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Political Hotsheet 
Updated at 5:20 p.m. ET with response from the AFL-CIO.
FreedomWorks, the conservative "free-market" organization that has unapologetically rallied protesters at health care town hall meetings, paused its movement against President Obama's health care plans today to instead take aim at its liberal counterparts.
Liberal groups are responsible for the hostile, threatening phone calls FreedomWorks has been receiving, the group says, and it is taking an unusual tactic -- issuing an open, facetious "apology" to left-wing groups -- to make that point.
FreedomWorks says it has been unfairly blamed for the hostility that has cropped at town hall meetings and that its "apology" is a part of its strategy to bring more attention to its own ideas for health care reform -- like tort reform and allowing consumers to purchase insurance across state lines.
Opponents, however, say there is no organization behind the calls to FreedomWorks -- while pointing out that there has also been hostility against liberal groups and unions, like threatening phone calls against the Service Employees International Union. Furthermore, they say, the apology is simply another distraction from the real health care debate.
FreedomWorks' tongue-in-cheek release apologizes for the group's "apparent ignorance of the fine art of political discourse." It then links to 10 hostile, profanity-laced voicemails FreedomWorks has received recently. The group alleges the liberal grassroots group MoveOn.org and the union AFL-CIO are responsible for the "phone call blitzes."
None of the recordings make any reference to either group, but FreedomWorks spokesman Adam Brandon said that the organization received many such calls before it occurred to them to start recording them -- and in those earlier calls, some people identified themselves with AFL-CIO or MoveOn. Many calls, Brandon said, were from the same phone number.
"Self-identification and the fact that they were coming from an auto-dial makes it seem orchestrated," he said, adding that "a lot (of callers) have the same script."
Ilyse Hogue, director of political advocacy and communications for MoveOn, responded, "We have never, nor would ever, have our members call FreedomWorks. We prefer to have our energy focused on passing health reform."
She said MoveOn condemns any kind of aggression or violence.
"We've never seen our members partake in that," she said. "They are polite and respectful to the best of our knowledge."
AFL-CIO spokesperson Amaya Tune similarly said, "The AFL-CIO in no way condemns violence or threats of violence and has no knowledge anyone from our organization making threats."
Meanwhile, FreedomWorks maintains that it also condemns violent behavior, even as some have criticized the group for mobilizing crowds that become hostile. In a group of hundreds or thousands, Brandon said, a handful of people may get out of hand.
"Never, ever have we advocated any kind of disruption," he said. "We're getting criticized for giving our people paper when we put out policy points."
While FreedomWorks may not advocate disruptions, its "apology" to the left is a distraction, Hogue said.
"This is another tactic the groups on the right are using to distract form the debate," she said. "It seems to me these guys are afraid of honest discourse because they know the majority is on our side."
Brandon said the "apology" is not meant to distract but, in fact, draw more attention to the policy points its small, little known organization is advocating for.
"We're doing everything we can to raise our voice," he said. "This is David against Goliath."
In fact, Brandon said his organization is modeling its diffuse, grassroots strategies after those used by MoveOn.
"We are actively working with people to create their own independent groups -- we're not looking to control them from Washington," he said. "Our goal isn't to own the debate, our goal is to educate people and have the grassroots control the debate, and MoveOn did that pretty effectively. We've learned from their organization." © 2009 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
FreedomWorks "Apology" Takes Aim at Liberal Critics
(freedomworks.org)
FreedomWorks, the conservative "free-market" organization that has unapologetically rallied protesters at health care town hall meetings, paused its movement against President Obama's health care plans today to instead take aim at its liberal counterparts.
Liberal groups are responsible for the hostile, threatening phone calls FreedomWorks has been receiving, the group says, and it is taking an unusual tactic -- issuing an open, facetious "apology" to left-wing groups -- to make that point.
FreedomWorks says it has been unfairly blamed for the hostility that has cropped at town hall meetings and that its "apology" is a part of its strategy to bring more attention to its own ideas for health care reform -- like tort reform and allowing consumers to purchase insurance across state lines.
Opponents, however, say there is no organization behind the calls to FreedomWorks -- while pointing out that there has also been hostility against liberal groups and unions, like threatening phone calls against the Service Employees International Union. Furthermore, they say, the apology is simply another distraction from the real health care debate.
FreedomWorks' tongue-in-cheek release apologizes for the group's "apparent ignorance of the fine art of political discourse." It then links to 10 hostile, profanity-laced voicemails FreedomWorks has received recently. The group alleges the liberal grassroots group MoveOn.org and the union AFL-CIO are responsible for the "phone call blitzes."
None of the recordings make any reference to either group, but FreedomWorks spokesman Adam Brandon said that the organization received many such calls before it occurred to them to start recording them -- and in those earlier calls, some people identified themselves with AFL-CIO or MoveOn. Many calls, Brandon said, were from the same phone number.
"Self-identification and the fact that they were coming from an auto-dial makes it seem orchestrated," he said, adding that "a lot (of callers) have the same script."
Ilyse Hogue, director of political advocacy and communications for MoveOn, responded, "We have never, nor would ever, have our members call FreedomWorks. We prefer to have our energy focused on passing health reform."
She said MoveOn condemns any kind of aggression or violence.
"We've never seen our members partake in that," she said. "They are polite and respectful to the best of our knowledge."
AFL-CIO spokesperson Amaya Tune similarly said, "The AFL-CIO in no way condemns violence or threats of violence and has no knowledge anyone from our organization making threats."
Meanwhile, FreedomWorks maintains that it also condemns violent behavior, even as some have criticized the group for mobilizing crowds that become hostile. In a group of hundreds or thousands, Brandon said, a handful of people may get out of hand.
"Never, ever have we advocated any kind of disruption," he said. "We're getting criticized for giving our people paper when we put out policy points."
While FreedomWorks may not advocate disruptions, its "apology" to the left is a distraction, Hogue said.
"This is another tactic the groups on the right are using to distract form the debate," she said. "It seems to me these guys are afraid of honest discourse because they know the majority is on our side."
Brandon said the "apology" is not meant to distract but, in fact, draw more attention to the policy points its small, little known organization is advocating for.
"We're doing everything we can to raise our voice," he said. "This is David against Goliath."
In fact, Brandon said his organization is modeling its diffuse, grassroots strategies after those used by MoveOn.
"We are actively working with people to create their own independent groups -- we're not looking to control them from Washington," he said. "Our goal isn't to own the debate, our goal is to educate people and have the grassroots control the debate, and MoveOn did that pretty effectively. We've learned from their organization."
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This meeting won't ever be on cable news, though there were the signs and the opposing views.
Why?
Our Rep is a Democrat who supports health care reform in line with President Obama's three points. She is a member of one of the committees that have written and passed a version of HR 3200 -- so I can assure she has read the bill.
While there were a few folks who you could see were just itching to get up and speak out, the local organizers of the meeting insisted on civility and respect, let the Rep speak, then ask questions one at a time, no follow up.
So it was a very civil meeting.
Oh yeah.... and the great majority of the folks there also support health care reform. We voted this Democrat Rep into office and we were there to make sure she does what we asked for when we cast that ballot.
And second, oh yeah... her appearance wasn't on a prior schedule so none of these Freedom Works type organizations had time to get a bunch of folks out from other districts to disrupt our discussion.
There will be at least two other town halls --- my guess is they won't go so smoothly and we will have to hear all about how a small-but-loud percentage of citizens are just plain po'd that they didn't get the results they wanted in the last election... "Health care? Oh yeah... that's the reason we're here so we'll carry some signs and say something about socialism or killing grandma... but what we really want is to invalidate the will of our fellow citizens who used their rights, responsibilities, liberties and freedom when they went to the only poll that counts, the one with ballots and voted this government we have today into office."
Freedom does work. Why does FreedomWorks want to curtail mine?
idiot.
The dems have done nothing BUT make concessions while trying to be "bipartisan." And the Republicans have done nothing but try to stop Obama - even if it means doing more damage to a broken health care system, and by extension, to the American people who so desparately need it to be fixed.
Hey. We won. Live with it.
August 12, 2009
More Disapprove than Approve of Obama on Healthcare
Forty-nine percent of Americans currently say they disapprove of President Barack Obama's handling of healthcare policy, while 43% say they approve.
Rasmussen:
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Support for Congressional Health Care Reform Falls to New Low
Public support for the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats has fallen to a new low as just 42% of U.S. voters now favor the plan. That?s down five points from two weeks ago and down eight points from six weeks ago.