I've been meaning to write about the right-wing's new "grassroots" strategy on health care reform of shouting down Democratic politicians at their town hall meetings all across the country but Stephen Colbert has already done it so well that I'll let him give you the word:
As I've said before, I don't doubt that these people are genuinely angry but let's be completely honest here: They're not just angry about taxes and health care reform; they're angry about losing. They've sustained this same level of outrage ever since their side lost the last election and the tea bagging parties and now these town hall meeting disruptions are just conveniently mass-coordinated protests and meetings at which they can vent their frustrations about their side being out of power with other like minded people.
And make no mistake, this latest strategy is not comparable to the left's practice of protesting outside of George W. Bush's carefully pre-screened town hall meetings. This is an active attempt to shut down debate on health care reform by shouting down their opposition from inside these venues. Disagreeing with the other side's views is fine but actively working to prevent them from freely expressing those views in a public forum is not.
Dick Armey's FreedomWorks organization has been the top-down force behind both of these movements and while a certain percentage of this effort is indeed "grassroots" a larger percentage (the one that wrote out the insurrection instructions being emailed out across the country) certainly is not, and admitting that would be a good start towards being taken more seriously as a truly concerned political movement.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Colbert's WØRD - Hippie Replacement
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4 comments:
You know I like this one. Can I post it along with some of your to-the-point commentary - with due credit of course.
I just linked it. Don't laugh. ; )
JBW: another thing is many local media outlets propagandize for tea baggers and now these astroturfers(I think that's what they're called.) A certain local media outlet was partly responsible for me shutting down my old site.
Integrity and class are foreign concepts to these people. I don't know what they have to gain other than the leaders like Armey.
But things will get violent eventually. And the Armeys and FOX News propagandists will tell us they never told anyone to hurt or kill anyone.
These movement attract fringe nuts like McVeigh. It's just a matter of time.
Sorry I had nothing clever to say about this type of activity. This is some bad shit dude.
"Sorry I had nothing clever to say about this type of activity. This is some bad shit dude."
I share your discouragement. It is damn scary. I used to be a media person but I think they've been totally irresponsible in this situation. They have fanned the flames in their quest for headlines. But I do see a slight, very slight, turn around. Maybe they've finally realized how dangerous and explosive this kind of mob rule can be.
I also blame that brainless wonder and sneaky lying dog John Boehner, and so many of his "patriots," for orchestrating this whole sorry mess. And I blame moderate and slightly right-of-center Republicans for not having the courage to publicly condemn this craziness.
But, what gives me hope is that there are more decent Americans than there are lunatics.
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