------Original Message------ From: [email protected] To: [email protected] ReplyTo: [email protected] Subject: Shouting Down Health Reform Sent: Aug 5, 2009 11:11 PM
Shouting Down Health Reform 1. Memo Details Anti-Reform Harrassment Strategy 2. Health Care Reform Opponents Resort to Mob Rule === Memo Details Co-ordinated Anti-Reform Harrassment Strategy Beyond Chron August 5, 2009 http://www.beyondchron.org/news/index.php?itemid=7209 Ed. Note: As members of Congress adjourn for the August recess and hold town hall meetings in their districts, right-wing opponents of health care reform are gearing up to disrupt their appearances - hoping to scare them from supporting what 70% of Americans want: a universal health care plan with a public option. The blog Talking Points Memo has retrieved the following talking points -- which we print in their entirety -- that detail an intentional harassment strategy against Democratic members of Congress. Rocking the Town Halls - Best Practices: A Political Action Memo: We here in Fairfield County Connecticut conducted an action at Congressman Jim Himes' [who Beyond Chron interviewed last summer] Town Hall meeting in May 2009. We believe there are some best practices which emerged from the event and our experience, which could be useful to activists in just about any district where their Congressperson has supported the socialist agenda of the Democrat leadership in Washington. Our objective was to "pack the hall" with as many of our people ready to challenge the Congressman, put him on the defensive, and give him a reality check from we-the- people. We were successful in organizing about 30 people and we spread out among the crowd of about 150 people in the hall. We used some techniques early on which immediately made Himes uncomfortable, and several of us got our chance at the microphone to ask questions. Himes clearly left the hall staggered, as the meeting, billed as a progress report for his economic solutions, clearly did not go as he had planned. We humbly submit the following as a potential playbook to conduct similar events to achieve similar outcomes in most any targeted district. Organize for Success * Alert people in the district to watch for the first announcement of a Town Hall -- there may be as little as a week's notice. Have a central person advised so that the alert can be distributed to as many potential supporters as possible. * The organizer should go to www.projectvotesmart.org and obtain the Rep's voting record. It can be copied, pasted into Word, cleaned up, highlighted and readied for distribution. * Questions should be prepared. Most pols are pros at deflecting off-the-cuff questions. The questions should contain facts and numbers (which are embarrassing and damning to the Rep and his voting record). They can run up to five sentences or so -- you will not be cut off at that length. The questions should put the Rep on the defensive and demand a specific answer. Also, anticipate the evasive, deflective answer and be prepared with a quick follow-up. The questions should personalize the Rep, e.g. why did YOU vote for a budget that immediately carried with it a $1.7 trillion deficit? Use the Alinsky playbook of which the Left is so fond: freeze it, attack it, personalize it and polarize it. You only need to distribute five or six well constructed questions. There are some questions attached here which apply to most any Democrat that is supporting the Socialist agenda. * The voting record and questions and any relevant articles which would place the Congressperson on the defensive should be distributed to all indicating a willingness to attend. People should be asked to meet in the parking lot of the hall a half hour before the scheduled start. * Should you seek visibility for your group voicing opposition to the Rep's voting record and agenda, you could schedule a press conference 20 minutes before the Town Hall is scheduled to begin. Write and distribute a press release to local newspapers and TV. Have someone available to read a prepared statement and answer questions. We actually issued the press release and were Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You are subscribed. This footer can help you. Please POST your comments to [email protected] or reply to this message. You can visit the group WEB SITE at http://groups.google.com/group/yclsa-eom-forum for different delivery options, pages, files and membership. To UNSUBSCRIBE, please email [email protected] . You don't have to put anything in the "Subject:" field. You don't have to put anything in the message part. All you have to do is to send an e-mail to this address (repeat): [email protected] . -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
