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The Democrats are winning the war of planting questioners at town halls
Hot Air.com ^ | September 25, 2015 | JAZZ SHAW

Posted on 09/25/2015 4:12:31 PM PDT by Kaslin

Jeb Bush had yet another uncomfortable moment at a town hall in South Carolina yesterday. While he was trying to fend off questions about The Donald and get out his message on economic growth and jobs, a questioner (who was a white guy, by the way) stood up and tagged him with something completely out of left field. (Washington Post)

Jeb Bush said here Thursday night that Republicans can win more African American voters by emphasizing a positive message that does not involve promising “free stuff,” a remark that bore echoes of comments by Mitt Romney that drew criticism in 2012.

“Look around this room,” a man told Bush, who spoke to a mostly white crowd. “How many black faces do you see? How are you going to include them and get them to vote for you?” asked the man, who was white.

Bush pointed to his record on school choice and said that if Republicans could double their share of the black vote, they would win the swing states of Ohio and Virginia.

“Our message is one of hope and aspiration,” he said at the East Cooper Republican Women’s Club annual Shrimp Dinner. “It isn’t one of division and get in line and we’ll take care of you with free stuff. Our message is one that is uplifting — that says you can achieve earned success.”

I’m willing to stick my neck out right now and predict that if anyone does any serious checking this weekend you’re going to find that this guy was a plant for the Democrats. It’s not that the question of expanding the tent and finding a way for the GOP to carry a larger share of the minority vote isn’t a valid one. It absolutely is. But when I hear the way the question was phrased… look around the room and count the black faces… that’s not how somebody concerned about winning the next election would phrase it. It’s also an invitation for somebody from the establishment wing to mouth an answer which the Left can quickly light up like a torch. Almost as if following a script, Bush stuck his foot in his mouth.

Jeb(!) wasn’t very bright when he chose to invoke Mitt(!) and the “free stuff” comment. That’s just an example of not learning from the past. The core message is absolutely solid because the only sustainable program to improve people’s lot in life is a job. But phrasing welfare benefits and entitlement programs as “free stuff” opens the door to liberal pundits yapping endlessly about how he must be calling all minority voters “moochers” or whatever. But as I said, the question was tailor made for making any establishment Republican look bad.

It’s not the first time this has happened this cycle. The now infamous “Muslim Question Guy” at Trump’s rally earlier in the month turned out to be a dedicated Democrat supporter. It’s a pretty good tactic if you think about it, but having seen it rolled out multiple times the GOP candidates need to be prepped and ready for these tricks. (I’m not saying we need to be doing it ourselves… but then again, I’m not saying we shouldn’t, either.) It’s nearly impossible to completely vet every single person who shows up for a rally without making the place look like an internment camp, which carries its own set of PR problems. But if you suspect that such a stunt is coming your way your staff should be getting you ready to deflect those questions and defuse the situation.

Thus far the Republican field seems to be failing that test. This is war and the other side is in no mood to take prisoners, so the GOP needs to get ahead of the curve and be ready for these shenanigans.


TOPICS: Editorial; US: District of Columbia; US: Florida; US: New York
KEYWORDS: 2016election; amnesty; bencarson; blacks; bush; demographics; districtofcolumbia; donaldtrump; election2016; florida; jebbush; newyork; plant; townhallmeeting; trump; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
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1 posted on 09/25/2015 4:12:32 PM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

News Flash! They’ve been doing it for years!


2 posted on 09/25/2015 4:16:08 PM PDT by Fiddlstix (Warning! This Is A Subliminal Tagline! Read it at your own risk!(Presented by TagLines R US))
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To: Fiddlstix

The problem is the zombies who vote.


3 posted on 09/25/2015 4:21:30 PM PDT by bicyclerepair (Ft. Lauderdale FL (zombie land). TERM LIMITS ... TERM LIMITS)
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To: Kaslin
Jeb!

Change the name. Just be !

4 posted on 09/25/2015 4:22:15 PM PDT by MUDDOG
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To: Kaslin

” We’re going to take those Alinsky rules for radicals and run them right through with them “

Allen West

do it

Bayonet !


5 posted on 09/25/2015 4:23:16 PM PDT by LeoWindhorse
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To: Kaslin; Fiddlstix

Which Democrats are planting questioners at townhalls?

Theirs or ours?


6 posted on 09/25/2015 4:27:27 PM PDT by RitaOK ( VIVA CRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming)
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To: Kaslin; Fiddlstix

Which Democrats are planting questioners at townhalls?

Theirs or ours?


7 posted on 09/25/2015 4:27:36 PM PDT by RitaOK ( VIVA CRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming)
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To: AdmSmith; AnonymousConservative; Berosus; bigheadfred; Bockscar; cardinal4; ColdOne; ...

Hey, but other than ballot fraud, illegal straw man candidate recruitment, nuisance lawsuits, and partisan media shills, what’s the problem?

EXCLUSIVE: Liberal Group Publicized Trump ‘Muslim Question’ Guy Years Ago
http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/09/21/exclusive-liberal-group-publicized-trump-muslim-question-guy-years-ago/


8 posted on 09/25/2015 4:30:51 PM PDT by SunkenCiv (What do we want? REGIME CHANGE! When do we want it? NOW)
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To: Kaslin
Our candidates need to be prepared for these questions, and even joke about whether the questioner is a plant. 👹
9 posted on 09/25/2015 4:43:22 PM PDT by Lopeover (2016 Election is about allegiance to the United States)
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To: Kaslin

The lib Rhinos at Hotgas a Salem Communication - DC insider operation only notices the Dem plants when their dear Jeb
gets Nailed !,

Hotgas
and Salem

have wipedout

what was left of there sorry repuation by the non stop Jeb love fest .


10 posted on 09/25/2015 4:45:55 PM PDT by ncalburt ( Amnesty-media out in full force)
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To: Kaslin

There’s a term for what they do....can’t recall it right now....involves planting people in various corners and playing off one another in meetings....


11 posted on 09/25/2015 4:49:56 PM PDT by goodnesswins (hey..Wussie Americans....ISIS is coming. Are you ready?)
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To: Kaslin

I’m no Bush supporter, but I don’t see anything wrong with his answer. Everyone knows blacks vote overwhelmingly Democrat because they want free stuff, yet someone no one is allowed to speak this obvious truth.


12 posted on 09/25/2015 4:53:04 PM PDT by arista
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To: Kaslin

I’m no Bush supporter, but I don’t see anything wrong with his answer. Everyone knows blacks vote overwhelmingly Democrat because they want free stuff, yet somehow no one is allowed to speak this obvious truth.


13 posted on 09/25/2015 4:53:27 PM PDT by arista
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To: LeoWindhorse

Where is Allen West? I think we need him.


14 posted on 09/25/2015 4:58:39 PM PDT by certrtwngnut
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To: Kaslin

“Planted questioners”? I thought they were called “macaca’s”


15 posted on 09/25/2015 5:06:51 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: Kaslin

“The Democrats are winning the war of planting questioners at town halls”

Not surprised. So-called conservatives are either sitting on their fat butts in front of computer screens bitching or counting their money.

I was in local government, and trying to get “conservatives” off their fat asses to attend village council or schoolboard meetings was near impossible. These pricks were busy remodeling their kitchens or barbecuing ribs.

Then these morons bitched about high property taxes or their schools teaching kids putting rubbers on cucumbers as a class assignment. Well, duh!

That’s why when I needed to get things done, I called up the patriot/veteran community. Conservatives were useless pieces of s**t.


16 posted on 09/25/2015 5:17:42 PM PDT by sergeantdave
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To: Kaslin

“The Democrats are winning the war of planting questioners at town halls”

While elected democrats bail on their own town halls because they feel intimidated.


17 posted on 09/25/2015 5:19:20 PM PDT by RandallFlagg (With the things that are about to come to light. People might just need a little old-fashioned.)
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To: Kaslin

The Dems are the ones promising the “free stuff.” It works on lots of people regardless of race or ethnicity.


18 posted on 09/25/2015 5:28:16 PM PDT by kabar
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To: MUDDOG

Why should he change the name. It’s his entire name John Ellis Bush = Jeb


19 posted on 09/25/2015 5:37:21 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: RitaOK

Probably both.


20 posted on 09/25/2015 5:38:24 PM PDT by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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