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Tea Party Crowd Crashes Steny Hoyer Event
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) has been one of the latest targets of the Tea Party crowd. During a stop today in the upstate New York district of Democratic Rep. Michael Arcuri, Hoyer was loudly interrupted by a group calling itself the Fort Stanwix Tea Party "Patriots" (quotation marks theirs, oddly enough):
"You're lying to me," said "Patriots" ringleader Don Jeror -- who previously organized the area Tea Party back in April, interestingly -- interrupting Hoyer. "Just because I don't have sophisticated language, I can recognize a liar when I see one."
Jeror also declared: "Why would you guys try to stuff a health care bill down our throats in three to four weeks, when the President took six months to pick a dog for his kids?!"
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Josh
Matt
Eric
Brian
Bet he can't.
(Hope my language wasn't too sophisticated to be understood by a "Patriot."
August 4, 2009 2:36 PM | Reply | Permalink
Here's Don Jeror's Twitter address. Have fun, everybody:
http://twitter.com/DonJeror, or @DonJeror, of course.
August 4, 2009 9:38 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oh, if Obama had challenged this whole lunacy a month ago, like Sebelius did today, we wouldn't have so much of these problems.
But, we elected Kumbaya, instead of William Jennings Bryan reminding the American people they were being crucified on a cross of denied claims and slashed coverage:
http://socraticgadfly.blogspot.com/2009/07/prez-kumbaya-instead-of-william.html
August 4, 2009 9:43 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, attack the dog, brilliant.
August 4, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
Those good residents are upset with how the government is spending "their" money while they're at a news conference for high speed rail?
The irony.
I don't know if the mouth gentleman in question can recognize a liar or not. But he obviously is incapable of recognizing what might be good for his region.
It's not like that area of upstate New York is this booming bustling region. Does he want the high speed rail project to go elsewhere, so the area can sink into further oblivion?
August 4, 2009 2:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
We're dealing with people who are now fully untethered from objective reality. They're right wing deconstructionists who can and do manufacture "facts" at will. As a matter of course, they will invent whatever facts are necessary to enable them to percieve a random bundle of banal, angry bumper sticker slogans as a coherent ideology that prescribes coherent, easily understood, practical solutions to all of the nation's (largely imaginary) ills.
I don't really think they're capable of making the seemingly simple analysis you're suggesting because the undrlying facts (high speed rail would be good for local economy, which is bad) do not exist in their world. Government spending is bad and results only in waste, impoverishment (except for lazy coloreds) and misery. No facts inconsistent with that principle can be percieved or acknowledged.
August 4, 2009 3:06 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm afraid the Gumint is gonna muck up my Medicare! Keep Gumint outta it! I needs my pills!
August 4, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
No Gummit Innerfearants!
No Gummit Innerfearants!
August 4, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
You have to understand what's really going on, here, at the trailer park level:
For the past I dunno how many years, the media consisted of wall-to-wall sycophantic support for the solidly RW Republican government... with the exception of extreme RW radio and Faux News, which were hyped and not questioned as being "mainstream".
The effect was that you never heard a discouraging word, even as more and more Americans knew something smelly was up... but they never heard Word One about it, in the media.
Over time, that, of course, changed. The government changed. The demographics changed (and of course, they all had a little help from the R's themselves, who screwed things SO royally..!!!)
Now, all the dittoheads are actually offended, when the discouraging word is heard. They honestly feel they're ENTITLED, literally, to hear nothing but the same swill, wherever they turn, because 99% of the media's just always been a friendly home for them.
And when they don't hear what they exclusively expect to hear anymore, they get really, really mad. It's the entitlement.
August 4, 2009 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
It is so fun to read the comments here from such snarky, sanctimonious liberals. I forgot ENTITLEMENT is your baby, no one else allowed. Pardon me, I must be getting back to my husband, Jethro, at the trailer park. He's watching our 9 kids...9 kids? That would make me eligible for some of your welfare.
September 2, 2009 8:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
"[in their view] Government spending is bad and results only in waste, impoverishment (except for lazy coloreds) and misery."
You forgot the other exception in their world - government spending is OK if it's military, especially building pointless weapons systems in their hometown.
August 5, 2009 4:16 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right wingers are always opposed to trains. Whether they are a good idea or might benefit the region is irrelevant. Trains, you see, are too European, too communal, too communistic. Light rail, passenger rail, it doesn't matter. It is a waste of tax money because it is a train.
August 4, 2009 3:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm pretty this hatred of trains has something to do with Santa, Lionel and some cheap ass stamped tin windup train with no damn track! One being what they wanted the other being what Santa brought.
August 4, 2009 4:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I think they hate all public transportation because they're misanthropes and don't want to have to be near other people that they don't know. They'd rather be in their very own car by themselves, stuck in traffic, than reach their destination in half the time if that would mean being with a bunch of strangers. That's my take on it, anyway.
August 4, 2009 4:52 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm pretty this hatred of trains has something to do with Santa, Lionel and some cheap ass stamped tin windup train with no damn track! One being what they wanted the other being what Santa brought.
August 4, 2009 4:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
He doesn't care. He's probably retired, drawing Social Security, and living somewhere in the hinterland. He has all the time in the world to be a toad in the road.
OR, he could have been recruited from outside the district. Oneida County is split more or less along the Tug Hull foothills, the area north of Rome, Floyd, and Marcy generally belonging to the redder 23rd District. Get those people out of their cabins and down to Utica to raise hell. Tell 'em what to say while they're on the bus southbound on NY Rt. 12. Give 'em something nifty to say, like how it took six months for President Obama to pick out a dog. Pray they don't sound like complete idiots when they say it.
August 4, 2009 4:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
along the Tug Hull foothills
The area that gets a bazillion feet of snow during the winter, making Rochester, Syracuse and Buffalo look like total pikers when it comes to annual snow fall?
That amount of snow would make anyone crazy.
August 4, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
""Why would you guys try to stuff a health care bill down our throats in three to four weeks, when the President took six months to pick a dog for his kids?!"
More proof that these uprisings are being conducted by outsiders. That quote is *straight* from a Georgia GOP Congressman!
August 4, 2009 2:56 PM | Reply | Permalink
I feel bad for him, and most of the tea-ple.
Sure, reading their blog commentary or signs can make my blood boil, but at the end of the day they're just extremely impassioned about issues important to them. Those issues may be the result of buying into heavy propaganda, but the people are obviously in agony about the perceived death of their country.
7 years ago, this was us -- showing up at rallies and conferences with red paint on our hands and Bush=Hitler placards. Remember how hopeless it all felt?
We were right, of course, but even idiots have the freedom to protest. I just hope something reaches these people before anybody else gets hurt.
August 4, 2009 2:58 PM | Reply | Permalink
If he is being honest, and making his opinion known.
But it's obbious that what most of them want is the opposite-- for no-ones opionion to be known.
August 4, 2009 3:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
If he is being honest, and making his opinion known.
But it's obvious that what most of them want is the opposite-- for no-ones opionion to be known.
August 4, 2009 3:04 PM | Reply | Permalink
Sorry, the purpose of these astroturf "demonstrations" is to prevent people from getting informed about health care. They only want their lies to be heard, and they're doing this, not only to prevent a civil discussion in their own community, but to ensure that their allies in the MSM have a set of soundbytes to uncritically replay over and over.
August 4, 2009 3:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
The orchestrators of the propaganda, sure. But that guy in the blue shirt and trucker hat? I think the thing he's fundamentally guilty of is growing up lower-middle class with too much AM radio and not enough traveling/reading.
I guess I'd just caution people to blame the abuser, not the abused. Lots of "round these crazies up and lock them away!" talk going around that's bothering me.
August 4, 2009 3:33 PM | Reply | Permalink
On some level I agree - these people have been manipulated and lied to so they deserve some pity for their unwilling ignorance. Yet, we must be careful not to field the "blame their surroundings" excuse.
The personal responsibility for disrupting democracy and attempting to silence critics lies with them just as much as it does with the Code Pink crowd. Neither group deserves to be coddled for their actions based on the idea that they mean well.
August 4, 2009 5:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
The rather important difference being that Code Pinkers have never been coddled.
And the other important difference is that the Code Pinkers tend to be right.
Oh, and they don't parrot corporate talking points.
And they try to be heard in a media environment that does its best to ignore the things they're trying to say, rather than try to prevent others from talking.
And, and, and ...
But other than those little details, yeah, they're definitely comparable.
August 4, 2009 7:09 PM | Reply | Permalink
Comparable only in tactics. Other than that, you're right, they're worlds apart. My argument is that we need not feel excessive pity for these thugs, no matter their intentions.
August 5, 2009 12:37 AM | Reply | Permalink
"Just because I talk like an ill-informed shitkicker doesn't mean I am one."
August 4, 2009 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Well, I don't think that Juror cares one way or another if his neighbors get high-speed rail, or any thing else, for that matter. He's got his, and that's all that matters.
August 4, 2009 3:00 PM | Reply | Permalink
Keep in mind that Oneida County voted for Obama in 2008, and elected a Democrat to Congress for the first time in decades in 2006 (and re-elected him in 2008). Republicans in NY feel marginalized, even in Upstate.
August 4, 2009 3:08 PM | Reply | Permalink
If you go to that news station's web site (wktv.com) you can see more of the footage. My favorite part of the extra footage is the woman 2 down from Jeror. When Hoyer says, "Let me tell you the facts, friend." She says, "He's no friend." After some other words, Hoyer repeats, "Let me tell you the facts." She says, "No... Lies." There's a sign of an open minded person. "I don't care what you say. I know it's a lie."
Makes me think there's no hope for these people because when people only believe what they want to believe instead of the actual facts, there is no convincing them otherwise.
August 4, 2009 3:14 PM | Reply | Permalink
Maybe someone at that local station can do some investigating to see if 'patriot' Don Jeror, the "taxpayer" is current on his taxes. I'd bet dollars to donuts that he is dead beat; non tax-paying dipshit.
August 4, 2009 3:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, I thought it odd that the reporter kept referring to these folks as "taxpayers." How does he know that they are?
August 4, 2009 3:28 PM | Reply | Permalink
No doubt! The next time this station covers a protest, of anything, are the going to call the people at the protest "taxpayers"? Every time there is a meeting of the G8 there are protesters, maybe next time we will just call them "taxpayers", here's wishing.
It is kind of ironic that this man, Don Jeror, is talking about government health-care while wearing a hat for the Air Force. If anyone can find out if he was in the service, it would be great to get in touch with him and ask him how he liked his government health-insurance.
August 4, 2009 4:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Methinks these clowns are overplaying their hand. They want attention, but too much attention just exposes them for what they really are.
August 4, 2009 3:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yeah, this is beginning to look like the Palin "kill Obama" rallies. The NRCC is crazy for pinning their wagons to these psychos.
August 4, 2009 3:25 PM | Reply | Permalink
The NRCC lost control of this long ago. This is being sponsored by insurance company and pharmaceutical company trade groups. They're scared to death of reform and will do ANYTHING to stop it.
August 4, 2009 3:29 PM | Reply | Permalink
At first this sort of thing kind of scared me... these idiots getting press could recruit more idiots and the stupidity snowballs. But, if you watch the extra footage there are at least 3 people in the audience who are disgusted by the show. The man next to Jeror just looks uncomfortable until he gets up and leaves. It looks like the man behind him is trying to get them to be quite and listen. And, after the woman 2 down from Jeror yells, "You can't tell us anything," the older lady with the red American Flag shirt on looks at her like, "you moron," puts her head in her hands, and shakes her head.
Maybe all the attention will hurt them.
August 4, 2009 3:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'm not sure what I'm missing here with regards to a solution to this problem. How difficult can it be to lay down the ground rules for a productive, respectful meeting and then enforce them? Anyone yelling, threatening, interrupting or menacing will be asked to leave the meeting.
August 4, 2009 3:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree. Ground rules such as 'speak when called upon' or 'too much shouting and you have to go' or you're kicked out. We have freedom of assembly, not freedom to disrupt town halls. If they feel they aren't getting heard at town hall meetings, they are free to assemble and write op-eds.
(Even the board meetings in my condo association get a little crazy sometimes. Ground rules can make a big difference. )
August 4, 2009 3:41 PM | Reply | Permalink
These people are there to disrupt and generate footage and they're fueled on pure rage. If you don't have an overwhelming police presence very much in evidence, you aren't going to able to toss them out and they aren't going to shut up just because they're told the rules.
August 4, 2009 5:23 PM | Reply | Permalink
astroturf or not - this is incredibly fitting
Steny Hoyer is singularly responsible for allowing the Blue Dogs to delay a vote in the House before recess - thereby giving the crazies and their Corporate sponsors this month of madness.
... all before he ducks out of the country with 30 other Dems for a junket to Israel of course
- can't wait to find out who's all going
August 4, 2009 3:26 PM | Reply | Permalink
I wonder - what if the speakers at these events tried a new tactic when interrupted, and asked the loudmouth yeller to come up to the podium and talk? Ask them to come up and state their name and where they're from (in case they've been bussed in) and to tell the audience what their beef is.
Risky, yes - but there are several things that might make this work. The first is fear of public speaking - even loudmouth nutjobs who heckle from the back might feel differently when up at a podium in front of a microphone. And if he/she doesn't have a problem and lets go, perhaps the spew of nonsense that emerges might show them to be less than reasonable. At any rate, it would give the speaker a chance to debunk point by point the right-wing talking points that undoubtedly would flow, and make the speaker look like a real stand-up kind of guy/gal.
Lastly, if they won't take the challenge - ridicule them from the podium for being a big fat chicken....
August 4, 2009 3:27 PM | Reply | Permalink
Progressives might ougtta start thinking about what to do about the Republicans' latest strategy of shouting down health care reform town hall meetings. Ignoring them isn't gonna cut it. Playing "we're better than thou" isn't going to resolve matters either.
Now, I'm not suggesting that the fiasco should culminate in a knock down, drag out, but I AM suggesting that "team blue" show up in force in order to make it abundantly clear to "team red" that disruptions of the proceedings will not be tolerated. Somebody needs to tell these howling baboons to shut the hell up. I volunteer.
You all might want to consider showing up at the town halls in your areas. Here's the list as posted on the Conservatives for Patients Rights website: http://www.cprights.org/townhalls.php(verify before attending). This is the same list that CPR has distributed to its members for the purpose of disrupting the meetings.
Our people could use out help.
August 4, 2009 3:48 PM | Reply | Permalink
The well-publicized presence of private security at each and every town hall meeting, no exceptions would be a major step in the right direction.
As long as it was tag-teamed with trained national Dem spokespeople on the TV, who will preempt the inevitable stuck pig cries of "free speech!", by advancing the argument (in as bumper sticker a way as possible) that it's free speech that's getting "CENSORED BY THUGS" at these meetings.
I realize these dimbulbs have lots of free time, no jobs to worry about, and a willingness to work for Dick Armey gratis... but I don't think these fat old honkies will stay unified, once Gladys and Arnold show up on the news with bloody noses, and football player-sized guards escorting them out to waiting authorities with paddy wagons (the Dem lawyers nearby, to assure the pressing of charges "to the fullest extent of the law").
Would that we had our shit together, that much :-(
August 4, 2009 4:24 PM | Reply | Permalink
I'll say it again for the fiftieth time. Everybody at each and every one of these events should be carded to ensure that they are all LOCALS, not goons bused in from outside the district. A quick check of zip codes on IDs would suffice. They can't cause trouble if they're not there.
August 4, 2009 4:35 PM | Reply | Permalink
I second that, but please understand that goobers, who have been hopped-up to this level of crazy, are not about to be turned away. They will start bashing "volunteers" over the head, with their "OBAMA IS A KENYAN" signs.
And I repeat: you do your zip code check, using private, trained secuity, in full force, with local authorities and Democratic Party lawyers present to make those authorities act properly.
August 4, 2009 7:15 PM | Reply | Permalink
"ule them from the podium for being a big fat chicken...."
I really like the idea and I think the media would love it as well - ie, they'd cover it and expose the wackiness of these folks - let's face it, most of them will be wacky - without even intending to do so. (and it's clear from their coverage of this stuff so far that the media is falling for the "real Americans", "angry taxpayers", BS.
However, methinks the biggest fat chickens would be/are the Dem congressfolks behind the podium...so I don't think we'll ever see happen what you suggested.
August 4, 2009 3:50 PM | Reply | Permalink
I just watched the full version...Steny did a pretty good job. Too bad the edited news report didn't reflect this...or show, as others have noted, that many of the other folks there - and there weren't many folks there - thought the 3-4 shouters in the front row were a bunch of obnoxious goofballs.
You have to love the standard, "I'm a registered Democrat", line. Sure you are pal...sure you are.
August 4, 2009 4:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
As I understand it, this wasn't even a townhall meeting. A policeman should have politely warned Jeror once and then escorted him out the door. Take control of the situation.
August 4, 2009 4:19 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don Jeror Speaks!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIWLY3NANEc
August 4, 2009 4:22 PM | Reply | Permalink
Its my contention that the tea baggers and the rest are quite shallow, not at all politically sophisticated. I think they're big on opinion but almost bankrupt on facts. I say this because its been the case with the wingers I know personally.
They're usually stumped after you ask the second question.
I think the Dem should invite one of the loudest of the wingers up on the stage for a mini debate.
Any Dem worth his salt should be able to make a complete ass out of the mile wide, half inch deep winger in about 3 minutes.
August 4, 2009 5:40 PM | Reply | Permalink
Guess what Don Jeror did before becoming a teabagger?
Plumber!
http://romesentinel.com/news?newsid=20090616-141144
August 4, 2009 9:06 PM | Reply | Permalink