Among other underhanded tactics.

Americans who want to express their opinions on health care reform at town halls across the country are encountering a host of roadblocks, ranging from fake schedules to a demand that they show their driver's licenses or photo identification.

...

In Illinois, two Republican lawmakers sent a letter to Obama this week complaining that Democratic organizers scheduled meetings between them and their constituents without ever notifying them, misleading their constituents into going to town halls on the wrong day.

Illinois Reps. Mark Kirk and Judy Biggert wrote that their constituents had apparently signed up for meetings to discuss health care reform with them after receiving an Aug. 9 e-mail from BarackObama.com urging them to do so.

"However, the names of our constituents and the times they wished to visit were never communicated to us," the letter said.

As a result, the lawmakers claimed more than 20 constituents came to their district offices on Monday.

"When they learned neither the White House, the Democratic National Committee nor Organizing for America had passed their request to our offices, they were understandably confused and upset with the BarackObama.com e-mail they had received," they wrote.

They also note HCAN's letter about how to stuff town halls and provide "cover" to "these members."

Members.

Ahem.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

Posted by: Ace at 10:50 AM | Comments (1)
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From about as good as my impression (not good at all) to great.

Why Asians? Don't know. It was complied by Tosh.0 (a Comedy Central show documenting weirdness on the internet that I saw for the first time last week; pretty good). more...

Posted by: Ace at 10:42 AM | Add Comment
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Major Garrett is asking Gibbs about this. Gibbs is just saying he doesn't know and denying that anything is going on.

There is actually an easy (possible) answer: Lefties are signing up righties they don't like for email blasts. They do that sort of thing.

Whether that's the case here, or there's something more... interesting at hand, I don't know.

Jake Tapper, by the way, did not ask about Doctor AxelTurf.

Miss Marples Writes:

What we have here are people who communicated with the White House as a governmental entity who are getting e-mails from Obama's political group.

That is a violation of law, if that is what happened, and that is why Garrett's question is important.

Yes, I know that, but what I am saying is that trouble-making lefties may be signing people up for email blasts. It's not like anyone verifies those are real sign-ups.

But yes, it could be quite a bit more than that, too.

I am just offering one possible innocent explanation, not endorsing it. I want to know the answer myself. That's why I posted this.

Ah: I see my error. I said they'd "never visited White House sites." I am corrected: They visited the White House as a governmental, non-partisan entity serving the public, not Obama, and yet are getting emails from David Axerod, who represents Obama's political arm. Which is not a "public service" thing, but someone serving only Obama and his political ambitions.

Thanks for correcting.

Is This the Explanation? Axelrod is putting out an email he himself says is "viral" (that is, he's telling people to make it viral) in the header.

Perhaps lefties are merely following the orders of the High Priest of their Cult and sending it to everyone they know.

CBS' account:

His Internet outreach reflects growing concern at the White House that the presidentÂ’s efforts to enact an overhaul of the health insurance system in America are encountering unexpectedly tough resistance and are in trouble.

...

At the start of Axelrod's e-mail, which he addresses to "Dear Friend," he quotes the president from Tuesday's event, speaking out against "wild misrepresentations" of the health care plan he wants. He said opponents were citing provisions "that bear no resemblance to anything that's been proposed."

...

Axelrod urges his e-mail recipients spread his message and "start a chain email of our own."

He clearly doesn't mind if his e-mail goes viral.

Note well that those claiming "AstroTurfing" are now sending out top-down, DC-birthed, party-coordinated "viral" messages to counter real viral emails.

Posted by: Ace at 09:58 AM | Comments (2)
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I've written the reporter to ask her about her paper's corrections policy, and also inquire why she's burying a scoop dumped into her lap concerning one of the hottest topics of the past two weeks, i.e., the White House's and Nancy Pelosi's insistence that town hall attendees are "AstroTurf" plants.

She has accidentally been handed proof of this two-week-old, much debated charge, and chooses to bury her inadvertent scoop.

Meanwhile, on a Chron blog, RightwingSparkle notes the story.

Which is the only place on the Chron you'll see their own scoop.

Correction: Not the only place. Another blog has a brief mention -- once again failing to mention the woman was an Obama delegate and lead organizer for Organizing for America, and once again failing to note the obvious context of White House claims of AstroTurfing by ObamaCare opponents.

Posted by: Ace at 09:21 AM | Add Comment
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GOP more trusted on health care? Get out!

For the first time in over two years of polling, voters trust Republicans slightly more than Democrats on the handling of the issue of health care. The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that voters favor the GOP on the issue 44% to 41%.

Democrats held a four-point lead on the issue last month and a 10-point lead in June. For most of the past two years, more than 50% of voters said they trusted Democrats on health care. The latest results mark the lowest level of support measured for the party on the now-contentious issue.

44 at 47:

Overall, 47% of voters say they at least somewhat approve of the President's performance. ThatÂ’s the lowest level of total approval yet recorded. The PresidentÂ’s ratings first fell below 50% just a few weeks ago on July 25. Fifty-two percent (52%) now disapprove.

Seventy-seven percent (77%) of Republicans disapprove along with 65% of those not affiliated with either party. Seventy-eight percent (78%) of Democrats offer their approval. Most women (51%) offer their approval while most men (56%) disapprove.

On the other hand, not only did a recent survey of 47 economists by the WSJ reveal the belief that we're either coming out of a recession or already have emerged from it, but France and Germany just had "unexpected growth" and have come out of recession, if only for the moment.

So: Rough sledding.

Thanks to AHFF Geoff.

Oh: And Toomey has a 12 point lead over Specter in Pennsylvania, 48-36.

That probably ends Specter, as Democrats will only vote for this vile fossil if he has a strong chance of winning. He doesn't, so enter Sestak.

The question is really how does Toomey fare against Sestak, then. 48% support is damned good, but at least some it is merely anti-Specter, so that segment is up for grabs in a Sestak-Toomey race.

Posted by: Ace at 08:33 AM | Add Comment
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A dying breed: As a commenter snarked, she only lops off fake tonsils and feet.

And, at Hot Air: She's a member of Organizing for America, too.

Who would have guessed.

And, believe it or not, the newspaper taken in by her has stealthily changed the story about her, deleting all references to "doctor," without reporting this Organizing for America woman lied for their cameras.

Grassroots fever!

I imagine Patterico will have more updates, but apparently he's been linked by the entire right-blogosphere and is unavailable at the moment.

Soft-Pedal: I'm informed by David that the Chron is now making some very soft admissions about the woman, but will not note that she is an Obama delegate or a member of Organizing for America:

One supporter, Roxana Mayer, praised the reform plan for overhauling a broken system.

“I don't know what there is in the bill that creates such panic,” she said.

Mayer identified herself as a physician who does not live in Jackson Lee's district. However, her name does not appear in the database maintained by the Texas Medical Board, which licenses all doctors in Texas.

In an e-mail to the Chronicle on Thursday morning, Mayer confirmed she is not a licensed physician.

"I have been advised to refrain from making any further statements," she said.

She's not a licensed physician? Ah, so we're still suggesting that maybe she's a doctor whose license has expired?

No: She's not a doctor at all, licensed or unlicensed.

Note how the Chron phrases this as weakly as possible.

And note how the hard-charging investigatory journalism stops immediately when a liberal malefactor is discovered.

Posted by: Ace at 07:06 AM | Add Comment
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Courtesy of Slushops, Inc.

Some of your favorite AOSHQ cobloggers will be there, as well as some of Ace's spinoff bloggers.

Most importantly, this is an opportunity to meet AUTHENTIC GRASSROOTS Morons from points near and far. Some of our Connecticut Morons crew are commenters, some are lurkers. We always have a terrific time together.

This site is rather self-selecting for sense of humor and general temperament, it seems.

If you think you can make it, please email me at ctmorons AT g mail DOT coom.
No spaces, fix the symbols, etc.

If you can't make it, I would heartily recommend starting a regional Moron group of your own.
These are the best people on Earth.

Blankminde's searchable google map for regional meetups below the fold. more...

Posted by: LauraW at 06:06 AM | Add Comment
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Is the widdle White House not getting what it wants? Awww...poor babies...

Feeling victimized by misinformation spread virally through the Internet, the White House Thursday is launching its own "viral e-mail" for supporters to spread.

With the subject line: "Something worth forwarding," the e-mail — from senior White House adviser David Axelrod — seeks to combat "the viral e-mails that fly unchecked and under the radar, spreading all sorts of lies and distortions" and invites Americans to "start a chain e-mail of our own."

The e-mail outlines 24 points — eight ways the Democrats' health care reform measures will, in Axelrod's view, "provide security and stability to those with or without coverage," eight "common myths" about reform, and eight reasons why reform is an urgent matter.

Oh, and remember those death panels? Yeah, might be time to start writing another email.

Update - Thanks to Captain Hate, the text of the Axelrod email is below. more...

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Posted by: Gabriel Malor at 05:24 AM | Add Comment
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She won't say how she got the idea to lie to reporters, however.

She says she was asking questions on behalf of doctors, which is, of course, why she needed to identify herself to the press as a "primary care physician." I guess.

As you can see from Patterico's exchange, she's very flip about the whole idea of lying to the press. No wonder she was an Obama delegate. Like seeks like.

Posted by: Ace at 06:22 PM | Add Comment
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