“BILLIONAIRES FOR WEALTHCARE” GROUP MOCKS OPPONENTS OF HEALTHCARE REFORM AT TOWNHALL FORUM

Source: East County Magazine

August 30, 2009 (Spring Valley) – A rowdy crowd of approximately 1,500 turned out to cheer on and heckle Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) during a town hall meeting in Spring Valley Saturday afternoon. Protests from conservative “teabaggers” and signs with racist overtones were countered by a newly-formed group calling itself “Billionaires for Wealthcare.” (photo).

Dressed in formal attire, members pulled up in a limousine to greet other protesters, thanking them for “standing with billionaires” to oppose real healthcare reform. The group later posted a YouTube video )http://www.flickr.com/photos/sdwoman50/sets/72157622055052765/show/) and forwarded an e-mail that read "Townhall crashed by wealthy Hollywood elite," creating an online sensation.


Inspired by the website www.billionairesforwealthcare.com , Barbara Cummings of Spring Valley was among those to don black attire and pearls for the occasion “because sometimes street theater can have an impact where just yelling at one another accomplishes nothing,” Cummings said.

Davis staffers passed out information on healthcare reform including answers to common questions—answers many in the crowd apparently had no inclination to read. Although the majority of the crowd seemed in favor of healthcare reform, those opposed were not content to wait their turn to be called upon to ask questions. Instead, many shouted out insults to the Congresswoman and some uttered racial slurs including "nigger" against President Barack Obama.


Read more: http://www.eastcountymagazine.org/?q=node/1814

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Much more at the link. Please post comments on this article, which I wrote for our nonprofit publication in San Diego's conservative East County.

Photos:



Question: How do I post photos that aren't huge? On our site they look small...why do these come out so big?

I think the visuals this group produces with their dress and their signs could be one of the most effective tools out there to penetrate the psyches of the American public and, once and for all, convince them what we are up against.

they protest in STYLE :thumbsup:

I'm proud to be one of those Billionaires. My real name is I.R. Richerdenu, now that you are all aware of this fact I'm sure you'll treat me in a manner consistent with the fact that obviously GOD loves me more than any of you since I am totally healthy and richer then sin.

Am proudly subservient to your ostentatiousness, perhaps I might someday clean your coach.

:rofl:

On a serious note, are there local chapters? I'd like to join.

-Hoot

Glad you are doing so fine

Keep up the good work !!

an anonymous post on the internet board.:)

and then edit the size there.

Good going. :)

And apparently the complete morons are the only ones that don't get it!

They were all out in the crowd of teabag lunatics with their signs. They kept thanking the teabaggers for their support and telling them how much they appreciate their support of profits. Would be good to have more images of them on national news.

Genius idea! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVwrCzRUX0

:kick: & Recommended

when I thanked all those nutjobs for their support as I played the role of a Bechtel family member. I was at FreeperInsaneLand because I discovered FR first - and DU second. They banned me real quick. I had many incarnations there - and I kept using different mafia names (after Lucifer as in the post below)...hence the mafia name here! Haha.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/1122901/posts

The post:

Posted on Friday, April 23, 2004 12:48:54 AM by LuciferHimself

Well it has been a tough year since hostilities began in Iraq, but it has been a successful one. The perseverence of the American soldier is ever present and I can say that I am absolutely proud to be an American. The American people thank you, most of the Iraqi people thank you (as opposed to what those crazy liberal media people would have you believe), and most importantly, my friends and family thank you.

As a member of the Bechtel family, we find that the war has been handled exceptionally well. We see it everyday from up here in the Bay area; our employees and the US soldiers doing an honorable duty for their country. We found it very convenient that through our connections and partners in Washington, we could arrange this war and more importantly, the profitable reconstruction contracts. We could never have done this without the support of people like you. We appreciate the fact that you have helped us to stifle the annoying words of the doubters and the whiners. It has been an incredibly profitable year for us as we forge ahead with our contracts in Iraq. We appreciate the fact that you have given us carte blanche use of the US soldiers to set up our contracts. We don't like to actually go into battle ourselves, but we don't mind if we have others do our battles for us, especially if they come from a poor background. We do appreciate their help. I don't know why the liberal whiners complain. Some people just don't understand freedom the way people on this message board do. Either way, though, the world will be much better off with fewer of those brown people anyway. Our Nintendo pilots are getting excellent training targeting those dirty and smelly brown people.

Not to belabor the point, but I just wanted to thank everyone here again and god bless America!

My country 'tis of me, sweet land of liberty...

She is praying that their pride is knocked down. Okay.

to find a way that 'may' get through to the faux brainwashed morons!

This group is an offshoot of Billionaires for Bush, who have been around for years, all over the US. But yeah, they are awesome.

when Dodd had a town hall here.

here is a list:
http://billionairesforwealthcare.com/Chapters.html

We got a group together from the local DFA and Peace & Social Justice people.

Anybody who wants to can do it.

Just be sure to read the guidelines on their website for maximum effect.

Also, they've got great downloadable signs.

It's like the Billionaires for Bush people that we would always run into at protests in NYC (I was usually there with indymedia or other radical media organizations), but they call it chapters on the website, so...

This is one of the richest states in the country, and the capitol of Hartford is pretty much synonomous with insurance.

.

When President Obama spoke in Phoenix at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Convention.

they seem to have a Phoenix one AND a Tucson one
http://billionairesforwealthcare.com/Chapters.html

Cool idea btw!

The pages on your site are likely formated to restrict the pictures to a certain portion of the screen no matter the size of the original. Du is not built with the same constraints. The way they appear here is in the original format as they are stored on your sites servers but Du doesn't resize them automatically.

Imagine a showing of these people with their great signs at all the health care reform protests and town halls.

My GF and I moved to Lemon Grove from San Francisco in January. We were all set to go to Rep. Davis' town-hall on Saturday but two things stopped us:

1. the 101º heat.
2. fear of rednecks running us over as we walked the 2 miles home.

We unfortunately caved in to fear. Fear is what opponents of healthcare reform have been using to get people who should support it to oppose it. Maybe if we owned a car things would have turned out differently and we could have been there to support the "billionaires". What a wonderful way to show everyone how ludicrous opposing healthcare-for-everyone is. Good work, billionaires!!!

WE really want to get as many comments going as possible at www.eastcountymagazine.org, which I founded and edit. Thanks!

Great work btw!

the faces of the morans when the BFW joined their protest!

(Or we could use, too)

Keep Your Government Hands Off My Billions

Our CEO Makes $12 Million per Year & We Like it That Way

We Donate to (fill in name of Repub or blue dogs)

We Love Premiums :) We Hate Claims :(

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

What *better* way to get the message across...and media whore attention?!?! The stoopid msm will come to cover the teabaggers and -- voila -- be covering the BILLIONAIRES FOR WEATHCARE campaign! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Every town hall now needs to be the target of this campaign! It's PERFECT, BRILLIANT BRILLIANT MARKETING!!!!

This is a protest I'd make the effort to join!!!! Everybody needs to be out there with this!!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHVwrCzRUX0

Q3JR4.
In case anyone was interested.

"Vote No on reform, sick people made me rich."

So bad because it's true, but so funny too.

Q3JR4.

Usefull idiots.

they are told to parrot - with no understanding of it at all.

Thanks!

It's nice to wake up and laugh for a change!

such as the N-word, it's obvious that they aren't citizens concerned about government interfering with their beloved healthcare. How can anyone say this isn't about hating that a black man is the president?

just a bunch of racist bastards

I had really thought we were, for the most part, more advanced than this.

and all the cockroaches are scattering for all of us to see

They do seem to have crawled out of the woodwork, or even out from under the rock under which they've spent the last eight years.

I say racism and ignorance need to be stamped out too

no indeed

"Billionaires for Bush", who did the same fantastic stunts when Bush was pushing his never ending tax cuts for the rich. Glad to see they haven't lost their satirical chops. :rofl:

I just joined! What a hoot!

Keeping Americans poor and sick.
Only the wealthy survive.

What a brilliant idea! Thanking those protesting against health care . . . what a riot. Save my money!

OMG - editing to add how hard I'm laughing at the email address on their web page. You send your message to "Dr. Dinero.":rofl:

Your article is great. You write well. I'll make a comment on it as soon as I get a few more cups of coffee in me!:donut:

love this group...the protesters were baffled..

showed up at * protests, as Billionaires for Bush? They were hilarious then and this is even funnier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billionaires_for_Bush

It was brilliant. The teabaggers here were outnumbered ten to one, but of course the press didn't cover that. The teabaggers were mystified at the Billionaires for Wealthcare. I heard one of them comment "Why are they pretending to be against it (health care reform)?" This is a prefect mode of protest, because the opposition does not do irony, don't get it, and don't understand that it is their own ridiculousness that has made this tactic effective.

:rofl:

"Billionaires" in flip flops??? I'll bet the UAW paid for the limos too! hahahahahaha

You realize, don't you, that Veterans receive socialized health care.

Now that's what we need to be doing!

K & R

But most of the crazies didn't even get it! Proof that they are just plain stupid.

Three Cheers! :loveya: :fistbump: :applause: :woohoo:

What a great way to start my day.

:applause:

Dig out that prom gown or hit the thrift stores for your formal attire.
I forgive the flip flops as it would be hell to walk any distance in heels...so just add "diamonds" with a hot glue gun and rhinestones.
hee hee The "Wealthcare party" :party:

Also, the shouters, teabaggers, birthers, etc. sure are numb.


:hi:

I thought about a white tennis shirt and shorts, white tennis shoes, white visor and tennis racket. Oh, and a martini; buy a cheap acrylic martini glass with plastic olive and put a little water in it!

Maybe a sign on your tennis racket: "Save my racket!" :D

on edit: Oh, and those little white-cotton sweatbands for the wrists!

:toast:

If you want to save money on your outfit (for men), the key difference between a tuxedo and a suit is the pleated shirt, bow tie, and cummerbund. You can buy a three piece package on sale for 25-35 dollars if you shop around. Or go for the Mr. Howell yatchsman look.

The spokesperson is exactly right--shouting at each other not only doesn't do any good, it is exactly what the reich-wing wants.

This gets the message across in a much more visual and media friendly way . . .

Great pics and thread, Liberty Belle.

They were in Durham a few weeks ago. Highly hilarious.

Recommend.

they took the idea and ran with it! these are not the folks from the other demos, they could be YOU! i trip to the DAV for a formal, or a blazer and an ascot, and some NICE signs, these were great!

This is fucking brilliant!

are beginning to respond to the RW! This is great. Blahniks on the ground, troops!

(Btw this seems like a predominantly female group; is that true?)

Chanting "Wealthcare not healthcare" right along with them (if you've watched the video). I guess that they really got them to show their true colors.

I'm confused. Street theater is great, but how is this translated into policy change? Phobia about confronting frothy right wing paranoia is the obstacle to ending illness-for-profit, and highlights the distance between Obama campaign publicity vs. administration performance. Let's deflate the town hall wingnuts, but how about a back brace for the C-in-C?

It's easy to get so down over the teabaggers if you're for public health care, and so easy for it to look like they are the majority if they garner the attention of the press. This kind of ironic drama might get some attention (and we can help by making it go viral asap) and let pro-health care people who are feeling as if they are in the minority kinow that there are people out there who are willing to take the baggers on.

eureka! now we know what's been missing. thanks for your valuable input.

odd that you call him CiC in this non-military discussion.

He needs us as much as we need him. Jump right in here and support.

... versus the rest of us.

Take up they pitchforks people, and prepare for battle!

This is a great story, hope the idea catches on.

for your palette, while yourselves using very light brush-strokes, could not be a more fiercely effective form of mockery. Much more effective than overt rancour (not wholly absent from this post).

It's a bit like ju-jitsu. You can't parody farcical clowns. You can only render them a little assistance in their already pretty effective endeavours to parody their own worst natures.

This is Great!! :applause:

Excellent!

Best way to make the Tea-Baggers become irrelevant is to laugh at them, while telling the truth at the same time.

I love it!!!

and I believe your photos are the perfect size.:)

Thanks for thread, Liberty Belle.:thumbsup:

Like any DUer, I appreciate in-your-face sarcasm. This is just too damned good!!!

and really gets the message across.

Love the thinking -- just great!!!

Humor is often the fastest way to get a message thru -- !!!

Bravo!

as? Old people? invalids?

time and time again. Unfortunately, it's usually the Repukes who use it.

They mocked Gore as being a serial exaggerator.
They mocked Kerry's war hero status with their litttle purple-heart band-aids.
They mocked Teddy Kennedy for decades for being a drunken womanizer.

Dems need to make better use of mockery, and this stunt is a great start.

particularly, as in this case, where rancour can so easily be the most spontaneous response. Rancour is the fuel, but it's too blunt to be useful in the raw state in politics, at least in terms of the majority of the electorate.

theater to bring the messages across. Like troubadours to enlighten the ignorant poor folk, that they save their fight for the elite classes instead of fighting amongst themselves... I don't mean to be insulting, this is really what it has come to IMHO.

A toast to the billionaires.

:toast:

Keep up the good work!

right along. Too ignorant to know they are being mocked. Priceless. I wonder if they figure it out later and feel like the idiots they are.

are SOooo entertaining

Thanks for posting!

:rofl:

The thing I absolutely LOVE, more than anything else, about the Billionaires for Wealthcare, is that when you watch the videos of them on YouTube, the mouth-breathers that surround them actually applaud them. THEY'RE TOO STUPID TO EVEN REALIZE THEY'RE BEING MADE FUN OF!!! Watch how they proudly pose for pictures with the Billionaires, and ask them hold their signs higher, and blindly join in with their chants. The Republican Party REQUIRES that kind of stupidity. I mean, who ELSE would buy that line of bullshit they're peddling?

It means the tea baggers want the rich to get richer at their expense. Talk about displaying Stockholm Syndrome in front of everyone. Maybe the millionaires should be followed by a medical van with psychologists offering therapy for said syndrome.

Oh, and empathy. And a brain. And a soul.

Really, if it weren't for those strings, they'd probably lack the ability to walk on their own.

This one is INSIDE the Susan Davis Townhall meeting - gotta check it out:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me3VnCficDA

I swear I've never seen such a stupid group of people (I'm looking at you RimJob).

Billionaires love FOX news!
Fight amongst yourselves while we get rich!!
We don't care about you, only about insurance profits!

It has to be spelled out for them, they have to get it eventually!!!!

Thanks for the responses to #66, but I have to hand the baton to Bill Moyers, who encapsulated it on Bill Maher's show: "the R's are thus far effectively controlling the discourse, and too many D's have had their spines removed." There's no other explanation that includes the facts.

Street theater is great, but there are enough votes in Congress and more than enough public support to push a new medical plan into being. What's missing is the exercise of power by those in power. (nb: Obama is in power, yes?)

they ain't in control of shit, they just think they are. the healthcare debate will take as long as it needs to take. the longer the opposition drags it out, the more it becomes clear to americans that the repubs have got nothing.

Thank you LibertyBelle! :loveya: :yourock:

kkk outfits. with signs they want their country back?

I can see it now people agreeing healthcare should b for profit and not for those who need it.

sheep

They are currently decent sizes. If you make them any smaller, the letters on the signs the people are holding will be too small to see.

Thanks, y'all - we've had 1,900 hits to our story since it broke - and I haven't even sent out our weekly newsletter to subscribers yet! :-)