Tea Partiers Working With Firedoglake on HCR Whip Count

[babylonsister]

Union thuggery??

http://washingtonindependent.com/79406/tea-partiers-working-with-firedoglake-on-hcr-whip-count

Tea Partiers Working With Firedoglake on HCR Whip Count
By David Weigel 3/16/10 3:57 PM


I spoke to Kathryn A. Serkes of the Doctor Patient Medical Association at this morning’s rally against the health care bill, after Serkes had addressed the smallish crowd.

“I’m in contact with folks on the progressive side,” said Serkes. “They’re saying right now that Pelosi’s almost there with the votes. What they’re saying is that there’s some serious arm-twisting — their words were ‘union thuggery.’ One progressive source told me that there was serious union thuggery this weekend, targeting Rep. Jason Altmire (D-Pa.).”

The source, she said, was Jane Hamsher of Firedoglake, a liberal blog that’s also paid for polls in some Democratic districts asking voters whether “aye” votes on health care reform would help or hurt their re-election chances. “She said that they’re very close — {liberal blogs} are better at keeping a tab on it. And I think Pelosi’s very close. I think we’re right at the edge.”

[Ozymanithrax]

1. Jane Hamsher teabags out of the left side of her mouth...

But a teabager is a teabagger.

[Teaser]

3. nothing wrong with teabagging

just don't do it on national TV.

[Ozymanithrax]

6. And dint' do it with the hyper libertarian Conservative tea party...

if you want people to think you are anything but a right wing stooge in drag.

[ProSense]

2. Seriously, there is a lot of shark jumping going on.

What exactly are they whipping: a vote against the bill or for it?

[FrenchieCat]

4. and the sky is blue.

Surprised?

[flpoljunkie]

5. Apparently Hamsher's okay with waiting another two decades before Dems tackle healthcare again.

The majority of liberal Dems are not.

[Lord Helmet]

11. +1

[Teaser]

7. is Failbaglake actually working with the teabaggers here?

or are they simply making their whip counts publically available?

[KoKo]

18. What you say is my impression from reading both. BTW...didn't Obama urge "Reaching Across Isle?"

Seems that's his mode of operendus. Always go to the Right and get confirmation and make sure they are included.

Jane is no "TeaPartier"

[SemiCharmedQuark]

8. I'm surprised Washington Independent is so quick to take the word of a RWer so seriously

I would prefer to see Hamsher respond rather than trashing her for this on the basis of RW word alone.

[babylonsister]

10. UPDATE: A Quick Response to Jane Hamsher

http://washingtonindependent.com/79427/a-quick-response-to-jane-hamsher

A Quick Response to Jane Hamsher
By David Weigel 3/16/10 6:16 PM


At the “Code Red” rally today, I did the reporting for this post. When I returned to the office, I fired off a 3:41 email to Jane Hamsher.



Hamsher did not respond; I posted at 3:57. At what’s timestamped as 2:33 — Pacific Time, I assume — she responded:

Dave Weigel isn’t a journalist, he’s a smear-monger that makes things up and projects his own fantasies onto his stories… I know Katherine, we were on MSNBC together and we’ve spoken about working on the pot legalization measure in California in the future. She tells me that when Weigel approached her and asked her who her “source” was, she didn’t say. He said “It’s Jane Hamsher, isn’t it…I’ve been around.” According to Katherine, she didn’t respond. Weigel decided to print his own suspicions as fact, and didn’t bother to contact me for confirmation.

More insults follow, including a subtle swing at possible TWI donors. I’m more interested in Serkes’ response to my post in an email — she now says that she did not mean to attribute “union thuggery” to Hamsher, and because Hamsher denies saying that, I’ll update my original post. But I am disappointed that Hamsher would use such personal insults and fabricate quotes to make me look like a liar.

Here is the relevant part of my conversation with Serkes. I was recording the rally, so I have audio to back up this transcript.

SERKES: They’re saying that there’s some serious arm-twisting, and their words were union thuggery.

ME: Who’s the they?

SERKES: The progressive side. A progressive source told me that there was serious union thuggery going on this weekend.

ME: Is this the Firedoglake folks?

SERKES: It’s Jane. You’re figured it out.

ME: I’m not new at this.

SERKES: She said they were after Altmire this weekend. Yeah, because Jane and I last talked Saturday.

As I said, Serkes no longer stands by her attribution of “union thuggery” to Hamsher, so I will correct that. I apologize to Jane Hamsher for not giving her more time to respond to my email. When Serkes spoke to me, it seemed clear that she was characterizing her conversation with Hamsher and recalled “union thuggery” enough to use it twice and, twice, attribute it that way. But that is not what she meant to say.

As for Hamsher’s insults of me and my publication — which she supports with fabricated quotes — I’d welcome an apology and a retraction.

By the way, by “I’m not new at this,” I meant I’ve been covering this stuff closely and know that Hamsher has made some high-profile team-ups with conservative activists such as Grover Norquist. And I’d argue that figuring this stuff out, and getting people to name sources, is absolutely the work of a journalist.

[Cha]

12. So hamsher is not

going to bash the Unions after all?

Like hamsher bothers for confirmation.

[Spazito]

14. Her response is interesting in what is not there...

No denial that she said it and no denial she is working with Ms. Serkes, the only denial came from Ms. Serkes re the usage of the term "union thuggery" by Ms. Hampsher. In fact, Ms. Hampsher's response is chock full of everything but any kind of a straight forward denial, imo.

How hard is it to say, "I am neither working with the "Tea Party Movement" nor have I ever used the term "union thuggery"". I don't know but that seems to me to be what an honest denial would look like.

[KoKo]

19. Smear by association? eom

[Spazito]

21. I am surprised you did not point out where Ms. Hamsher stated she was ...

neither involved with the tea 'partiers' nor used the expression "union thuggery" in her response to the article in the Independent given your response. I am sure it was an inadvertent omission you will soon correct otherwise your post means little.

[babylonsister]

24. Haha! You're cute.

:hug:

[Spazito]

30. LOL, I must say I found the post to which I responded...

to be similar to Ms. Hamsher's response in that both lacked persuasive content.

:hug: back at you

[saltpoint]

25. Jane WOULD have issued concise, clear denials but at that very

moment, her pal Grover Norquist called and asked her if she'd dedicate some more time and energy to debasing Democrats.

And Jane, ever at the ready to do so, happily obliged. "Why, of course, Grover. You know I'd be delighted to. Whatever you think is best."

[Spazito]

26. LOL, and Phyllis Schlafly ( you know, the feminist) was on hold re another 'team' letter....

her, Norquist and Ms. Hamsher could all sign!

:rofl:

[saltpoint]

27. Hi, Spazito. When you mentioned Phyllis Schlaflly just then, our dog

started moaning and howling like it was in pain.

- - -

I'd buy a ticket to one of Jane Hamsher's films. But her politics sucks doorknobs.

[Spazito]

28. LOL re your dog! My cat read the screen, saw the same name and packed up the....

scratching post and moved out.

Her movies may be good (I have no idea) but her 'moves' certainly aren't a ticket seller to me.

[saltpoint]

31. Agree. There are some people who are just consumed with

anger.

Jane Hamsher could be one of them.

[babylonsister]

32. Duck and cover!

:hide:

:rofl:

:hi:

[saltpoint]

33. LOL!

:hi:

[KoKo]

16. Okay...I see you replied after my post asking why you didn't quote Hamsher.

I see you edited to favor the Independent's "take" on Hamsher's replie by doing "selective quotes."

You do realize that it's obvious there's a concerted effort to go after Left Wing Dems? Consider the constant posts trashing Kucinich and the other "veiled posts" going after "Firedoglake."

Why not go to "Firedoglake" and post Hamsher's full reply? Instead you are obviously leaning to putting the "WI"'s David Weigel's view out there, because it fully supports your own view.

[babylonsister]

20. Bite me. I posted the update provided from the guy who wrote

the original OP. Had nothing to do with my motives, just trying to keep the record straight. But ftr, I don't go to FDL anymore because I don't trust some people there or their motives, so had no idea what was put up there.

You can read whatever you want into that but quit with your accusations.

Edit to add: PS, I didn't reply after your post; look at the times, and see above sentence. :eyes:

[madmom]

9. "Union thuggery" when unions tell their members not to vote for someone but it's ok

for churches and other groups to do this? Oh I see only repugs groups are allowed.

[jenmito]

13. [UPDATED](title of article)"Tea Party Activist Working With Firedoglake’s Hamsher on HCR Whip Count"

(UPDATE: This post was originally titled "Tea Partiers Working With Firedoglake on HCR Whip Count." After I posted it, Kathryn Serkes e-mailed me to say that she didn't mean to imply that Firedoglake's Jane Hamsher used the phrase "union thuggery. Serkes also disputed my description of her as a "Tea Partier," but I really used that because this was a Tea Party rally, and she was an organizer of it. She also argued that there was a difference between working with Hamsher and working "with Firedoglake." I agree, and none of the links below are meant to imply that other FDL bloggers have any connection to Tea Parties.)...

http://washingtonindependent.com/79406/tea-partiers-working-with-firedoglake-on-hcr-whip-count

[KoKo]

17. Finally the "smear" by "WI" get's "UPDATED." Thank you for doing that. eom.

[KoKo]

15. Why didn't you Post Jane's Reply in this post. You are taking one side and posting it

When your post leads to Hamsher's reply. I followed it...Why don't you? :shrug: It's not up to me to post the counter...it's up to you to do the work.

[saltpoint]

22. Jane Hamsher is a disgrace.

[AlinPA]

23. On Altmire, it doesn't matter what he does; there is a popular judge running against him

and she has teabaggers on her side. But since he has pissed off the Democrats he is gone in November. The ad against HCR here ends with "call Jason Altmire and thank him for standing up for jobs and against the 2700 page Health Care...."

[BeyondGeography]

29. Figures

[Clio the Leo]

34. Weigel and Jane are going at it on Twitter!!!

:popcorn:

http://twitter.com/#/list/CliotheLeo/weigel-hamsher

[Spazito]

35. I can't acess it, not a tweeter? twitterer? twit (okay, ignore that last one, lol)...

your link goes to a password, etc, request. Is there a way to access this without registering? Yes, I admit it, I would love to join you in the enjoyment of popcorn on this one!

:rofl:

[Clio the Leo]

36. it's Twitter ..... just join the darned thing....

.... I never use Facebook but have an account there just so I can read stuff.

[Spazito]

37. Darn, I was hoping you would take pity on me and give me an overview...

so I wouldn't have to do that! I guess that's a no-go huh, lol.