Can you imagine how the editorialists at the New York Times and the left-leaning pundits on the Sunday TV new talk shows would lecture any Republican, elected or editorializing himself, who, during the Bush years, had said that those publicly protesting the Iraq War were just astroturf demonstrators, 1960s retreads who did not represent any grassroots movement.
Disagree with them we did, but we didn’t deny the sincerity of their concerns.
And yet, that’s how all too many Obama supporters, even some in the White House, and in their MSNBC echo chamber, have reacted to those protesting the President’s health care plans. Now, to be sure, some of those protestors have gone a little too far in expressing their opinion. It’s one thing to chant slogans and wave placards outside an elected official’s town hall meeting.* It’s quite another to do so during the forum, drowning out the voices of others.
We should not do to them what we believe they’re doing to the country–pushing their ideas on us without a fair hearing.
Why is it, first citizens attending tea parties to protest excessive government spending, now with citizens attending additional tea parties and gatherings at elected officials’ townhalls to take issue with Democratic health care plans, that Democrats (and their defenders) must needs call them astroturfing, saying they are not grassroots protesters. Instead, those on the left contend this anti-big government movement has been ginned up by “evil” insurance companies?
As if left-wingers had a monopoly on legitimate grassroots’ protest.
Perhaps, their attempts to discredit us is a sign of intellectual laziness–that they don’t want to consider criticism of their proposals. Or maybe it’s a sign they’re losing the debate.
Oh, and, one more thing–if they don’t think the protests against the President’s health care plan are legitimate, what do they make of the raft of opinion polls indicating growing opposition to a his proposed health care overhaul and to most of the components of the various Democratic plans?
**FROM THE COMMENTS: Reader Sue offers a correction, saying it’s not just conservatives whose concerns they are dismissing and maligning:
Wrong Gp, it is not conservatives concerns. There are just as many Democrat voters protesting as well. We too read the bill and have not fallen for the crap they have been spewing. The people that attend Tea party’s are of ALL political persuasions.
*And to ask tough/probing questions during said meeting.
Perhaps, their attempts to discredit us is a sign of intellectual laziness–that they don’t want to consider criticism of their proposals.
It’s more of the same BS liberals have been pushing for the last 8+ years and beyond. This is no different than any opposition to global warmism was funded by the eeeevile oil companies.
It is intellectual laziness in that they’re parroting what the KOSholes dictated.
They seem blithely unaware that Dear Leader’s Chief of Staff has a consulting firm whose primary practice is creating phony grassroots campaigns.
Also, every Obamacrat leader from BO, to Nancy Pelosi, to Barney Frank, to Chuck Schumer is on record as favoring nationalized (a.k.a. “Single Payer”) health care. It makes it very hard to stomach their denials that nationalized health care is the goal of the “public option.”
One last point, isn’t what the opposition to socialized health care is doing considered community organizing? So, where does President Birth Certificate get off whining about it?
What do they think of the average American? Not much….just a bunch of sheep to be herded by the loudest dog.
As if left-wingers had a monopoly on legitimate grassroots’ protest.
In their eyes they do have such a monopoly. Remember, they claim to speak for “the people.” If they speak for the people, then whatever they promote must be what the people really want and anyone who opposes them is obviously a privileged reactionary or a mindless pawn of the ancien régime with no understanding of their own best interests. Obviously.
“I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face,” – B.H. Obama, September 2008.
Wrong Gp, it is not conservatives concerns. There are just as many Democrat voters protesting as well. We too read the bill and have not fallen for the crap they have been spewing. The people that attend Tea party’s are of ALL political persuasions.
Just becasue millions of us have voted Democrat in our life does not mean we don’t know corruption and tyrants when they are infront of our face and that we will put it with it becasue there is a D after the name.
It is “concerned Americans” they are dismissing, smearing, and lying about
#7 – Sue, if that is indeed the case, then please tell me why you keep voting for those (D)’s?
Regards,
Peter H.
MSNBC is amazing, almost magical, in its relentless cheerleading for Obama. After their morning 2-minute hate in front of a picture of Sarah Palin every morning, they go on to a day of praising Obama and dissing Fox, Limbaugh, CNN, and kittens who don’t share their food with other kittens.
I’m still a Democrat and I hate the left-wing takeover of my party. I’m grateful to the blue-dogs and senators like my own Ben Nelson who want to return the party to the one that supports the working people. I’m really hoping Hillary gets sick of dealing with the most narcissistic boss in the world and mounts a campaign in 2012 to win back our party and our country.
Not to pile on you, Sue, but I’ll point out that there’s nothing that Obama and the Reid/Pelosi axis are doing now, from taxpayer-funded health care to unilateral nuclear disarmament to nationalization of the banks, that the Democrats haven’t been publicly pushing for since the Seventies.
All they have to do is reenact ‘Seperate but Equal’ and they’ll have almost all of the major Democraic Party political goals covered reaching back to the Fifties.
oops- too late: look at the current DNC stance on charter schools in the inner cities.
Just got into a heated discussion on FB with people I actually know in real life. I’m excluded, cuz they know me, but of course all the protesters are simply paid shills.
That is the way the left works, so it can’t imagine real grass roots.
Having been to a number of tea parties and protests, I can assure you there is a real cross section of society.
Will keep this up, it is working if the left is getting so scared.
Considering most of the gay left believes they’re on the verge of being sent to death camps by the Christian Right, I imagine sales of ‘Depends‘ are going to skyrocket in the gay ghettos as the anti-ObamaCare movement really gets going.
The objection/correction is splitting hairs. Protesting bad fiscal policies, takeover of private health care and insurance, slavishness to an economically disastrous environmental legislation, etc. is conservative and such protests in the media and in the streets are overwhelmingly populated by conservatives. While there are some exceptions (as is with all actions), they merely prove the rule. Sure, we’d like to be joined by disaffected Democrats and liberals in order to make our point stronger, but Obama is acting on a liberal wish list decades in the making. This is liberalism and those who honestly don’t like this agenda aren’t liberals just as those who support it, most of it, or think we’re moving too quickly or that it’s too expensive right now aren’t conservatives.
From most accounts, they don’t listen, yell accusations, travel in packs, are grossly ignorant and have no desire or ideas on fixing a broken system, instead they simply want to screech, shut down the meeting and get on tv.
So yes, that sounds like a typical grassroot activist republican to me!
Keep it up! You guys might win ZERO seats next time.
“I imagine sales of ‘Depends‘ are going to skyrocket in the gay ghettos as the anti-ObamaCare movement really gets going.”
Well V, it’s true, you imagine a lot. But chances are there’s no adult diapers left on the shelves because the readers of Pajama, Free Republic and Townhall have been wearing them since the day the election results were announced. Biggest bunch of whiners on earth at the moment. I can’t wait until all the end-of-the-country-as-we-know-it predictions are proved false, y’all will look as stupid as the bush-haters did.
This “tea party” nonsense is quite funny actually. It points out the hypocrisy of the loonies on both side. Oh so holy conservatives are finding out that their compatriots have no problem disrupting speakers they don’t agree with. A grassroots movement? yeah right, and the Obamas are down home middle class folk. The libs are all upset because all of a sudden their tactics are being used against them. Oh the horror.
Yesterday Sullivan was griping about the Specter shout-down, complaining that these are all just a highly organized, well funded conservative attempt to derail health care reform. Here was my response:
As usual, there was no reply.
#15 *yawn* Source please? The videos I see are different. Based on your being shredded in your lack of knowlege of health care, I find your statements less than convincing.
Of couse when the President tells his followers to ‘get in their faces’ it’s something different apparently. Heck, the Justice Department even lets them use billy clubs.
From most accounts, they don’t listen, yell accusations, travel in packs, are grossly ignorant and have no desire or ideas on fixing a broken system, instead they simply want to screech, shut down the meeting and get on tv.
Gee, what a surprise; gillie is repeating the Obama Party propaganda points.
As is typical, the manager who makes hiring decisions based on skin color is desperately trying to cover up for their idiot’s bumbling by claiming that anyone who criticizes them in any way is a racist.
And meanwhile, as for adDave, you’ll have to forgive him; he’s upset because a lack of ENDA laws means another gay activist has lost their job for expressing their sexual orientation in the workplace.
ADD posted? I didn’t notice.
Is gillie talking about ACORN? Congress? Obama? Jesse Jackson?
Per usual, liberals hold as heroes those who ride the wagon for free but when those of us pulling the wagon speak up, the parasites are outraged.
Perhaps, gillie, people who are being squeezed by the insatiable demands of government and its hangers-on are (finally) giving voice to legitimate frustration with people like Ma’am Boxer who thinks we should just shut-the-f***-up and take what’s good for us.