Health care protests reach White House.

WASHINGTON -- The White House isn't concerned that increasingly vocal protests around the country are frustrating its push for health-care legislation.

Briefing reporters Tuesday, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs suggested that the opposition is being organized by a small group seeking to create "manufactured anger."

"I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the AstroTurf nature of so-called grass-roots lobbying," Mr. Gibbs said.

In recent days, administration officials and Democratic members of Congress have been shouted down by angry protesters at town halls in Pennsylvania and Texas, an uproar that could grow when lawmakers return to their districts for the August recess.

Mr. Gibbs compared the protesters with the "Brooks Brothers Brigade" that he said appeared in Florida after the 2000 presidential election.

"I seem to see some commonality in who pops up at some of these things," he said, without elaborating. "You can see quite a bit of similarity between who shows up where."

While protests intensify, the White House also has stepped up its response. It reacted early Tuesday to one online video featuring clips of President Barack Obama appearing to suggest that his health-care plans would eventually replace the private insurance sector, producing its own video shooting down the claim. In the White House's video, its main health-care spokesperson, Linda Douglass, accuses opponents of taking old footage and using it out of context as a scare tactic.

"They simply cherry-pick and put it together, and make it sound like he's saying something that he didn't really say," Ms. Douglass says in the video, which can be seen on the White House's Web site.

Asked why the administration decided to respond, Mr. Gibbs said, "There's a tremendous amount of misinformation floating around on health care."

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Amazing to me how they talk about the protesters, this administration portrays everyone and anyone who does not agree with them as right wing lunitics. Astro turf nature of so called grass roots movements?? Seriously?

This is a serious issue, one that they know damn well many people are opposed too yet they refer to those who dissent as nothing more than a minority mob with no real voice.

Welcome to the 2000's. Instead of confronting those that oppose you with a lively and healthy debate, you make every effort to label them and destroy them as quickly as possible.

Silence the opposition should be their motto.

Assuming for the moment that the Obama administration is right and all these "protests" are being organized by a certain group, then that would mean that this group is very well organizd and funded to be able to transport these people everywhere. Not to mention that all these people are just acting, in which case give them some awards. After watching the videos, I think these are genuinely angry people and the estalishment doesn't know what to do now that more and more people are seeing through their smoke and mirrors.

I think it's very telling that this administratin is so dismisisive of the people it's supposed to be representing. The whole game plan of labeling all the protestors as right-wing radicals will wear thin sooner rather than later.

reply to post by jam321


This age that we are currently in is all about scare tactics. It really isn't any different than the histaria during the Salem witch trials.

Those in power are so quick to label somebody a possible domestic terrorist or dissident (witch) they hope to quiet those who would oppose them on any issue.

It's aim is also to cause panic among the people, those who may not be well informed, scare them into thinking there could be a car bomb going off on there streets or an attack on a building in the city that they live in should these so called "radicals" be allowed to exercise there 1st Amendment rights.

Mass panic, fear mongering and persecution for exercising rights. Sure as hell sounds alot like a witch hunt.

They don't call him glib Gibbs for nothing. The double standard is mind numbing. Just youtube search video clips from town hall meetings from across the country and one will find that the people are reaching their limits.

This issue raised enough of a concern that Glen Beck closed his show last evening by asking people to keep things civil and not to go to extremes.

Over the weekend 8,000 to 10,000 people attended a rally in Columbus.

reply to post by jibeho


Great video and I know that many of these people have never done things like this before in there life.

I honestly think that this issue is more than just healthcare, it is a gateway to letting the goverment take full control over our lives.

Any bets on this being the fuel that starts the fire of the next revolution?

reply to post by Helious

Any bets on this being the fuel that starts the fire of the next revolution?

Given the makeup of the audience, I don't think they are the type to start any violent revolution. But they are the type to use the ballot box and the legal system to effect change back to the way we should be - gov't By The People.