Barney Frank: GOP "decided apparently that they benefit from virulence, hatred, disruption"

By GottaLaff

Earlier, there were disruptive shouts of "Kill the bill!" from a protester in the House gallery. How did the GOP respond? They applauded, cheering him on. Aren't they the perfect role models for our youth?

Barney Frank had a thing or two to say about that embarrassing display:

“You have dozens of Republicans standing and applauding and cheering on a guy who was disrupting the proceedings and resisting court officers. It’s really disgraceful.” [...]

"These clowns are out there encouraging a violation of the law. They’ve decided apparently that they benefit from virulence, hatred, disruption."

Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), downplayed yesterday's Tea Tantrumers' racial and anti-gay slurs and their spitting on African American lawmakers.

Another fine American.

Barney Frank was none too thrilled with him, either:

“Any movement in which Steve King and Michele Bachmann are among the leaders is probably not going to meet high standards for civility or coherence,” Frank said.

Poll-itics: Majority Approves Of “Angry Attacks,” But Disapproves Of “Shouting Down”

By GottaLaff

From the Dep't. of WTF:

This new USA Today/Gallup poll is the first reputable polling I’ve seen on how the town halls are playing. [...]

It finds that more view the protesters at town halls sympathetically than not:

34% say the sometimes heated protests at sessions held by members of Congress have made them more sympathetic to the protesters’ views; 21% say they are less sympathetic.

[...] [I]t’s unclear from this write up whether the town hall rowdies have changed minds either way. [...]

By 51%-41%, those surveyed say individuals making “angry attacks” on a health care bill reflected “democracy in action” rather than “abuse of democracy.”

…but then there’s also this, which suggests the opposite:

However, by 59%-33% they say “shouting down supporters” of a health care bill was an abuse of democracy.

Conflicted much? But that aside...

There should be some serious control measures taken at these town hall meetings. In addition to that, the Dems better get their act/message together immediately. The news cycles are all about the drama, not the substance of health care reform.

However, both topics affect our lives deeply. Health care reform for all the obvious reasons, and eliminating this mob mentality, because human lives and the fiber of our democracy are at stake.

Both need to be addressed, but not as reality shows.

It's long past due for the news media [sic] to grow up and do some real reporting.

GOP Crazies Prepping For Obama N.H. Town Hall

By GottaLaff

Via Chuck Todd, we get a peek at an invitation to all the wingnuttiest's finest (read: worst) to President Obama's Tuesday health care town hall meeting in New Hampshire:

BTW, here's one invitation NBC News has gotten their hands on from a group rallying against the president. This is from the New Hampshire Republican Volunteer Coalition:

NHRVC members and others,

Barack Hussein Obama will be arriving in Portsmouth on Tuesday to hold a STAGED "Town Hall Meeting", where he will essentially hand pick who the guests will be and what types of questions will be asked of him.

A MASSIVE protest rally is being organized just outside of the facility where Obama will be holding his "Town Hall Meeting" to promote his plan for a government takeover of your healthcare decisions.

There will be news media from all over the world at this event and it will be the ideal opportunity for us to tell the rest of the country exactly how NH voters feel about Obamacare (taxed/rationed healthcare). It will be the most important pro-liberty event of the year in NH and it is critically important that every one of us attend.

If you can, bring a sign that says something like, "OBAMACARE=TAXED/RATIONED HEALTHCARE", etc.

Come anytime between 8am-4pm (peak time will be 11am-4pm)

See you there!!

Here's what Chuck Todd had to say about that whole "staged" thing:

And as much as some might want to believe the White House will be staging the questions, don't believe that hype. The White House knows the political price for being caught doing that is MUCH higher than having to deal with a confrontation or two at the meeting itself. If anything, I'd bet some inside the White House are hoping for a confrontation since they believe the president's demeanor alone will politically play well with the folks the White House cares most about right now, ACTUAL independents.

I'll be glued to my Tee Vee Machine Tuesday. Hopefully, it will be televised live, and the president will make these lunatics look like the cowardly, mouth-breathing obstructionist nutballs that they are.... in that nice, polite way he has, of course.

Cartoon Time: Shouting ire in a crowded town hall

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

(via Mark Streeter, Georgia, The Savannah Morning News)

VIDEOS: After walking away from town hall brawl, conservative shows up on Fox in wheelchair

By GottaLaff

First, the video that was taken immediately after the incident:



It sure looks like Kenneth Gladney could walk without so much a a limp to me. He was also speaking clearly and without obvious pain. But what do I know?

Via the YouTube blurb:

The Obama administration (thugs) said to punch back twice as hard and 2 black men wearing S.E.I.U. shirts took it literally by beating down a black conservative just for exercising his right to free speech.St. Louis County police say six people were arrested. Two of those were arrested on suspicion of assault, one of resisting arrest and three on suspicion of committing peace disturbances. Carnahan was gone when the ruckus started.

Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with Don't tread on me printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started.

It just seems there's no freedom of speech without being attacked, he said.

Now, a day later, he's confined to a wheelchair and apparently is unable to speak, although he was perfectly articulate in the video above:



Via the YouTube blurb:

Kenneth Gladney, who was attacked and beaten at the Russ Carnahan town hall by the representatives union supporters, attended the rally against violence today at the SEIU headquarters in St. Louis.

Kenneth's attorney David Brown read a letter by Kenneth to the crowd since Kenneth was still weak to speak publically.

Next, a few excerpts from Windy City Watch about the incident and presser in St. Louis. They point out that in an interview done shortly after the brawl, Gladney could vocalize just fine... several times... on the Tee Vee Machine... specifically ClusterFox:

During today's press conference Kenneth Gladney was in a wheel chair and unable to speak because he was on pain killers. But for some reason he was not in a wheel chair and was able to speak when he made numerous appearances on FOX NEWS ("Your Money w/Neil Cavuto" "The O"Reilly Factor") on 8.7.09.

He claims he was punched in the face numerous times and kicked in the head, however his face looks fine. [...]

This guy is nothing but a pure fraud, being used by the tea baggers. Why was this fool able to speak on FOX NEWS but unable to speak from his wheel chair today?

When in doubt, blame the unions, get a lawyer, and go on ClusterFox.

I wasn't there, but from the videos, it certainly looks as though Gladney was in better shape than he claims to be once he realized he could sue.

And speaking of "hate crimes", how would he characterize the Tea Terrorists' intentions when they bring guns to town hall meetings and use words like "Hitler" and "Nazi"?

Teabaggers Bring Guns to Tennessee Dem's Health Care Event

By GottaLaff

Via Jane Hamsher:

According to accounts from the Steve Cohen health care event in Memphis Tennessee, the teabaggers are showing up armed:

Steve Steffens at Right Wing Cracker: "Randy Wade is to be complimented as well; he arranged for security. There were actually idiots who brought guns (legally, it seems they had carry permits, but why did they feel they needed them?). Yes, you read that right, and Randy made them all check in with the Sheriff's Deputies on hand.

Gordon G via FDL Event Tracker: "Beginning early in the proceedings many attendees who were clearly against health insurance reform began trying to speak (and shout) out of turn, at times chanting in unison. These bullying attempts were contained by the rest of the crowd, who variously applauded speakers supporting reform, demanded that hecklers behave, and engaged thugs one-on-one to keep the peace." [...]

Tennessee Wisc Dem: The thing I wish Steve hadn’t done was ask any doctors present to speak first. Did he think doctors would be liberal? He thereby gave voice to every right-wing talking point you have heard. Several times he had to follow a doctor by saying "It’s not in the bill." I remember this especially with care for illegal aliens, but abortion and euthanasia both came up. The most prominent sign in the room was "don’t kill my GiGi." When Steve specifically said there was nothing in the bill to do this, and praised his family’s experience with hospice, he was roundly booed.

[...] Why is he front loading the meeting with anti-public plan "authority figures" if he intends to hold the line for what he says he believes in?

There is absolutely no reason to come armed to a health care town hall meeting. It's supposed to be an exchange of ideas, not bullets.

On the other hand, it's beginning to feel as if our side would be justified, citing self-defense. And how pathetic is it that I even felt the need to write that, even half-kiddingly?

VIDEO: Obama's team calls out Republimobbers

By GottaLaff

It's a start:



GObama!

VIDEO: ‘Just A Mom’ At Town Hall Meeting Is Exposed As Republican Operative

By GottaLaff

Note: Sorry about the double video. I can't get rid of it.

These everyday neighbory grassrooty types? They're not so everyday neighbory grassrooty after all, as we keep finding out. Rep. Steve Kagen (D-WI) had a town hall meeting yesterday and, of course, got shouted down:

One vocal attendee was a woman named Heather Blish, who identified herself as “just a mom from a few blocks away” and “not affiliated with any political party.” When interviewed by the local NBC affiliate, Blish insisted she was not a member of the Republican Party. “I left the party,” she said. Blish’s statements, however, are distortions. From NBC’s report:

Her LinkedIn page shows something different. She was the vice chair of the Republican Party of Kewaunee County until last year. She worked on the John Gard campaign, who ran unsuccessfully against Kagen last year. And it says she’s a part of the Republican Party for Kagen’s district, as well as the Republican Party of Wisconsin, and the Republican National Committee.

Can't get much more everyday neighbory than that, huh?

Health Care Astroturf Watch: "Bring a van load of friends, children and grandchildren"

By GottaLaff

Hey chums! Wanna know where a bunch of those grassrooty bussed in "plants" are coming from at health care town hall meetings?

(click on image to enlarge)

And wowsers! Look at all the bonus fun departments they have if you get tired of breaking windows and starting fist fights (Bonus B.S. arrow added by me)!

Yessireebob, these little outings are just neighbors joining other homophobic neighbors trying to share their homespun views. "Bring a van load of friends, children and grandchildren"! (Yes, it actually says that to the right of the Bonus B.S. arrow.)

Family Values like you've never seen 'em before! Grab a pitchfork, throw the kiddies in the van, and have a ball.... no matter what the consequences! And remember: You get to use your outdoor voices indoors!

VIDEO ADDED: Fist fights break out at Tampa health care forum

By GottaLaff

See earlier post. This is the New (Ab)normal:

Angry protesters and strong supporters are clashing inside and all around a health care reform town hall meeting in Downtown Tampa. The meeting which was scheduled to begin at 6:00 at the Children's Board of Hillsborough County drew hundreds of people who quickly began to overwhelm staff and event organizers at the front entrance.

As the building filled to capacity, angry protesters stuck outside began to scream, yell, and chant. At one point, those trying to get inside began banging on windows as Tampa Police officers quickly spread out guarding all entrances.

10 Connects photojournalist Kevin Carlson, currently inside the meeting reports at least one fist fight breaking out inside. [...]

Democratic Congresswoman Kathy Castor and State Representative Betty Reed were hosting the event.

UPDATE 7:13pm

Police on bullhorns are trying to break-up the crowd outside the building on 1002 E. Palm Ave. [...]

Anticipating problems at health care forums, Florida Democratic Party Chair Karen Thurman released the following statement today:

"Throughout the summer, we have been reaching out to Floridians to engage in an important debate on the future our health care system. We have heard story after story from people who are struggling to get the care they need. "Recently, their thoughtful discussions are being interrupted by angry mobs - well funded and organized by Washington special interests - attempting to drown out the voices of the hard-working Floridians who are desperate for health insurance reform. These groups are not concerned about Americans' access to quality heath care, but are extreme ideologues, only interested in 'breaking' the President and thwarting the change Americans voted for last November."

H/t: Cindy Scott

Harry Reid: GOP "run by a talk show host"

By GottaLaff

Whaddya know, Harry's right... but, "vexatious"?:

Reid, armed with a patch of Astroturf, slammed Republicans for sponsoring town hall attacks on Democrats and accused the party of waging a barricade on Democratic efforts to pass health care reform legislation.

"I just want to show you what Astroturf really is," Reid said to laughter. "They're taking their cues from talk show hosts, Internet rumor mongers, and insurance rackets."

"I just think, as I've said before, it's not often that you try to blow yourself up, but that's obviously what they're trying to do with all this vexatious stuff they're doing with these meetings, the birthers. It's a party being run by a talk show host," Reid said. [...]

Democrats seemed to be on a roll with their pushback Thursday.

"These guys don't care about you," Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said of the town hall protesters. "They care about YouTube."

"We can spot a winger," Durbin said.

Now how about doing something effective to stop them. You know what I mean, right? Get all vexatious and stuff.

DNC: "Grassroots" protesters “as organic as James Traficant’s hair"

By GottaLaff

Big Insurance has no intention of calming their slimy little corporate thugs down. But that's no surprise, now, is it:

“As organic as James Traficant’s hair,” is how the DNC described efforts by the the trade group, America’s Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP.

Well, AHIP has no intention whatsoever of backing off its efforts, an AHIP spokesperson just confirmed in an interview. [...]

Recently, AHIP announced that it was encouraging the insurance industry’s hundreds of thousands of employees to go to town meetings with members of Congress to “confront them” over reform, as Politico put it.

Asked whether AHIP stood by this directive, Zirkelback said AHIP had never urged anyone to “confront” members of Congress. “I never used that term,” Zirkelback said, insisting that AHIP was only urging employees to be “constructive,” and not destructive.

It all depends on what the meaning of "confront" is. Give. Me. A. Break.

But he left no doubt that AHIP would keep encouraging employees to turn out. [...]

To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with AHIP encouraging such participation. But it gives reform proponents an opening to point out that the industry [...] has an enormous amount at stake, is aggressively trying to pump up turnout at these rallies — and has every intention of continuing to do so.

Michael Steele's b.s. response to town hall protests

By GottaLaff

Qui, moi?

"We're not inciting anyone to go out and disrupt anything," said Steele. "We're not organizing the town halls."

"There's no upside for the Republican Party [in the protests]," he said later in the call. "That's not something that's coordinated or deliberately set in motion by me or anyone in the state party."

Um, "deliberately"? "Coordinated"? How about "encouraged", "not discouraged", "nudged along", "tacitly approved", "winking and nodding", and/or "surreptitiously requested"?

"This administration has the arrogance to look their nose down at my mother, my sister, my family members, my co-workers who are legitimately concerned — in some cases, ticked off — at their ability to appreciate… that there's something to be mad and concerned about [over the Obama health care plan]," said Steele.

Mad enough for this stuff?

As for looking down noses: Pot. Kettle. Small-minded.

"To sit back and say this is a Republican cabal is a bunch of baloney. And you can substitute that with another 'b' if you want."

Why, I think I will. Blueprint.

Later, a frustrated Steele shot down another question about the GOP's view of the recent chaos at congressional town halls. "I'll speak slowly. There's legitimacy to the protest. But how people protest…. I have no control over."

Hey, Aluminuminum, I'll speak slowly. Yes you do. One word from you and a few of your more legitimate party leaders, and these lesions on society would settle down. Unless, of course, you're saying you're impotent-- as a leader, f course.

I can only imagine what kind of parent Steele is: "If my kids bully and pummel their classmates, well... I have no control over that."

He added that there was nothing unusual about the development, and that he did not understand why the face-offs were drawing media attention. "Why is it so out of the ordinary that the American people should stand up and say, 'I have a concern about something the government is going to do?'

How many ways is that statement so utterly and mind-boggling stupid? He doesn't understand why this is grabbing Tee Vee Machine time? Really? This abberant behavior is normal to him?

And listen carefully, Steele... I'll speak slowly: If all they did was stand up, when called on, and voice concern, then no, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Why must we explain this to you?

What kind of loony, brain-dead RNC chair is this guy?

Forgive my not mincing words, but I didn't feel like writing around this at all. This line of b.s. was simply too preposterous for that.

Disrupting the Disrupters 101: Tea Baggers Fail at Health Care meeting

By GottaLaff

Disrupting the Disrupters 101 is brought to you by DANI:

The Democratic Alliance of Northwest Indiana (DANI ) hosted a meeting with Rep. Pete Visclosky (D, IN-01), on Monday, Aug. 3, 6:30 PM. We invited the public and their written questions. It seems good to share with the Daily Kos readership some lessons we learned.

Bottom line:
• We had an orderly and productive meeting.
• No one stood up, shouted out and sat down.
• At no point was our Congressman or audience rattled.
• DANI accomplished its objective. We provided the public an opportunity to question our Congressman about Health Care and Clean Energy.
• Tea Baggers came out in force, but they failed to disrupt the meeting.
• Local reporters attended.

Rather than mangle this primer, I'll simply send you there. It's terrific, and it worked.

This is one sentence I loved, so I'll share it here:

And then in opening remarks, I blew the Tea Baggers' cover. Roughly, it went like this:

Now go read, and learn.

Anti-Reform Group Takes Credit For Disrupting Town Hall Rallies

By GottaLaff

In a post back in May, I wrote about David Plouffe's warning about impending SwiftBoat attacks by Rick Scott's gang of thugs. Then, last month, I posted about the developing Rick Scott corporate grassrootery.

Now we see that Hooligan Ricky is going public, taking a bow for interfering with democracy via intimidation:

Conservatives for Patients’ Rights, the operation that’s running a national campaign against a public health care option, is now publicly taking credit for helping gin up the sometimes-rowdy outbursts targeting House Dems at town hall meetings around the country.

CPR is the group headed by controversial former hospitals exec Rick Scott that’s spending millions on ads attacking reform in all sorts of lurid ways, a campaign that’s being handled by the same P.R. mavens behind the Swift Boat Vets.

In response to my questions, a spokesman for the group confirmed that it has undertaken a concerted effort to get people out to the town hall meetings to protest reform. The spokesperson, Brian Burgess, confirmed that CPR is emailing out “town hall alert” flyers, and schedules of town hall meetings, to its mailing list. [...]

CPR spokesman Burgess confirmed that the group had set up a list serv designed to reach out to “third party groups” involved in the health care fight, including the Tea Party activists. And in a statement emailed to me, Scott, who was ousted as a health-care exec amid a 1990s fraud probe, took credit for the town hall showings. [...]

[H]e claimed outrage was spontaneous.

Similarly, America’s Health Insurance Plans, or AHIP, the insurance industry group, has stationed employees in 30 states to track local town hall events.

Be proud, Rick. Take those bows. You may ending up helping our side more than you know.

Rachel, from last night's show:

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

VIDEO: "Jane Roe" Arrested at Sotomayor Hearing

By GottaLaff



This makes me very sad:

"The woman known as 'Jane Roe' in the landmark Supreme Court abortion case Roe v. Wade was reportedly arrested today at Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor's Senate confirmation hearing," reports CBS News.

"Norma McCorvey is best known for her role in the 1973 court ruling that secured a woman's right to an abortion. Years after the pivotal case, McCorvey recanted her support for abortion rights and became an active anti-abortion demonstrator."

I was well aware that she had reversed herself on reproductive rights, but still...

Severed cable disrupts web access

By GottaLaff

This can't be good:

Internet and phone communications between Europe, the Middle East, and Asia have been seriously disrupted after submarine cables were severed. It is thought the FLAG FEA, SMW4, and SMW3 lines, near the Alexandria cable station in Egypt, have all been cut. A fault was also reported on the GO submarine cable 130km off Sicily. Experts warned that it may be days before the fault is fixed.

Jonathan Wright - director of wholesale products at Interoute which manages part of the optical fibre network:

"This will grind economies to a halt for a short space of time," he said "If you look at, say, local financial markets who trade with European and US markets, the speed at which they get live data will be compromised."

"If you think how quickly trades can be placed, if they are suffering from bad latency times, then by the time a trade is placed, the market may well have moved on."

The cause of the break is as yet unknown, although some seismic activity was reported near Malta shortly before the cut was detected. [...]

It is thought that 65% of traffic to India was down, while services to Singapore, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Taiwan and Pakistan have also been severely affected. [...]

"We've lost three out of four lines. If the fourth cable breaks, we're looking at a total blackout in the Middle East," said Mr Wright.

"These three circuits account for 90% of the traffic and we're going to see more international phone calls dropping and a huge degradation in the quality of local internet," he added.

"Normally you would expect to see one major break per cable per year. With four you should have an insurance policy. For this to happen twice in one year, on the same cable, is a serious cause for concern."

I blame Time-Warner.