Great synopsis! I believe your pretty much right. Particularly about drawing the protesters out and inciting violence in our name.
This long from over.

Oh BTW the trip 5′s, there not part of that whole back room, side deal thingy with the Marion Berry deal ya know. Ssshhhhh.

There are limitations on the dirty tricks and violence at these meetings. More Americans than ever own firearms and have CCW capabilities.

Thankfully, nothing has escalated to the point where people are thinking in this direction and hopefully it will stay that way.

Imagine, if you will, the unrestrained response that would occur if not for:

1. Ubiquitous, inexpensive, small video recording devices.

2. Universal access to upload and view the video taken by average citizens.

3. Wide spread firearm ownership.

These things were not present in Germany and Russia.

We have eyes. We have ears. We have teeth.

That’s what occurred to me after reading your post, EPU. Not just about Elliot Ness and Al Capone, but the long history of political nasty game playing. All those marvelous black & white pictures and newspaper cartoons-think Tammany Hall for one.

We have just discovered that we are living and involved in present day dirty politics. Something that most of us here, have probably never thought about before. As by nature we are not activists.

Let the games begin!

Great diary.

Living in Chicago-land—where we’ve known about Obama since he campaigned and became our senator……all we can say is God bless the USA and for all you brave brave patriots standing together against this Chicago mob that’s now in the whitehouse.!!!!!!!!!! During the campaign—-I couldn’t believe that so many were taken by his smoke and mirrors baffle and baloney!!!!! I tried to talk to Obamaniacs here—–and told them to ignore is talk but look at this record. But so many here in Illinoisssssss as well as across the country instead put credence in his smooth talk. Election nite—from where we live near the WI border—we heard the fireworks and I was so anxious I couldn’t sleep. Some of my professional friends called me—terrified about what was coming to this great nation—–and when oh when would regular americans wake up and see what he really is. Thank God for Fox, talk radio and websites such as this so the truth gets out. Believe it or not—-for some who listen to the state run media—-they’re still eating up the Dem spin!! But thank God that all you patriots across the country are standing up and fighting for our country—–peacefully, respectfully, taking cameras—-and using our laws to defend the rights of brave patriots such as Kenneth in St. Louis. I’m so thrilled that all of you great patriots FINALLY see what we know about those goons in the whitehouse. It’s true—it’s true—it’s true!! Don’t look at Obama’s charm, good looks, smooth rhetoric, their dog, their cute kids——but look at what he orders: mobs to go out and rough up ordinary citizens. Their intent is to intimidate and hurt people. I’ve been to places where those thugs are. They do “get in your face” as Obama told them to do. They get in front of you, swear at you, shove you, trip you—-they will stop at nothing. And then they will spin it by blaming the rest of us. They are intimidating elderly from going to these events—-like my 82 year old aunt. Stand firm and keep fighting—peacefully—-but with cameras and internet so we can get the truth out there so EVERYBODY sees Obama and his goons for what they are: Chicago thugs!!!!!

as you do EPU. I had thought that the SEIU thugs would just stop wearing their uniforms, so that they can appear to be a part of the anti-obamacare group. They will provoke violence, and then get on the MSM as the poor victim that got beat up at a townhall for supporting obamacare. It’s coming. I beg of everyone who attends to use your voice, and the truth, not violence. Those on the MSM can/will be investigated. They will be proven thugs.

As far as Obama’s comments that “this is the moment that this movement was built for” was pridicted by Joe Biden long ago. He said that Obama would be challenged within his first 6 months, and, that we will not think he is doing the right thing, but, just stick with them. Most took that to mean a foreign threat. I doubt many would have considered domestic issues. Biden is a jacka$$, but, there is always an element of truth to what he says. The lack of support for the Obamacare bill has proven to be his biggest threat, almost within 6 months, the majority does not think he is doing the right thing, and, they now have to call out the union goons to stick with them.

When the only weapon they have is thuggery, then they have lost the fight.

I’ve been think about this a few days (and should write a diary on it). As much as we wish to malign the Independents and the Moderates that gave us Obama, they are ultimately leading to his downfall.

Obama made a lot of promises to America; healthcare reform, protecting the environment, ending the war. And after being elected, he thought he had a mandate to make all of that happen. In his mind, his policy preferences were the things that he was elected to enact.

But he missed the key thing he was elected to do. He promised post-partisanship, and that is the one non-negotiable promise that the “middle” expects him to keep. They elected Obama and Democrats because they are tired of the bickering and finger pointing. When his response to reasonable questions about his policies is to engage in hyper-partisan thuggery, he loses.

This is why he has lost the Independent in the polls, and why he has lost on healthcare. Democrats are in a no win situation now. If they ram through HR 3200, over the objections of the moderates and with such a high disapproval of the plan, they will get destroyed in 2010. If they stop this bill, then Obama suffers a fatal blow to his presidency.

In the future we may look upon a new 3rd rail in politics. Never, ever promise to be post-partisan and fail to live up to that promise. The voters will rip you up even faster than they will for raising taxes.

You are spot on when you say, “They will try to draw protesters into fights so that the news coverage can frame the protesters as unruly and violent.” I am telling everyone I know that I will not engage with counter-protesters at these events and neither should they. The opposition is there to goad people into unruly behavior so that the media can blame violence on right wing extremists. If you are confronted just turn your back on the other side and keep your mouth shut. Live my the axiom, “Don’t argue with idiots, it is hard for people watching to know which one is which.”

Thanks for the excellent post.

HOW do you take a billionaire out?

George Soros Pledges $5 Million To Bankroll Health Care Reform Push, Group Says

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/health-care/george-soros-pledges-5-million-to-bankroll-health-care-reform-push-group-says/

Drug Industry to Run Ads Favoring White House Plan

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/09/health/policy/09lobby.html?_r=1

The drug industry has authorized its lobbyists to spend as much as $150 million on television commercials supporting President Obama’s health care overhaul, beginning over the August Congressional recess, people briefed on the plans said Saturday.

By comparison, President Obama’s presidential campaign spent about $236 million on television commercials while the campaign of the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain of Arizona, spent about $126 million. Few expect the opponents of the health care overhaul to muster as much advertising muscle as its backers, including sympathetic business groups, labor unions and ideological allies. The drug makers stand to gain millions of new customers from the expansion of health care coverage.

Great diary. Thanks.

A senior couple was just on Cavuto—life long Dems—-said they went to Dingle event—saw that only the pro-Obama people were let in and put at the front and allowed to speak. That’s why the guy with the handicapped kid in wheel chair yelled. They also said the only Nazi type sign was carried by a guy that later handed out Dingle info—–thus was a plant!!!!!!!