A pro-ObamaCare group, Health Care For America Now (HCAN), has sent out marching orders to its members on how to counter the scary anti-ObamaCare mobs, according to the Washington Times:
HCAN — whose members include ACORN, or the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now, the AFL-CIO, the Service Employees International Union, the National Education Association and the National Council of La Raza — issued some instructions of their own. The memo, e-mailed Tuesday to HCAN’s 120 field staffers in 44 states, encourages activists to contact elected officials before public events to plan ways to pre-empt the opposition.
Of course, it’s not “astroturfing”, or “manufactured” when the left does this, even if it’s only to provide “cover” for Dem congresscritters:
Another one of Ms. Jorge’s tips is to “Address the [member of Congress] directly with a positive message: Remember, these Members need cover and they are getting beaten up by right wing zealots in these meetings.”
Yesterday, in St. Louis, as Gateway Pundit reported, SEIU members were allowed entrance to a Russ Carnahan town hall meeting, while 1000 protesters were left outside:
Inside the gym they roped off two sections. One was for the tea party taxpayers and quickly filled up when they opened the doors at 6:00 PM.
The other section was marked “reserved” and this section was saved for the union members.
The rest of the crowd was locked out!
Same thing happened at in Tampa, at a townhall with Kathy Castor, as Erick Erickson at Redstate reports:
The event was conveniently held in a forum where only 250 people could fit. 1000 people showed up. SEIU members were given reserved seating that took up at least half of the 250 seats. As people came in who visibly oppose the Democrats healthcare plan, SEIU members barred access to the room.
The event turned ugly when the doors closed on the crowd outside:
Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis said the department was told a couple hundred people would show up and sent a squad of 10 to 15 officers, two marked cars, two supervisors and some undercover officers.
As the crowd grew, more were brought in – mainly for traffic control, she said, but they also broke up some scuffles. She said no arrests were made.
One man who said he was injured and intended to file a police complaint, Randy Arthur of Oldsmar, was outside the meeting room with his wife, Kathy Arthur, when organizers tried to close the doors.
News Channel 8 photo by CHRIS COYNER
She said he was slammed against a wall. He later talked to police officers, his knit shirt ripped and a few scratches visible on his chest.
Among the crowd outside, opponents and a smaller number of proponents got into occasional shouting matches.
After trying to speak, Castor left at about 6:40 p.m., taking jeers as she left.
“They’re hiding from their constituents. She works for us and needs to listen,” said Karen Jaroch, a Tampa homemaker and organizer for the 9-12 Project.
I expect this scenario to play out again and again throughout the August recess, and now with the SEIU involved, the previously raucous, but non violent townhalls will be marked by physical aggression.
Hat tip: Hot Air
OMG, even more at AoSHQ:
“The Persuasion of Power:” Vid of SEIU Bullyboys Attacking Actual Grassroots Citizens
Obama: I Don’t Want Repubicans “to Do a Lot of Talking; I Just Want Them to Get Out of the Way”
See Ace for video of SEIU thugs beating on anti-ObamaCare protesters. 7 6 were arrested.
And this is breathtaking…The malignant narcissist on “the people who created the mess: (you and me):
Does he not yet understand that he’s the President of the United States, and is no longer on the campaign trail? That’s not how a President talks!
Also at Ace’s:
“Get in Their Faces:” Arrested Trouble-Maker at Carnahan Rally Says She Works for Carnahan
plus Obama sends out the Joker signal:
Obama tweet: Call your congressman to boost healthcare
It’s not astroturfing when it comes from the very top, I guess.
Did President Bush ever do anything that louche?
A little addendum (geoff): Nancy Pelosi was greeted by conservative protesters with homemade signs in Denver today. Look at what the stunningly attractive and classy Obama supporters brought==>
Who’s astroturfing?
(Deb): From the Denver Today link, (thanks, Geoff) more ObamaCare supporter thug tactics!
A supporter of health care reform, left, who did not want to give her name, pushes forward to rip a sign out of Kris McLay’s hands outside the Stout Street Clintic visited by Nancy Pelosi. (THE DENVER POST | RJ SANGOSTI)
Nice Deb 
When you feel the need to control the outcome by organizing with and preferrentially admitting members of collectives that are sympathetic not necessary to the viewpoint of your constituents, but to the opinion you yourself profess, to the exclusion of constituents, then you are no longer a representative, you are a coward.
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I didn’t reference the Denver grabbing-the-sign picture initially, because I couldn’t easily tell what the sign she was holding had on it. Not to worry:
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Here’s what the thug, “Shirley V,” had to say about it:
Sounds like a load of hooey, just from looking at the photo.
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I think the picture tells the story.
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That old man with the ripped shirt is too old for this bullshit.
We’re gonna have to get off our collective asses and get this handled.
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Yep.
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At least she was right about it tarring the whole healthcare reform movement. Way to go, Shirl!!
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Did you see where Kathleen Sebelius is holding a teleconference call with SEIU members today,calling or “mythbusting”.
http://kansasmeadowlark.com/2009/08/06/hhs-sebelius-seiu-conference-call/
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Let’s start calling her “Kathleen SIEUbelius.”
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Good one.
I’m going shopping for school supplies. This is a tax free weekend in our state or that. Does CO do the same thing?
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No. It’s ‘spensive. But at least we only have 2.
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And where is the GOP big weights? Silent is where they are. They wait until their phones are melting and then finally say something days after the event. God Damn it, but I written them so many times about their lack of action, I give up on the Republicans.
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These scare tactics the libs are using to try to silence dissent and to stifle citizen engagement and public debate about the health care issue is an outrageous attack on free speech. This is nothing more than a blatant attempt to intimidate those who have legitimate concerns about the health care plan.
I am so outraged – I cannot believe this is happening in America. Americans have the constitutional right to express their opinion and concerns about health care.
We must not let them intimidate us! We must continue to discuss and pass on information about the dangers of Obama’s health care plan.
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This is a response from our senator when I asked him not to vote for healthcare.
Dear Mr. and Mrs.
Thank you for contacting me regarding the health care reform process. Anyone who has battled a major illness knows the system is broken, and we can no longer wait to fix it.
The Federal government is spending over $733 billion annually on health care, and the costs are rising at twice the rate of inflation. If we stay on our current path, the Federal government’s health insurance responsibilities are projected to cost nearly $1.34 trillion a year by 2019, putting a high burden on the Federal budget. And, this year the cost of health care has jumped by as much as 21 percent for small businesses, putting a strain on their balance sheets and the economy as a whole. Without a change in direction, the nation’s health care costs will become the greatest threat to maintaining a balanced budget and ensuring a vibrant economy.
There are a range of ideas on how to best reform our health care system. Chief among our aims must be to rein in the out-of-control costs of care. This means a new emphasis on wellness and prevention, a recommitment to researching innovative, more effective treatments for diseases, and additional efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs. I introduced the Medicare Prescription Drug Gap Reduction Act (S.266) to reduce the large gap known as the “doughnut hole” that occurs when Part D beneficiaries who have paid pay $2,700 in prescription expenses receive no further benefit until they have racked up a total of $4,350 in out-of-pocket expenses, despite the fact that they never stop paying premiums.
Equally important is the plight of the estimated 50 million Americans who lack adequate health insurance. I am working toward reforms that would make health insurance available to all Americans through an insurance exchange and would provide subsidies to those who cannot afford coverage. I also believe that Americans should never be denied health insurance or charged exorbitant fees because of a pre-existing condition.
Finally, we must ensure that there are enough health care providers in America and that they are adequately reimbursed by Medicare and Medicaid so they can continue providing care to those most in need. I introduced S. 973, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2007, to address this growing problem. This legislation would expand the number of Medicare-supported physician residency training positions, with an emphasis on funding new primary care residency slots. The number of physician residents eligible for reimbursement has not been altered to reflect changing demand since 1996. I have also fought consistently for fair Medicare reimbursement rates.
The task before us is immense, but Americans will rise to the challenge. I will be sure to take your views into consideration as the debate progresses. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future.
Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson
I wrote back and told him that we are not up to the challenge. We are up to not voting for him ever again.
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Should counter the bussed in thugs you support!
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Bussed in thugs?
Yeah right:
The ObamaCare opponents are ordinary Americans and they’re not bused in.
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Should counter the bussed in thugs you support!
What would you say if we pulled your string again?
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Expect this at any municipal building that hosts a Town Hall meeting. Like as not, the local city workers are SEIU and they view those buildings as THEIRS. And as Tampa clearly shows, they know where the sight lines are and how to corner people. (It’s just like card checking, after all.)
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This is a late post, but I would love to give Betty some information from the Blue Cross Blue Shield web site that contains actual cost numbers for Senator Nelson.
“Uncompensated care for the uninsured added $922 to the costs of employer-sponsored family coverage and $341 to the costs of employer-sponsored single person coverage in 2005. (8)”
“The continued underpayment of providers by public programs has devastating consequences for families and employers that are struggling to afford healthcare coverage. Low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals and physicians lead to significantly higher health insurance costs for consumers and employers. Annual healthcare spending for an average family of four is $1,788 higher than it would be if Medicare, Medicaid and private employers paid hospitals and physicians similar rates, with total provider reimbursement unchanged.”
We can conclude that one of the Major reasons the Private Insurance companies continue to increase cost (Democrats are trying to contain) is due to the underpayment of public healthcare. What happens when we explode the number of people on the public option? If you are losing money caring for public patients you will pass that cost on to the private patients. Further driving up the cost of private and employee funded insurance. Making more employers opt out of a private plan.
It could be argued that the uninsured that currently add $922 per family insurance coverage would be less because some of those uninsured would be covered under the public option, but don’t forget the illegal aligns; They are not included in the public option so that is not a savings you can fully bank.
(8) Families USA, Paying a Premium: The Increased Cost of Care for the Uninsured, 2005.
http://www.gethealthreformright.org/site/page/myths_vs_facts
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