ACORN « Healthcare Horserace

Recess Rally Round-Up

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Let us kick off this tour of the recess rallies held ‘round the country this past Saturday with the hundreds of protestors who braved the unusually high California summer temperatures, which reportedly neared the century mark that day, in the town of Pleasanton and marched on the district office of Representative Jerry McNerney (D-11th Congressional District) to demand he hold a town hall meeting. Representative McNerney has staunched refused to meet with his constituents and when asked why he has hid away from the very people who got him into office, staff members refused to ask the question and demanded the camera, which was recording the event, be turned off.

Pipe Line News has full coverage of the turnout as well as video of the rally:

Rep. McNerney is certainly walking on thin ice. Sure, the district he represents does reside within the San Francisco area, an infamous hot bed of socialistic liberalism known throughout the country, but it also has a partisan voting index of R+1. It isn’t heavily Republican, admittedly, but neither is it a safe zone for him politically.

The Tennessee Tea Party organized rallies in front of the offices of Marsha Blackburn, representative for the 7^th Congressional District, in Franklin and Jim Cooper, representative for the 5^th Congressional District, in Nashville. It was in Nashville that the tea party protestors clashed, though not violently, with over a hundred pro-Obamacare drones.

In addition to these, there was also a rally held in Knoxville in front of the Federal building. Below is a video of the protest:

Slightly east, about one hundred and fifty people showed up in front of the office of Heath Shuler, representative for the 11^th Congressional District of North Carolina, to voice their opposition to Obama’s government-run health care proposal. The Asheville Tea Party group sponsored the rally. While the attendance does seem rather low compared to others, Rep. Shuler has already stated that he will oppose the president’s health care bill.

Jim and Rachel Pereira have photos – though, sadly, no video – of the thousands who showed up to the rally held in Orlando, Florida. Among the attendees were Hulk Hogan and his daughter. Mr. Hogan was also promoting his new website, Guaranteed Lower Property Tax.

Continuing across the state of Florida, about two-dozen protestors showed up in front of the district office for Representative Kathy Castor (D-West Tampa). Rep. Castor is now infamous for the town hall event held in early August, which she attended at the last minute and where SEIU hit men roughed up a business owner named Randy Arthur. Among those in attendance were members of the newly formed Citizens Protecting the Republic from nearby Pasco County. The Tampa Tribune reported that only one counter protestor showed up. Carol’s Closet has a full report on the Tampa Recess Rally.

Moving up north to Birmingham, Michigan, it is reported that somewhere between seven hundred and fifty to over a thousand protestors showed up in opposition to the president’s proposed federal takeover of the health care industry. The Blog Prof, who was in attendance at the event, correctly points out how nearly every sign was hand-made, not professionally manufactured like the ones held up by the drones of ACORN, SEIU, and Organizing for America, and that majority of those who showed up were seniors. Also in attendance at the rally were conservative Michigan politicians including Oakland County Executive L. Brooks Patterson, Oakland County Commissioner David W. Potts, and Oakland County Sheriff and Michigan gubernatorial candidate Michael Bouchard.

Here’s a quick video overview of the crowd:

The Blog Prof, Conservative Teacher, and the Detroit News have additional coverage of the rally.

Heading out west, there were a number of rallies held in opposition to Obamacare in the state of Missouri, two of which were quite notable. The first was held in front of the office of Senator Claire McCaskill in St. Louis. It was closed that day, so unlike before, Gateway Pundit noted, there was no one to lock constituents out and call the police. Hundreds showed up, some even decked out with fife and drums. Among those in attendance was Kenneth Gladney who was brutally attacked by a SEIU thug in the parking lot following a town hall event in St. Louis earlier this summer. The local ACORN organization must have been falling down on the job considering there were only fifteen pro-Obamacare counter protestors that showed up across the street. Gateway Pundit notes that while there were no altercations with the police, there were some who became uncomfortable with a police officer who walked up and down the sidewalk across the street swinging his club around.

Gateway Pundit, 24^th State, Josh Schroeder, and American Power have tons of photos as well as additional information regarding this rally.

The other was held in front of the Brentwood office of Representative for the 3rd Congressional District of Missouri Russ Carnahan where the St. Louis Tea Party Coalition rallied one thousand one hundred protestors.

Below is video of the event:

About three hundred protestors showed up at Representative Carnahan’s Crystal City office. Although Mr. Carnahan did not have the gall to meet his constituents himself, a registered Democrat was kind enough to leave a note taped to his office door telling what he missed … in addition to the notice that he was not voting for him in the upcoming election. Sharp Elbows has further coverage of the protest, including more videos like the one below.

The St. Louis Tea Party Coalition has estimated that over two thousand protestors were in attendance in all five rallies held throughout the greater St. Louis area on Saturday, August 22^nd.

Even further west, the Tucson Tea Party estimates as many as a thousand protestors showed up at one point or another during the course of the recess rally held in front of office of Representative for the 8^th Congressional District of Arizona Gabrielle Giffords.

All-in-all, early estimates suggest that as many fifteen thousands individuals attended the recess rallies held across the country on Saturday!

Tags: ACORN, Arizona, California, David W. Potts, Flordia, Hulk Hogan, Jerry McNerney, Kenneth Gladney, L. Brooks Patterson, Michael Bouchard, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Oakland County, Obamacare, Organizing for America, Randy Arthur, Recess Rally, Representative Gabrielle Giffords, Representative Heath Shuler, Representative Jerry McNerney, Representative Jim Cooper, Representative Kathy Castor, Representative Marsha Blackburn, Representative Russ Carnahan, SEIU, Senator Claire McCaskill, St. Louis, St. Louis Tea Party Coalition, Tennessee, Tennessee Tea Party, Tucson Tea Party
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Socialist Rep. Waters Calls Opposition Senators ‘Neanderthals’

Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

Self-proclaimed Congressional Socialist Maxine Waters, Representative for the 35^th Congressional District of California, held a heavily pro-Obamacare rally … umm, ‘town hall’ meeting on Saturday, August 22^nd, at Los Angeles Southwest College. Roughly four hundred individuals, many of whom had Obama bumper stickers on their cars, attended the two-hour plus raucous-free event.

Representative Waters is the quintessential example of the Chicago-style thug politics that has overtaken Capitol Hill since Barack Obama became president of the United States. Her comment, in referencing the notable absence of vocal oppositional opinions, “I sent them a message … don’t try that with Maxine Waters,” proves that point.

Ms. Waters took time during the event to bash former-Alaska governor and former-vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, the only time the California Congresswoman was met with loud boos from the audience, for her popularization of the ‘death panels’ myth, saying, “Why would any member of Congress, especially those of us who are grandmothers, want to pull the plug on Grandma?” In response then, here is a question for Rep. Waters: if the ‘death panels’ Ms. Palin advocated against were simply a myth as you have claimed, how is that the Senate Finance Committee removed the provision from the president’s health care reform bill? How can one remove something that didn’t exist in the first place? But maybe she’s right. Obama isn’t going to pull the plug on grandma if she needs a pacemaker at 100 years of age; he’s just going to give her two painkillers, expecting her not to call him in the morning. That’s all!

If the president’s health care reform bill, as it stands now, were to come up for a vote when Congress reconvened after Labor Day, Ms. Waters said she would vote against it. Rep. Waters stated, bottom-line, that “she would refuse to vote for a healthcare reform package” unless it expressly included “a provision for creating a government-run medical insurance plan that would compete with private insurers.” One hopes, if this does happen, that it doesn’t turn out to be like the post office, as the president seemed to suggest at his own ‘town hall’ event in Colorado. “The healthcare system is broken,” she said to a cheering crowd, “and it’s got to be fixed.” Rep. Waters continued to spread the ’47 million uninsured’ myth that has continuously been perpetuated by filmmaker Michael Moore and the other far-left fear mongers who want to shove socialized medicine down the throats of Americans.

Rep. Waters, in spite of the serious nature of the health care debate in this country, kept things lively during her event, joking that President Barack Obama “has been trying to reach across the aisle.” Oh, wait … she was serious? As has been stated on this site before, so far in the health care debate this summer we have seen the White House tell supporters of the president’s health care proposal – in particular ACORN and SEIU – to ‘punch back twice as hard’ against tea party protestors, progressive Democrats threaten a leading moderate Democrat in the health care reform fight with losing his chairmanship if he didn’t stop talking to Congressional Republicans, and the Democratic leadership forcing moderate ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats to submit to their rule. Again, where’s the compromising and reaching across the aisle?

Ms. Waters then made an appeal to the president’s sense of vanity, saying, “The people of this country elected you and gave you a Democratic majority in the House and the Senate.” “Yes, we know that you are a nice man, that you want to work with the opposite side of the aisle. But there comes a time when you need to drop that and move forward,” Waters said. “We’re saying to you, Mr. President, ‘Be tough. Use everything that you’ve got. Do what you have to do. And we have your back…’ ” So much for the president’s campaign promise of bi-partisan congressional cooperation. But, then again, this really isn’t surprising considering all the other campaign promises he’s broken. Heck, even the far-left Air America Media has begun to make note of that fact.

“Not only are we going to do everything we can to organize and put pressure on the senators — some of whom are Neanderthals – we’re going to say to the president, ‘We want you to use every weapon in your basket in order to get those senators to do what they should be doing,’ “ Waters said. Wow, name-calling. Real mature, Rep. Waters. Echoing a statement made by RNC Chairman Michael Steele, if you’ve had the votes, why then haven’t you passed it already? What is holding you back?

Tags: ACORN, Air America Media, Blue Dog Democrats, California, death panels, LASC, Los Angeles Southwest College, Maxine Waters, Michael Moore, Michael Steele, Obamacare, post office, public-option, Representative Maxine Waters, RNC, Sarah Palin, SEIU, Senate Finance Committee, Town hall, uninsured
Posted in The Players | Start the Discussion

Leaked Memo Suggests Widespread Democratic Astroturfing in Washington

Monday, August 24th, 2009

Northwest Digest has brought to light a memo, leaked to them by a high-ranking member of the Washington State Democratic Central Committee and authenticated by several sources, which seems to suggest a widespread effort is in the works on behalf of the Washington State Democratic leadership and fellow liberal drone groups – ACORN, Organizing for America, SEIU, etc. – to pack town hall meetings with Obamacare supporters.

The memo, which originated from the office of Representative for the 1^st Congressional District of Washington Jay Inslee, was first delivered to Dwight Pelz, Washington State Democratic Chairman, then forwarded onto labor union hit-men and upper level state Democrats including FUSE Executive Director Aaron Ostrom, State Director for Organizing for America (Obama’s personal civilian army) Dustin Lambro, and Washington State Labor Council Political Director Benjamin Lawver with a note instructing recipients to “keep turning people out for these!”

It is not at all revealing, let alone unexpected at this point in the health care debate, to see Democratic leadership in various states such as Washington now organizing their followers in a seemingly futile effort to mount a last-minute counter offensive against grassroots town hall protestors across the country. It does bare noting, however, simply for the fact that at the same time the White House and the higher Escalon of the Congressional Democratic leadership continue to paint tea party protestors as violent drones acting on the whim of the RNC and the insurance/pharmaceutical industries liberal interest groups are coordinating with the DNC and dressing-up Obamacare astroturfers as members of a true grassroots revolution, which it isn’t.

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Dwight Pelz
Date: Fri, Aug 14, 2009 at 12:54 PM
Subject: Inslee Town Halls
To: Misty Shock, Aaron Ostrom, Dustin Lambro, Benjamin Lawver, Susan Sheary, Carl Olson

Let’s keep turning people out for these!

From: Hutchins, Kiersten
Sent: Friday, August 14, 2009 12:44 PM
To: Dwight Pelz
Subject: Town Halls

Inslee health care town hall meetings

POULSBO, Wash. – U.S. Rep. Jay Inslee will hold two town-hall meetings in Washington’s 1^stCongressional District this August. He plans to host the hour and a half long public events to hear the views of his constituents and provide an update on the congressional response to the health care debate.

Inslee’s first public forum will take place in Poulsbo on Saturday, August 29, during the August district work period. His other town hall will be held on Sunday, August 30 in Edmonds. Attendees are asked to RSVP via email to inslee.rsvp@mail.house.gov or by phone at 206-361-0233.

Poulsbo town-hall meeting

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 29, 2009

North Kitsap High School

The Gymnasium

1780 NE Hostmark St
Poulsbo

Directions from Silverdale:

Take SR 305 in the direction of Poulsbo/Bainbridge Island

Turn LEFT (East) onto NE Hostmark St

North Kitsap High School will be on your left about a half mile up Hostmark

Directions from Bainbridge:

Take SR 305 in the direction of Poulsbo/SR-3

Turn RIGHT (East) onto NE Hostmark St

North Kitsap High School will be on your left about a half mile up Hostmark

Edmonds town-hall meeting

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 30, 2009

Edmonds-Woodway High School

The Gymnasium

7600 212^th St SW

Edmonds

Directions from I-5N and I-5S:

Take Exit #179 220th Street SW

Head west (away from I-5) onto 220th Street SW

Continue west on 220th Street and cross Highway 99

Turn RIGHT onto 76th Avenue West

Continue north on 76th

School will be on the left

Kiersten Hutchins
District Scheduler
U.S. Representative Jay Inslee (WA-01)
18560 1st Ave NE, Suite E-800
Shoreline, WA 98155
PH: (206)-361-0233
FAX: (206)-361-3959
TOLL FREE: 800-226-7144

Tags: Aaron Ostrom, ACORN, AFL CIO, Benjamin Lawver, Democratic Central Committee, DNC, Dustin Lambro, Dwight Pelz, FUSE, Jay Inslee, Obamacare, Organizing for America, Representative Jay Inslee, RNC, SEIU, Town hall, Washington, Washington State Labor Council, white house, WSLC
Posted in The Players | Start the Discussion

‘Dropping’ of Public-Option Draws Ire of Far-Left Blogosphere

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009

All of Sunday, the political blogosphere was alight with activity stemming from the titillating rumor circulating around the Washington Beltway that the White House was willing to drop public-option from President Obama’s health care reform proposal. The Drudge Report accompanied the headline with an image of a white flag. Politico led off with the caption, “White House has backedway.” Others, particularly those on the right, aren’t so convinced. Conservative bloggers like Michelle Malkin are skeptical, believing this not to be a retreat by the Obama administration, but rather a “trial balloon [in which] to measure the potential nutroots backlash versus the potential Senate pick-ups.”

In terms of a ‘potential nutroots backlash’ from the far-left side of the political blogosphere, the results so far have to be less then encouraging for the White House. Doug Ross @ Journal examined one blog in particular, America Blog, which seemed to suggest the fight over health care reform was either public-option or bust.

Contributor Joe Sudbay had these words to say:

“I don’t understand why Democrats are always so willing and desperate to compromise with themselves. The GOPers don’t want any reform bill. Their base, comprised of the teabaggers, birthers and deathers, won’t let them negotiate. So, Democrats compromise with themselves, again — and sell out their principles, again. Just like they did on the stimulus package - they gave the GOP nearly 40% of the package in tax cuts, and how many votes did it get them in the entire Congress? Three”

Ahem, excuse me? The ‘Democrats’ are the ones who are “always so willing and desperate to compromise with themselves?” Surely he must be joking. No, he isn’t … but you can still call him Shirley if you like. But in all seriousness how could Joe Sudbay have written this statement with a straight face? So far in the health care debate this summer we have seen the White House tell supporters of the president’s health care proposal – in particular ACORN and SEIU – to ‘punch back twice as hard’ against tea party protestors, progressive Democrats threaten a leading moderate Democrat in the health care reform fight with losing his chairmanship if he didn’t stop talking to Congressional Republicans, and the Democratic leadership forcing moderate ‘Blue Dog’ Democrats to submit to their rule. That’s always compromising?

But wait, the comment section for the article is even better. Jimfromthefoothills writes, “Remember, we are going to rebuild every school, bridge and road in the country. We will fix healthcare. We will restore the constitution, end illegal wars [and] reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses.” … and then we shall rule the world! Umm, if people like Joe Sudbay say that we shouldn’t listen to uneducated conservative Southern bumpkins then why should we listen to the same kind only on the left? Jim returns later in the comment section to insult Obama, referring to him as ‘Choco-Bush.’ And to think some people believed racism existed only on the right side of the political spectrum.

Jersey asks, “Can we convince Howard Dean to run against Obama in 2012?” Jim returns yet again to add, “Dean\Krugman, Reich\Waters, ANYBODY BUT OBAMA.”

Chairman of the progressive Democracy for America, Jim Dean, chimed in with an e-mail sent to supporters on Monday, August 17^th,which told them to “fight any effort to remove a government-run health insurance plan in place of non-profit ‘cooperatives’.” He goes on to suggest that “insider Democrats and the insurance industry are behind the effort to kill a government-run plan.” You mean the same “private insurers and the for-profit health care industry” that donated more to the president and his party “than even Republicans, with the president taking $19 million in the 2008 election cycle alone, more than all his Repubican, Democratic and independent rivals combined?” That same industry?

Tags: ACORN, America Blog, birther, Blue Dog, Blue Dog Democrats, Congress, Congressional Republicans, Democracy for America, Drudge Report, GOP, headline, Howard Dean, Jim Dean, Michelle Malkin, Politico, private insurance, public-option, SEIU, white house
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Town Hall Diaries Part 7: The Obama Plants Need Watering

Saturday, August 15th, 2009

Political opportunist Senator Arlen Specter held a town hall event in the rural western Pennsylvania town of Kittanning on Thursday, August 13th. This was the now-Democratic senator’s fourth town hall meeting in three days.

Griff Jenkins, a FOX News correspondent who was covering the health care forum for On the Record with Greta Van Susteren, said that about a thousand people filled the parking lot where the event was being held, but only two hundred were actually able to make it inside.

Still, passions on both sides of the debate clashed – not violently, but quite loudly – out in the parking lot before the meeting began. Flopping Aces pointed out a woman who was in favor of the president’s public-option health care proposal holding a sign that said, “Yelling is Counter Productive!” And yet, if you watch the video below, you will notice the woman shouting several times, including chants of “Health care now!” Hmm, hypocrites? Nah!

That woman was just one individual out of three busloads of ACORN/Union drones brought in from the inner city to intimidate local residents and create the faux appearance of support for President Obama’s health care legislation in rural America. Healthcare for America Now, a front organization for rich liberal like George Soros, organized and paid for the thugs to be bused in.

Thankfully, very few of them, if any at all, were able to actually make it into the location of the town hall meeting. A commenter named Judy over at Greta Wire had this to say:

“Acorn supplied 2 bus full of protestors but they arrived too late to be admitted into the meeting. Many of us here in Western PA were privy to the automated calls and emails telling supporters to arrive at 1pm (for a 3pm town hall!!) We all showed up at 11-noon and beat them to the punch. BTW the acorn buses pulled into the lot precisely at 1pm.”

And here is a video of the crowd in the parking lot shouting “Don’t Come Back!” as the buses full of the ACORN drones leave:

In St. Louis, the local Missouri ACORN organization held a ‘massive’ rally on Friday, August 14th, in the University City Loop, which is conveniently located near both Senator Claire McCaskill’s office and the St. Louis HQ for SEIU. But, despite the proximity to both Democratic-based locations, the turnout was (to say the least) underwhelming. Sharp Elbows StL has provided the video clip below as well as bit more extensive coverage of the event on their website.

President Obama’s own personal civilian army – volunteers for Organizing for America – were outside a town hall event in Ohio for Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown. An interviewer asked these volunteers, mainly college students or recent graduates, direct questions about the president’s public option health care proposal. Their responses are vastly disappointing in that it demonstrates how little these paid volunteers (there’s an oxymoron if you ever heard one) know about the legislation they are advocating for.

Tags: ACORN, Arlen Specter, Fox News, George Soros, Greta Van Susteren, HCAN, Healthcare for America Now, Missouri, Ohio, On the Record, Organizing for America, Pennsylvania, SEIU, Senator Arlen Specter, Senator Claire McCaskill, Senator Sherrod Brown, St. Louis, Town hall
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

FreedomWorks “Apologizes” to Liberals for Resistance, Receives Hate Calls from Left

Wednesday, August 12th, 2009

In a statement issued yesterday by the pro-free market group FreedomWorks, the organization offered an “abject apology” to the Left, including moveon.org, the Democratic National Committee (DNC), ACORN and the AFL-CIO, for their “apparent ignorance of the fine art of political discourse.”

FreedomWorks’ August Recess Call to Action encouraged grassroots citizens to attend Congressional town hall meetings and listening sessions. We asked everyone to voice their opinions and communicate their opposition to the President’s proposed hostile takeover of the American health care system. Apparently, the very act of showing up and having an opinion is, in effect, to act like a “thug.” Opposing President Obama’s policy agenda on health care is, in and of itself, unacceptable, and has no place in our democracy. Bottom line: it’s “disgusting,” according to our friends on the left.

We didn’t know this. Evidently, we also didn’t know best practices in a respectful, dignified policy debate, but our leftist friends were kind enough to “take FreedomWorks to school”, so to speak.

Specifically, “school” included phone call blitzes from MoveOn.org and the AFL-CIO that jammed FreedomWorks phone lines and filled up staff voice mail boxes. Callers’ consistently used profanity, vulgarity, ever-popular references to “Nazis” and “brown-shirters,” racial slurs targeting an African-American staffer, and even veiled threats of violence and bodily harm.

Now we know how an intelligent political debate unfolds. Thank You!

The release also included a small sampling of some of the hateful, often vulgar, phone calls that FreedomWorks has received from folks in favor of Obamacare. Note: some examples contain strong language that readers might find offensive. Here are a few, including links, submitted by FreedomWorks:

Please click on the links below (WARNING: If you, like the uninformed members of FreedomWorks, do not have an appropriately sophisticated and “progressive” view of political discourse, you may find the content of these recordings extremely offensive. They use profanity, crude sexual innuendo, racist remarks, and very, very bad English):

Call 1 <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20D.WAV> : “You’re a total d**khead. Bye-bye, you little a**hole.”

Call 2: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20L.WAV> “You all suffer from the same f**king problem: you didn’t get laid enough when you were younger because you’re 5’ 3”. … Girls never paid any attention to you… You’re a little f**king dweeb who f**king didn’t get any p**** his whole f**king life… You’re a little f**king piece of shit and I would f**king step on your fu**king head quicker than you could shake a stick out, if I had the chance… You’re the f**king minority.”

Call 3: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20B.wav> We are using tactics like Hitler to disrupt democracy. “If I have to pick up a weapon…then I will.”

Call 4: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20M.WAV> Heavy breather.

Call 5: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20C.wav> “F**king buddies’ wives…”

Call 6: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20K.WAV> Very creepy: “Stop disrupting my democracy with Nazi, Brownshirt tactics…you immoral bast****.”

Call 7: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20G.WAV> Threat to respond violently to town hall attendees. “I hope this backfires on that piece of s*** Dick Armey.”

Call 8: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20A.wav> “I hope you have a hard time sleeping at night.”

Call 9: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20H.WAV> “You are almost as bad as the communists… You’re from out of the country, obviously.”

Call 10: <http://www.freedomworks.org/files/Call%20F.wav> “Your Brownshirt tactics are unacceptable, un-American.”

Obviously, the Left has mastered the art of civil discourse regarding public policy in America. Unfortunately for FreedomWorks, their voicemail gets to record them practicing it.

Tags: ACORN, AFL CIO, Barack Obama, Democratic National Committee, DNC, Ellen Carmichael, Freedomworks, health care reform, healthcare reform, MoveOn.org, Obamacare, President Obama, public-option, Town hall
Posted in The Players | Start the Discussion

Desperate Democratic Senator in Maryland: Still Trying to get His Party to His Rally

Monday, August 10th, 2009

Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD) is holding a rally in Maryland, and the greatest fear? There will be more Tea Party Patriots there trying to make a point then his own Democrats. As last ditch efforts, e-mail blasts have been sent through. ACORN and SEIU are sponsoring this rally tonight, August 10, 2009. Desperation to get people out in Maryland, a blue state, in support of Obamacare is a sure sign that things are going down hill for the bill. Violence breaking out all over the nation from Louisville to Florida, also tells us that things are not looking good. Desperation is getting heavy in the air. Below is a copy of the Original Emails from the orginial one to the email blasts.

—– Original Message —–
From: Penny McCrimmon
To: Penny McCrimmon
Sent: Friday, August 07, 2009 9:56 AM
Subject: FW: More Info: Senator Cardin’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting- Tea Baggers

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR RESPONSE!!!!!!!!!!!! I knew I could count on my fabulous Obama volunteers. Here is the information you requested. Also, from the most influential Political Club in the State, the Central Baltimore County Democratic Club (CBCDC), they’ve stepped up to the challenge and are sponsoring a pre-meeting rally.

A Republican Friend (who says the Republicans just don’t get it) told me that the few Republican Legislators that we have in the State are sponsoring the “Tea-Baggers” by paying for their transportation to this event. I’m resending my initial email. Click the link below to RSVP to Senator Cardin’s Office. They need to know how many will attend. Also, first come, first seated.

Senator Benjamin Cardin’s Town Hall Meeting on Health Care
Monday, August 10, 2009, 7 pm
Harold Kaplan Concert Hall
Cross Campus and Osler Drives
Towson, MD

The Central Baltimore County Democratic Club will hold a pre meeting Rally at 5:30 pm
Harold Kaplan Concert Hall
Co-sponsors are the following Unions: SEIU, AFL-CIO, MSTA, UFCW. Progressive Maryland and ACORN are also sponsors.

Penny McCrimmon

————–

From: Penny McCrimmon?Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 12:16 PM?To: Penny McCrimmon ?Subject: FW: Senator Cardin’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting- Tea Baggers

We need to get the Obama volunteers to attend Senator Cardin’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting. If you’ve been watching the news, you’re aware that the “Tea Baggers” have been sabotaging Democratic Congressional Town Hall Meetings on President Obama’s Health Care reform meetings. We need to be a visible presence at this event to support the President’s agenda in the same manner that we worked to get him elected. All of the necessary contact info is provided herein.

Penny McCrimmon

From: Ward?Sent: Thursday, August 06, 2009 10:27 AM?To: Penny McCrimmon?Subject: Fwd: Health Care Town Hall Meeting with U S Senator Ben Cardin

I would not miss this! How about you? The YD’s might want to be there too??Ward
??—–Original Message—–?From: Kim Tucker, AFL-CIO?To: Kim Tucker, AFL-CIO?Sent: Wed, Aug 5, 2009 2:53 pm?Subject: Health Care Town Hall Meeting with U S Senator Ben Cardin

Below is the information for Sen. Ben Cardin’s Town Hall Meeting on Health Care,
this Monday, August 10th in Towson.

Sen. Cardin’s office has been notified that the “teabaggers” and “birthers” will
be holding a rally outside the concert hall at 5:30 PM. They will then file
into the Town Hall Meeting.

They have asked us to send people that support health care reform to counter the
ones who will try to disrupt the meeting. Please let your staff, members,
friends, family all know and encourage them to attend. They can RSVP to:

RSVP - sean_mckew@cardin.senate.gov

Thank you!

Denise

Denise Riley
Political Director
Maryland State and District of Columbia AFL-CIO

________________________________________

From: Jerome_Stephens@cardin.senate.gov
To: Denise Riley
Date: Tue, 4 Aug 2009 12:30:48 -0400
Subject: Health Care Town Hall Meeting with U S Senator Ben Cardin

Please share with your network

As Congress considers health care reform, Senator Cardin has been traveling
around the state speaking to Marylanders about the legislation. In August, he
will hold town hall meetings in Towson. If you plan to attend, please RSVP.
Space is limited at the venue. In accordance with fire regulations, when the
venue is full, there will be no standing room available.

Monday, August 10th - 7 p.m.
Towson University Center for the Arts
Harold J. Kaplan Concert Hall
Corner of Cross Campus and Osler Drives
Towson, MD 21204

Parking is available across the street from the Center for the Arts
on Auburn Drive off Osler Drive on Lot 13.

RSVP - sean_mckew@cardin.senate.gov

Rev. Jerome Stephens
Statewide Field Representative
U.S. Senator Ben Cardin
http://cardin.senate.gov

=0
D

Message Sent By:
Kim Tucker, Administrative Assistant
Maryland State & D.C. AFL-CIO
opeiu2,aflcio

Tags: ACORN, Ben Cardin, Maryland, Obamacare, SEIU, Tea Party Patriots
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Breaking News: SEIU, Rep. Castor Call Last Minute Town Hall, Protestors Clash

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

Hundreds of agitated Floridian citizens opposed to President Obama’s plan to have the federal government take over the health care industry in the United States clashed with SEIU and ACORN drones at a town hall event announced at the last minute by Florida State Representative Betty Reed and Representative for the 11^th Congressional District of Florida Kathy Castor; both of them Democrats.

Doors to the event, held at the Children’s Board of Hillsbourough County in downtown Tampa, opened a little before 6pm Eastern Standard Time. Frank’s Posterous, which was live-blogging the town hall meeting, posted at 5:55pm EST that the “first three rows of seating ALREADY filled with pro-government Healthcare pro-Obama supporters. Also, signs posted in support of Govt Healthcare. Chant of ‘Not Fair’ fill the lobby. Lots of anger.”

This of course contradicts the accusations of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the rest of the Democratic leadership in Washington that those opposed to the president’s legislation are the one ‘astro-turfing’ the tea party protests at these town hall meetings. Hello, Pot, I’d like you to meet Kettle!

If knowing that pro-Obamacare drones were given front-row seats in advance of the hundreds of people who actually stood in line for the event was enough to convince you this whole meeting was sham, Frank’s Posterous blogged at 6:05pm, “The attendees see that the ‘Program’ for the meeting is clearly labeled as sponsored by SEIU.” To view the leaflet handed out to promote the event, click the image in the upper left hand corner of this article.

As for the actual meeting itself, Frank Derfler, who also operates Frank’s Posterous, had this to say on 10 Connects.com, a website for a Tampa Bay News station:

“The bottom line is that Rep Castor did NOT want to have an interaction with the community.. I was there inside the room.. I listened… IF she had started with some reason and logic, she would have had respectful silence. But, she was there to deliver the administration’s talking points so people from row 4 on back.. (the 1st 3 rows being loaded with union members and supporters) almost immediately tuned her out and began to protest the poor weak message she carried. If you want respect, you need to earn respect. People wanted to be heard, not receive a “talking points” lecture”

Representative Castor apparently left the meeting without ever taking a single question from the crowd. So much for promoting open dialogue!

Be sure to check out the video below that was taken in the parking lot at the location for the event. It stars the ever so courteous SEIU thugs telling opponents to Obama’s health care proposal that they “can’t even read” – because they are backwoods Southern hicks.

Tags: ACORN, Betty Reed, Florida, Frank Derfler, Harry Reid, headline, health care, healthcare, Obamacare, Representative Kathy Castor, SEIU, Tampa Bay, Town hall
Posted in Horserace | 1 Comment »

AFL-CIO NOW Labels American Liberty Alliance, Freedomworks ‘Extremists’

Wednesday, August 5th, 2009

Mike Hall and the rest of the AFL-CIO NOW blog staff have fallen right in line – as have other far-left internet ‘news’ sites like Daily Kos, Think Progress, and the America Blog have done – with the latest marching orders sent down from on high at the White House to report any ‘disinformation’ being spread by libertarian/Republican ‘extremists’ – Freedomworks, American Liberty Alliance, and Right Principles – in regards to the president’s health care reform legislation.

Hall’s August 4^th article blasting conservative non-profit organizations such as the ALA and Freedomworks bares little resemblance to the truth of actual events. The author can’t even start his article off on the right foot. In his opening paragraph, he trots out the tired ol’ liberal cliché “Bush was selected, not elected,” comparing the ‘mob tactics’ of the anti-health care reform activists to what went on in Florida in 2000.

“Mob rule tactics stopped the Florida vote count during the contested 2000 presidential elections, ultimately turning the presidency over to George W. Bush—a strategy now emulated by the anti-health care reform lobby”

Umm … no, Michael, that would have been the Supreme Court of the United States. Without getting into too much detail (Larry Schweikart’s 48 Liberal Lies About American History covers the issue very nicely) and thus diverting attention away from the matter at hand, the SCOTUS decided in a 7-2 decision that ‘selective recounting’ – the precise manner in which Al Gore and the Florida Supreme Court wanted the votes recounted in the heavily Democratic counties of Palm Beach, Miami-Dade, Broward, and Volusia – was unconstitutional. This in turn allowed Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris to certify Bush as the winner of the state of Florida and thus the victor of the 2000 presidential election.

It seems as though Hall and the Daily Kos, in referring to tea party protestors as ‘extremists’ and ‘crazies’, have chosen to take the same route Rep. Lloyd Doggett did a few days ago, resorting to childish name calling and playing the victim-card rather than engage in intellectual and constructive political dialogue.

Hall claims that the grassroots organization,Right Principles, is ‘anti-government’ and yet if he actually took the time to visit the website and read the organization’s core beliefs (located right on the main home page) then he would know that the accusation is categorically false. The second …

“We believe to the fullest extent possible that governmental power should be devolved to the state and local level and that a free society prospers from and depends on the unbridled self-initiative of its people.”

… and the tenth …

“We seek the election of candidates for state and federal office who best reflect these stated core values. We believe that the fight for freedom and liberty is advanced by exposing ineffective or corrupt politicians and leading the charge to remove them from office through the electoral process.”

… of these beliefs make it distinctly clear the organization believes in a form of republican-style government. Just because they believe most of the power should be invested in the state and local governmental agencies rather the centralized federal bureaucracy does not make them ‘anti-government’.

The writer then asserts that these ‘coalition of ‘extremist’ groups’ have a written game plan - of course, he’d be hammering them for being a disorganized rabble if they didn’t - and that the operators of Right Principles have indoctrinated their followers in how to take over a town hall meeting …

“Be disruptive early and often. You need to rock the boat early in the rep’s presentation. Watch for an opportunity to yell out. The goal is to rattle him…stand up and shout out. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions”

And yet Hall fails to cite a specific source in order to back up this assertion. All he does is simply state in his article that the organizers of the grassroots group, Right Principles, is behind this statement. In quotes, no less. But with no citation pointing to an exact article or document making this declaration and nothing on their website related to this subject, it can just as easily be assumed that Hall is making this up.

Hall then posts a comment by Joe Sudbay of the America Blog describing the tactics of protestors as “thuggery that undermines democratic principles.” First off, Joe, we do not live in a democracy, but rather a constitutional republic. There is a substantial difference between the two. But that is beside the point. If you really want to know about ‘thuggery’ then why don’t you ask Mike Hall? The union hit men he buddies around with ought to know all about that.

And, finally, let’s wrap things up with an examination of how Mike Hall (and his fellow far-left mouth-pieces) observed specific town hall events/tea party protests …

Hall claims that protestors that attended the town hall meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and political opportunist Senator Arlen Specter held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania this past Sunday ” shouted and booed loudly enough to drown out remarks from both officials and questions from the audience.” Andrew Monaghan at Panzramic posted YouTube videos of the whole event and they paint an entirely different picture. Andrew has even posted a follow-up video clarifying that these protestors are not being sent out by insurance companies. Amazingly, Hall fails to mention the ACORN and SEIU drones that were in force at the event. Specifically he glosses over how ACORN exploited the amputees, the handicapped, and the disabled to push their agenda.

He cites a Think Progress article which states that “this growing phenomenon is often marked by violence and absurdity,” referring specifically to a rally in Salisbury, Maryland, where an unidentified man was seen hanging Rep. Frank Kratovil in effigy. As Glenn Thrush at Politico and Joe Albero at Salisbury News reported, the event was not officially sanctioned by Americans for Prosperity. A spokeswoman for the organization stated that they “held an event the previous night, where this man passed out flyers asking people to join him the next day at the office for a protest. That is how some AFP members ended up coming, but they were disgusted by his behavior.” Albero confirmed that many who saw the display “immediately walked away and wanted nothing to do with it.”

Tags: ACORN, AFL-CIO NOW, AFP, Al Gore, ALA, America Blog, American Liberty Alliance, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Prosperity Foundation, Andrew Monaghan, Arlen Specter, Daily Kos, Florida, Freedomworks, George W. Bush, Glenn Thrush, Health and Human Services, health care reform, Joe Albero, Joe Sudbay, Katherine Harris, Kathleen, labor unions, Larry Schweikart, Maryland, Michelle Malkin, Mike Hall, Panzramic, Politico, Rep. Frank Kratovil, Rep. Lloyd Doggett, Right Principles, SCOTUS, Senator Arlen Specter, Supreme Court, Tea Party, The Daily Kos, Think Progress, Union, unions, YouTube
Posted in Eye on the Media | Start the Discussion

Town Hall Diaries Part 1: Rep. Doggett, Sen. Specter Get Early Earful

Monday, August 3rd, 2009

The big Recess Rally isn’t for another nineteen days, but with House representatives breaking for recess this past Friday and a town hall meeting on health care in Philadelphia, some grass-roots activists decided to stir things up a bit early.

The first video comes from Austin, Texas, where Democratic Representative for the 25th Congressional District Lloyd Doggett was greeted in hometown by (to put it lightly) a fair number of unhappy constituents. Their message to the legislator was simple: Just Say No!

To say the turnout in Austin for the congressman was impressive would be an understatement. Yes, the district did vote for Bush in 2000, but four years later it went to Kerry. Right now, according to the Cook Political Report, District 25 has a partisan voting index of D+6.

The second video was taken on Sunday, August 2^nd, at a town hall meeting with Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and political opportunist Senator Arlen Specter held at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Close to a thousand people showed up to the event.

It was at this meeting that Senator Specter announced his support for a single payer health insurance system. He likely did so in an effort to cater to the far left at a time when he is losing serious ground to Republican opponent Patrick Toomey. The latest poll from Quinnipiac University places Specter only one-point ahead of Toomey at this point in the race. Specter, however, probably shot himself in the foot when he urged Congress to “do this fast” judging by the crowd reaction.

ACORN, of course, was out in force exploiting amputees, the handicapped, and the disabled to further their cause.

Without a doubt, the best question at the event came from a woman who asked point-blank “how can you manage health care when you can’t manage cash for clunkers?”

Tags: ACORN, Arlen Specter, Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius, Lloyd Doggett, Patrick Toomey, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Recess Rally, Representative Lloyd Doggett, Senator Arlen Specter, single payer, single-payer system, Texas, The Cook Political Report
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Articles Tagged ‘ACORN’