Politico: Obama campaign arm focuses on talk radio

[spursncowboys]

Obama campaign arm focuses on talk radio

The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America has quietly launched an initiative aimed at making Obama supporters' voices heard on the largely conservative airwaves.

"The fate of health reform has been a focus of debate in living rooms and offices, on TV and online — and on talk radio. And since millions of folks turn to talk radio as a trusted source of news and opinions, we need to make sure OFA supporters are calling in with a pro-reform message," says the introduction to the online tool.

The online tool presents users with a radio show discussing political topics, to which supporters can listen live, and the phone number for that station, for when health care comes up. It also offers tips for callers and talking points on the issue.

My quick sampling produced Christian radio, a local talk station in Buffalo, and the syndicated talk shows of Dr. Laura Schlessinger and Sean Hannity — who will no doubt be thrilled with their new, liberal callers.

Supporters are then encouraged to report back on their encounters.

TechPresident's Nancy Scola writes that the program is a product of a new push inside the organization to develop new software tools to give supporters "achievable, tangible tasks to do that fit into the nooks and crannies of their day to day lives."

[MaryK]

Rush calls them seminar callers. They'll all call at the same time with the same talking points. It's pretty funny to listen to.

I think he likes them. lol

[admiralsnackbar]

What a terrible idea. Considering most callers will simply be reading off the talking points provided by the site, all the talk-show pundits will have to do is log in as pro-Obama callers, read the talking points, and prepare their cans of whoop-ass. Obama's staff is leading the lambs to the slaughter on this one.

[spursncowboys]

A larger point is the idea that the Democrats think the market of ideas will not come up with the points and that they have to hire people to inform us average serfs.

Also the notion that an idea loses merit because it is a talking point is ridiculous.

[admiralsnackbar]

A larger point is the idea that the Democrats think the market of ideas will not come up with the points and that they have to hire people to inform us average serfs.

Also the notion that an idea loses merit because it is a talking point is ridiculous.

If you think this sort of behavior is limited to the Dems, you need to get out more.

[boutons_deux]

"they have to hire people to inform us average serfs"

BecKKK, Limbaugh, Fox Repug Network, conservative stink tanks turning out bullshit, oil/gas/coal/etc have been mis-educating, agitating, rousing dumbfuck red-staters for decades.

[Nbadan]

the same talking points. It's pretty funny to listen to.

That right there is the definition of IRONY!

[Nbadan]

largely conservative airwaves.

Why isn't anyone questioning why the SA airwaves are 'Conservative'? San Antonio isn't a conservative city...and leave out the liberal radio bull-shit....Denise Miller stopped being funny in the 90's.....Where is Stephanie Miller?

[spursncowboys]

air america was tried and failed. the reason why conservatives are on the air is because they have been proven to create advertising revenue.

[Nbadan]

.....CCC runs liberal stations successfully in other cities...

[spursncowboys]

I read somewhere that they have been unable to get advertisements for Air America and another progressive radio group. I guess you have to define what successful is. I doubt an electrician, mechanic, construction worker, trucker, office worker, etc, wants to hear how they should give up more of their taxes to people who don't have a job. I doubt they want to hear how we as a company should give illegal aliens rights and not secure our borders so more can hop over (even though they believe these same workers have artificially devalued their profession so they can barely make a living).
BTW I am talking about the ones I met while working these jobs.

[admiralsnackbar]

If you ever listened to Air America as I was forced to for awhile, you'd know the missing factor was fighting. Conservative radio is all about venting anger and pwning... Air America is all about discussing policy in the most boring, milquetoast way possible.

Neither way actually disseminates truth or engenders honest discussion, but one is definitely more fun to listen to for kicks.

[spursncowboys]

I think you are mistaking pointing out liberal ridiculousness with anger. However when thinking about liberal talk radio, the old SNL skit comes to mind. WHere they were two monotone girls.
http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/clips/nprs-delicious-dish-schweddy-balls/2846/

[admiralsnackbar]

I think you are mistaking pointing out liberal ridiculousness with anger. However when thinking about liberal talk radio, the old SNL skit comes to mind. WHere they were two monotone girls.

Thinking the conservatives haven't been ridiculous is... ridiculous. And yet liberals haven't made conservative idiocy compelling listening. Too polite and whiny.

I take that back. The Young Turks are a fun listen... but I don't think they're on Air America anymore.

[SouthernFried]

RUSH LIMBAUGH CAN'T GET ANY SEMINAR CALLERS!!

Rush: At any rate, the Obama administration through their Organizing for America website has put together a page where their mind-numbed robots can go to learn how to get on radio talk shows and then when they get on shows, what to say. The Obama administration's very concerned, ladies and gentlemen, that their health care message isn't getting out, that it's being distorted and lied about by talk radio hosts.

So I went to this website, and Dr. Laura comes up first. And it says, if you can't get there, click on "find me another show." So I clicked on all of them. I clicked on every one of those "find me another show" buttons. I found places I had never heard of. I did not see me. I did not see this show. I did not see this phone number. Now, there are one or two reasons why, and it's not an oversight. I know they didn't forget it. It's either that they know that their spammers already know how to get a hold of this program, maybe they know that their spammers don't have a chance of getting through Mr. Snerdley. And it could also be, and I think this is probably the most likely of the three scenarios, they know that their spammers, their seminar callers will not stand a chance if they do get on the air.

Here are the calling tips. Snerdley and I talked about this earlier today. We're still undecided, but we might devote just a whole half hour to nothing but Obama seminar callers today. We haven't decided. It's Open Line Friday, it's what the day is for. Here are the calling tips: "Be polite, respectful, and clear. Remember you're representing Organizing for America." That one's going to be tough for them to accomplish because there's nobody in this group on the left that's not so outraged and angry. I mean being polite and respectful is something that I don't think they accomplish once during an average day anywhere. "How radio stations will connect you will depend on the show. Some radio shows may connect you right away, but most will take your name and basic information and put you on hold. You may or may not be able to hear the broadcast of the show while you're waiting. You may hear the radio host say something like, 'Hello, we have your name on the line with us,' and that's how you will know that you have been chosen to appear on the air."

The next point is: "Some hosts may challenge your views. Stay calm and firm. Sharing a personal story about how health reform affects you --" Oh, grab sound bite number nine out there, Ed. We've put together a montage of Democrat sob stories from the health care summit yesterday, so you spammers, you seminar callers sharing a personal story about how health care reform -- like if you happen to be using the dentures of a dead woman, like Louise Slaughter mentioned yesterday. "Sharing a personal story about how health reform affects you and your family is a great way to show the importance and urgency of health reform." So if you're confused about this instruction, here are the professionals at this.


OBAMA: I can certainly remember Malia coming into the kitchen one day and saying, "I can't breathe, Daddy." ... My mother didn't have reliable health care and she died of ovarian cancer.

REID: A young man by the name of Jesus Gutierrez.

MURRAY: I remember a little boy, who was 11 years old, who's name was Marcellus.

HOYER: I had a message on my machine: "I was just diagnosed with a tumor."

HARKIN: Got a letter yesterday from a farmer in Iowa.

ROCKEFELLER: I knew this kid, Samuel Ford, and he had leukemia.

CONARD: My own father-in-law in his final illness.

WAXMAN: People from California who were told by Anthem WellPoint that their insurance was going to go up 39 percent.

DODD: A guy in my state, Kevin Galvin.

SLAUGHTER: Her sister died. This poor woman had no dentures. She wore her dead sister's teeth.

RUSH: Can you believe these stories happen in America? So that's just a little hint, this is a page from the Democrat playbook that's been used and worn for now over 30, 40 years, and this is how you should do it. The final calling tip: "If you can't get through, don't worry! If the show you call is busy or not accepting calls at the moment you call in, simply click 'Give me another show' to find another." Now, here are the discussion points that Obama's website, Organizing for America, suggests to its seminar callers spammers: "For most Americans, their health care plan covers too little and costs too much. Far too many people delay or even skip the care they need because they simply can’t afford it." So you call up and you tell the host that. And then after you have a discussion, then you say this: "The plan the President laid out includes the largest health care tax cut for middle class families in history and makes coverage more affordable for tens of millions --"

So in this case, you're going to have to willingly lie to make this point. Your president, you spammers, is asking you to willingly lie about his plan. You gotta be able to do that. We suspect it won't be much of a problem for you since that's what leftists do. The next discussion point: "This plan will give millions of Americans new choices in health insurance by making coverage more affordable, ending the denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions --" So you have to just keep lying. Once you get through and talk to the host, you just have to keep lying. "Too many in Washington are now saying that we should delay or give up on reform entirely --" Well, there's actually a poll on that out today. It's a Zogby poll, and 49% say it would be better to do nothing, 37% say, yeah, we gotta do something. Forty-nine percent say better to do nothing. And this is Mr. Obama's straw man. (imitating Obama) "Some say that we should do nothing." I'll say it! So, that's our attempt.

Snerdley has been instructed that if you are calling from the Organizing for America website, if you are calling here to get on this program to further expand the area of -- (interruption) Oh, I am on the list now? They put me on the list now, huh? Oh, okay. Well, see, see, I knew it was an oversight. I was all prepared to take it personally, but I knew it was an oversight. Okay. So, anyway, Snerdley is waiting for you. And if you do want to call here and be a seminar caller, just tell us. You know, we always put people that disagree to the front of the line, we never hang up on anybody here, and so if you want to go for it, use this program to spread the lie -- I don't even want to say that because I don't want to be contentious. If you want to use this program to spread the word on the Obama health care plan, feel free.


BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: ladies and gentlemen, we found in our archives instructions for seminar callers from James Carville. This goes all the way back to the nineties. James Carville is teaching the troops here. It's almost as like Full Metal Jacket drill instructor.

(playing of DC Seminar Caller parody)

RUSH: See how ahead of the game we are here at the EIB Network? That goes all the way back to the '90s.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Do you think Obama's getting reports on how many seminar callers are getting through radio talk shows and what they're saying? Because folks, we're really working hard here and we haven't found one.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: As you know, the Obama administration through their website, Organizing for America, has got talking points out there for seminar callers. They're tired of getting beat up on the radio, and their hosts can't succeed. Look, MSNBC, at some point don't you think that network would reach a degree of embarrassment and have to do something about it? One of their hosts advocated ripping Dick Cheney's heart out of his chest and kicking it down the street or whatever using it as a football and then putting it back in there. I mean, these people, in their desperate, desperate attempt to get noticed, they are so obviously childish, immature, coarse. It's just amazing that that network is allowed to continue on as it does. So Obama, you know, those hosts, networks, nobody watches them. Twenty-five thousand people one night last week watching CNN. So Obama said, okay, I gotta get my own talking points on conservative talk radio because that's all anybody is listening to. So he's got this website where he's advocating people call shows like this one and lie about who they are. Basically spam. "Hi, we love you, I listen to you all the time, been listening to you forever, I want to talk about health care," and then they give talking points.

Now, this is nothing new, it's been going on since the nineties. We identified these seminar callers back then. But Obama has now -- a presidential directive. And we can't find any! We have struggled all day. We're in the third hour of the program. We cannot find one Obama acolyte. We cannot find one seminar caller. We cannot find one spammer. Now, it's been suggested that they're not up yet, which is a valid possibility. It's also just as valid that there just may not be that many of them anymore. There may not be that many Obama supporters, which would not surprise me. But, you know, our cameras and microphones are everywhere, and they're not happy, from what I'm told, at the White House with how this is going.

(playing of Obama spoof)

[word]

"they have to hire people to inform us average serfs"

BecKKK, Limbaugh, Fox Repug Network, conservative stink tanks turning out bullshit, oil/gas/coal/etc have been mis-educating, agitating, rousing dumbfuck red-staters for decades.

Yet, you drive to work and turn on your lights and heat your home on this.

Amazing.