Democrats deride 'astroturf' efforts by healthcare foes

Democrats are striking back at conservative groups that are taking the credit for helping opponents show up at healthcare meetings around the country.

Town halls with constituents hosted over the weekend by Representative Lloyd Doggett in Texas and by Senator Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania were disrupted by opponents of the healthcare overhaul plans promoted by President Obama and congressional Democrats.

The Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee sent out missives today arguing that groups such as Conservatives for Patients' Rights and FreedomWorks and are creating fake grassroots enthusiasm -- "astroturf" in political circles -- by stacking meetings with outside activists.

"The Republicans and their allied groups - desperate after losing two consecutive elections and every major policy fight on Capitol Hill - are inciting angry mobs of a small number of rabid right wing extremists funded by K Street lobbyists to disrupt thoughtful discussions about the future of health care in America taking place in congressional districts across the country," DNC spokesman Brad Woodhouse said in a statement this afternoon.

"However, much like we saw at the McCain-Palin rallies last year where crowds were baited with cries of 'socialist,' 'communist,' and where the birthers movement was born – these mobs of extremists are not interested in having a thoughtful discussion about the issues – but like some Republican leaders have said - they are interested in ‘breaking’ the president and destroying his presidency," Woodhouse added.

"These mobs are bussed in by well funded, highly organized groups run by Republican operatives and funded by the special interests who are desperately trying to stop the agenda for change the President was elected to bring to Washington. Despite the headline grabbing nature of these angry mobs and their disruptions of events, they are not reflective of where the American people are on the issues – or the hundreds of thousands of thoughtful discussions taking place around kitchen tables, water coolers and in homes. The right wing extremists’ use of things like devil horns on pictures of our elected officials, hanging members of Congress in effigy, breathlessly questioning the President's citizenship and the use of Nazi SS symbols and the like just shows how outside of the mainstream the Republican Party and their allies are. This type of anger and discord did not serve Republicans well in 2008 – and it is bound to backfire again."

The town hall episodes were discussed at a White House lunch today among Obama and Senate Democrats, said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada.

He said Obama won several standing ovations and gave a coach-like pep talk that revved up the rank-and-file.

"We're ready to take on the world," Reid told reporters.

Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, who is shepherding healthcare legislation in the absence of Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, said that while senators want a bipartisan deal, time is of the essence.

During the monthlong recess that starts Friday, 500,000 more Americans will lose their health insurance, Dodd said.

"We need to come back with a renewed sense of purpose," he said.