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Leftist Bloggers Who Get Marching Orders from Obama Attack Protesters as "Astroturf"
Last month, President Obama held a conference call with a small group of liberal bloggers, asking them to keep pressure on Congress in the health care fight. Now those same bloggers are part of an orchestrated effort by the Democratic Party and the White House to portray protests against their health care legislation as, well, orchestrated.
"It is important just to keep the pressure on members of Congress because what happens is there is a default position of inertia here in Washington," Obama instructed the bloggers last month. "And pushing against that, making sure that people feel that the desperation that ordinary families are feeling all across the country, every single day, when they are worrying about whether they can pay their premiums or not... People have to feel that in a visceral way. And you guys can help deliver that better than just about anybody."
Obama later added, "I know the blogs are best at debunking myths that can slip through a lot of the traditional media outlets...And that is why you are going to play such an important role in our success in the weeks to come."
Since then, support for legislation has cratered, and those bloggers who get their marching orders from the White House and DNC have become part of the effort to attack ordinary Americans expressing their beliefs about an issue of great importance.
John Amato of Crooks and Liars was on last month's conference call with Obama. Yesterday, Amato asked, "How long will it take the traditional media to expose the corporations that are running this con and even mention the word 'astrotufing' in a serious way?" In the same post, he praised Robert Gibbs for accusing the protesters of being phony.
David Dayen of the blog D-Day was on the call. Yesterday, he wrote a post titled, "Top-Level Democrats Assault The Extremist Astroturfers." It began, "The White House took the lead on this, publicly calling the teabagger disruptions an example of astroturfing and citing conservative industry-backed groups taking credit for activating the rioters. Now other elements of the Democratic Party are taking up the baton. Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer blasted the clown show today..."
Joan McCarter of Daily Kos was also on the call. Yesterday, she wrote of the protesters, "It's kind of sad, isn't it? They think they're part of a real populist movement, but the freedom they're fighting for is the freedom of corporations to make even more money off of them. It's that cynicism of this astroturf campaign that's particularly disturbing, because it's not about the rights of citizens to freely express their dissent."
So just to sum up, Obama enlists the aid of a small group of liberal bloggers in the health care fight, and then those same bloggers write posts echoing White House and DNC talking points -- and in the very process of doing that, accuse their political opponents of astroturfing!
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Ellis Wyatt| 8.5.09 @ 12:21PM
I don't think the left has a clue what the American public thinks, and I don't believe they ever will. I really just have to laugh at these left wing bloggers. perhaps they may laugh too if they only knew the joke was about them.
Pingback| 8.5.09 @ 12:42PM
Michelle Malkin » Obama summons his army: “This is the moment our movement was built links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
JP| 8.5.09 @ 12:50PM
Ellis,
Obama and the Dems know perfectly well what the average American thinks of his ObamaCare and Cap and Trade (among other things). The idea is for bloggers to create a narrative that can be picked up amongst more moderate outlets as well as the MSM. This paints a picture to the lesser informed that most of the dissent comes from a)Corporations and b)The Fringe Right. This is a very short term bit of strategy to provide some modicum of political cover for the Blue Dogs. The Oval Office and the Pelosi are just looking to the middle of September. In thier minds they can handle to political fall-out (which will be huge) later.
I suppose, the President and Pelosi think that between now and November 2010 is long enough that anything can happen. That is, they can somehow mitigate the political consequences of ObamaCare and Cap and Trade. Something the Dems couldn't do in 1994. Perhaps they will create more political chaos engineered to torpedo the rising animous to the Dems. Or, they believe the economy will grow so robustly that all will be forgiven by Nov 2010 (Much of ObamaCare doesn't kick in until 2013 (no coincidence)).
However, this isn't 1994. And HillaryCare never got out of committee. It is amazing how quickly and how strong opposition to ObamaCare has grown. And the elderly really haven't woke up to it yet.
In any event, the use of bloggers to go out and "destroy" opposition is dangerous and could easily backfire. All bets are off for 2010, but if I was a gambling man I would put my money are a conservative comeback.
Pam| 8.5.09 @ 1:20PM
It really is hard to listen to these buffoons try to drum up this flimsy "astroturf" bs. I'm one of those 56 year old women who found the Tea Parties way back when (I retired when he was elected rather than be fired). Having lots of time on my hands, every day was spent cruizing the internet to find others who thought like me (because honestly I thought it must be me, maybe I was a racist redneck gun toting religious fanatic...............I am southern, own a gun, believe in God...........anyway). I was so excited when all of a sudden I found all of you. Michelle was on FOX one day and I decided to "google" her name (I use bing now). Never having done anything with a computer outside of work, imagine my surprise when this whole new world of like minded people were right there. What a blessing. Now, this radical rightwing nut job won't shurt her mouth. I'm saying what I want. Talking to myself in the grocery line I find that almost everyone agrees. Yeah, I've been cussed out by his most liberal supporters (there aren't many anymore), but they are always out numbered and always to one to blink first and leave. PBO can kiss my skinny southern butt. His obots are out numbered. My representative, Sanford "Thief" Bishop is having a "town-hall" with some others (ONE) in bodunk GA at a Fair Ground. It took me forever to find it. It took me 2 seconds to let everyone know. 1030, 18 Aug, Perry GA fairgrounds. We're coming to ask you some questions Sanford.
Thanks for letting me vent. Oh, and let me say, AARP lost my membership last year. Now I just like to visit the site and watch my peers waking up to their extreme left views. Here's a service ripe for the taking. Seniors need a place to go for the truth, AARP isn't it.
Pingback| 8.5.09 @ 2:24PM
Brief look at Politics this week « bright line rules links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Ted| 8.5.09 @ 2:43PM
Obama gets it right for a CHANGE
"I know the blogs are best at debunking myths that can slip through a lot of the traditional media outlets..."
Keep blogging it to the MSM!
Veritas Vincit Omnia
Solo| 8.5.09 @ 3:10PM
Interesting, is it not, that the leftists have deliberately created an "Astro-Turf" movement charged with the specific task of falsely painting main-stream Americans as participating in an "Astro-Turf" movement? Typical!
And...most of the American people know that this is typical behavior of the left but....they just haven't allowed themselves to get too animated about it until now. Most, I believe, have just allowed all this lefty noise to pass over them almost un-noticed because they didn't really believe that it would affect them all that much.
"Oh...they're all the same" is the common refrain. Ooooops! This time...it's different. Now they are beginning to realize that it is about to go too far and that they really are at risk from these weasely little leftists who want a finger in everyone's pie.
The 'everyday/work-a-day' man and woman is starting to take notice of the consequences of their collective neglect over many years....and...it's only going to get worse!
I'm glad that the dems are in denial. I'm glad that they have deluded themselves into believing that most Americans are actually 'Marxists-in waiting' on baited breath to be led by the nose into socialism without but a whimper.
The leftists may well have done for conservative activists what those conservatives could not do by themselves: Awaken the sleeper.
Remember....the Clintonistas tried this same power grab in the 90's....and we all know how well that worked out for them....and they were the beneficiaries of the Reagan Recovery.
Goodbye, Barry!
Pingback| 8.5.09 @ 3:36PM
AntiObamaBlog.com » Obamanazis Unite! “This is the moment our movement was built for. links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Vinz212| 8.5.09 @ 3:45PM
You guys can go on and on as much as you want about how you represent the 'Real America', truth is you lost Congress, you lost the Senate, you lost the White House and all of them to overwhelming majorities. You think you're on the right side of the aisle? Well unfortunately for you, the entire course of history is against you; modernisation is coming, whether you want it or not. Get used to it.
x
Vinz212| 8.5.09 @ 3:45PM
You guys can go on and on as much as you want about how you represent the 'Real America', truth is you lost Congress, you lost the Senate, you lost the White House and all of them to overwhelming majorities. You think you're on the right side of the aisle? Well unfortunately for you, the entire course of history is against you; modernisation is coming, whether you want it or not. Get used to it.
x
Psalm23| 8.5.09 @ 4:15PM
to Vinz212, thank you for providing a great example of what liberal fascism is all about. to wit; "...whether you want it or not. Get used to it." The treasonous Leftinistas (read as democRATS/Communists/Liberals/etc. will stop at nothing to convert the greatest nation to ever grace the planet into a totalitarian, deviant-loving, baby-murdering, elderly-abusing, innovation-squelching (outside of the abortion industry & the deviant porn industry), Christian-persecuting, and tree-whorshipping gulag.
prof corey| 8.5.09 @ 5:29PM
I was ademocrat and visionary!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxtN0xxzfsw&feature=related
HawkWatcher| 8.6.09 @ 2:34AM
Yo Vinzie...
Overwhelming majority elected Obama and leftist Congress??? Check your numbers. You're nuts.
Give me your address and I'll mail you a free copy 0f the Constitution and Declaration. Then you can learn about the "real America", and why Democrats will lose big in 2010.
In the meantime, I will protest and disrupt to the best of my ability. And this will scare you: I'm putting lots of my money on electing many conservatives. Many of your elitist brethren will fall.
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K-squared| 8.6.09 @ 8:39AM
Is anyone else becoming concerned by the open villification of those who dissent from the Party Line? I may be misremembering, but I can't recall any recent administration rallying the troops to call opponents ILLEGITIMATE. Frankly I'm not old enough to have been paying attention during the Nixon years, I suspect they would be the closest parallel.
You should also consider the propagandistic tendencies of popular shows like the Daily Show and Colbert of late, when talking about the influence of a White House/Lefty Blogger alliance. These guys have become open shills for the Dem Party, trying to transfer to some of their "coolness" onto tragically unhip pols like Waxman, to zero effect.
What I see is a classic transference going on--the left's anger and frustration as it dawns on them that Obama was not what they thought he was (e.g. captured by Goldman), has fuelled an attack on his "enemies" instead. THEY are the reason he is not making all wetdreams come true. THEY are the problem. Anything but admit to themselves the ugly truth that he is a deeply flawed human leader and not the political Messiah after all.
Cam Winston| 8.6.09 @ 8:56AM
Even more to-the-point, dontcha just love it when thinkprogress "outs" the right-wing groups that are supposedly pushing the town hall meeting outrages?
So, we have a Soros-funded party-line hack group built and predicated upon influencing public policy, charging that citizens are wrongfully trying to influence public policy.
It'd be funny.....if some cable news anchors weren't reading the thinkprogress missives on the air as "news".
British Rightie| 8.6.09 @ 9:01AM
Vinz212, your side lost comprehensively in 2002 and 2004 - I don't recall you "getting used to it". In fact, quite the opposite - your tactics used then were far more extreme than those that you are accusing the Republicans of using (including far more vicious caricatures on GWB than those being used on BHO - remember "Bushhitler, etc). And you're losing! Just look at the opinion polls and all the videos of the town hall meetings. The ABC Obama shill is talking nonsense - there is a real groundswell of opinion rising against the Obamessiah and all his works.
Brian| 8.6.09 @ 9:02AM
If anyone knows clowns, it's Dick Durbin.
After all, he's the Dean of Clown College.
Jack| 8.6.09 @ 9:18AM
Vinz212, perhaps you can tell me what is so "modern" about trying to ram through socialistic policies such as single payer, gov't takeovers of huge portions of our economy, crippling deficits and gov't encouraging it's citizenry to spy on each other. I have a good friend who grew up behind the curtain in Romania. He commented to me the other day that we are rapidly moving toward the system he and his family endured for decades that left his country broken and poverty stricken. That the kind of modernity you are excited about?
How did the Dem party get hijacked by historical and financial morons?
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 9:23AM
SameOldSchmidt » Blog Archive » I know you are, but what am I? links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Tim Lank| 8.6.09 @ 9:29AM
Brings to mind this parody entitled "Former Community Organizer Condemns Community Organizing": www.optoons.blogspot.com (scroll down for August 5 entry)
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 9:34AM
Dem congressmen starting to cancel Town Hall meetings - Politics and Other Controvers links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 9:42AM
Dem congressmen starting to cancel Town Hall meetings - Politics and Other Controvers links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Tim| 8.6.09 @ 10:07AM
I hope everyone will remain respectful at all times...in town halls, other venues, etc.
We need to be persistant and vocal, but also respectful. We cannot make it any easier to spread lies about us.
Calmly ask them a question until they answer it.
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 10:29AM
The People’s Mob | Chicago Daily Observer links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Yippee| 8.6.09 @ 10:45AM
FYI
Issa to Emanuel: Back Off!
Letter from Ray LaHood, Secretary of Transportation:
On Sunday, Arizona Senator Jon Kyl publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently underway. I believe the stimulus has been very effective in creating job opportunities throughout the country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know [emphasis added].
Letter from Ken Salazar, Secretary of the Interior:
Some key Republican leaders in Congress have publicly questioned whether the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is working and suggested cancelling all projects that are not currently in progress. I believe they are wrong. The stimulus funds provided through the Recovery Act are a very effective way to create job opportunities throughout the Country. However, if you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to Arizona, please let me know [emphasis added].
“At what point do you believe your practice of Chicago-style politics violates a public official’s right to speak out in favor of alternative policies,” Issa asks. “The American people have a right to know what role you played in developing the threatening letters to Governor Brewer and whether you intend to continue to engage in these tactics in the future.”
http://republicans.oversight.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=625
George| 8.6.09 @ 10:57AM
Obama says, "this is the moment we have been waiting for."
Those clinging to their guns and religion say, "this is the moment WE have been waiting for."
LogicalUS| 8.6.09 @ 11:05AM
Jack sd: "Vinz212, perhaps you can tell me what is so "modern" about trying to ram through socialistic policies "
Might want to ask this nitwit also what is "modern" about going back to energy sources like windmills and water power which our fathers discarded nearly a century ago because they were inadequate and inefficient. What is next mandated rickshaws for taxis? Couldn't use wagons because these loons believe horses have a right to sue humans in court?
I prefer to call them the Regressive Party.
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 11:27AM
Leftist Bloggers Who Get Marching Orders from Obama Attack Protesters as “Astroturf” links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 11:40AM
Dem congressmen starting to cancel Town Hall meetings - Politics and Other Controvers links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 12:02PM
Report misleading e-mails to the White House - Page 3 - PennJersey.info Forums links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Jane| 8.6.09 @ 12:06PM
Sorry Sons of Liberty,
We're all astroturfers now.
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 1:08PM
Hot Air » Blog Archive » Pelosi: Beware of astroturfers carrying swastikas links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 2:16PM
American Glob » Blog Archive » Obama and His Minions: The Real Astroturfers links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Jeremiah| 8.6.09 @ 2:38PM
Liberals are the phony baloney astroturfers--we are the true grass roots and libs are gonna get an azzkicking!
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 2:46PM
Proletariat Blog » Blog Archive » Speaking truth to power - the musings of worker7219 links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 3:11PM
The Anchoress — A First Things Blog links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 8:57PM
I See Swastikas « Obi’s Sister links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.6.09 @ 10:18PM
I See Swastikas - Obis_Sister’s blog - RedState links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
kb| 8.7.09 @ 7:18AM
This proves Pelosi and Obama are scared of American people speaking their minds and not rolling over and saying their way is the correct way! I take offense to being called a 'mob' and we are like 'astroturf' is showing THEY are the ones who are being childish and afraid. Yes, be afraid, very afraid. We are standing up for the America we love, before the goverment takes over everything and we are living in a socialist country. They work for us, we don't work for them and it will show when 2010 and 2012 comes around. So, go back to your high bench and call us all the names you want. It will come back to haunt you.
Pingback| 8.8.09 @ 12:48AM
Jenn Q. Public, Failed Protester for Hire : Jenn Q. Public links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.9.09 @ 4:24PM
I See Swastikas - Southern Maryland Community Forums links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.10.09 @ 2:38PM
Health Care: Mainstream Media Demagogues ‘Organized’ Conservatives, Ignores PAID Libe links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
Pingback| 8.10.09 @ 3:31PM
Bonehead Of The Day | Black & Right links to this page. Here’s an excerpt:
SAFASF| 8.12.09 @ 8:20AM
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Mattmon1| 8.12.09 @ 12:25PM
These are very classic tactics employed by the- Left historically- with Community Obaminizer in Chief using them to this day in this very situation with his Left-wing bloggers. The leftists like Obama in fact are not so clueless that they actually think that most Americans want all of these socialist-policies that they want they do understand that they have maybe 20% support if that for the complete agenda. Yet, they think they know what is better for Americans so, they should have the right to use this moment when they have snuck the most liberal President in our history into the most powerful position by effectively keeping his intentions hidden. This is classic bait and switch and they know it. They just think they have to go for it full tilt as Americans will likely remember how little they knew about Barry when they pulled that lever even if quietly many already regret it and many more still are realling from the sticker shock. I think people are getting disgusted with the arrogance of Obama in many ways. How about that date night in NY while layoffs are going through the roof? They have downplayed and try to keep the famous date nights out of the MSM as they are starting to get the hint. Ultimately, they will stop at nothing to try to strong-arm and ram this policy through as they know it is there only hope...
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