The Replubican "Groundswell" is just as "grassroots" as the Tea Party... by MAL4PREZ

REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

The Replubican "Groundswell" is just as "grassroots" as the Tea Party...

POSTED BY: MAL4PREZ
UPDATED: Saturday, July 27, 2013 14:25
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Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:26 PM

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/groundswell-rightwing-grou
p-ginni-thomas

Believing they are losing the messaging war with progressives, a group of prominent conservatives in Washington—including the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and journalists from Breitbart News and the Washington Examiner—has been meeting privately since early this year to concoct talking points, coordinate messaging, and hatch plans for "a 30 front war seeking to fundamentally transform the nation," according to documents obtained by Mother Jones.

Dubbed Groundswell, this coalition convenes weekly in the offices of Judicial Watch, the conservative legal watchdog group. During these hush-hush sessions and through a Google group, the members of Groundswell—including aides to congressional Republicans—cook up battle plans for their ongoing fights against the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, progressive outfits, and the Republican establishment and "clueless" GOP congressional leaders. They devise strategies for killing immigration reform, hyping the Benghazi controversy, and countering the impression that the GOP exploits racism. And the Groundswell gang is mounting a behind-the-scenes organized effort to eradicate the outsize influence of GOP über-strategist/pundit Karl Rove within Republican and conservative ranks.

(ETA: all italics and underlines in my posts to this thread are mine.)

I would snipe that they need to look up the meaning of "groundswell", but they know. It's just funny that they think using that name will make anyone (except dullards like Rap and Jongs) believe that this effort by top neocons in DC is some kind of grassroots movement.

Which leads to my favorite part of the article:

Notes from a February 28 Groundswell gathering reflected both their collective sense of pessimism and desire for aggressive tactics: "We are failing the propaganda battle with minorities. Terms like, 'GOP,' 'Tea Party,' 'Conservative' communicate 'racism.'" The Groundswellers proposed an alternative: "Fredrick Douglas Republican," a phrase, the memo noted, that "changes minds." (His name is actually spelled "Frederick Douglass.")

Yep. Because the way to attract minorities to your party can't be to change your racist policies. It's to put a new name on them.

Just like calling it "Groundswell" makes it so.

Seriously. Will these people ever GET it?

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:35 PM

JONGSSTRAW

Yeah, Mother Jones.... a far left loony bin of lies and propaganda led by MSNBC's favorite guest psycho David Corn.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:40 PM

MAL4PREZ

"We are failing the propaganda battle with minorities. Terms like, 'GOP,' 'Tea Party,' 'Conservative' communicate 'racism.'" The Groundswellers proposed an alternative: "Fredrick Douglas Republican," a phrase, the memo noted, that "changes minds."

Mother Jones didn't compose that. Your beloved right-wing nutjobs did.

Also:

"GAP of REPUBLICAN LEADERSHIP: how do we tell them they are failing their base; will lose in 2014 unless they fight for principles (as opposed to show disdain for them and accommodate Obama; O is dividing Rs and they seem clueless: IDEAS NEEDED!"

In case you missed it Jongs, cause I know you did, the point of "Groundswell" is not to better America, it's to avoid losing elections in 2014.

So Jongs, back to where you say O is destroying America and it has nothing to do with Republicans doing all they can to scuttle everything he does...?

Or how about you defend the things the "Groundswell" is doing? Cause MotherJones didn't make that up. It's real.

Oh never mind. I know how you are with reality.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:45 PM

MAL4PREZ

Another tidbit involving Matthew Boyle, one of Breitbart's more prominent reporters:

The following month, Boyle sent a message to Groundswell members seeking tips and offering to help shape stories Groundswellers wanted to disseminate: "I'm saying we can get pieces out fast on Breitbart. Whenever you have an idea, email or call me with a pitch and I'll do my best to get the story out there. Keep us on offense, them on defense. Even if the idea isn't perfect, I can help massage it to get there."

Hmm. Breitbart, eager to *massage* any message that the extremely ingenuously group named "Groundswell" wants to put out there. Who'd have figured?

In case you missed it Jongs, these are Boyle's words. Mother Jones only reports. He said it:

"Whenever you have an idea, email or call me with a pitch and I'll do my best to get the story out there. Keep us on offense, them on defense. Even if the idea isn't perfect, I can help massage it to get there."

And then there's the rather blatant tie between Breitbart and this "Groundswell" thing. How many baggers here will still claim that Brietbart is some kind of unbiased news source? Even with such clear evidence that its collusion with the far right is equal to, if not worse than, Faux news?

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 3:57 PM

MAL4PREZ

This article only gets better on page 3. This goes back to RWED discussion of a few weeks ago, that neocons don't care about reality and facts. They only care about the "message" and what they might get out of putting some words in front of their policies, without regard to whether the words fit the policies.

A high-priority cause for Groundswellers is voter identification efforts—what progressives would call voter suppression—and when Groundswellers developed a thread on their Google group page exploring the best way to pitch the right's voter identification endeavors as a major voting rights case was pending in the Supreme Court, the coalition's friendly journalists joined right in. Dan Bongino, the ex-Secret Service agent and 2012 Senate candidate, kicked off the discussion: "We need to reframe this. This narrative of the Left has already taken hold in MD. The words 'Voter ID' are already lost & equated with racism. Maybe a 'free and fair elections initiative' with a heavy emphasis on avoiding ANY voter disenfranchisement combined with an identification requirement which includes a broader range of documents."
Sheryl Kaufman, communications director for Rep. Jim Bridenstine, chimed in: "'OBAMAGRATION'—I love it!! Communicates the similarity with Obamacare."

In response, Tapscott suggested, "How about 'Election Integrity'?" And Gaffney weighed in: "I like it." Fitton noted that Judicial Watch had an "Election Integrity Project." Boyle proposed, "Fair and equal elections," explaining, "Terms 'fair' and 'equal' connect with most people. It's why the left uses them." Then came True the Vote's Anita MonCrief: "We do a lot under the Election Integrity Banner. Does not resonate with the people. Voter Rights may be better. We really have been trying to get the messaging right."

They really don't give a shit whether elections are free and equal. They just want to use those words for "messaging" so they can get their way and make elections less fair and less equal. And yet they don't see the problem. They really do not get that the left doesn't just use those terms, they fight for them. They is why the terms connect - because they MEAN something.

Baggers, or swellers, or whatever, the terms will never work for you, because you don't give a shit about making it actually happen.

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 4:28 PM

MAL4PREZ

The final tidbit:

Several months after Groundswell kicked off, Steven Sutton, vice president of development for the conservative Leadership Institute and a former chief of staff to several House GOPers, proposed a "strategic message development project" for the outfit. "What is needed," he wrote, "is an umbrella thematic message under which each specific issue can be magnified and maximized. For those familiar with it, this is an extension and development of the Leesburg Grid (which the Left has co-opted and now uses extensively, and the Right has ignored and allowed to fall into disuse.)"

Sutton suggested using four main themes: Obama and liberal policies fail; Obama and liberal policies make things worse; there is a lack of leadership in the White House; and Obama "puts politics ahead of people/our country/America." These themes, he contended, "are best used sequentially, rather than randomly/haphazardly/isolated…The most important thing is to think thematically and drive these messages." Sutton went on:

Issues matter. Details matter. Substance matters. But theme matters more. Substance matters only as it helps to reinforce the themes.

We all lament the difficulty we have persuading Americans. After all, we have the facts, figures, and data to prove our points. Why can't we persuade? There are many tactics we can use to help persuade (telling stories, finding victims, tempering tone). But these tactics pale in comparison to the importance of providing a context…a theme…to help people organize their thoughts and opinions.

Funny that these "facts, figures, and data" aren't front and foremost. I wonder why?

*---------------------------------------*
The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 4:28 PM

REAVERFAN

Face it, Jongsy. You've been being duped this whole time by the purveyors of corporate anarchy.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 4:31 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

TEA party was legit grass roots, where as the 99% dorks , as well as the phonied up' justice for trayvon' crap was almost entirely astro turfed by commie workers party and race baiting merchants like Sharpton.

It's not even worthy of discussion. That's simply how it is. To deny any of it is like talking to flat earthers. ( or global warming zealots )

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 5:28 PM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Mal, this is a tad hard to follow.

If all italics and underlining in your original post are YOURS, did you quote anything from the MJ article? There do seem to be 2 voices-- it looks like the 4th paragraph, beginning, "I would snipe--" is your voice, yet the 6th, italicized, beginning, "Notes from a February 28-" is attributed as a quote, and certainly reads as one.

Not arguing with you; not disagreeing with MJ, which the wife and I read for many years when it was new; merely trying to separate for proper attribution.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 5:36 PM

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Mal, love the header , BTW. As I remember it, the Tea Party movement was funded by the Koch Brothers-- one day in 2009-10 the K B were paying for it, they were marching and demonstrating everywhere; after the 2010 election, the KB turned off the money, and it vanished, and hasn't been heard from since.

SO it figures that Groundswell is just as grassroots... which is to say NOT!

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 5:53 PM

REAVERFAN

Quote:
TEA party was legit grass roots,

No. No, it wasn't. Stop lying.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 5:57 PM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Mal, this is a tad hard to follow.

If all italics and underlining in your original post are YOURS, did you quote anything from the MJ article? There do seem to be 2 voices-- it looks like the 4th paragraph, beginning, "I would snipe--" is your voice, yet the 6th, italicized, beginning, "Notes from a February 28-" is attributed as a quote, and certainly reads as one.

Not arguing with you; not disagreeing with MJ, which the wife and I read for many years when it was new; merely trying to separate for proper attribution.

Everything in italics is a quote. Everything underlined is something I mean to point out from the quote.

What, it wasn't obvious?

/sooo being ironic

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Thursday, July 25, 2013 6:04 PM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
TEA party was legit grass roots, where as the 99% dorks , as well as the phonied up' justice for trayvon' crap was almost entirely astro turfed by commie workers party and race baiting merchants like Sharpton.

Care to provide any proof, such as the direct quote here that Brietbart people are eager to "massage" any anti-O message that these "Groundwell" right-wingers want to put out there?

Oh, I didn't think so.

Troll.

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Friday, July 26, 2013 1:14 AM

FREMDFIRMA

Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:
purveyors of corporate anarchy.

I resent that - the proper term is Oligopoly - Anarchy would be a freakin improvement, in that without the entire weight of the US Gov, all their agencies, and their military protecting them FROM us...
A long overdue reckoning would be had.
Google: Battle of Blair Mountain, for more info.

Quote:
Terror is nothing other than justice, prompt, severe, inflexible; it is therefore an emanation of virtue; it is not so much a special principle as it is a consequence of the general principle of democracy applied to our country's most urgent needs.

-Frem

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Friday, July 26, 2013 5:31 PM

MAL4PREZ

Note that our right-wingers are playing dumb about who the "right-wing" media could possibly be, yet right here in this thread we have proof of Brietbart offering to massage messages developed by the inner circles of the new incarnation of the Tea Party.

Hmm...

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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Friday, July 26, 2013 5:47 PM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
TEA party was legit grass roots, where as the 99% dorks , as well as the phonied up' justice for trayvon' crap was almost entirely astro turfed by commie workers party and race baiting merchants like Sharpton.

Care to provide any proof, such as the direct quote here that Brietbart people are eager to "massage" any anti-O message that these "Groundwell" right-wingers want to put out there?

Oh, I didn't think so.

Troll.

Nope, truth here. Not troll.

Look at the signs made by the PEOPLE at the tea party rallies. Hand made, not manufactured glossy mini bilboards, with the commie world workers party . com crap at the bottom.

Breitbart folks are good people. Great Americans. A credit to the TEA party cause that they'd want to join in.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

Resident USA Freedom Fundie

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

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Saturday, July 27, 2013 9:34 AM

NIKI2

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Is Rap joking, or just out of his mind?

"manufactured glossy mini bilboards (sic)"?

http://www.buzzfeed.com/fjelstud/the-best-signs-from-occupy-wall-stree
t
http://politicalhumor.about.com/library/bl-occupy-wall-street-signs.ht
m
http://www.csmonitor.com/Photo-Galleries/In-Pictures/Best-signs-of-Occ
upy-Wall-Street-protests#393535

Our signs for OccupyMarin looked pretty damned good, because I spent days making them...but nobody paid me, and no Koch Brothers were behind our efforts.

Then there are the "handmade" Tea Party signs...like the ones "freedomkeys.com" provides at http://freedomkeys.com/teapartysigns.htm -- all you have to do is print them out!

And of course, groups like Americans for Prosperity didn't mind PAYING for "volunteers":

Quote:
The conservative group Americans for Prosperity is signing up Florida tea party leaders to serve as regional coordinators, and paying groups $2 per signature to recruit Election Day volunteers.

But critics say it looks suspiciously like buying foot soldiers for election work.

"It's reprehensible," said Apryl Marie Fogel, a former AFP state director. "Slade is doing things we would never have considered doing."

Though O'Brien said AFP does not endorse candidates, Fogel expressed concern about the organization's activities on Tuesday and beyond. "Incentivizing people with money is no different than what other [I assume she means "Democratic"] groups are doing," she said.

O'Brien said "about 50" tea party and patriot members have been gathering signatures of volunteers, who, in turn, will wear AFP T-shirts and spread the group's message at precincts on Election Day. http://wvvw.sunshinestatenews.com/story/americans-prosperity-taps-tea-
party-volunteers-tuesday]

and

Quote:
After being accused of astroturfing for corporate interests, Americans for Prosperity volunteers started making hand-made signs for rally participants to have more of an appearance of an actual grassroots crowd. Many of the pre-made signs had small “AFP” markers on them. http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Americans_for_Prosperity#An
ti-Astroturf_signs]

And of course, grass roots groups have nothing to do with highly-funded groups like Freedomworks:

Quote:
Cornyn Hires Top Tea Party Operative for Campaign

The hire is most likely intended to help Cornyn ingratiate himself with his state’s tea party base. FreedomWorks often provides grass-roots support to tea party candidates. http://atr.rollcall.com/cornyn-hires-top-tea-party-operative-for-campa
ign-shop-talk/

I could go on forever, but those with brains who bother to read already know full well that the Tea Party--DESPITE ITS ORIGINAL GRASS-ROOTS BEGINNINGS--was adopted and financed by right-wingers with the money to spend a long time ago.

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Saturday, July 27, 2013 2:25 PM

MAL4PREZ

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Is Rap joking, or just out of his mind?

"manufactured glossy mini bilboards (sic)"?

ikr?

Just like all bad guys wear black capes and have pock-marked or demonically deformed faces and blatantly evil cackles, all corporate-backed political farces carry signs that say in fine print: "WE ARE A CORPORATE-BACKED POLITICAL FARCE!"

In Rappy-World, that is. :)

The entertainment value of this thread is high.

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The French Revolution would have never happened if Marie Antoinette had just given every peasant an iPhone.

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