"I don't think it admirable behavior for anyone to act SO rudely, democrat or republican."
Agreed! However rude, angry, and even disruptive speech is/can/should is protected.
Demonizing a set group of citizens for it when you yourself do the very same thing is the definition of hypocrisy. Of course when I say this I do not mean "You"...
Pelosi is the biggest perpetrator in this hypoctisy...
Anti-war protesters were given praise and called grassroots, and patriotic. while the Conservative protest groups are called un-American and Astroturf...
That because liberal protestor are (mostly) patriotic and it was a grass roots movement (i.e not triggered by lobbyists.) At the very least it was thought through. I don't recall them ever shouting down a woman in a wheelchair who was trying to speak to her representative. That would be a new low.
"There is more "astro-turf" on the left side of the field than some may suppose. Former director of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, John Bruhns, made clear with his article, "The Anti-war Phonies" that "high-profile lobbying organizations" and "special interest groups" orchestrated many of the Bush-era war protests. See www.peaceactionme.org."
Again,,,woman in wheelchair. I guess the service people can't handle it, even though it's their jobs. They are more fragile than A WOMAN IN A WHEELCHAIR?
"“ASTROTURFING is political, advertising, or public relations campaigns seeking to create the impression of being spontaneous “grassroots” behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf. The goal of such a campaign is to disguise the efforts of a political or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity — a politician, political group, product, service, or event. Astroturfers attempt to orchestrate the actions of apparently diverse and geographically distributed individuals, by both overt (“outreach”, “awareness”, etc.) and covert (disinformation) means. Astroturfing may be undertaken by an individual pushing a personal agenda or highly organized professional groups with financial backing from large corporations, non-profits, or activist organizations. Very often the efforts are conducted by political consultants who also specialize in opposition research.”
“A GRASSROOTS movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement) is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it is natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Often, grassroots movements are at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties.”
In essence, either can be organized from the top down from an umbrella organization, but only if it is sponsored from the people within that organization and only if those people are not being manipulated from an ulterior motive."
"The Tea Parties are a perfect example of astroturfing in action. Despite genuine grassroots libertarian roots, after Obama was elected they suddenly became organized by such notorious neocon organizations as FreedomWorks and Progress for America (both names must be ironic). The Tea Parties transformed into a platform to mobilize the same conservatives who were huge supporters of Bush, a partisan event to attack Obama, the Democrats, and the movement for change and reform in this country that began to take shape in 2006.
When corporate funded groups initiate the organizing behind such events, they are not grassroots, they are astroturfing, and FreedomWorks in particular has a long history of this. Other examples would include the conservative lobbying group Bonner and Ass. sending out forged letters, supposedly from the NAACP to oppose the climate bill.
This doesn’t mean most of those who showed up to demonstrate at these Tea Parties were in direct contact with these neocon front groups, only that the groups layed the groundwork with how to obtain permits, what type of tactics to employ, sign suggestions, setting up web domains to allow people in the community to just take it over, email lists, etc. Most of the people that arrived had real concerns about certain issues, particularly the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That doesn’t mean the circus didn’t have a master.
Now contrast this with the Iraq War protests in the Bush years. There was no corporate group behind it, no hidden agenda, no concerted effort to blend into pro-war meetings and suddenly erupt in furious blather and stifle discussion. Of course, every pro-war rally was usually heavily screened, you had to be a regular at the local GOP office or a trusted friend to get in, and any questions were pre-arranged. People did flock to groups like MoveOn.org, A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, and United for Peace and Justice, who did some top down organizing, but the central difference is that this was an upswell of homegrown outrage which coalesced into a national movement. Astroturfing means to mimic a grassroots movement, with the powerful lobbyists behind the movement hiding their agenda by pretending to be individuals voicing their opinions. See the difference?"
The whole shouting down has gotten out of hand. It IS sickening. I can't wait until universal health care passes so we can move beyond this barbarism.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vauUPUAa0
ReplyDeleteIt's patriotic when anti-war protesters shout down a forum, but not when the Conservatives do it... Pppppfffffffftttttt...
COE, what exactly does Ppppfffttt mean anyway?
ReplyDeleteI don't think it admirable behavior for anyone to act SO rudely, democrat or republican.
"I don't think it admirable behavior for anyone to act SO rudely, democrat or republican."
ReplyDeleteAgreed! However rude, angry, and even disruptive speech is/can/should is protected.
Demonizing a set group of citizens for it when you yourself do the very same thing is the definition of hypocrisy. Of course when I say this I do not mean "You"...
Pelosi is the biggest perpetrator in this hypoctisy...
ReplyDeleteAnti-war protesters were given praise and called grassroots, and patriotic. while the Conservative protest groups are called un-American and Astroturf...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3vauUPUAa0
ReplyDelete"I am a fan of disruptors"
"Your advocacy is very American"
"And we love it"
She's a fan of disruptors, unless of course the disruptors are Conservative!
ReplyDeleteThat because liberal protestor are (mostly) patriotic and it was a grass roots movement (i.e not triggered by lobbyists.) At the very least it was thought through. I don't recall them ever shouting down a woman in a wheelchair who was trying to speak to her representative. That would be a new low.
ReplyDelete"Agreed! However rude, angry, and even disruptive speech is/can/should is protected."
ReplyDeleteGenerally, I agree. But to what extent? Should someone be able to verbally abuse someone? I don't think so.
No they just do it a recruiting stations... I suppose you could/would justify any ammount of hypoctisy as long as it's on the left!
ReplyDeleteAgain...woman in wheelchair.
ReplyDeleteAgain... Men and women fighting and giving their lives for this Country!
ReplyDeleteTaken from another blog:
ReplyDelete"There is more "astro-turf" on the left side of the field than some may suppose. Former director of Americans Against Escalation in Iraq, John Bruhns, made clear with his article, "The Anti-war Phonies" that "high-profile lobbying organizations" and "special interest groups" orchestrated many of the Bush-era war protests. See www.peaceactionme.org."
Again,,,woman in wheelchair. I guess the service people can't handle it, even though it's their jobs. They are more fragile than A WOMAN IN A WHEELCHAIR?
ReplyDelete"“ASTROTURFING is political, advertising, or public relations campaigns seeking to create the impression of being spontaneous “grassroots” behavior, hence the reference to the artificial grass, AstroTurf. The goal of such a campaign is to disguise the efforts of a political or commercial entity as an independent public reaction to some political entity — a politician, political group, product, service, or event. Astroturfers attempt to orchestrate the actions of apparently diverse and geographically distributed individuals, by both overt (“outreach”, “awareness”, etc.) and covert (disinformation) means. Astroturfing may be undertaken by an individual pushing a personal agenda or highly organized professional groups with financial backing from large corporations, non-profits, or activist organizations. Very often the efforts are conducted by political consultants who also specialize in opposition research.”
ReplyDelete“A GRASSROOTS movement (often referenced in the context of a political movement) is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it is natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures. Often, grassroots movements are at the local level, as many volunteers in the community give their time to support the local party, which can lead to helping the national party. For instance, a grassroots movement can lead to significant voter registration for a political party, which in turn helps the state and national parties.”
In essence, either can be organized from the top down from an umbrella organization, but only if it is sponsored from the people within that organization and only if those people are not being manipulated from an ulterior motive."
"The Tea Parties are a perfect example of astroturfing in action. Despite genuine grassroots libertarian roots, after Obama was elected they suddenly became organized by such notorious neocon organizations as FreedomWorks and Progress for America (both names must be ironic). The Tea Parties transformed into a platform to mobilize the same conservatives who were huge supporters of Bush, a partisan event to attack Obama, the Democrats, and the movement for change and reform in this country that began to take shape in 2006.
ReplyDeleteWhen corporate funded groups initiate the organizing behind such events, they are not grassroots, they are astroturfing, and FreedomWorks in particular has a long history of this. Other examples would include the conservative lobbying group Bonner and Ass. sending out forged letters, supposedly from the NAACP to oppose the climate bill.
This doesn’t mean most of those who showed up to demonstrate at these Tea Parties were in direct contact with these neocon front groups, only that the groups layed the groundwork with how to obtain permits, what type of tactics to employ, sign suggestions, setting up web domains to allow people in the community to just take it over, email lists, etc. Most of the people that arrived had real concerns about certain issues, particularly the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. That doesn’t mean the circus didn’t have a master.
Now contrast this with the Iraq War protests in the Bush years. There was no corporate group behind it, no hidden agenda, no concerted effort to blend into pro-war meetings and suddenly erupt in furious blather and stifle discussion. Of course, every pro-war rally was usually heavily screened, you had to be a regular at the local GOP office or a trusted friend to get in, and any questions were pre-arranged. People did flock to groups like MoveOn.org, A.N.S.W.E.R. coalition, and United for Peace and Justice, who did some top down organizing, but the central difference is that this was an upswell of homegrown outrage which coalesced into a national movement. Astroturfing means to mimic a grassroots movement, with the powerful lobbyists behind the movement hiding their agenda by pretending to be individuals voicing their opinions. See the difference?"
http://tinyurl.com/mcnx2s
Anything to distract from the debate or questions being asked. More attempts to demonize anyone with a differing opinion...
ReplyDeleteYes, that's a perfect description of tea-bagger tactics.
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/qtrhrh
ReplyDeletehttp://rollingstone.com/nationalaffairs
ReplyDeletehttp://tinyurl.com/qvkmeu
ReplyDelete"Yes, that's a perfect description of tea-bagger tactics."
ReplyDeleteName calling? I do find the term funny however... You know, having the understanding of what getting tea bagged is!
It's a self-appointed moniker.
ReplyDelete