DNC hammers Republican-backed 'mob rule'
WASHINGTON (CNN) - The Democratic National Committee released a sharply-worded statement Tuesday accusing Republicans of colluding with "K Street Lobbyists" to incite "angry mobs" of extremists to disrupt health care town halls in congressional districts around the country.
Full statement as released by DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse:
Statement from DNC Communications Director Brad Woodhouse on the Republican Party and Allied Groups’ Mob Rule:The Republicans and their allied groups – desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill – are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street Lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in Congressional Districts across the country.
However, much like we saw at the McCain-Palin rallies last year where crowds were baited with cries of 'socialist,' 'communist,' and where the birthers movement was born – these mobs of extremists are not interested in having a thoughtful discussion about the issues – but like some Republican leaders have said – they are interested in ‘breaking’ the President and destroying his Presidency.
These mobs are bussed in by well funded, highly organized groups run by Republican operatives and funded by the special interests who are desperately trying to stop the agenda for change the President was elected to bring to Washington. Despite the headline grabbing nature of these angry mobs and their disruptions of events, they are not reflective of where the American people are on the issues – or the hundreds of thousands of thoughtful discussions taking place around kitchen tables, water coolers and in homes.
The right wing extremists’ use of things like devil horns on pictures of our elected officials, hanging members of Congress in effigy, breathlessly questioning the President's citizenship and the use of Nazi SS symbols and the like just shows how outside of the mainstream the Republican Party and their allies are. This type of anger and discord did not serve Republicans well in 2008 – and it is bound to backfire again.
UPDATE: Republican reaction to the DNC statement after the jump
Comment by National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Ken Spain on Offensive DNC 'Mob Rule' Statement:What Democrats call ‘mob rule’ the average American calls ‘democracy.' Is this the strategy Democrats had in mind when they promised to galvanize public opinion regarding their unpopular massive government-takeover of health care?
This hyper-defensive reaction from the Democrat Party speaks volumes about the precarious position their members find themselves in. Speaker Pelosi and other party leaders dubbed this recess a healthcare ‘offensive,’ but little did we know the ‘offensiveness’ would be aimed at their own constituents. These kinds of despicable characterizations of middle class Americans, who oppose trillions in mounting government debt, as elements of the partisan ‘fringe’ smacks of elitism.
Once again the proof is in the pudding; clearly republicans hate freedom and democracy unless of course they get their way.
From this you, might think that the Republicans had been taking lesson from MoveOn.Org and others on the Left. But the DNC would think of those on the radical Left as "mainstream".
Is this anything like the DNC using ACORN? No this was voting americans, democrats and rebublicans sick of the congress not
listening to us?
Inciting a Mob at town halls is going to backfire, just like it did during the Obama v. McCain election.
Also, stalling reform is going to backfire. The Lobbyists and special interests are seriously under-estimating Obama – he will use this time to organize an even stronger push for a Public Option.
This is the same Insurance our Senators, Troops, and Seniors currently use – why not make it available to those who want to purchase it?
These astroturfers need to be put in their place.
I strongly suggest that town hall attendees who want to counter these bozos, try shouting "Health Care Now!" in response to these tactics.
In addition to this, a public condemnation of these schuysters at the start of their angry mob attitude, may also shut them up and quick.
This organized disruption of town halls is a direct interference with government business, and the FBI has jurisdiction and authority to get involved if necessary.
Health care will pass, and these tactics are the same crap the GOP and such pulled during the election campaigns.
You can already see how well that worked out for them.
Getting the media to cover this will also help expose the true nature of their agenda.
These rabble rousers are atrocious......Thieir flavor of disruption started long ago, but was recently resurrected by desperate Republicans.....It has the same DNA as was evident in many that attended Palin campaign rallies.....They are fueled by Limbaugh, Hannity, Malkins and others, and funded by wealthy donors in the GOP....They misrepresent America and its values, and bring shame to their party and the country.....Freedom of Speech is a right that we are 'Privileged' to enjoy....It wasn't intended as a flatform for the hateful and unlearned......
It's nice that the DNC has at least grown a set, though it should be almost as concerned with the effect of K Street connections on its own party! The rabid, racist tea-party crowd is dangerous in the short-term, no doubt, but the undemocratic process of shaping a bill for the benefit of private insurers is a result of collusion between lobbyists and principle-free Democrats like Max Baucus and Barack Obama. Single-payer is the only sane solution!
This makes absolutely no sense at all. Typical DNC.
The DNC is going to whine about labeling politicians as Nazis or the devil? That's a joke. I guess they forgot what they did during George Bush's presidency! Morons.
None of this surprises me. Anyone who has watched the behavior of the Republican members over the past several months can see that they are very desperate people.
And they're acting insanely. They don't realize that their repeated attacks on President Obama and their obstruction of Democratic policies only makes their image worse.
They're a party of the past. They'll be voted out of the offices they still occupy in 2010,2112 and 2014.
We're looking for another major party now.
Apparently Obama and his friends in the DNC think it is okay for groups like ACORN and the President himself earlier in his "career" to stir things up but when the Republicans organize it is all of a sudden the most deplorable act ever.
How hypocritical. If these were republicans being hammered by liberals you wouldn't hear a thing from the DNC. Both parties are out of touch. Rushing such controversial legislation through openly is a bad idea. The majority disagrees with Nacy, Harry, and Barry on this. But these elected officials act as if their party is all that matters. We, the people, still rule in this country. If the majority doesn't want it can it. Single-payer does not have the support of the majority of Americans !!Go back to the drawing board and come up with a proposal the majority will support. Simple.
America needs a "Public Option" its the only way to keep the Insurance Companies from gaming the health care system.
They just can't understand why people are not in favor of their health care plan so they have to blame everyones bad opinion of it on the Repulicans. I'm sorry but democrats have a super majority, they can do whatever they want. Since people realize this they are making sure their voice is heard Not a republican voice but a citizens voice.
Republicans are despicable. They'll do anything for power, won't they?
What's sad is that this is entirely true–it's not partison hyperbole. Lobbyists are behind these "angry mobs," it's not a true grassroots movement. Why are Republicans so afraid of having this debate? Why must they lie?
Nice try. These are people that are angry over the govement takeover of healthcare. Almost all the polls are showing that people do not want this and they are coming to these townhalls to express how they feel. I guess your labled an "extreemist" because you don't agree with this administration. The only rallying i have seen is grassroots, informing people where their congressmen are going to be.
That is exactly what the good ol' boys do.
DNC thank you for telling everyone what "these" folks are up to again.
No real surprise here. The party that embraced Rove, Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, Gingrich, W, Palin, and Cheney. Lie loud, lie often, shout your lies louder, and some will believe you. Witness: W and Rove attack on McCain in 2000, the Swift Boat Liars, any Limbaugh radio show, Sean "I'll be waterboarded for charity" Hannity, Sarah "I told congress thanks but no thanks to the bridge to nowhere (after she took the money, and then spent it on the approach road to the bridget that was to be built)" Palin.
It is sad that these people think it is ok to stifle discussion, but then when you represent the 28% of Americans who think health care is just fine, I guess you have to do something drastic (or un-American, whatever you might call it).
For what it is worth, at lease when we were thumpped at the polls, we maintained our dignity.
People are concerned, and they should be, that they're going to get this "nationalized health care" rammed down their throats like the stimulus and they are upset. I don't think this has anything to do with being a Democrat or a Republican – a lot of people just do not support it.
Every one of the "thoughtful discussions taking place around kitchen tables, water coolers and in homes" that I've been a part of or listened in to has focused on the ineptitude of government, especially in regards to healthcare. So from my (not-necessarily-representative) perspective, the conversation isn't that far away from the message of the "angry mobs."
My favorite, "let them fix the VA before they mess with the rest of our care".
Free speech is one thing but these people just want to disrupt town hall meetings. There no better then the idiots who disrupted the Republican convention during the election. Two wrongs don't make a right.
Whatever! The point here is that the DNC tactics that worked during the Obama campaign last year won't work this time and they know it!
All one has to do is read John Dean's "Conservatives Without Conscience" and "Broken Government" to see what the GOP has done to this country.
"Real" conservatives know that the GOP has been taken over by radicals that have been hell bent on destroying the middle class in order to further enrich the top 5% of the country.
The Libs need to look in a mirror. What's wrong with a little peaceful protest about the direction the government is headed. Hypocrites.
Yes, everyone who doesn't agree With Pelosi, Reed, and Obama is a right wing crazy!! Please keep this up Dem's it's only another 18 months until your gone!
Atleast none of these are Govt events held by the likes of ACORN.