The trouble about saying all the townhall protestors are paid shills...

[rucky]

is that they're not all whores. Many are doing it for free.

My sister-in-law is one of them. She gets her news from mass emails and FOX. The Dick Armey grows in numbers because they're counting on no shortage of angry, misinformed people to join their ranks.

I don't think their intention was ever to convince the Congresspeople hosting the townhalls that there is grassroots against - but ironically, there is a grassroots movement building that the astroturf started. It's based on anger, lies and general insensitivity to people in need, but it's real and it's here.

It really IS time to "get in the faces" of people who are drinking the kool-aid. Maybe not in a group setting, but I've had to inform plenty of friends and relatives that they're being duped (not that they believe me).

[lib2DaBone]

1. Wish we could stop this insane Right Wing media attack...

.. when Rove sent his Young Republicans to Miami to Bang on the glass and disrupt the vote count... all of the so-called protestors were identified by picture as belonging to the RNC.

They ran a few stories on MSM and the left wing blogs complained about it.. but basically, the American people said "Ho-Hum", rolled over and went back to sleep.

So sad.

[MineralMan]

2. Actually, I think there are very few paid shills.

Money is being spent, but not to supply morons to shout down everyone at a town hall. The morons are more than happy to do that for free.

[timeforpeace]

6. Everyone's greatest fear is that they are doing it on their own because they REALLY are pissed. They

might be. Getting out of their comfy chairs to do this means real motivation if it's their own idea.

[rucky]

7. What do they have to pissed about - other than the lies they're being told

designed to get them pissed?

Look at page 38 of the bill - Obama's going to kill old people!

On page 59 it says they're taking everybody bank account information!

We won't have a choice!

We'll have managed care!

It's socialism...and it'll change my Medicare!

I don't have to read the bill, I got a mass email from someone who forwarded it from someone who read the bill.

[MineralMan]

8. They're being coaxed into showing up, not paid.

Those doing the coaxing, however, are well-paid indeed, and their continued payment depends on killing healthcare reform.

[Turbineguy]

3. A few paid shills and..

a lot of useful idiots.

[notesdev]

4. They're afraid

They don't know what is coming and they're afraid of the results.

The Democratic Party as a whole is making a huge strategic mistake here. Maybe this won't be popular, but here's the reality of the situation:

Democrats were NOT elected to pursue health care reform, or cap & trade, or gay rights, or any other ideological project. Democrats were elected for the following reasons:

1) The economy was/is crashing around our ears and the GOP was demonstrably in denial when it was obvious to the electorate.
2) This country is sick and tired of fighting two wars on the other side of the planet and has no idea what we are sending people there to die for.
3) The GOP was horribly, irredeemably corrupt and everyone was tired of it.

That's the agenda Democrats were elected to pursue. If the party has other priorities it will find itself back in the minority in 2010.

Perhaps a reminder is needed - politicians are elected to office to serve the people, not to pursue their own personal priorities. If they do the latter they will be ejected by the same people who put them in office. The vast majority of this country is non-ideological and a party can only survive in power if it is to serve the needs of the country as a whole. Again, those needs are fixing the economy, getting us out of foreign wars, and restoring some integrity to the political process.

ONLY if those things are accomplished will Democrats be trusted to pursue other goals. Until then no one should be surprised to find normal non-political people standing up and asking "WTF?"

[deaniac21]

5. We need to get more union guys out there to put an end to this

crap!