[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
.--SAUL ALINSKY, RULES FOR RADICALSWhen thousands of hardworking Americans dared take to the streets to oppose Obama's $787 bil ion stimulusplan in February 2009, the Democrats knew they had a problem on their hands.At first, the Obamaadministration downplayed their significance, but eventual y top advisors, and the president himself, fanned outto dismiss and demonize the "Tea Partiers" from multiple angles.On April 19, 2009, David Axelrod appeared on CBS's Face the Nation to disparage the entire movement.Axelrod said, "I think any time that you have severe economic conditions, there is always an element ofdisaffection that can mutate into something that's unhealthy." (Axelrod would know about "unhealthy mutations.")"The thing that bewilders me is this president just cut taxes for ninety-five percent of the American people.So Ithink the tea bags should be directed elsewhere, because he certainly understands the burden that people face."In other words, Axelrod was answering the Tea Par-tiers' concerns the way Obamaniacs always do--by blamingGeorge W.Bush.One can always gauge the effectiveness of any conservative group by the volume of media scorn heapedupon it.When it became clear that the Tea Partiers were not a flash-in-the-pan movement, MSNBC and CNNhosts began crudely referring to them as "tea-baggers" (a reference to a sexual act that I wil not describe here).On April 14, 2009, Obama's favorite anchorman, Keith Olbermann, opined on Countdown, "Republican talkingheads, like former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, have pushed their own version of teabagging--down thethroats of tea-baggers.And the nation's teabagging, [is] of course, impossible without this man, a DickArmey at the head of it--the former House majority leader representing right-wing money bags, who have blownlots of cash to make the movement look as if it's coming from the bottom-up and not the top-down." Now youknow why he is considered the Walt Whitman of political punditry.Judging from al the filthy commentary, the Tea Party movement, by April 29, 2009, was obviously having animpact.On that day, the president used a ral y in Arnold, Missouri, marking his hundredth day in office, tomarginalize the activists.The man suddenly had an al ergic reaction to his favorite pastime, communityorganizing."You see folks waving tea bags around; let me just remind them that I am happy to have a seriousconversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we're going tostabilize Social Security.But let's not play games and pretend that the reason is because of the RecoveryAct." He went on, again, to shift blame to the previous administration.His condescending attitude served only to further motivate the Tea Partiers he was dismissing.I have taken to cal ing the Tea Party phenomenon the American Movement.They represent a cross section ofaverage Americans who pay their taxes, play by the rules, and work for a living.To me, they are a hopeful sign ofcivic activism and mainstream, commonsense values.But to President Obama and his fol owers, the Tea Partyactivists are annoying obstacles or worse.THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMATHE WHITE HOUSEMarch 24, 2010Those tea-baggers won't be able to weather the storm I've prepared for them.The tactics we have set inmotion are unbelievable.They put me through hel over the last year.Now it's their turn.First, we rammed thehealth-care bil down their miserable throats; now we're discrediting them faster than the Palin clan can clean outa room ful of swag bags!It came to me during a cal with Louise Slaughter the day of the health-care vote.She was relaying thediscontent in her district over the way we ignored the wil of the people.The Tea Partiers are jamming thecongressional phone lines, saying that come November, there'l be "hel to pay." This is always the last cry of the oppressors as they fal.As a community organizer, I've heard this talk my whole life.There's only one way to fightback.Do horrible things in the name of the enemy and make sure somebody covers it!Papa Alinsky said: "The first step in community organization is community disorganization." I told Louise toget some of her staffers to chuck a few bricks through the front window of her offices in New York--then weep andmoan about it in the morning to the press.Blame it al on the tea-baggers.Valerie thought it would be even betterif they could tape some tea bags to the bricks.I agreed.Meanwhile, we got a few of our SEIU activists to do some lesser things around the country: egg a fewresidences, throw toilet paper in the trees, cut some propane lines on outdoor gril s.They're not doing any of thisat the homes of the congressmen (and this was sheer genius on my part).Instead, it'l al happen at the houses ofcongressional relatives! I figured that's exactly what these goofbal Republicans would do, right? Flip through thephone book, get the wrong address, and go on a destructive spree.The coverage is already a thing of beauty.Then we've got the racist, homophobic tactical front.On the day of the vote, Nancy and the gang walked rightthrough the tea-baggers to draw their fire--and they didn't do a thing! Plouffe thought they would at least throw abucket of water on Pelosi or toss a rotten tomato or two at Rosa DeLauro--something.But since Nancy and theothers reached the Capitol unscathed, they turned to plan B: spread the story that the protesters verbal y andphysical y attacked congressmen.Some old white man was apparently screaming at a member of the BlackCaucus, congressman Emanuel Cleaver, about his taxes going up, when a little saliva flew out.The headline inthe Post the next day read: " 'Tea Party' Protesters Accused of Spitting on Lawmaker." You can't make this stuff up.The press is saying this shows the racism of the tea-baggers.If drops of saliva flying during a conversationare the new standard for racism, somebody better write up Barney Frank for attacking the person of thepresident.When he addresses me I feel like I should be wearing a Hazmat Suit-- the saliva flies al over myjacket.Reggie says it's impossible to get those stains out.Speaking of Frank, he's now making the rounds saying that the Tea Partiers screamed "anti-gay" chants ashe crossed the Capitol grounds.I don't have the heart to tel him that those T-shirted throngs were probably alOrganizing for America volunteers.This thing is working like a charm; even the victims are playing along.Throughout the spring and into the summer, the loosely organized Tea Party (not real y a party at al ) becamemore popular and more powerful.Tea Party ral iers assailed big government in al its Obama-iterations.Theywere anti-big-spending and therefore fought vigorously against Obama's proposed health-care reform.EnterHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who gladly jumped atop the left-wing pigpile.In early August 2009, she sniffed thatthe populist protesters at congressional town hal meetings were "Astroturf" (in contrast, of course, to thegenuine, left-wing grassroots gatherings that Nancy supports)
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
