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Conservatives use liberal playbook
Politico ^ | 9/18/2009 | ANDIE COLLER & DANIEL LIBIT

Posted on 09/18/2009 6:32:58 AM PDT by markomalley

Conservatives are coming for the Democrats on their blind side — the left.

The evidence is everywhere.

At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan “Keep your laws off my body” or the line “Obama lies, Grandma dies” — an echo of the “Bush lied, they died” T-shirts worn to protest the Iraq war.

Conservative activists are yelling “Nazi!” and “Big Brother!” where they used to shout, “Nanny state!” and “Big Government!”

And the 1971 agitator’s handbook “Rules for Radicals” — written by Saul Alinsky, the Chicago community organizer who was the subject of Hillary Clinton’s senior thesis, and whose teachings helped shape Barack Obama’s work on Chicago’s South Side — has been among Amazon’s top 100 sellers for the past month, put there in part by people who “also bought” books by Michelle Malkin, Glenn Beck, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint.

Yes, the same folks that brought you Obama the Socialist have been appropriating the words and ways of leftists past — and generally letting their freak flag fly.

The left-wing rhetoric and symbolism is so thick on the right, in fact, that some conservatives have been taken aback by it: The logo for the Sept. 12 protest in Washington, which organizers called the “March on Washington,” featured an image that looked so much like those associated with the labor, communist and black power movements that some participants objected to it — until they found out that’s what the designers were shooting for.

“As an organization, we have been very closely studying what the left has been doing,” explains FreedomWorks press secretary Adam Brandon, who says he was given a copy of “Rules for Radicals” when he took his current job . Brandon describes the Sept. 12 rally in D.C. as the “culmination of four years worth of work,” and says that organizers were “incredibly conscious” of the symbols they chose.

With the logo, he explains, they were “trying to evoke the imagery of the counterrevolutionary protests of 1960s that captured the imagination of the world.” And as for the phrase “March on Washington,” Brandon says, “This is something people said in the office. If we had been alive back in the 1960s, we would have been on the freedom bus rides. It was an issue of individual liberty. We’re trying to borrow some from the Civil Rights movement.”

From the outside, at least, it doesn't look like an obvious fit.

Armey did not, in fact, participate in the freedom rides of the 1960s. Brandon said the former House majority leader was an undergrad in Jamestown, N.D., at the time, working his way through school putting up electric poles, and “wasn’t politically active at the time.”

And while they’re handing out Alinsky’s “Rules for Radicals” at FreedomWorks, Armey himself told the Financial Times last month: “What I think of Alinsky is that he was very good at what he did but what he did was not good.”

But if the tactics of the left helped end segregation and the Vietnam War in the last century, conservatives say there’s no reason those same tactics can’t be used to keep liberals in check now.

O’Keefe, the activist and filmmaker who posed as a pimp for an expose of several ACORN offices in the Northeast, told the New York Post earlier this week] that he, too, had been inspired by “Rules for Radicals,” which includes such tactical lessons as “Ridicule is man’s most potent weapon” and “Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.”

O’Keefe told the paper he was trying to expose the “absurdities of the enemy by employing their own rules and language.”

“If you can make impossible demands on your enemy, you can destroy them,” he said.

This isn’t the first time the right tried on the ways of the left, says Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University. “We actually did see some of that before, in the 1970s. When conservativism emerged as a new movement, they adopted some of the tactics of the New Left of the 1960s, really focusing on grassroots organizing, and kind of adopting a lot of populist language, and using some of the 1960s energy for their own purposes, and I think we’re seeing it again, very clearly.”

“There has been a conscious movement to do that for some time,” agrees George Lakoff, a University of California professor of cognitive science and linguistics. “There is a long history of it.”

Perhaps, but rarely has it been so blatant — or so provocative.

“They’re definitely throwing down the gauntlet and saying, if that’s what you believe, then come along,” says Teri Christoph, co-founder of the conservative women’s group Smart Girl Politics, who suggested that there also might be a touch of irony in some of the slogan-swiping as well.

The irony thus far seems to have been lost on the left, however, which has mostly voiced either disbelief or derision that the conservatives would be so shameless — or so clueless. In Democratic Underground’s discussion forum, a photo of a marcher holding a “Keep Your Laws of My Body” sign was captioned “OK, the cognitive dissonance hasn't hit them yet.” And of the 9/12-ers’ logo, one poster on Stephen Colbert’s site asks, “Did these guys grow a sense of humor overnight, or did they just skip history class?”

They’re not wrong to ask the question. It is unclear, for example, whether Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), whose office did not respond to POLITICO for this story, was intentionally invoking the rhetoric of the pro-choice movement (which she most emphatically does not support) when she urged people last month to let their representatives know that “under no circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions.”

Nor is it clear that all those who sang “This Land Is Your Land” at the tea parties were aware of its pro-labor, fellow-traveler roots.

Still, enough of the co-opting is intentional that the Democrats might be wise to stop snarking, sit up, and take notice. And some of it is already working, notes Lakoff: In the health care debate, he says, the right has taken “all the progressive arguments and made them conservative arguments.”

Says Zelizer: “The tactics can be powerful. Direct confrontation, community organizing, in-your-face politics, as we’ve seen in August, can get a lot of media attention and can scare politicians away from taking certain positions.”

They can also be their own reward. At FreedomWorks, says Brandon, “We’re having fun. I have been pissing people off left and right calling myself a progressive, because I’m fighting myself against the establishment.”

And, according to Alinsky, that’s one of the keys to a good uprising: As he put it in “Rules for Radicals,” “A good tactic is one that your people enjoy. If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alinsky; democrats; donttreadonme; freedomworks; obama; obamaregime; rulesforradicals; teaparty; townhalls
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1 posted on 09/18/2009 6:32:58 AM PDT by markomalley
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To: markomalley

I’m actually happy that our side use similar tactics used by the Dims. If they work, why not? As long as they are not against the law, nor violent clashes, we need to learn more from them.


2 posted on 09/18/2009 6:38:15 AM PDT by paudio (Road to hell is paved by unintended consequences of good intentions)
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To: markomalley
And it is going to get alot worse for the liberals. November elections are not that far away and while mostly at the state and local level (which still means alot) there are two governorships up for grabs. And governors appoint senators (except for Massachusetts where they change the laws overnight to make sure only liberals get into the senate).
3 posted on 09/18/2009 6:38:25 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: markomalley

Now it’s a fair fight!


4 posted on 09/18/2009 6:38:55 AM PDT by marstegreg
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To: markomalley

>>It is unclear, for example, whether Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), whose office did not respond to POLITICO for this story, was intentionally invoking the rhetoric of the pro-choice movement (which she most emphatically does not support) when she urged people last month to let their representatives know that “under no circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions.”<<

I’m sure it was intentional because I’ve been doing the same thing on YouTube and Digg.


5 posted on 09/18/2009 6:39:07 AM PDT by netmilsmom (Psalm 109:8 - Let his days be few; and let another take his office)
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To: markomalley
At tea parties and town halls, conservative demonstrators oppose health care reform with signs bearing the abortion-rights slogan “Keep your laws off my body” or the line “Obama lies, Grandma dies” — an echo of the “Bush lied, they died” T-shirts worn to protest the Iraq war.

Conservative activists are yelling “Nazi!” and “Big Brother!” where they used to shout, “Nanny state!” and “Big Government!”

The first two are good, one of the latter, at least, is stupid.

The first two deal with policy issues, and make decisive yet pithy points. The Obama=Hitler thing is just brainless idiocy that will discredit the conservative movement (the Big Brother thing, on the other hand, is quite relevant).

We DO need to make a forceful case for conservatism, and show how Obama is lying and how his policies are the very embodiment of stupidity. We DON'T need to compare him to Hitler (which, when you think about it, is an insult to everyone who fought to take Hitler down, and everyone who suffered because of Hitler's lunacy). Conservatism can do better than to sink into the emotionalistic morass. We don't need to become Code Pink Conservatism.

6 posted on 09/18/2009 6:40:24 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (We bury Democrats face down so that when they scratch, they get closer to home.)
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To: markomalley

About damned time. And it’s working!!! How does it feel, libs? How’s it feel to be under attack, every EFFING day??? A little uncomfortable, are ya? Well, GET USED TO IT!!!

And the cool thing is... the Conservatives are ENJOYING it!!


7 posted on 09/18/2009 6:40:58 AM PDT by ScottinVA (This Revolution will be peaceful if possible; other than peaceful if necessary.)
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To: paudio
As long as they are not against the law, nor violent clashes, we need to learn more from them.

It's called digital video.

8 posted on 09/18/2009 6:41:20 AM PDT by markomalley (Extra Ecclesiam nulla salus)
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To: markomalley
In Democratic Underground’s discussion forum, a photo of a marcher holding a “Keep Your Laws of My Body” sign was captioned “OK, the cognitive dissonance hasn't hit them yet.” And of the 9/12-ers’ logo, one poster on Stephen Colbert’s site asks, “Did these guys grow a sense of humor overnight, or did they just skip history class?”

Hey genius DU poster: let's see you prove SCIENTIFICALLY that that embryo is part of YOUR body.

I'll wait right here Einstein. Take as much time as you need--especially if you need to look up the big words.

9 posted on 09/18/2009 6:41:35 AM PDT by Claud
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To: markomalley

At one of the most frightening times in our history (and my life) this movement is exciting beyond belief. Get involved, if you aren’t yet, and don’t let up. We have a lot of work to do.


10 posted on 09/18/2009 6:42:51 AM PDT by manic4organic (We Are S0 Screwed)
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To: markomalley

Liberals got used to our “live and let live” attitude and are going to be very uncomfortable with our leader-less victories.
We are armed with truth and determination.
What are their tools?
Lies, accusations and fraud and intimidation.
Put on the full armor—


11 posted on 09/18/2009 6:42:54 AM PDT by two23 (czars are for commies)
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To: markomalley

What goes around comes around.....I hope this type of crap sandwitch tastes good to them, they force fed us this type of crap for YEARS....I’m glad some of us have finally taken the gloves off....but we need to clean up in our own party as well, too many RINOs on the loose. We need to go the next step in mirroring the moves of the left....lets roll!


12 posted on 09/18/2009 6:43:42 AM PDT by rightwingextremist1776
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To: manic4organic
At one of the most frightening times in our history (and my life) this movement is exciting beyond belief. Get involved, if you aren’t yet, and don’t let up. We have a lot of work to do.

We need to take the Left to the mat. But we need to make sure we've got the arguments and ideology to do it. Merely being mad isn't going to get the job done.

13 posted on 09/18/2009 6:44:09 AM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (We bury Democrats face down so that when they scratch, they get closer to home.)
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To: markomalley
They’re not wrong to ask the question. It is unclear, for example, whether Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), whose office did not respond to POLITICO for this story, was intentionally invoking the rhetoric of the pro-choice movement (which she most emphatically does not support) when she urged people last month to let their representatives know that “under no circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions.”

She know all right. I have used the same argument to stun a liberal coworker into silence. The logic was that there isn't enough money to do everything so health care must be rationed. If it must be rationed government must be granted the power to deny certain medical procedures, even against the will of the patient. Abortion is a medical procedure so if you enact Obamacare you automatically give the government the right to ban abortion. Then remind them that it is inevitable that some day there will again be a Republican president and watch how fast they turn on Obamacare.
14 posted on 09/18/2009 6:44:12 AM PDT by GonzoGOP (There are millions of paranoid people in the world, and they are all out to get me.)
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To: markomalley

There’s nothing wrong with using an approach that works. Politics aside, Alinksy’s rules are extremely effective.


15 posted on 09/18/2009 6:45:25 AM PDT by pnh102 (Regarding liberalism, always attribute to malice what you think can be explained by stupidity. - Me)
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To: markomalley
In Democratic Underground’s discussion forum, a photo of a marcher holding a “Keep Your Laws of My Body” sign was captioned “OK, the cognitive dissonance hasn't hit them yet.”

What cognitive dissonance? The left is claiming "Keep you laws off my body" but in reality they only mean a few cubic inches while pregnant. The right means the entire body, all the time except for those same few cubic inches which are reserved for the growing child. The right to believe that a woman's body belongs to her except when there is someone inside with either an equal claim or superior claim to it, while the left believes the individual's labor, body and very life belong to the State.

And, according to Alinsky, that’s one of the keys to a good uprising: As he put it in “Rules for Radicals,” “A good tactic is one that your people enjoy. If your people are not having a ball doing it, there is something very wrong with the tactic.”

Oooooo, marches... with guns.

We came unarmed.... last time.

16 posted on 09/18/2009 6:46:20 AM PDT by KarlInOhio ("I can run wild for six months ...after that, I have no expectation of success" - Admiral Obama-moto)
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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Merely being mad isn't going to get the job done.

We're on the right track. As long as we stick to verifiable facts we're in good shape.


17 posted on 09/18/2009 6:48:07 AM PDT by paulycy (Screw the RACErs.)
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To: markomalley
The Playbook and Truth !

The truth is what will make the difference in this battle.
18 posted on 09/18/2009 6:48:10 AM PDT by American Constitutionalist
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To: rightwingextremist1776

I dont think the gloves are off totally yet.
VERY soon though now :-)
All aboard the freedom train.
Leftists who go for the jugular need to be put on notice that we’ve been taking their measure for years and giving them enough rope to hang themselves. Time to tighten up and start showing them the position they’ve put themselves in.
Additionally, those on the fence need to get off the fence.
No more giving a pass to evil acts.
Call them as you see them.
Use logic and Love.
Folks are starting to wake up en masse.
Truth is the new PC.


19 posted on 09/18/2009 6:50:16 AM PDT by humantech ("No one wants to live to see such evil times. Its what you do with the time you are given")
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To: markomalley

NOW they mention Alinsky’s tactics and twist it. Sick! state run media.


20 posted on 09/18/2009 6:50:36 AM PDT by Dubya-M-DeesWent2SyriaStupid! (Obama, the first ever 3 in a half year, lame duck TOTUS)
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