Posted on 08/30/2009 9:36:08 AM PDT by NormsRevenge
Republican challengers across the country have found a new way of capitalizing on the roiling emotions surrounding congressional health care town hall meetings.
Driven by intense voter interest in the topic, the almost-certain promise of media coverage and the opportunity to upstage incumbent Democrats, GOP candidates in state after state are holding their own health care town halls — and reveling in the subsequent publicity bonanza.
The health care events are proving to be a boon for those seeking to oust incumbents, delivering the most precious of political commodities — voter attention and local press coverage.
Florida Republican Allen West, who is running against Rep. Ron Klein (D-Fla.), said his Deerfield Beach town hall meeting earlier this month drew several hundred local residents, many of whom stayed long after the 90-minute session ended to chat with him.
Just as important, the event was the subject of extensive media coverage and was streamed live on a local news website .
“We made the 11 o'clock news,” said West.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Oh, oh, the horror!
Those nasty republicans are playing politics again.
/s
This sounds like an excellent idea to me! Who cares how the media treats it? We should have learned long ago that the media is hardly our friend.
>> The state run media will portray them as ‘mini-putsches’!
Hey, whatever. The only thing that really matters is whether or not they’re *effective* at exterminating ‘Rats.
The takeaway here is that the media needs to be managed by the Executive Branch because the MSM is allowing too much information to be transmitted.
Me too. Let’s get those conservative candidates out there.
The “new GOP tactic”: Campaigning for office.
Cool!
Looks like Republicans are learning. If I were them I’d be purposely channeling Thomas Paine. They should be beefing up on Franklin, Jefferson, Adams, Washington and others. Now is the time to remember how this country became great and the people are ready to be reminded. Letting the Democrats just implode is not nearly as good as taking this as an opportunity to show that the GOP has learned and is different.
This is an opportunity to destroy liberalism.
I'm glad to see that you get it.
One of the things that bugged me about the Tea Party movements earlier this year was the number of yahoos who wanted the Republicans to stay as far away as possible. Stupid stupid stupid. The only way the Tea Partiers are going to get anywhere is with one of the major Parties backing them up on it, otherwise Tea Parties will just be a bunch of aimless protestors who show up, wave signs, and then go home having accomplished nothing.
“One of the things that bugged me about the Tea Party movements earlier this year was the number of yahoos who wanted the Republicans to stay as far away as possible.”
Tom Coburn and Sarah Palin Republicans ought to be welcome. Olympia Snowe, Lindsay Graham and Juan McCain I doubt would be comfortable in that venue.
fimally they are learning..
Didn’t the Wellstone memorial service in 2002 turn into a Walter Mondale campaign rally? Of course that didn’t go so well.
Seesh, what a bunch a numbskulls. The GOP is going to have to dragged screaming and wailing across the finish line next year by someone like Palin.
What a bunch of buffoons they are.
This actually make me madder that the Dems going all out to pass healthcare.
I’ll cheer the GOP when they reduce government, but I fear they will instead attempt to hijack this grass roots movement for themselves and still give an increase to our already socialized health system. Of course, their lobbyist friends will be involved.
Sounds like a campaign event to me. The difference is that people are showing up with real concerns and hard questions to be answered by the candidate. It’s not just a cheer leading exercise anymore, which is a good thing. As for Al West, he’s a good man. I wish him well.
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