Dismang: DNC Mob Ad is Inexcusable (UPDATE – Response for DPA)
State Representative Jonathan Dismang sends along this guest post in response to the video below from the Democratic National Committee. Dismang is a Republican representing district 49. Currently, he has formed an exploratory committee to consider running for state senate district 29. He is an accountant in Beebe where he lives with his wife and two sons.
On Wednesday afternoon, I watched an inexcusable and offensive video produced by the Democratic National Committee. This antagonistic web ad, entitled “Enough of the Mob,” accuses the Republican Party of orchestrating violent mobs to oppose the health care policy initiatives of the Democratic Party and President Obama – the same policies and initiatives which, according to all public opinion polls, are overwhelmingly unpopular with Arkansans.
As a member of the Republican Party of Arkansas and a republican member of the state legislature, I promise that this is not the case. There is no “mob” organization by the GOP or any of its affiliated groups. There is no concentrated effort to turn out, as quoted from the video, “manufactured” mobs of rabid “extremists.” This attempt by the Democratic National Committee to stereotype Republicans as having the actions of a few, limited extremists is disgraceful and arrogant. It should be seen as what it truly is: A disrespectful attempt to shame those with questions or objections from openly opposing their policies.
The fact of the matter is this: Millions of Americans, along with the majority of Arkansans, have questions and varying degrees of objection. These are shared by people of all party affiliations, race, and gender, and are not something that can be stereotyped. This healthcare experiment is one that will affect every single one of us. It has the propensity to raise our taxes, decrease our healthcare choices, and lower our healthcare quality. It is an issue that deserves a true and honest debate. Instead of our elected leaders listening, they are blindly following their designated marching orders. The people of Arkansas have the right to be concerned and the Democratic National Committee should not tarnish that right.
The White House and the Democratic National Committee need to be listening – not name calling. I hope that the Democrat Party of Arkansas does not approve of this type of childish slander.
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UPDATE – Mariah Hatta, executive director of the Democratic Party of Arkansas, does not see it the same as Dismang. She tells the Tolbert Report…
“Out of state special interests are organizing far right extremists to protest, disrupt and deny voters sensible and constructive dialogue on critical issues with their elected officials. We saw it happen today at Children’s Hospital.”
August 6th, 2009 at 7:56 am
I’ll translate what Mariah Hatta is saying “It isn’t fair that now that a Democrat is in office people get to join to gether for a common cause against our liberal agenda. Protesting is supposed to be our thing.”
I think the Democrats would be happier if they could just get rid of the First Amendment for a few months. You know the one that allows us to have free speech, the freedom to assemble (apparently the new catch-phrase for this is “MOB”), freedom to petition the government, etc. Isn’t that what these people were doing? They were freely assembling to petition their elected officials. How dare they!!!!!
August 6th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Interesting, not a single out of state group was at Children’s yesterday, yet she flat out lies. I know Hatta, and very disappointed that she couldn’t come up with a more educated answer. As a former Director of Planned Parenthood and working on numerous Dem campaigns along with being a communications person in multiple government agencies, Hatta could have come up with something more honest and respectful to voters.
I have this feeling that both Sen. Lincoln and the Democrat Party are not sensing how many people in Arkansas are not for this legislation. To make these statements are very dangerous and hurtful to all Democrat elected officials. She should state the positive aspects of this bill instead of name calling real Arkansas voters. Which by the way, have been living in this state and voting Democrat much longer than Miss Hatta. If you don’t think the business and working class aren’t talking about this Miss Hatta, than you might want to look at polling numbers and ask some of us dedicated and true conservative democrats.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Seems to me you Republicans were just happy to see protestors being beaten by the cops outside your national convention last year.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:11 am
“Out of state special interests are organizing far right extremists to protest, disrupt and deny voters sensible and constructive dialogue on critical issues with their elected officials. We saw it happen today at Children’s Hospital.”
One word: Delusional. But honestly, I hope the Democrats keep thinking this and underestimating the movement.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Please ask Mariah to tell me “WHO” the organization is who “HIRED” protesters yesterday at ACH. I am a member of a the Tea Party, and we asked our people not to go. I ended up going, not with a Tea Party group, but as an individual. I did see maybe six or so of our members in the audience, who like myself, had come as individuals. But also, what I saw was indidviduals from all walks of like, people I had never seen in a Tea Party meeting, get off from work and attend. There were blue collar workers, health care workers, and white collar workers, who were there to speak up their minds. As a Tea Party member, Moriah, I just want to know who you think is “FUNDING” protesters, because our group is in the red financially, and we sure could use some funding right now.
August 6th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I’d like to know who is paying as well. If they pay well enough I’m interested! I’m fairly well connected in Republican circles, and I haven’t heard of anyone hiring.
August 6th, 2009 at 11:52 am
The Tea Party Movement, from what I understand, operates on a very small budget.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
We first heard from the birthers, with their fake “birth certificate” in hand and with their fake outrage. These are the same under tones that you saw from Republicans during the confirmation hearings for Sonia Sotomayor, “you are not like us” or “you are too different”, “you are not main stream”. And then they act surprised when people do not vote with them, they are lost, no core beliefs, too bad.
In my opinion the Republican Party has been taken over the most extreme religious right (people who love to push their beliefs on others while at the same time trying to take away their rights) and that’s who they need to focus on if they real want to win. Good Luck, because as they said in WACO, “We Ain’t Coming Out”.
It’s funny we hear Republicans say that they do not want “faceless bureaucrats” making medical decisions but they have no problem with “private sector” “faceless bureaucrats” daily declining medical coverage and financially ruining good hard working people. And who says that the “private sector” is always right, do we forget failures like Long-Term Capital, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Enron, Tyco, AIG and Lehman Brothers. Of course the federal government will destroy heathcare by getting involved, Oh but wait our military men and women and the Senate and Congress get the best heathcare in the world, and oh, that’s right, its run by our federal government. I can understand why some may think that the federal government will fail, if you look at the past eight years as a current history, with failures like the financial meltdown, Katrina, and the Walter Reed Scandal but the facts is they can and if we support them they will succeed.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
It is well known that these protestors are paid by Republican-affiliated lobbying groups.
It is one thing to register a complaint, ask a question of an elected representative, and even make a statement, but it is another thing to start a shouting match and start a near riot. Wearing a t-shirt of another candidate or another party is protected speech (but Bush had people like that arrested at his speeches) but disturbing the peace is not.
To stage a protest or shouting match at a hospital is disgusting. Children are there on the edge of death — the environment demands a little more respect and decorum than thee paid mobs have shown what they are capable of.
August 6th, 2009 at 12:40 pm
How is it well known? I don’t know that. How do you know that? Please show some examples so we can verify that it is “well known”.
August 6th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Please give us the name of the paid persons who were at the rally and the people or corporations paying them or I’m calling you out as a liar Chad Ryan. Wake up! Some of us really do love our country and don’t do everything we do for money like many on your side. I think you’re so used to this way of life that you expect it from everyone else. Stay blind! It’s much easier for us to clean your clocks in 2010.
August 6th, 2009 at 9:58 pm
Chad-you’ve been drinking a little too much of the kool-aid…healthcare is very personal and if you don’t think that Arkansans as mad as hell that the government-and more specifically, our AR delegation- is trying to rush thru healthcare “reform” then you are greatly mistaken.
“The environment demands a little more respect and decorum…” Now you’re just starting to sound like Whiny Wills…
August 7th, 2009 at 11:00 am
Chad, are you serious? I mean, really? You, sir, are just as delusional as Mariah Hatta. To insult anyone who stands up against Obama’s health care plan as “paid off” is such a slap in the face. God forbid that fellow citizens might have a different opinion than you.
August 7th, 2009 at 8:01 pm
I think it is time to start asking for evidence linking the Republican party to the grass roots movement. I was at the saline republican party last night, and there was not one admonition from anyone to attend town halls and shout. Shoot, I don’t remember anyone really even saying to go to town halls. Nor did I hear anyone mention that we should utilize the Tea Parties. Nothing there, maybe it is those three people in the down town office who are doing all of this underhanded awful stuff i keep hearing about. I don’t know….
Full Disclosure, a republican Candidate did invite us out to the health care rally at Tyndall park. Its at 4:30. Sorry for the shameless plug.
August 9th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
This woman from the Democratic Party is an idiot. We are protesting because we don’t like being lied to, and we don’t want the government to get between us and our doctors. Ask her for specific groups, specific actions, and specific evidence of what she is saying. She won’t be able to give you any.
August 9th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
OK. I have just gone back and read Chad Ryan’s comment. He is an idiot as well. What happened is Vic Snyder had announced that he was holding a town hall meeting at one location at 2:00 pm the day before the town hall meeting the next day. Then without warning and very little, if any notice, he changed the meeting location to Children’s. Someone I know who attended the meeting said that as they were being instructed as they went in to not yell because there were sick kids on the other side of the wall of their meeting place. Snyder held that meeting at Children’s Hospital b/c he knew if he held it on a neutral location huge numbers of protesters with signs would show up and be on the national news that night protesting him. Snyder and Ross hid behind sick kids because he is a coward and didn’t have the nerve to face his constituents. They used sick kids as human shields. He knows that we are angry and don’t want the government taking over our health care because his staff have been getting our phone calls, e-mails, and letters. Snyder’s staff was lying to people who were calling his office asking about this town hall meeting. Snyder’s staff told a friend of mine that the meeting was closed to the public and that Snyder would be meeting only with union members.
August 10th, 2009 at 7:57 am
I am the coordinator for a local Tea Party and I promise you we have not been paid or sponsored by anyone, We “pass the hat” at our meetings and members donate whatever they desire. We use that money to educate citizens about The Constitution, the bills before congress that affect their lives and the irresponsible manner in which OUR government is spending our grandchildren s future.
When I called Vic Snyder’s office I was misled about the scheduled meeting, I spoke to “Liz”.
She first told me it was a closed meeting at The National Labor Committee, she claimed to not know “exactly where or when.
When I told her the time and place of the meeting, she said she would have to confirm and call me back.
She returned my call approx. 45 min. later at 9:15-9:30AM and said that the time and place I had given her was correct but she was still pretty sure the meeting was closed to the public.
I don’t know that she lied to me or was herself misled by Snyder.
When I learned one hour later, from another source that the Town Hall Meeting would be held at Childrens Hospital, I suggested to our member’s not to attend because I felt it was not a proper venue for a protest. Snyder was hiding behind the children.
Congress and the Administration are the only MOBS that I see.