Exploiting 9/11, Glenn Beck, Extremists And Corporate-Backed Groups Plan Anti-Obama March

[Mark Mentzer]

This Saturday, right-wing protesters will gather in Washington DC for a march to oppose health reform and President Obama. The event, scheduled intentionally on September 12 to coincide with the anniversary of the day following the September 11 terrorist attacks, was conceived largely by Fox News’ Glenn Beck. However, most of the day-to-day organizing has been orchestrated by a now familiar set of lobbyists and Republican operatives who helped plan anti-Obama “grassroots” tea party events since February. In addition, a set of far-right groups are supporting the event, bringing along their members to join in on the Obama-bashing.

In the past, Beck has said he “hates” the families of the victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Nonetheless, Beck hosted a special program earlier this year announcing his initiative called the “9/12 Project” — an effort to ostensibly recreate the patriotic unity after the September 11 attacks. But far from calls for common ground, Beck explained that the purpose was to demonize his political opponents, declaring that his movement would “surround them.” He has also implored listeners to attend the rally because they “may be the only thing that stands between freedom and slavery.” The 9/12 project website, owned by Beck’s media company Mercury Radio Arts, directs readers to Beck’s radio newsletter.

While Beck and his allies in right-wing media have provided a platform of constant publicity and coverage for the march, FreedomWorks, led by former corporate lobbyist and Republican Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-TX), has turned the gears to make the event possible. The official website for the protest, 912dc.org, is owned and operated by FreedomWorks and most of the logistical work for the march is being coordinated from its offices in DC. Starting in August, Beck began directing viewers to the FreedomWorks website at the end of his Fox News show. Billed as a “grassroots” rally, the event is actually sponsored by organizations run by partisan GOP operatives and corporate front groups:

– Gold Sponsor Tea Party Patriots is a website run by FreedomWorks staffers. When Tea Party Patriots list serv members objected to the 9/12 march symbol, they were rebuffed and told that all final decisions were made by FreedomWorks.

– Gold Sponsor Our Country Deserves Better is a Republican PAC that also operates the Tea Party Express, a bus tour arriving in DC for the 9/12 march. Our Country Deserves Better/Tea Party Express, which has ran an advertisement comparing Obama to Hitler, is managed by the GOP consulting firm Russo, Marsh & Rogers.

– Bronze Sponsors The Heartland Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute are phony think-tanks dedicated to churning out academic-appearing reports to discredit global warming. Like FreedomWorks, both organizations are funded by David and Charles Koch of the Koch Industries oil empire, one of the largest privately held companies in the world.

– Bronze Sponsor American Conservative Union is run by David Keene, a lobbyist for a firm that represents private health care companies, including the insurer HealthFirst.

– Bronze Sponsor The Senate Conservatives Fund is a Republican Party PAC run by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Many of these groups — each of which paid up to $10,000 to FreedomWorks to participate as sponsors — were pivotal in providing assistance (talking points, event lists, signs) to attendees of rowdy town halls in August and anti-Obama tea party protests. Encouraging anger and intimidation against lawmakers supporting health care reform was part of the strategy.

But for the 9/12 march, there appears to be a shift towards a more radical coalition. The official sponsorship list reveals a subterranean, extreme element of the American right in attendance. The National Association for Rural Landowners, a bronze sponsor, references the incidents at Waco and Ruby Ridge to call for attacks on “government entities” and liberals. In a YouTube video posted in July, the group makes the case for a secession, followed by a violent civil war. Similarly, another 9/12 cosponsor, FreeRepublic, is a forum for various radical right causes. As ThinkProgress reported, the shooter at the Holocaust museum found a welcome audience for his writings on the website.

Despite the inclusion of such anti-government extremists, Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN), Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA), and Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) plan to attend and speak.

[John Turberville]

Zen,
It's looking like you have a valid point.

[ZenDog]

Consider that McCarthy was in office, and once he was called on his lies, he left the stage.

That voice today is in the private sector, where it will be much more difficult to stifle it. Is it free speech? Is it entertainment? My god, what if it's true?

And the Supreme Court held a special session just recently on an issue that is closely related to this, and most of the statements that came out about it seemed to favor big money in political advertising.

Interestingly John McCain questioned the wisdom of siding with the big money, as did the latest court appointee.

Even if they loose this round, they'll be back. And they are bigger, and better equiped, than McCarthy ever was.

[ZenDog]

We're selling concepts and ideas as if they were commodities. They aren't commodities, not at all. An idea or a concept is a prism, a filter, through which we view the world. As such it is either valid or invalid - it isn't a product to be bought and sold.

There was once the idea that the earth was flat. It was a concept, a view of the world and our place in it. The Church used that lens, that concept, as a part of its foundation. To question the view was at the time, seen as a question of authority.

So imagine the Pope, of say, 1480, armed with the tools of modern advertising and mass communication, and add to that the prevalence of conflict we see in society today. I have no doubt, the people would have been inundated by the commodification of earth is flatism wrapped in an overwhelmingly attractive package.

As for the Incas and the sum of their misery and suffering as their natural resources were plundered, who would ever know?

Beneath the weight of earth is flatism, no one.

[P.A.]

FOX has live coverage of the 9/12 thing all day while MSNBC is showing the President's health care speech. Is this not the second time FOX has staged an event and then covered it as news. Remember the tea bag thing back in the summer.

[Boothby171]

Great--the wife of one of my best buddies is dragging him to this thing this weekend!

[Just-a-Writer]

Did anybody get a final count on the Million Moron March today? Did they have anybody there that could count higher than 20 (fingers AND toes) to do an official count?

[ZenDog]

Not me. I've been ignoring it. Trying anyway. They had a few gathered to protest here in Vt but not many, to judge from the late news.

They do know the health care system is broken, right?

[Just-a-Writer]

No, I don't think they do. I think they believe paying so much for so little is the way it's suppose to be. I mean, really, who doesn't want an insurance agent to run middle-man between you and your doctor? I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't argue with an insurance company at least once a month.

[ZenDog]

You think all of the people holding signs are just trying to get attention? Hmm. I've been operating under the assumption that they really are angry, but just don't have the intellectual capacity to determine who is telling the biggest lies . . .

[ZenDog]

Yeah, but you are talking about two different groups of people. Those few who design the campaign, and the grunts who carry the signs. The grunts all have minds, don't they?

I don't think the grunts are all just seeking attention -- some of them are, sure. But some of them really are angry, they just don't get where the problem lies.

That's my only point really. We need to differentiate between them, and strategize accordingly.

[John Turberville]

Example:
"Why are you here?"
"Because we want our freedom back."

"Four legs good. Two legs better" How "Orwellian!"

[Mark Mentzer]

I think that they truly are angry but are too stupid to know what the hell they're angry about.