Sunday, August 9, 2009

Rand Paul Catches Democrats AstroTurfing

Dr. Rand Paul notes on his campaign web site that Obama Administration's grassroots outreach machine is recruiting activists to deluge the offices of Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell:

Sunday afternoon, Organizing for America, Obama’s political arm, sent out an email to central Kentucky supporters urging them to join “Office Visits for Health Reform” this week. Their goal is to bombard Sen. Mitch McConnell’s Lexington office with a constant stream of agitators during office hours. From the Obama email:

“Choose a day and time to sign up this week — we want to have someone at each office throughout the day all throughout the week.”

Dr. Paul condemns the abuse of public resources certain to result from this week-long stunt and wishes the President would instead turn his focus to improving the functioning of Medicare and Medicaid before the failing entitlements bankrupt the country.

It is no surprise that a president who served as a "community organizer" would inspire his followers to go out and organize their communities. Moreover,Democrats have a free speech right to tell McConnell how much they want the government to take over health care, though Dr. Paul is right: they should express their opinion without disrupting business.

Still, the hypocrisy is breathtaking. The same people who have been sputtering about supposed Birthers, mobsters, and AstroTurfers now want to mob McConnell's office.

2 comments:

JakeGint said...

Hey Sloane and Co.,

Love the blog, even if it's run by an Ephman.

When are we going to see a post on the mayoral race? I guess it's one of those "we know it's going to be a Dem, but which one" type of inside-the-Snyder Louisville deals, but I'd be interested in your take nonetheless.

Seems like we'd want to back the most conservative Dem then... would that be my boy Greg Fischer? Or the old crochety bank guy?

(Can't believe either of those guys are Dems, btw)

Best,

Jake
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Terri said...

JakeGint, I don't know that a Dem as Lou mayor is as sure thing as you think it is.

As for the OP, I think you think that astroturfing means something that it doesn't. A lot of the legitimate criticism directed towards teabaggers, birthers, etc., is that these organizing movements are funded and orchestrated by groups that *sound* grassrootsy, but aren't, in actuality. (i.e., heavily funded/organized by lobbyists, political operatives, etc., with a different name attached in order to give it a folksy/legitimate face)

Organizing for America = barackobama.com, his political arm, indeed. It says so right in the email and on the web page. No trying to bury the source.

What you're calling astroturfing is really just regular old spam activism, which Mitch McConnell himself has also employed via his campaign mailing list.