DNC Goes All In: Takes On Birthers, Conservative "Mob" In New Web Ad

The Democratic National Committee released a notably aggressive web ad on Tuesday evening, accusing the Republican Party of being taken over by an angry mob of "birther" conspiracy theorists and disgruntled partisans.

The spot, titled "Enough of the Mob," is as engaged as the Democratic Party has been to date with what its own leadership has deemed a fringe element of the GOP. But, with boisterous protests routinely interrupting Democratic town hall events and dominating news coverage, one DNC official put it succinctly: "We aren't going to back down from this shit."

The spot is a minute long. And the DNC official didn't rule it being pared down to air on television. It includes a veritable greatest hits list of conservative attacks on Obama, looping it all together to make the case that "the right wing extremist Republican base" has overrun the GOP.

"They lost the election. They lost on the Recovery Act, the budget and children's health care," the script reads. "They've lost the confidence of the American people after eight years of failed policies that ruined our economy and cost millions of jobs."

"Now, desperate Republicans and their well-funded allies are organizing angry mobs - just like they did during the election. Their goal? Destroy President Obama and stop the change Americans voted for overwhelmingly in November."

The spot reflects the strategy employed by Democrats in the wake of recent disruptions at local town halls: to conflate multiple fringe elements and issues of the Republican Party with conservative opposition to the president's health care reform agenda. Though, in the case of the DNC ad, health care is hardly mentioned.

Perhaps more telling is how quickly the DNC and the Obama White House have moved to turn the anger of the crowds into a rallying point for proponents of reform. Throughout the afternoon on Tuesday, the DNC was alerting reporters to particularly outrageous moments at various town hall gatherings; notably protesters who made jokes at an event in Connecticut about Sen. Chris Dodd's (D-Conn.) newly diagnosed prostate cancer.

There is, of course, a template for this. During the late stages of the 2008 election, the Obama campaign effectively used the most inflammatory moments at rallies for Sen. John McCain, (R-Arizona) and Sarah Palin to define the Republican ticket.

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Comments

[Klog]

Here's how you deal with the crazies at Town Halls.

http://klogtheblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/new-town-hall.html

[NJProgressiveIndie]

About time, DNC! Mobilize, organize, and put more "boots on the ground" in rallies, peaceful counter-de­monstratio­ns, and filled-to-capacity town hall meetings where people who are actually impacted by the lack of affordable, quality health care--rather than lunatic conspiracy theories of socialism and fascism and "birth certificate" rants--can have their voices heard so loudly that the MSM no longer has the luxury of ignoring them, while propping up and giving one free pass after the next to these right-wing fanatics.

[goldnchyl]

The healthcare lobbies are hiring people to stir up trouble at the townhalls to prevent any reform of their profit-laden corporation. How are people so frackin forgetful? This isn't new. It's what republicans do. Why is there any question of whether or not these 'protests' are funded by those who have hijacked the system? And poor fools duped & manipulated, willing to believe anything because they can't bear the fact that Barack Obama is president. The MSM is doing us all a terrible disservice by not reporting all the facts around these demonstrations. Did we make such an evolved move as a majority in electing President Obama just to see it all go to sh*t with them using the same tactics we overcame during the election? Nothing less than the future of our country is at stake. IMHO, the ever increasing fringe have shown themselves to be treasonous and unpatriotic. Indeed, everything they say about our president actually applies to them! Projection at its worst. The worst because peoples' lives are at stake. Our childrens' futures lies in the balance ...

[JIzin]

AWESOME! Just saw it for first time :D

[mdlw]

Glad the DNC is taking aggressive steps to expose the mob.

[ohiomark]

Line of the day:

"Community organizers shouldn't get upset when communities organize"---Rush Limbaugh

[JackRusselTerrier]

Isn't it amazing what you can find in a bottle of pills

[ohiomark]

I guarrantee he more sober than you.

[StillweRise]

What about when healthcare lobbies organize communities???

is it ok.. THEN???

[StillweRise]

crickets chirping.......

That's what I thought

[goldnchyl]

When community organizers excel to the level of the presidency of the United States, they govern ALL Americans and must push back against threats to the sanctity of the country.

[christianmama4change]

About time - i'm beginning to feel more hopeful again.

[goldnchyl]

Hope comes from within and we all need to revisit that feeling and push back against this tired crap. No one person could do it. All hands on deck.

[MissKaren]

Powerful stuff. Bravo, DNC.

[keerod76]

That was a very effective ad. Someone already mentioned this but they left out "teabaggers" & "birthers". They should've said that and tied them all together.

http://balmer.typepad.com/keithsmooth/
Sports, Pop Culture, & Satire

[Raster]

They need to insert "birthers" and "tea baggers" clips to tie it all together.

[Akat1973]

off topic but is anyone ever going to help new orleans,we know bush didnt ever plan on it.Have we forgotton one of our very own states?

[Lyn Sue]

What they are not getting...it is not all GOP's. I know many democrats and independents who are upset, going to these parties/townhalls and speaking up.

[helenwheels]

Are they going there to shout others down and hang effigies of gov't officiaIs, too?

[kjustk]

Just a reminder - the colonists, those horrible people who fought and gave their lives to create this form of government, had a mob mentality. They shouted others down and hung effigies of King George. Oh and I believe they also had a "Tea Party" which is where the tea parties of this movement came from. Remember if it weren't for the people who argued and shouted more than 200 years ago you and I wouldn't have the right to post comments on websites complaining about one another. Do you really want to limit free speech and the right to gather and protest? Give that a moments thought.

[JNagarya]

You don't know any such thing.

[JackRusselTerrier]

anything

[DakotaMinnesota]

They're acting like destructive jerks either way.

[Akat1973]

sure they are, sure lyn thats what you think. the people showing up are crazy and bought out.

[Sloane7]

Oh really? They are upset because the president that they presumably voted for was really born in Kenya? Yeah right.

That there would be a public option that they don't have to take but would be available to them if they wanted it?

That health care reform is being addressed for people that don't have, can't get or can't afford health coverage?

That there is a stimulus to help American citizens destroyed by Bush tax cuts, deregulation and a war of choice?

It's you that doesn't get it.

[rich misty]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/05/rnc-refuses-to-accept-cal_n_252020.html

Just up.

[Phreaked]

Too funny

[helenwheels]

THat's most awesome, and I love that in the comments folks are giving out other contact numbers left and right.

[Phreaked]

SPAM then in every way possible, letters, e-mail and phone calls....Let see how they like a little of their own medicine

[Fireback]

From Amercan whiner:

When you call that number in response to the add, what you have to do to reach these cretins is :
In order to register your complaint, ignore the tapes directions and do the following:
Call 202-863-8500. Then push 9 for additional options. Then push 4 for Chairman's Office. You'll get a real, and very upset GOP'er!

[Phreaked]

Wonder how many of them man the phones there or if its just one guy

[Citizen4honor]

You would be upset if someone was lying about you.

[Rollingballafire]

WE ARE. That's why we are doing this. My silence is too big a price to pay for your "free" speech.

[rich misty]

"You would be upset if someone was lying about you."

Tell us the one about the birth certificate, that's my favorite.

[Hank10303]

They may not take our phone calls be if we send enough emails we the people can overload the RNC website - send emails to:

http://www.rnc.org/splashpage/index.aspx

EXPRESS YOURSELF

[Phreaked]

God thats an ugly website. hurts the eyes

[Supplysideeconomist]

"We are the people our parents warned us about."

[helenwheels]

Maybe you are.