-Hitler Comparison Endorsed By Minnesota Democrats").

And these folks have the nerve to call everyday town hall activists "Nazis" and "tea-bagging racist thugs."

Sonia Sotomayor Confirmed for Supreme Court

Kind of anticlimactic, but Judge Sotomayor's been confirmed. From the Los Angeles Times, "Senate Confirms Sonia Sotomayor for Supreme Court":

Sonia Sotomayor completed an unlikely and historic journey today, one that began with her birth in a Bronx, New York, housing project 55 years ago and culminated in her confirmation as the Supreme Court's 111th justice.

When she is sworn into office, Sotomayor will take her place as the high court's first Latino and just its third woman. She was approved by a 68-31 Senate vote after three days of debate. Nine Republicans crossed party lines to support her.

Sotomayor was nominated in May by President Obama to replace retiring Justice David H. Souter. A judge on the U.S. 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals for the last 11 years, Sotomayor worked her way through two Ivy League schools and was a Manhattan prosecutor and corporate lawyer before joining the federal bench.

But the pride felt by Latino groups over her historic nomination quickly gave way to a firestorm, as critics seized upon a speech Sotomayor gave to a group of students in 2001. Sotomayor suggested that her life experience as a Latina shaped her judging, and her remarks became known, almost notoriously, as the "wise Latina" speech.

Sotomayor's opponents charged that the speech and some of her decisions on the bench showed an inclination to use the law to favor disadvantaged minority groups. And they pointed to one case in particular -- in which Sotomayor's appellate court panel threw out a discrimination suit brought by white firefighters in New Haven, Conn. -- as evidence of their claim.

But the controversy never appeared to seriously threaten her nomination.

See also, The Hill, "Senate Confirms Sotomayor, First Hispanic Justice (via Memeorandum).