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.
