GOP strategy - disrupted Dem town hall meetings

[Bfgrn]

The problem with this last part is that it's very easy to come up with questions that don't have an easy answer or even no real answer at all. Seems to me these people aren't interested in debate or getting more info. They have their minds made up and they're looking to intimidate their Reps and publicly humiliate them.

Kinda like the "debating" tactics used by this piece of shit.

This is directly from the memo...

Use the Alinsky playbook of which the Left is so fond: freeze it, attack it, personalize it, and polarize it.

Well NOW it is the GOP playbook...

so, you admit it is DEMOCRAT STRATEGY
you just dont like it coming at your assholes

You're confused,as usual...the "Use the Alinsky playbook of which the left..." were NOT my words, they are the words of a fellow right wing pea brain...

 

[Oddball]

Obama leaves his meetings open.

Like hell.

 

[Oddball]

You're confused,as usual...the "Use the Alinsky playbook of which the left..." were NOT my words, they are the words of a fellow right wing pea brain...

Problem being that you're such a neutron brain that you can't recognize that it's the same playbook.

 

[DiveCon]

Keep in mind that "Town Hall Meetings" are supposed to be citizen's meetings not democrat citizen's meetings. If they are meant to be Democrat meetings they would be campaign events. We are not in the campaign season now, we are in a season of public input and debate for and about policies being proposed into bills to be voted on in both houses of congess. This is how representative democracy works.

Obama leaves his meetings open. Bush carefully screened his audiences, usually relying on military audiences.

BULLSHIT

 

[Bfgrn]

Obama leaves his meetings open.

Like hell.

You know DUDE, there are skeptics and then there are cynics... you are way beyond that...do you live in a hole or under a house? There is more than just BLACK...

 

[Oddball]

Obama leaves his meetings open.

Like hell.

You know DUDE, there are skeptics and then there are cynics... you are way beyond that...do you live in a hole or under a house? There is more than just BLACK...

Speaking of showing your true colors....

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Right wing UN-American activity...

"the days of civil town halls are now “over.”" Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the NRCC


Right-Wing Harassment Strategy Against Dems Detailed In Memo: ‘Yell,’ ‘Stand Up And Shout Out,’ ‘Rattle Him’

This morning, Politico reported that Democratic members of Congress are increasingly being harassed by “angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior” at local town halls. For example, in one incident, right-wing protesters surrounded Rep. Tim Bishop (D-NY) and forced police officers to have to escort him to his car for safety.

This growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity. Recently, right-wing demonstrators hung Rep. Frank Kratovil (D-MD) in effigy outside of his office. Missing from the reporting of these stories is the fact that much of these protests are coordinated by public relations firms and lobbyists who have a stake in opposing President Obama’s reforms.

The lobbyist-run groups Americans for Prosperity and FreedomWorks, which orchestrated the anti-Obama tea parties earlier this year, are now pursuing an aggressive strategy to create an image of mass public opposition to health care and clean energy reform. A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:

– Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”

– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”

– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”

The memo above also resembles the talking points being distributed by FreedomWorks for pushing an anti-health reform assault all summer. Patients United, a front group maintained by Americans for Prosperity, is currently busing people all over the country for more protests against Democratic members. Rep. Pete Sessions (R-TX), chairman of the NRCC, has endorsed the strategy, telling the Politico the days of civil town halls are now “over.”

Meanwhile, AHIP, the trade group and lobbying juggernaut representing the health insurance industry is sending staffers to monitor town halls and other right-wing front groups are stepping up their ad campaign to smear reform efforts. The strategy for defeating reform — recently outlined by an influential lobbyist to the Hill newspaper as “delay” then “kill” — is becoming apparent. By delaying a vote until after the August recess, lobbyists are now seizing upon recess town halls as opportunities to ambush lawmakers and fool them into believing there is wide opposition to reform.

Read more...

sounds like a familiar tactic

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-aAU76bqL4Y]YouTube - Code Pink removed from Petraeus hearing[/ame]

 

[Soaring]

Obama leaves his meetings open.

Like hell.

I agree....Obama's meetings are staged, and the ones who ask the questions are chosen beforehand. Every now and then he will allow a FOX reporter to ask a question, but after he got is ass burned last time with the question of "what took you so long?" I don't think he will do that anymore.

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

Obama leaves his meetings open.

Like hell.

I agree....Obama's meetings are staged, and the ones who ask the questions are chosen beforehand. Every now and then he will allow a FOX reporter to ask a question, but after he got is ass burned last time with the question of "what took you so long?" I don't think he will do that anymore.

we have actually seen a few proven instances of this.

Most recent was at the press meeting where a blogger was pulled from the crowd to ask the question, as obama put it, "we previously discussed"

 

[Oddball]

And I suppose Julio the ass spelunking tweaker was just another dipshit off the street, too.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1m_k2dCj0M]YouTube - Raw Video: Getting the Last Question[/ame]

 

[DiveCon]

And I suppose Julio the ass spelunking tweaker was just another dipshit off the street, too.

YouTube - Raw Video: Getting the Last Question

 

[PLYMCO_PILGRIM]

You just got to love it when a liberal makes a thread that is negative about people expressing themselves through the democratic process.

Suppose he hates all those protesters in Iran, or the G8 Summit protestors, or the cindy sheehan crowd....i bet you hate them too right?

Or are you a hypocrite?

 

[RadiomanATL]

So constituents are exercising their freedoms, and unsurprisingly Democrats have a problem with this.

Anything else?

No, it's oh so "constitutionally correct" to act like a bunch of raging bulls and banshees. These new and extremely arrogant "conservatives" are only proving that the total demise of America is just over the horizon. Intelligence, which comes from analysis of information, is sadly lacking when grown adults just make fools of themselves.

Maggie, you really need to read the actual memo before inserting your opinion:

From the memo:

Questions should be prepared. Most pols are pros at deflecting off-the-cuff
questions. The questions should contain facts and numbers (which are
embarrassing and damning to the Rep and his voting record).

You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation, Watch for an
opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early. If he blames
Bush for something or offers other excuses -- call him on it, yell back and have
someone else tallow-up with a shout-out. Don't carryon and make a scene - just
short intermittent shout outs.

When the formal Q&A session begins get all your hands up and keep them up ..
be persistent throughout the entire session. Keep body language neutral and look
positive to improve chances of being selected. When called on, ask a specific
prepared question that puts the onus on him to answer.

Doesn't sound like shrieking banshee's to me. Maybe your definition is different. Or you spouted off without researching. One or the other. I dunno.

 

[Xenophon]

Good, very good, the idiot GoP finally is learning to fight fire with fire.

BTW, 'lobbyists' didn't organize the teaparties as the dopey OP claims.

 

[RadiomanATL]

Yep...

A leaked memo from Bob MacGuffie, a volunteer with the FreedomWorks website Tea Party Patriots, details how members should be infiltrating town halls and harassing Democratic members of Congress:

FreedomWorks memo.pdf

So? This is how townhalls should work.

You want mindless drones nodding to everything the speaker says, go hire Karl Rove and his staged crap.

If the policy can't be defended by the speaker, then it's not a policy that's worth having.

Oh bullcrap. How old are you, twelve? I've been to every one of my town meetings prior to election day where the public can air their grievances and ask questions of the speakers, and they ALL were respectful even though often visibly angry. They didn't arrive en mass with hate signs and spittle dripping from their rabid mouths.

Maggie, there you go spouting off without researching again. The memo clearly states that the protest signs should not be brought into the townhall, and that the attendees need to be prepared and respectful.

Yer on the losing end of this one. Better read the actual memo Maggie before you look like more of a fool.

 

[PubliusInfinitum]

Yep, and next year, I intend to be one of those that are making this work. I will be moving into the only district represented by a Republican in Oregon. Gonna be fun.

ROFL... They're a Republican... IN OREGON. how much do ya feel they disagree with ya on DUMBASS?

Again kids... what thiscrank is demonstrating is the mindlessness of the Left. She's fixated on A POLITICAL PARTY! As if BEING a Republican means that they're an American; they live in OREGON... which is the heart of the Left-coast fruit-salad.

If Olivia Snow (R) Maine... moved to my district and ran for our seat, I would no more vote for her than I would Nancy Pelosi...

You truly are a DUMBASS!

 

[RadiomanATL]

are those the only two options? how about NOT the Karl-Rove-only-allow-the-people-who-agree-with-you-to-be-present...

and NOT a bunch of people told to go in and just yell so no one learns anything or gets to express a REAL opinion...

how 'bout people act civilly so maybe they find out what they DO agree on?

or is that too complex for the loons?

I enjoy spirited debate. I love the shouting that the British parliament does.

Plus, when you allow in the general public, you're going to get shouting. If they become too disruptive they can be escorted out. If you're a talented politician you can this to your advantage, like Obama did during the campaign (that was extremely swift thinking on his feet).

Like I said before, if you can't defend your position in a spirited debate, then it's not worth defending.

What is going on can hardly be described as "spirited debate" my friend... These are a bunch of revolutionary lunatics who hate Barack Obama, period, and are working behind the scenes to try to bring him down in whatever way they can. Did this kind of SHIT go on when Clinton took office and shocked the conservative world? No, because adults acted like adults even a decade ago.

What the fuck has happened to my country? This isn't a fucking videogame being played out, children. Grow up.

Maggie,

Read the memo.

Sincerely,
Those who did.

 

[DiveCon]

I enjoy spirited debate. I love the shouting that the British parliament does.

Plus, when you allow in the general public, you're going to get shouting. If they become too disruptive they can be escorted out. If you're a talented politician you can this to your advantage, like Obama did during the campaign (that was extremely swift thinking on his feet).

Like I said before, if you can't defend your position in a spirited debate, then it's not worth defending.

What is going on can hardly be described as "spirited debate" my friend... These are a bunch of revolutionary lunatics who hate Barack Obama, period, and are working behind the scenes to try to bring him down in whatever way they can. Did this kind of SHIT go on when Clinton took office and shocked the conservative world? No, because adults acted like adults even a decade ago.

What the fuck has happened to my country? This isn't a fucking videogame being played out, children. Grow up.

Maggie,

Read the memo.

Sincerely,
Those who did.

she'd rather just trust the thinkprogress version than actually read it for herself

 

[RadiomanATL]

Ok, let's rewind about, say, 6 years.


Would those cons on here who are applauding the efforts of Tea-Partiers be as supportive of people who were anti-war protestors if they were carrying on like this and a memo surfaced that showed that this deliberately disruptive behavior was being coordinated by different Liberal groups? There was plenty of shit going down back then, but I don't recall hearing of anything like this on their part.


When they have this as part of their guidelines....


– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”


....WTF is the point of even having a town hall meeting, then?

You are quoting the spin posted on a leftist website. Not the actual memo itself.

Just so ya know, it's bullshit. The memo clearly states that the opponents should come well prepared to ask pointed questions, with follow ups, and to not carry on and be disruptive.

Do the leftists on this board all jump on the rumor and spin bandwagon without actually reading the thing themselves? Seems to be.

 

[Bfgrn]

“If we’re able to stop Obama on this it will be his Waterloo. It will break him.” Senator Jim Demint


Here's today's GOP...their agenda; destroy the enemy...but, the enemy is our President who was elected BY the people...so Senator, what you're really saying; the REAL enemy is We the People...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHV4nDS501Y]YouTube - Sen. Jim DeMint calls defeating Obama like Waterloo[/ame]


Equality, rightly understood as our founding fathers understood it, leads to liberty and to the emancipation of creative differences; wrongly understood, as it has been so tragically in our time, it leads first to conformity and then to despotism.
Barry Goldwater (R) – Late Senator & Father of the Conservative movement