What Astroturf Looks Like

I got this from Twitter, and I apologize for not being able to give credit -- I don't remember which link I clicked.

Check out this August 20 email (link is a PDF) from Kelly Gallaher (communityforchange@gmail.com) in which she details the campaigns of Democratic operatives' plan to overwhelm Paul Ryan's listening sessions in the 1st Congressional District in Wisconsin. I've transcribed most of it below. The subject line was "Paul Ryan's Roadmap to Hell(th) Tour".

Hi Everyone!

Congressman Paul Ryan is touring the 1st CD next week, we met yesterday and laid out a plan. He has 17 listening sessions scheduled and it is our intention to overwhelm each session with reform supporters.

The Democratic Party of Wisconsin (1st CD Dems), Organizing for America (OFA) and Community for Change are working together to promote attendance at these sessions.

Here are the plans: (Thank you Meg for taking GREAT notes! and it CANNOT be forwarded enough!)

At each session, we will have 2 tables with a banner. At the tables, we will have information on:

1 "Organizing for Health Care" (a glossy 4 page brochure),
2 Information on why Paul Ryan's health care plan is wrong for the 1st CD
3 Contact information for Ryan, Feingold, Kohl and OFA
4 Sign up sheet for those interested in joining us
5 Rally signs

If we encounter official resistance to our table, we will have bags to carry all the same information. The rally signs may not be allowed in the actual meeting place.

There may be an opportunity for people to go online and print their own 8 1/2 by 11 sheet for display IN the session from www.barackobama.com

It is intended that people rally (keep moving) and carry the signs before the session.

We are scheduling 2 Teams each day. The teams will leapfrog each event, so we are set up in advance and ready to go before the previous event ends. Each team will have a table and materials. Team Leaders each day will be assigned to one or more sessions. In addition, each team will have:

1 Maps showing location(s) for the day
2 Locations of fast food restaurants in the area
3 Questions for key people in the session
4 Information for those who might be interviewed by the media

The Team Leaders will:

1 Get the tables and materials the night before (for their first session of the day)
2 Get to the location about an hour before scheduled start time
3 Set up and staff the table
4 Be prepared to move the table (or take it down, if officially required)
5 Stay at the table during the session
6 Remain at the table after the session, until all people have gone
7 Sometimes, the team leaders will move to another session already in progress (particularly at the end of the day which have the biggest locations (Kenosha, Racine, Janesville) [sic]

For each day we will have 2 teams per day.

Here's where you come in. We'd like help staffing these tables, bringing supporters and attending as many sessions as you can. OFA is very active in Racine and we will provide at least one person per session.

Please let me know if you can help. We still need some team leader names in a couple of far flung locations.

We will be phonebanking active volunteers and reform supporters, but turning your people out is essential.

Here is the schedule!

Please look it over and contact me to fill in the blanks:

Monday, August 24

EAGLE: Kelly Gallaher and _______________
11:30am-12:15pm, Village Hall, 820 East Main Street

NORTH PRAIRIE: Glenda Alexander and _____________
1:30-2:15pm, Village Hall, 130 North Harrison

Tuesday, August 25

SHARON: Glenda Alexander and __________________
9:00-10:00am, Community Center, 125 Plain Street

GENOA CITY: Kelly Gallaher and _________________
10:30-11:30am, Village Hall, 715 Walworth Street

PADDOCK LAKE: Glenda Alexander and Meg Andrietsch
12:00-1:00pm, Village Hall, 6969 236th Avenue

KENOSHA: Kelly Gallaher and Meg Andrietsch
2:15-3:45pm, Gateway Technical College, Madrigrano
Auditorium, 3520 30th Avenue

You get the idea. Wednesday, Thursday, and Monday are similarly blocked out. Under Thursday, there's this comment:

For the Racine session, which runs until 230, we have reserved the room until 5pm, so the session can continue with or without Paul Ryan. (That is a bit of a secret, so don't tell Paul Ryan!)

She closes with this:

Thanks for reading this far. If you call me and say "I thought it was Highway to Hell", Meg will buy you coffee.

To volunteer, ask questions and submit ideas, please email or call me!

Thank you!

Kelly Gallaher

I leave you with this quote from Nancy Pelosi:

This initiative is funded by the high end — we call call it astroturf, it’s not really a grassroots movement. It’s astroturf by some of the wealthiest people in America to keep the focus on tax cuts for the rich instead of for the great middle class.

She was talking about tea parties, but... hmmm...

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