August 5, 2009 4:45 PM

Who's Behind the Town Hall Protests?

By
Brian Montopoli
Topics
In The News
(CBS)
Republicans and Democrats have been going back and forth in recent days over the nature of the disruptive protests now popping up at Democratic town hall meetings around the country.

Republicans have suggested that the protests are an organic response to the Democrats' health care plan and criticized the opposition party for casting the protesters as a "mob" of "extremists."

Democrats, by contrast, have suggested the protesters are doing the bidding of Republicans and their allies, among them D.C. lobbying group FreedomWorks.

One of the sites set up to organize and encourage the protests is called "Operation Embarrass Your Congressman." Its self-professed mission:
"Expose the arrogance, ignorance, and insolence of our elected officials. Since public outcry against bad legislation has had little effect, maybe public embarrassment will. Be a participant in government, not a spectator. Join the operation and confront your congressman with the truth, facts, and their own arrogance, ignorance, and insolence! Capture it on film or audio. Expose it for all the world to see!"
In an effort to find out who is behind the site – and thus get a better handle on just how organic the protests really are – I looked to see who had registered the domain. It turned out, however, that the registrant was a company called "Whois Privacy Protection Service, Inc.," the purpose of which is to protect the identity of individuals when they register domains.

I also emailed the editor of the site asking who he is and whether he is affiliated with any organization. This afternoon, I received a response.

"I'm by myself - no affiliations," the editor wrote. He said he is "conservative by nature" but only voted Republican in the 2008 election because of Sarah Palin.

The editor wrote that he started the site because he was "fed up with DC politics." He said he runs a small business and is "not an activist," describing himself as a "firm believer in [the] 10th amendment" who rejects big government.

"Protests at Town Halls are real Americans, not like liberal activists of last 8 years (Acorn, etc.)," he wrote.

The respondent claimed the site has gotten 250,000 hits in its six-day existence. He wrote that "I've never written a blog" and "have very little web experience," though it's worth noting that he was sophisticated enough to hide his identity when registering the domain.

He also said he is not a member of the so-called "Tea Party" movement against government spending, though he said has been to a couple Tea Party events "to watch."

The email was signed, simply, "The Editor."

An important note: None of this information can be confirmed. It's fair to say an organizing lobbying group trying to hide its identity would be more likely to simply ignore my email than send a response of any kind. But it's impossible to know with certainty, based on the email, who is behind the site.


UPDATE 5:20 pm ET: The editor of the site has sent a follow-up email. It is posted in full below.

As I said before, I'm alone in my effort. No one knows who I am (not even my spouse - since they would NOT approve;)

The people who have in [large] part sent me mail are people who already planned to go to town halls. They're mad as hell.

Barbara Boxer's comments on "dressed to nice" to be REAL American's is a real insult.

This site is just a place where people can "vent" by posting what they consider examples of ARROGANCE, IGNORANCE, and INSOLENCE.

But now, it's looking like the page that list Reps who won't talk will be the most popular. I'm posting reports as I get time. They are literally closing up, turning the answering machines on and leaving for parts unknown.

AND, I'll post Republican and Independent examples if I get some - but all people are sending me is (D) clips.

I'm not happy with either party..

Thanks for the interest.

Add a Comment See all 50 Comments
by i-jensen August 9, 2009 11:50 PM EDT
"....though it's worth noting that he was sophisticated enough to hide his identity when registering the domain."

Huh? When you register a domain, you're generally presented with this option, and registrars make it extremely simple to understand. Have you never registered a domain before?
Reply to this comment
by TedBell1972 August 9, 2009 3:42 AM EDT
The neighborhood organizer doesn't like organizing????? lol
Reply to this comment
by TedBell1972 August 9, 2009 3:39 AM EDT
Who cares who is behind it? Every single protest has someone organize it. I don't remember this question being asked at any civil rights protest. Just more bias crap. I know the left wing media just can't comprehend someone not loving Obama, but the media needs to wise up....Many people are angry as hell.
Reply to this comment
by Lbokman August 9, 2009 1:03 AM EDT
I am an Independent and there is no difference between left wingers and right wingers who shout down others and won't give them a chance to speak. Both are two sides of the same coin with metal forged in the fires of intolerance and arrogance. They betray (meaning in the strongest sense of the word) the basic principles of our constitution.

Thomas Jefferson said, "That differences of opinion should arise among men on politics, on religion and on every other topic of human inquiry, and that these should be freely expressed in a country where all our faculties are free, is to be expected. But these valuable privileges are much perverted when permitted to disturb the harmony of social intercourse, and to lessen the tolerance of opinion."

--Thomas Jefferson: Reply to Citizens of Washington, 1809. ME 16:348
Reply to this comment
by cmcapcathletic August 8, 2009 12:14 PM EDT
I must be one of the people spreading "false health care information". Turn me in now , please, before I do something awful like tell more people the truth!!I'm not a Republican or a Nazi-I'm a conservative. Why is it that so many liberals find it hard to believe that we are alive and well and continue to make up the back bone of this nation? We don't kill children in the womb, we take care of our families, especially our elderly, we love our God and our country and even the right of others to disagree with us. We love it so much that we will defend those rights to the death if necessary. That's why so many conservatives are in the military. These rights are self-evident, but they don't come cheap. Talk is cheap.I guess that's why the President and his Democratic cohorts are so prolific at it.I thoughtthe President said that he would enjoy lively discussions on health care. Guess he changed his mind. Enjoy the new planes, Ms. Pelosi, God-willing you won't be Speaker much longer!
Reply to this comment
by cmcapcathletic August 8, 2009 12:08 PM EDT
I must be one of the people spreading "false health care information". Turn me in now , please, before I do something awful like tell more people the truth!!I'm not a Republican or a Nazi-I'm a conservative. Why is it that so many liberals find it hard to believe that we are alive and well and continue to make up the back bone of this nation? We don't kill children in the womb, we take care of our families, especially our elderly, we love our God and our country and even the right of others to disagree with us. We love it so much that we will defend those rights to the death if necessary. That's why so many conservatives are in the military. These rights are self-evident, but they don't come cheap. Talk is cheap.I guess that's why the President and his Democratic cohorts are so prolific at it.I thoughtthe President said that he would enjoy lively discussions on health care. Guess he changed his mind. Enjoy the new planes, Ms. Pelosi, God-willing you won't be Speaker much longer!
Reply to this comment
by Know_One August 7, 2009 5:31 AM EDT
It's a shame that CBS can't afford a minimum wage intern to google up this subject and follow up on a few names bandied about on various top-ranked news websites. Being a charitable sort I have taken some of the work out of it for the Cronkite-deprived network: Truthiest.blogspot.com

The Tea Baggers, Freedomworks, Dick Armey, "Americans for Prosperity", "60 Plus Association", Steve Forbes, Killer Koch Brothers (google: CBS Koch "Organized Crime"), Matt Kibbe, Citizens for Better Medicare, Senior Coalition, United Seniors Association (USA)...
Reply to this comment
by sljefferson1 August 7, 2009 3:51 AM EDT
I've read several comments on here that state that it is the Independents who are angry or disappointed with President Obama and his administration. Obviously those comments are written by Republicans. -- I am an Independent, as are many of the people I know and work with ... if there is anything we are disgusted with it is the violence, hostility, and just plain craziness that the Republicans and their followers have displayed. I try to weigh both sides and make my choices not based on any one political party, but rather on the merits of the issue or candidate. If terrorism is the new Republican party platform ... you can bet I will not be joining them in any of their insanity. Have you people lost your minds? You certainly have lost all credibility. Simply disgusting.
Reply to this comment
by Riconservative August 6, 2009 10:33 PM EDT
How come there were no reports on the Democrats/truthers only the so-called Republican/birthers? How come the DNC wasn't villanized? How come there were no reports about the "Organization or Organic" protests of ACORN, of those crazy women in pink, of the Columbia students who started a brawl at the minutemen meeting? I guess it is only a nefarious plot when it is conservative.
90% of protests are not organic...they are organize...Yet the media call dissenting conservative (and moderate liberal) americans thugs and bullies because they disagree with Obama and his planned take-over of healthcare.
The Media is dead.
Reply to this comment
by mattcat25 August 6, 2009 2:32 PM EDT
The Republican believe that they can just attack, intimidate, and BULLY their way through any issue...and, if they are unable to present logical facts they consistantly resort to just making stuff up!
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