Jane, maybe contact AM-760 in Denver to ask them to rally listeners to attend the event, or offer to be a guest on a segment. I think David Sirota guest-hosts in the morning.

I’ll try to call in in the morning to do the same, and hope to see people there.

(303) 713-8000

Jane, Tried to use your link to sign up on your link but can’t figure it out and I only have had 1/2 glass of wine

Nice facist tactics.

Excuse me, but I hope someone will ask Jared Polis tomorrow if he’s committed to paying for health insurance by taxing rich people like himself and Mrs Pelosi. He voted against the bill in committee; this Pelosi visit better turn him around.

Let me tell you this just one more time
Just one more thing I wanna tell ya
Before I go
It’s a shame the Man in Denver
Has to lie and mistreat people so
Now six months ain’t no sentence
One year ain’t no time
When I hear from one to ten
It worries my troubled mind
`Cause the police in Denver
Lord, don’t want no long hairs around
And that’s the reason why
They try to tear Canned Heat’s reputation down

WTF, I just saw Chuck Grassley call the Government a “Predator” if it were allowed to run an public insurance option along with private insurance. This was on the News Hours with Jim Lehrer in an interview with Judith Warner. WTF is that all about.

for dogs sake
keeeeeeeeeeerist on a cracker call HOMELAND SECURITY and the FBI…they taseered a kid for simply reading from Kerrys book
jeeeeeeeeebus

Denver resident ?then please show up,don’t let this opportunity slip by.Want health care reform ? then be there.

hey CHUKKKLES,ya willing to give up your government insurance I PAY FOR?

“Gerry Connolly says that one Freshman was assaulted”

Seems dubious without specifics. Connolly made the assertion sometime before a noon posting at Rollcall, but as yet no name, place, time.

rule by Brownshirt. Alexander Hamilton warned about this.

I choked back my disgust long enough to watch about half of the interview with Grassley on the News Hour. Short version, current health care is peachy, God save us from Canadian-style single-payer.

I guess he likes being bait in his predator government’s health insurance pool.

If one is so inclined they can read my diary

http://seminal.firedoglake.com/diary/6955

shitweasel!!!!…him not you

Yeah! Great idea.

I read in my local newspaper the (Worcester Telegram) that Cong. McGovern and Cong. Neal had been heckled at a meeting they held on health care reform at the University of MA Medical Center. I called Neal’s office in Springfield and the staffer had no idea what I was talking about. Next, I called his DC office and the staffer was somewhat better informed. I asked if I could be of assistance. I told the staffer I was a bankruptcy attorney and would be willing to be at a town hall to give testimony about what I see every day (people with insurance needing to file bankruptcy because of the “death by spreadsheet” practices of the insurance industry. The staffer said she would give my name and information to the chief of staff.

I wasn’t exactly impressed by the response I received. These are two Reps in very safe Democratic seats and there seems to be a lack of urgency-at least with the staffers.

BTW: I also said Neal should be a co-sponsor of the Conyers single payer bill. Staffer seemed mystified by what I was talking about.

NewsSour is horrible………..ssheesh

That title is quite something.

I think you’re going soft on us.

*g*

Oops, I meant Judy Woodruth. Here’s a link

I get it, but if I was the freshman I might not want to be identified either.

I could probably garner as much useful info if I switched it over to Wheel of Fortune.

what a worthless piece of protoplasm………………..argh!!!!!!!

Hi eCahn.

I am curious about the whole organization of this wingnut targeting of townhalls. The guy in CT who told Dodd to kill himself was from a Gathering of Eagles. According to opensource there’s a link between “Move Forward America” and the Free Republic, since Kristinn Taylor serves as press contact to both. I can’t help but feel that money is changing hands somewhere. I’d like to where, and who.

at least you could have fun solving the puzzles g

BTW: I also said Neal should be a co-sponsor of the Conyers single payer bill. Staffer seemed mystified by what I was talking about.

Did the staffer sound young?

Has anyone asked a Republican or Blue Dog when they intend to stop sucking the government teat and foot the tab for their own health care?

AND THE KILLIN’ GOEZ ON AND ON AND…

Citizen Hamsher and the Firepup Freedom Fighters:

I have been listening and observing the “progressive” response to the anti-reform fascist thugs and street theater and I am gettin’ REALLY despondent. Sister Hamsher, you have spent much time and blog space goin’ after on of the few voices of reason and courage on this issue (Olbermann) while tryin ta rally us common folks to go out and confront the astro-truff crazies at town hall meetings without lettin’ the folks know what they are in for and providin’ training and support for those who would actually be puttin’ themselves in harms way by goin out there cold.

I encourage everyone here in FDL-land who might be contemplatin’ showin’ up for one of these stage managed street fights to read “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich” and understanbd how small groups of criminal thugs who are prepared to bully people at public rallies can make the issue into one of “law and order” and “mob rule” rather than as discussion of issues or rallies of support for individualsor parties. Anyone who goes out to one of these rallies needs to get ahold of the organizers of the event and find out what the strategy and tactics are for protection of the innocent and how they are to deal with physical confrontation and intimidation.

The leaders and organizers like Citizen Hamsher who want us to put our bodies in the road at these rallies should be puttin as much pressure on the DNC, local Democrats and meeting organizers to have a plan and inform the friendlies…at least as much pressure on the oprganizers to plan the response as was put on Olbermann to appolgize for a corporate deal he didn’t have any part in making. Goin’ out to these stage managed events to be cannon fodder for fascist thugs is exactly how we DON’T want to use our troops in the field…the small number of thugs and criminals who create the violence will have succeeded in turning viewers away from the entire issue and the result will be the splintering of the polity and the death of the reform movement.

In my opinion, Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann can do more to expose the criminal thuggery than any unorganized resistence at each event. Sister Rachel did more in a 10 minute segment on her show tonight than anyone could do at a hundred town hall meetings. If we are gunna respond to these fascist thugs by takin back the venues and confronting the Brown Shirts, we must be organized and prepared to experience violence and we must demand that those we are puttin’ it out there for are carryin’ the message back to the rest of the nation in the face of corporate media lies and distortions.

KEEP THE FAITH AND PASS THE AMMUNITION, THIS IS NOT A DRILL!!

Staffer in DC sounded young. Staffer in Springfield sounded bored.

uhm,that would require journalmalism

I sure hope there’s police, LOTS of police security in Denver for this event . . .

I also find it strange that Dodd is in state. I hear nothing of Lieberman.

Surely people across the political spectrum believe in giving people and their congressman an opportunity to talk with each other without outsiders shouting them down.

oh,by the by
teehee

Rupert Murdoch plans charge for all news websites by next summer

Times and Sun readers to pay as loss-making Murdoch declares end to free-for-all

Strange they didn’t know. Sounds like everyone is asking after single payer. Maybe it’s Conyers that threw em off.

Lieberman prefers to mingle with his real constituents, aka lobbyists.

and the verrrrrrrrrrrrry rich,McCrazies

With all of Trad-Med foundering, NewsCorpse probably won’t be the only one.

Actually I came across something at Free republic dot com, which suggested they are obsessed with Saul Alinsky and “turning the tables on Obama” by using the “rules for radicals” against him and supporters. But those are the ground thugs. I feel they must be getting money somehwere for all this.

And I am getting fed up with being used by the dem party when they can’t even close gitmo, get single payer up front, etc. etc. They want ground troops, they really should have to earn them.

Umm, generally this is the time when he becomes “Diner Joe” pretending to be everyone’s best friend.

a lot of them deserve it

#39 Is not a response to Jane, but a whole bunch of organization emails I seem to be getting.

this is great!!1

http://www.dailykostv.com/w/002021/index.html

that’s actually pretty funny. Misery fiscalists like my republican family members won’t pay for access to a website on principle. They’ll just have to find new sources for selfdelusion-reinforcing disinformation.

Citizen mui 1:

Sorry but the astro-turf thuggery is NOT a use of Alinsky organizin’ tools but is, instead, nothing more than classic fascist tactics of intimidating and bullying and phyically assaulting the citizenry and creating chaos and fear. The Brown Shirts 1931-33, the hired goons at the labor rallies in the 1920’s and 30’s and the organized police riots in the streets of the USA in the 1970’s are examples of successful fascist extortion and thuggery. No, this is classic fascism and it’s been practiced successfully in this country for over 130 years…at least since the first rise of the KKK.

yup

tee hee

I hope Nancy Pelosi has excellent Secret Service protection.

Hello!!!

actually older than that… Hamilton warned about just this type of demogoguery- royalists paid thugs to incite mobs in Philly and NY among other cities in the Revolutionary period. During the Civil War, similar tactics were used to incite riots in DC and NYC among the urban poor.

I didn’t say it was a use of Alinsky organizational tools. I *said* that is what they are talking about on Free Republic dot com which funds Gathering of Eagles. The same group that told Dodd to kill himself. How they intrepret Alinsky is how they interpret it.

Yes ditto

unfortunately, listening to Limbaugh rant will still be free

Here is how the freepers are interpreting it. It may not be your interpretation or my interpretation. I’ve never read Alinsky. But this is what they are writing about. You can google. I am not linking.

Here are the rules:

RULE 1: “Power is not only what you have, but what the enemy thinks you have.” Power is derived from 2 main sources – money and people. “Have-Nots” must build power from flesh and blood. (These are two things of which there is a plentiful supply. Government and corporations always have a difficult time appealing to people, and usually do so almost exclusively with economic arguments.)

RULE 2: “Never go outside the expertise of your people.” It results in confusion, fear and retreat. Feeling secure adds to the backbone of anyone. (Organizations under attack wonder why radicals don’t address the “real” issues. This is why. They avoid things with which they have no knowledge.)

RULE 3: “Whenever possible, go outside the expertise of the enemy.” Look for ways to increase insecurity, anxiety and uncertainty. (This happens all the time. Watch how many organizations under attack are blind-sided by seemingly irrelevant arguments that they are then forced to address.)

RULE 4: “Make the enemy live up to its own book of rules.” If the rule is that every letter gets a reply, send 30,000 letters. You can kill them with this because no one can possibly obey all of their own rules. (This is a serious rule. The besieged entity’s very credibility and reputation is at stake, because if activists catch it lying or not living up to its commitments, they can continue to chip away at the damage.)

RULE 5: “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon.” There is no defense. It’s irrational. It’s infuriating. It also works as a key pressure point to force the enemy into concessions. (Pretty crude, rude and mean, huh? They want to create anger and fear.)

RULE 6: “A good tactic is one your people enjoy.” They’ll keep doing it without urging and come back to do more. They’re doing their thing, and will even suggest better ones. (Radical activists, in this sense, are no different that any other human being. We all avoid “un-fun” activities, and but we revel at and enjoy the ones that work and bring results.)

RULE 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.” Don’t become old news. (Even radical activists get bored. So to keep them excited and involved, organizers are constantly coming up with new tactics.)

RULE 8: “Keep the pressure on. Never let up.” Keep trying new things to keep the opposition off balance. As the opposition masters one approach, hit them from the flank with something new. (Attack, attack, attack from all sides, never giving the reeling organization a chance to rest, regroup, recover and re-strategize.)

RULE 9: “The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.” Imagination and ego can dream up many more consequences than any activist. (Perception is reality. Large organizations always prepare a worst-case scenario, something that may be furthest from the activists’ minds. The upshot is that the organization will expend enormous time and energy, creating in its own collective mind the direst of conclusions. The possibilities can easily poison the mind and result in demoralization.)

RULE 10: “If you push a negative hard enough, it will push through and become a positive.” Violence from the other side can win the public to your side because the public sympathizes with the underdog. (Unions used this tactic. Peaceful [albeit loud] demonstrations during the heyday of unions in the early to mid-20th Century incurred management’s wrath, often in the form of violence that eventually brought public sympathy to their side.)

RULE 11: “The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.” Never let the enemy score points because you’re caught without a solution to the problem. (Old saw: If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. Activist organizations have an agenda, and their strategy is to hold a place at the table, to be given a forum to wield their power. So, they have to have a compromise solution.)

RULE 12: Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.” Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions. (This is cruel, but very effective. Direct, personalized criticism and ridicule works.)

That was awesome! Good show!

Citizen Blub:

Yep…been the rich and powerful usin the poor and disenfranchised against themselves goin back to old Rome.

They want ground troops, they really should have to earn them.

I agree. I have sent some money for health-care ad groups I like, but I’m not hyped about spending time when there’s no formula. I am working Saturday, for the second time, but I’ve got no petition for folks to sign, and don’t know the legalities of petitions. Jane is helping more than anyone, but we need more grassroots tools. Jane has done more than her share on this issue, and I hope Netroots Nation will be the launching pad for the salvation of healthcare in America.

If you’re not willing to back the assertion with verifiable specifics, there’s no justification for running your mouth to the press.

Assaulting a Member of Congress is a federal offence. US Code TITLE 18 PART I CHAPTER 18 § 351.

§351. Congressional, Cabinet, and Supreme Court assassination, kidnapping, and assault; penalties

(e) Whoever assaults any person designated in subsection (a) of this section shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the assault involved the use of a dangerous weapon, or personal injury results, shall be fined under this title, or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both.

(f) If Federal investigative or prosecutive jurisdiction is asserted for a violation of this section, such assertion shall suspend the exercise of jurisdiction by a State or local authority, under any applicable State or local law, until Federal action is terminated.
(g) Violations of this section shall be investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistance may be requested from any Federal, State, or local agency, including the Army, Navy, and Air Force, any statute, rule, or regulation to the contrary notwithstanding.

The last prosecution was the guy who pied Helen Chenoweth in 2000.

If it really happened, the anonymous Member need not file the complaint for prosecution.

Ha. Lush Limpbaugh said that same thing during the Prez campaign. How’d that work out for them?

Typical Repub fashion, they think they can just read a book and there ya have it! It’s all so simple.

Organizing is an art form that people go to school for, and spend years getting mentored. Like Obama did. Like Pete Seeger did. Like MLK did. Like Rosa Parks did. One of my all-time favorite photos (MLK, Pete Seeger, Rosa Parks, Ralph Abernathy all studying together at the Highlander Center in 1957):
http://www.highlandercenter.or…..arks10.jpg

Considering what all those folks did after that, I’d say they learned well. Amazing.

So by all means, keep reading Alinsky, ya thugs…brave warriors in the War of Ideas(TM). You’re gonna win!

concern?

wow great pic,thankyou

I’m in – I just sent an email to my boss telling him I had an urgent appointment tomorrow, and he responded “OK” so I’ll be there with video camera.

Any meetup spot? Aside from the venue at 2100, I didn’t catch any prior meetup.

To think about how much that collection of young people altered our entire society…breathtaking.

They just were not going to be denied. Truly inspiring. I’m going to see if I can get photo that framed.

The surprise tactics of the healthcare lobbyists’ minions are no longer surprising. Why do we walk into ambush after ambush and do exactly what is expected, as if the format of town hall meetings were written in stone?

Why don’t we just read their own script at the beginning so everybody in the audience knows what is going on? When they start the shock and awe, they will just be proving our point.

To counter the “I’ve got mine!!!” argument, why not include speakers at the podium who had health coverage and thought it was good until they or their kid got sick? Most people don’t know how many bankruptcies result from situations like that.

” – Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”

– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”

– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”” link to excerpts

Efforts at mobocracy go back as far as the nation itself. Veterans with muskets and swords surrounded the Continental Congress in l783 forcing the members to flee Philadelphia, to attempt to finish the session in several different cities (Princeton and New York among them). Recognizing the threat of Mobocracy the Congress included creating a Federal District – Washington D.C. Other disgruntled vets rebelled in Western Massachussets during Shays revolt, beating and intimidating Federal and State officials…only to be put down by outside militias. Whisky Rebels assaulted tax collectors and other government agents.

Then there were a continuing saga of vigilante groups, lynch mobs and other groups that assaulted and threatened government officials, and racial, ethnic and religious minorities. Malkin’s Minions can trace their history back to those who called themselves the “Know Nothings”, Ku Klux Klan and the original “Deadheads”

Pelosi? HR676 is going to come up before HR3200, right?

Well, since the banksters run the government, and the banksters are predators, that makes the government a predator, right? See James Galbraith, The Predator State.

FYI, the Denver event is for 70 invited guests only. Pelosi won’t be mobbed–however, there will be crowd outside so prepare for some unmoderated discourse, guys, if you know what I mean. And come in force, ithe signs and shout Medicare for All! or Single Payer Best Choice! if they start to shout at you.

Can’t be there personally, so here’s some advice:

Target the reporters, walk up to them in a friendly fashion, engage them, and say politely how you think healthcare is essential for small business and all Americans. How our voices aren’t being heard because of these paid thugs.

G Luck!