The
genuine grassroots of Longmont are being "
tommie'd" (as in Tom DeLay).
The campaign to fill the vacant at-large city council seat will soon end. However it turns out, this name-calling, mudslinging right-wing group of bloggers will still be out it full force with propaganda.
It is no accident that all of these hatchets are being flung at us here in Longmont. Longmont is a part of Metro Denver and the Denver media market, and we've said "no" in words and actions to what's been going on in this town for way too long.
Tom DeLay, the no-holds-barred Washington operator known as "The Hammer" and the Republicans Party's chief whip and majority leader from 1995 to 2005, "
aims to instill an army of conservatives across the country with his political street-fighting skills."1
DeLay and former Ohio Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell (during the 2004 elections) have formed the Coalition for a Conservative Majority. Funded by undisclosed right-wing backers and organized as a 501(c) 4 non-profit, the Coalition for a Conservative Majority (CCM) is recruiting "thousands (who are being) trained and mobilized to wage political war in meetings, online and in the media."1
DeLay and his Coalition for a Conservative Majority are "alive and well" -
here in Longmont.
Some of the sudden upsurge in blogs and blogging from Gabe Santos' supporters may be "grassroots" but I suspect the right-wing has thrown some money at some of them. They've got plenty of it. Witness the hit piece on Richard Juday. And they already have an undeniable supporter in the Longmont Daily Times-Call.
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Doug Thornell said upon hearing of the creation of The Coalition for a Conservative Majority. "With the NRCC in disarray and Republicans on the defense,
it was only a matter of time until a Swift-boat-like smear machine surfaced to attack Democrats and spin lies," 2
According to the
Washington Times, the CCM "will establish chapters in all 50 states, which will be used to lobby lawmakers, coordinate political messages and influence members of the press." 2
CCM has opted to promote itself "in conservative-leaning media markets rather than the more traditional method of focusing on swing congressional districts." Targeted media markets include Denver and Colorado Springs.1
"Ideally, DeLay said, groups will meet once a month....The group's members will be trained in how to communicate the conservative agenda and how to become effective activists for conservative principles in public policy and in politics." 3
"We need to get in there and mix it up with them," DeLay said. "That's what I'm all about....Through a strong conservative coalition we can help
change the nature of the conversation," he said. 1
The right-wing has forced the media to buy into their "framing" for decades. Word of warning to the rest of us--"Don't bite." Write and speak from your own point of view - not theirs. Forcing the media and the population to use their framing is part of how they plan to "change the nature of the conversation." Tell them by
your words and actions that you won't be manipulated.
Take the wind out of their sails - or wherever it comes from. Write on.
###
1. "Tom DeLay targets US liberals in media war," Philip Sherwell, The Telegraph - UK, 5/11/07
2. "Mr. Blackwell and The Hammer: Two rejected Republican politicians form new "grassroots" organization...," Bill Berkowitz, Media Transparency.com, 11/28/07
3. "DeLay, Blackwell launch activist group," Jackie Kucinich, The Hill, 11/.06/07
Special Notice: Other new groups that have surfaced recently to revitalize the right-wing fringe: Freedom's Watch, The Vanguard, New Gingrich's Victory Caucus, Dick Armey's FreedomWorks, Reagan 21, Move America Forward, and a regenerated Citizens For The Republic. [Source: The Carpetbagger Report]