Americans for Prosperity « Healthcare Horserace

White House Switches Strategy, Touts “Republican Support”

Wednesday, October 7th, 2009

In yet another shift in strategy, the White House has abandoned their “tough luck” attitude about the GOP and instead, has begun to tout what they believe is Republican support for their health care reform agenda.

Previously, President Obama attempted to portray himself as a “bipartisan” kind of guy, longing to craft legislation that would satisfy both parties. Then, when realizing the height of the cards stacked against him, began to accuse conservatives of not having ideas of their own and reiterated that he would push his reforms with or without them.

Now, according to Reuters, the White House will claim that those who oppose his agenda are “isolated” from the rest of their party and the rest of the country.

The Obama administration has adopted a new tactic in its push for healthcare reform: touting the support of Republicans outside of Washington after failing to win any backing for overhaul plans in Congress from members of the party on Capitol Hill.

Seeking to portray opponents of the legislation as isolated from mainstream America and even from prominent members of the Republican Party, the White House on Tuesday distributed a statement from Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s Republican governor, urging the passage of national healthcare reform.

President Obama substantiates his argument by rolling out the endorsement of former Wisconsin Republican governor Tommy Thompson.

On Monday, it sent out a statement by Tommy Thompson, a former Republican governor of Wisconsin and presidential candidate who was former President George W. Bush’s health secretary, endorsing a plan coming through the Senate Finance Committee.

“It (the plan) moves us down the path of providing affordable high-quality health care for all and expanding coverage for millions,” said Thompson’s statement, issued with Richard Gephardt, a former Democratic leader in Congress.

Republican leaders are not convinced, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) believing the so-called “bipartisan” support to be few and far between.

“The influx of headlines breathlessly claiming support for health care reform amongst Republicans is puzzling considering Republicans have been calling for reform for months,” said a statement from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s office.

“It is the details of the health care reform proposals before Congress that are extremely concerning for Republicans,” McConnell’s statement said.

No Republicans in Congress currently back the Finance Committee proposal to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system, or any other put forward by Democrats. It is not clear whether any could muster the support even of all 60 Senate Democrats, which is needed to ensure passage.

Meanwhile, free market advocacy groups like Americans for Prosperity have not let up, engaging citizen activists to remain involved in the debate. During a protest held Friday at the U.S. Capitol, 2,000 participants voiced their concerns about the President’s health care reform plans and demanded patient-centered reforms.

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Mitch McConnell, Richard Gephardt, Tommy Thompson, white house, Wisconsin
Posted in The Players | 1 Comment »

Tort Reform: Texas Does It Bigger (and Better)

Thursday, September 17th, 2009

Peggy Venable, who is the longtime Americans for Prosperity- Texas director, knows a lot about health care. She has assumed a very vocal role on the issue, combining her policy background and personal experience to reiterate AFP’s stance on patient-centered and free market-based reforms for the industry.

Her expertise is especially credible given the geographic context of her argument. Texas has been a sterling example of when sweeping tort reform works, and works well, to empower patients and their physicians to effectively make the most vital decisions surrounding care.

Venable has spoken around the county regarding health care reform, and she has taken her message to the presses. The Washington Post published her letter to the editor, where she explains what a difference that tort reform has made to improving the medical industry in the Lone Star State.

Peggy Venable: Tort Reform? We’ve Already Done It

In his address last week, President Obama said he had talked to some doctors and learned that medical procedures were being done that may not be necessary due to fear of medical malpractice lawsuits, and he entertained the idea of tort reform, saying we could try it in some states with pilot projects.

But there’s no need for a pilot project. Texas enacted malpractice reform years ago. The president would benefit from a phone call to Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R).

Texas passed significant tort reform in 1995, and more reforms have been enacted since then. A 2008 study from the Perryman Group found that perhaps the most visible economic impact of the lawsuit reforms are the benefits experienced by Texans who have better access to high-quality healthcare. Doctors and hospitals are using their liability insurance savings to expand services and initiate innovative programs; those savings have allowed Texas hospitals to expand charity care by 24 percent.

The total impact of tort reforms implemented since 1995 includes gains of $112.5 billion in spending each year as well as almost 499,900 jobs in the state. The fiscal stimulus to the state from judicial reforms is almost a $2.6 billion per year increase in state revenue. In addition, these reforms are responsible for approximately 430,000 individuals having health insurance than would otherwise, and there has been an increase in the number of doctors, particularly in regions which have been facing severe shortages.

But there is more. Those the class-action lawsuits that result in hundreds or thousands of plaintiffs getting nothing more than a coupon also provides justice to the ambulance-chasing lawyers who file those suits. If filed in Texas, instead of getting six-figure attorney fees when citizens get coupons, the lawyers who file those bills get paid like the plaintiffs they abuse do — in coupons.

Peggy Venable is the Texas director of Americans for Prosperity.

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Prosperity- Texas, health care reform, Peggy Venable, tort reform
Posted in Miscellaneous, Policy Alternative | 1 Comment »

Reid ready to go nuclear on health care

Wednesday, September 16th, 2009

As the Senate Finance Committee prepares to announce and begin marking up its health care bill, the Senate’s most powerful Democrat unveiled his intent to use what many are calling “the nuclear option” to ensure passage of a Democrat reform bill by the end of the month. By committing Democrats to the Senate-specific budgetary tool known as reconciliation, which declares certain tax and spending bills as privileged legislation that cannot be blocked by filibuster, Senator Reid is acknowledging a failure on the part of Congressional Democrats and the White House to rally a single Republican vote to pass reform under cloture.

We’ve always had a place at the table for Republicans. There’s one there today. We hope it bears fruit. If we can’t get the 60 votes we need, then we’ll have no alternative but to use reconciliation. I strongly favor a bipartisan approach. (Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.)

Going nuclear and invoking reconciliation is a significant political move in a number of ways. To better understand (and explain) the political consequences of reconciliation, HealthCareHorseRace.com has spoken to some of the leading conservative groups following the health care reform debate.

First, by only requiring 50 votes (plus that of vice president Biden) to pass the bill means moderate Democrats who have worked to remove the controversial public option could see the government-run plan (and not the co-op experiment anticipated out of Finance) become the preferred health care vehicle in a Senate bill after combining the Finance bill with that of the late Ted Kennedy’s HELP (Health Education Labor and Pensions) Committee.

There is no question that Harry Reid’s invocation of the ‘reconciliation’ process—usually a maneuver reserved for budget bills—to ram the so-called public ‘option’ through the Senate will favor proponents of socialized medicine. The fact is, the votes are not there to invoke cloture on the government-run plan that the Democrat leadership wants, and so Reid may resort to a parliamentary trick to get the plan through with only 51 votes.

It would be the effective end of the filibuster and two-party rule in the Senate. (Robert Romano of Americans for Limited Government.)

Second, reconciliation is a very specific rule which could allow centrist Democrats and Republicans to band together to defeat certain aspects of what will eventually become the Senate bill.

There’s something called the “Byrd rule” which prevents putting non-budget extraneous things on reconciliation bills (which are inherently budgetary). This means that the Senate parliamentarian would likely rule anything not spending or tax related out of order, which would require 60 votes to overcome. Some good examples here are the Medical Advisory Council, the gateway, community rating, guaranteed issue, and self-insurance cutbacks.

If the Democrats were dumb enough to do this (and I don’t think they are), the GOP would immediately start offering “Byrd rule” points of order wherever they could. If the Dems lost the ruling of the parliamentarian, and they didn’t get 60 votes to overcome him, then key chunks of this bill would be stripped out, making it unworkable. (Ryan Ellis of Americans for Tax Reform and the Heath Care Freedom Coalition.)

When you look at the big picture, it might appear that Reid’s nuclear threats amount to little more than sabre-rattling. Once the shock and awe of a 50-vote reconciliation maneuver wears off, Democrats still need 60 votes to keep their bill intact. Something which may prove more challenging than Democrat leadership is willing to admit given that the Senate itself held a vote (the DeMint Amendment) on using reconciliation back in the spring in which it promised not to do so despite the House leaving the option on the table in its own budget deliberations.

The biggest problem for Dems going reconciliation is that most of them voted against it, on a 79-14 recorded vote on the DeMint amendment and also on a unanimous voice vote. Reconciliation was not included in the Senate budget, but smuggled in through the House version (even though reconciliation only matters in the Senate) and added in conference. So dozens of Democratic senators would have to explain why they changed their minds about the appropriateness of reconciliation because they lost the public debate over a Washington takeover of health care.

Bottom line is that it’s a desperation tactic and if Democrats go that route they may find 50 much harder to get to than they think. (Phil Kerpen of Americans for Prosperity.)

Tags: Americans for Limited Government, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Byrd-rule, co-op, Harry Reid, Health Care Freedom Coalition, HELP Committee, Jim DeMint, Joe Biden, Phil Kerpen, public-option, reconciliation, Robert Romano, Ryan Ellis, Senate Finance Committee, Ted Kennedy
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Americans for Prosperity Claims Success on Wisconsin Health Care Town Halls

Wednesday, September 2nd, 2009

On Wednesday, August 26 and Thursday, 27th, Americans for Prosperity (AFP) hosted three town hall meetings in cities where their representatives were not meeting the peoples’ needs to discuss health care.

People from surrounding areas came in huge numbers to each event. The events took place in Madison on August 26th with more than 1,900 in attendance, drew 300 to La Crosse and 1,200 to Wausau on August 27th. The keynote speaker also gained a lot of attention: ABC 20/20’s John Stossel!

At Wednesday’s AFP event in Madison, Vicki McKenna broadcast her live radio show from the Marriott West. She entertained people as they began lining up and the excitement could be felt by all in the minutes before the event began.

At 6:30 with a huge crowd ready and restless for the event to begin, Nancy Mistle, AFP head for Dane County, took the stage to welcome everyone and introduce Mark Block, Wisconsin State Director of AFP. Block introduced the National Director of State Operations of AFP: Alan Cobb.

After Stossel’s speech on health care and his two standing ovations, McKenna returned to the stage to introduce the panelists: Scott Klug, Former Congressman (R-2nd CD); Tim Nerenz, Executive Vice-President of the Oldenburg Group, Inc.; Steve Schwartzer, President of Heartland Benefits Group; and Dr. Pam Galloway, Founder of the Breast Center of Central Wisconsin.

Only a few people tried to disturb the event during the questions and answer time, but other audience members helped get the person back in line.

Many people came because they wanted to be heard, some came because they wanted information, a few came to see what was all said even if they disagreed with it.

U.S. Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin was even invited, but she was a no show.

Madison Town Hall

Next we took the show on the road to La Crosse. On August 27th, doors opened at 10:30 for the La Crosse event, the smallest of the three still had lots of energy.

On stage, Linda Hansen, Senior Vice-President of the Wisconsin Prosperity Network, welcomed the crowd before Mark Block gave his speech.

The President of Americans for Prosperity, Tim Phillips, took the stage and gave a speech that got the crowd ready and excited for Stossel, who yet again received a standing ovation. Sue Jeffers, Radio personality from KTLK Minneapolis, moderated and introduced panelists: Don Weber, Chairman & CEO of Logistics Health, Inc.; Time Nerenz; State Senator Dan Lapanke (R-32nd); Dr. Gary Susag, Internist at Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center; and Gerald Frye, President of Benefit Services Group, Inc.

Yet again an invitation was declined by the legislator from the area: Representative Ron Kind.

We had little time to get to the Wausau event, but we made it! This event was the most crowded venue. After all the chairs were taken, people stood on the sides and the back of the hall. The crowd was loud, excited, and anxious to begin. This was a vocal group, angry that they were being ignored by their representative, Dave Obey.

Obey was invited to attend the event, but declined.

Meg Ellefson, Tea Party Leader in Wausau, welcomed the group and introduced Block, then Tim Phillips.

Phillips again received a standing ovation, and the crowd responded to him and the excitement just kept growing. Stossel gave his inspiring speech to the people in Wausau, and then after his customary two standing ovations he handed the floor back Block to introduce the moderator Pat Snyder, radio personality WSAU Wausau.

After the crowd was warmed up, Synder introduced the panelists: John Torinus, President of Serigraph, Inc.; Tim Nerenz; Dr. Pam Galloway; Gerald Frye; and Dr. Fritz Riveron, a Surgeon.

Wausau Town Hall

The Wausau event had more protesters. In Madison people might have yelled a little and one person was escorted out of the building by police on scene.

In Wausau there were peaceful protesters outside of the pavilion, adding excitement.

Mark Block and Tim Phillips were both happy with the turnout, and the whole crew of AFP were proud and excited.

One woman said that Madison needed the event and that they needed to band together to show the people in DC that they are a force that will not be ignored.

The determination of the people present at these events was enough to remind us why America is a great nation.

Tags: Alan Cobb, Americans for Prosperity, Don Weber, Dr. Gary Susag, Dr. Pam Galloway, Gerald Frye, John Stossel, Linda Hansen, Mark Block, Rep. Dave Obey, Rep. Ron Kind, Scott Klug, Sen. Dan Lapanke, Steve Schwartzer, Tammy Baldwin, Tim Nerenz, Tim Phillips, Vicki McKenna
Posted in Horserace | Start the Discussion

Are You, Or Have You Ever Been, a Member of the Tea Party Coalition?

Monday, August 17th, 2009

This past Sunday’s Meet the Press on NBC seemed just like a scene taken right out of the height of the McCarthy-era, only this time the Democrats were not targeting Communists – yes, the majority of the Congressional politicians gung-ho about hunting Communists throughout the United States were Democrats, Southern Democrats but Democrats nonetheless – but members of the Tea Party Patriots Coalition.

The video below, provided by Newsbusters, shows far-left wing-nut Rachel Maddow and moderator David Gregory hounding Dick Armey, head of Freedom Works, as to whether or not he and his organization belonged to the Tea Party Coalition, a group Maddow alleges promotes violence.

A transcript of the exchange is also included:

DAVID GREGORY: So you repudiate the Nazi imagery and all of that: you repudiate that?

DICK ARMEY: Absolutely.

GREGORY: That has no place in the debate?

ARMEY: As I said, I repudiated it when MoveOn.org did it to George Bush. Did anybody here at this table repudiate it?

RACHEL MADDOW: You’re a member of the –

ARMEY: We’ve just heard that it’s all right when MoveOn.org did it.

MADDOW: That’s not true.

ARMEY: But it’s not alright when anybody does it.

MADDOW: The Tea Party Patriots is an organization that your organization is a member of a coalition with. It’s called the Tea Party Patriots Health Care Freedom Coalition Partner. That’s what Freedom Works is, that’s what Americans For Prosperity is. Tea Party Patriots, what they’ve got on their front page of their web site, the top item, is a video showing the violence at the town hall in Ybor City, in Tampa, Florida. Essentially promoting that as if that was a good thing that happened, that showed what the Health Care Freedom Coalition wants to happen in that debate. Freedom Works is part of that coalition. You can say that you denounce it but the organization that you head is part of it.

ARMEY: One of the fascinating things about the Tea Party movement is that it is an enormously impressive grassroots uprising across the country, loosely affiliated people. And there’s probably 100, 200 websites by different people.

MADDOW: Are you a member of the Tea Party Patriots Health Care Freedom Coalition?

ARMEY: I’m a member of Freedom Works, and Freedom Works works with many people who fight for and argue on behalf of individual liberty.

Notice how Maddow pressured Armey to repudiate the use of Nazi-imagery at town hall events across the country. And then how he turns it on its head back toward her, only for her to dodge the claim entirely. It’s unfortunate though that Armey didn’t bring up the coincidental fact that Nazi-imagery health care town hall meetings only began to surface and be picked up by the mainstream media AFTER Nancy Pelosi made the outlandish claim that tea party protestors brandished “swastikas and symbols like that.” Not Armey’s fault; the man barely had time to breathe. But Maddow’s a Rhodes scholar, right? Either she can’t make the connections that a two-year-old probably could, or, more likely, she simply refuses to accept the fact that Democrats are behind this ‘sudden’ emergence of Nazi-propaganda at town hall events, as has been extensively covered here at Healthcare Horserace.

And what video taken from the Rep. Castor town hall event in Tampa Bay, Florida is Maddow watching? Did she simply make up on in her head to suit her liberal agenda? If anything, the videos that are available, in addition to interviews with individuals who were at the event, suggest that SEIU, not the tea party protestors, caused the violence.

At least if it ever comes down to hearings, tea party protestors will retain the dignity and not plead the fifth.

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, David Gregory, Dick Armey, Florida, Freedomworks, Meet the Press, Nancy Pelosi, Nazi, NBC, newsbusters, Rachel Maddow, SEIU, swastika, Tea Party Patriots, Town hall, town hall meetings
Posted in Eye on the Media | 1 Comment »

HCHR EXCLUSIVE: AFP Patients First Bus Tour Comes to Your Hometown

Sunday, August 16th, 2009

While the Left, along with their cohorts in the mainstream media, try to portray Obamacare opponents as Astroturf activists equipped with manufactured anger, Americans for Prosperity’s Patients Bus Tour is proving that just isn’t the case.

Check out HealthCareHorseRace.com’s exclusive look at what really happens at a Patients First Bus Tour stop and how activists are feeling encouraged that they’re winning the battle. Video produced, directed and edited by HCHR’s Ellen Carmichael and Christopher Lagan. While you’re at it, take a few minutes to subscribe to our video channel on YouTube to get the latest breaking news on health care reform.

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, Amy Menefee, Christopher Lagan, Ellen Carmichael, Jon Sanders, Patients First, Pittsburgh, Tim Phillips
Posted in Miscellaneous, The Players | Start the Discussion

Rachel Maddow show prompting Violent Cyber Attacks on Conservative Groups

Thursday, August 6th, 2009

The Twitter account of Americans for Prosperity’s policy director, Phil Kerpen, reported in just minutes after the group’s President Tim Phillips, left MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow show, that a cyber assault had erupted against the web servers of the 700,000 member grassroots organization. The tweet by Kerpen reported that the attack was considered as a somewhat “disruptive attack.” A potentially major incident, this attack comes on the heels of Wednesday’s massive cyber attack reported to be from a source in Russia, against the servers of nearly a dozen center-right websites like Recess Rally, Tax Day Tea Party and many others including the popular social media platform, Twitter. All of these websites or organizations were exclusively mentioned on the Rachel Maddow show on Tuesday night.

On Tuesday evening, following an on-air witch hunt for conservative groups behind the grassroots Healthcare Recess Rally events and Congressional Town hall activism, several of the groups mentioned on Maddows show experienced severe cyber attacks that left websites blank and the popular social media platform Twitter, out of commission for most of Wednesday’s morning hours. Twitter, which reported on its blog that the shut down was from a series of DOS attacks (denial of service).

On Wednesday night, after calling Americans for Prosperity a “corporate sponsored grassroots organizer,” MSNBC’s Maddow also provided a detailed, on-air description of the exact location & address of the Americans for Prosperity headquarters, prompting another attack and exact match of the organziation’s IP address & lat/longitude match of its headquarters and corporate servers. Within minutes after the show, a calculated cyber attack occurred on AFP’s server. Within one hour after the Wednesday night Maddow show, Twitter relapsed into another serious service disruption for nearly 15 minutes.

Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show has been enbraced by the liberal media, liberal activists and liberal online activists. Her show is the center of the national attack on center-right organizations that oppose government run health care which began to pick up traction in July of 2009.

Tags: Americans for Prosperity, MSNBC, Phil Kerpen, Rachel Maddow, Recess Rally, Tax Day Tea Party, Tim Phillips, Twitter
Posted in Eye on the Media | 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

America’s Hall Monitor: White House Demands Intel on Right’s “Disinformation”

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

HCHR’s own Matt Margolis reported yesterday that the White House, or Emanuel Bros. & Co., has been forced to spend a great deal of time reconciling President Obama’s current stance on health care reform, perspectives he’s offered in the past and what he actually intends for the future of health care in America.

In attempts to streamline their efforts, the White House has used new media sites, such as Twitter, to use taxpayer-funded communications resources to promote the Obama Administration’s legislation that would create a government overhaul of health care in America. They’re also using these media to play defense, asking supporters to alert the White House of any “disinformation” disseminated from opposing camps.

In a White House blog, entitled “Facts are Stubborn Things” published today, Emanuel Bros. & Co. explained that those who oppose Obamacare are spreading “scary chain emails and videos,” proving yet again how absolutely patronizing and condescending this administration can be. They portray the American people as simpleton victims who cannot possibly discern what is right and wrong for themselves, but instead, fall prey to those on the Right.

They take this attitude a step further by offering lowly Americans with an “important” task:

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.

This request serves two purposes. First, it makes the American people feel as though they are a part of the fight for expanded health care coverage, but really, they are giving them some tiny task, like a mother allowing a child to help stir batter to make a cake, in hopes of their supporters feeling like they’ve done something. Secondly, it allows for the White House to really take advantage of their new role: America’s hall monitor.

To assert that anyone who opposes them is spouting off bad information is intellectually dishonest. Just as Emanuel Bros. & Co. founder Rahm Emanuel has been accused of undercutting those who stand in his way, they want to take it one step further and keep tabs on those who simply disagree with President Obama’s legislative proposals. Groups they would monitor especially closely? Try Tea Party Patriots, American Liberty Alliance, American Majority, Americans for Prosperity, Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, Americans for Tax Reform… and so on and so forth.

And why would they do this? Given the fact that the majority of Americans oppose Obamacare, it would sure take a lot of time to defend against every accusation catapulted in their direction. Furthermore, even if their claims are false (which they are not), any sort of legal action against them would prove futile, since First Amendment protections of speech are very rarely forfeited and even harder to refute for public figures.

Since any opinion contradictory to that released by Emanuel Bros. & Co. is now considered “disinformation,” those on the Center-Right should keep the White House occupied by continuing to send out more of it during August recess. It’s fun to keep government employees busy.

Tags: American Liberty Alliance, Americans for Prosperity, Americans for Tax Reform, Conservatives for Patients' Rights, disinformation, Ellen Carmichael, Emanuel Bros. & Co., health care reform, healthcare reform, healthcarehorserace.com, Matt Margolis, Obamacare, Rahm Emanuel, Tea Party Patriots, white house
Posted in The Players | 1 Comment »

Tea Party Filled Weekend

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

This weekend was a weekend for Wisconsin Tea Party Rallies, having one in Prairie du Chein and Fond du Lac on Saturday and Sunday respectively. Both being successes. In Fond du Lac on Sunday there were around 1,000 people. In Prairie du Chein there were oer 500 and protesters were present!

On Saturday, August 1, residents of Prairie du Chein and surrounding areas loaded up their cars and began arriving to the Tea Party 30 minutes before its beginning at noon. People of all ages arrived with signs and excitement about the forth coming rally. With a couple hundred already seated, the rally began. Joe the Plumber was a guest speaker along with Vicki McKenna, News/Talk 1130 DJ, Mark Block, the state coordinator of Americans for Prosperity for Wisconsin, and others like Linda Hansen, a leader in Wisconsin Prosperity Network. The speeches were very good and the crowd rose to the occasion, with many people clapping a standing at the end of speeches. The crowd was inspired and fired up, ready for real change not the “promised” change that President Obama quotes, but for the people to take back their government. There were peaceful protesters that attended the event and had signs, but they didn’t bother anyone so they were allowed to stay and enjoy the event with their signs just as everyone else was. The event lasted an hour and was considered a success.

In Fond du Lac, the event was hyped up and the crowds were excited to be there. The energy in the crowd feed the speakers foward and gives another example of the fact that people don’t want their healthcare run by the government, that they want to take back their government and be heard again. Quite amazing. No protesters that could be seen attended this event.

Tags: Add new tag, Americans for Prosperity, Joe the Plumber, Obamacare, Tea Party, Tea Party Patriots, Vicki McKenna, Wisconsin
Posted in The Players | Start the Discussion

Articles Tagged ‘Americans for Prosperity’