Full list of Tax Rally snubs by the White House

By In the news
In: Measure 37
Saturday September 19, 2009

White House Clueless on Taxpayer Rallies
By Americans for Tax Reform

WASHINGTON, D.C.”” Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) today released a timeline of White House statements dating from mid-April showing a consistent disdain for Americans attending taxpayer rallies and town hall meetings:

April 14: Asked about the tax day “tea parties” being held the following day, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said: “I don’t know if the President is aware of the events.”

April 15: At least 615,000 Americans attend at least 640 tea parties across the country

April 19: Asked about the April 15 tea parties on Face the Nation, Obama senior advisor David Axelrod said: “I think any time you have severe economic conditions there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that’s unhealthy”
April 29: Speaking at a town hall meeting in St. Louis, Obama directly addressed tea party attendees: “Those of you who are watching certain news channels on which I’m not very popular, and you see folks waving tea bags around, let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we are going to stabilize Social Security”¦But let’s not play games and pretend that the reason [for the deficit] is because of the Recovery Act.”

August 4: Asked by reporters about the growing concern expressed by town hall attendees, Gibbs said: “I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the Astro Turf nature of so-called grassroots lobbying”. Questioned further, Gibbs said: “This is manufactured anger”

Sept. 11: Asked about the planned taxpayer rallies taking place across the country the following day, Gibbs shrugged and told reporters: “I don’t know who the group is”

Sept. 12: Taxpayers from all 50 states take part in the March on Washington, filling the streets from Freedom Plaza to the U.S. Capitol

Sept. 13: During an interview on Face the Nation, when asked what his message was to those at the previous day’s rallies, Axelrod said: “My message to them is they’re wrong”

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