What constitutes a genuine grass-roots
movement?
Ask the average American and you probably will hear something about
concerned
citizens organizing to advance a common cause or express a shared grievance.
By
this simple definition, the recent spate of town hall protests against
Obamacare that have erupted here in St. Louis and across America fits the
profile.
But ask Democratic Party leaders what qualifies as a genuine grass-roots
movement and you may get a more convoluted answer — particularly if the
movement in question is the one opposing their health care agenda.
U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., may repeat the talking points she
recently
delivered on MSNBC's "Hardball," when she critiqued town-hall protesters by
suggesting that true grass-roots movements are not populated by
"well-dressed
people" who use the Internet to become "all organized" and "all planned."
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might reprise arguments from her recent USA Today
op-ed, which schooled readers in the difference between American and
"un-American" movements — the latter being the kind that "disrupt public
meetings" by pummeling politicians with tough questions and critiques.
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs may explain, as he did at a press
conference
earlier this month, that you can recognize a fake grass-roots movement by
the
"Brooks Brothers" attire of its adherents, their "manufactured anger" and
their
uncanny ability to fit what appears to be a huge number of protesters into
the
same rented bus that Gibbs said they use to travel to town hall events all
across America.
For Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, the telltale sign of an artificial
movement is its members' penchant for listening to "talk show hosts" and
"Internet rumor mongers" more than the Obama-infatuated mainstream media.
And if that's not clear enough for you, Democratic National Committee
spokesman
Brad Woodhouse can make it even simpler. Although the town hall protests
appear
widespread and sizable to the untrained eye, and a recent Rasmussen poll
found
that 35 percent of unaffiliated voters favor the Democrats' health care plan
while 60 percent oppose it, Woodhouse knows that the protests are nothing
more
than partisan posturing from "angry mobs of a small number of rabid
right-wing
extremists."
So what does qualify as a legitimate grass-roots movement in the eyes of
Democratic Party chiefs? Why, the 2008 Obama for America campaign, of
course,
and its successor, Organizing for America. As Obama's official political
operation, Organizing for America is run by paid field organizers who
orchestrate thousands of events, urge supporters to turn out in force at
town
hall meetings so they can counteract the presence of conservative protesters
and supply members with talking points and step-by-step guides to lobby
members
of Congress and the media in defense of the president's policies.
As if a presidential bully pulpit and fawning media establishment were not
enough to ensure that Obama gets a fair shake from the public, the slick,
professionally staffed Organizing for America effort also enjoys help from
groups such as MoveOn.org, funded by billionaire George Soros, which
recently
bragged of hiring "skilled grass-roots organizers" to pump up pro-Obama
turnout
at town hall meetings.
Liberal partisans have every right to try to influence the debate with money
and professional help, just as conservatives do. But crying "foul" or "fake"
when the other side attracts a more passionate following than you is a sign
of
poor sportsmanship, not civic high-mindedness. Such complaints are
particularly
hypocritical coming from Democrats who spent the past eight years saying
that
dissent — and, in many cases, downright rage — toward President George W.
Bush
was "the highest form of patriotism."
No politician likes to find himself on the wrong side of a populist
rebellion.
But when you do, it is far wiser to listen to voters' concerns than to
disparage your regular-Joe critics as puppets of the powers that be.
Colleen Carroll Campbell is an author, television and radio host and St.
Louis-based fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. Her website is
www.colleen-campbell.com.