Anti-Health Reformists Resort To Bullying To Defeat Legislation

One big component of Slinkerwink's excellent Daily Kos diary I mentioned in an earlier post is the exposure of plans by a group of Republican sympathizers, Freedom Works, to disrupt meetings of Congress members on President Obama's health care proposal.
Here are the highlights of the memo Slinkerwink cited:

– Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”
– Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”
– Try To “Rattle Him,” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”

Sounds like something you'd see from thugs defending a dictatorship rather than something you'd see from those wanting a serious discussion of a serious proposal.
I'm glad this is getting exposed, and I hope Republicans are confronted with this memo and whether they support the efforts of the bullies who try to execute its details.
If these Republicans were really secure with what they're selling, they wouldn't have to resort to Gestapo tactics like those being exposed in this memo.