Friday, January 14, 2011

Astroturfing the Obama Massacre Pep Rally

I guess Barack Obama's handlers were afraid that they wouldn't get enough wildly cheering fans at last Wednesday's Massacre Pep Rally despite holding it in the basketball stadium on the University of Arizona campus and giving out free t-shirts.

Massacre Rally t-shirts

So what better way to get their kind of crowd than by some astroturfing and arranging to bus in Obama supporters like those from Chicano Unidos Arizona? (According to Chicanos Unidos's web site the mailing address for the national organization is in Califas, Aztlan, so you know what planet they are from.)

While the Phoenix Public Library broadcast last night’s historic ‘Together We Thrive’ event, several members of Chicanos Unidos Arizona were bussed in from Phoenix to Tuscan for the event and here are the reports:

Aldemar Suarez: “Last night’s event was historic. The unity was amazing, until Jan Brewer took the stage. Then, there were people booing. But when Barack Obama spoke, the audience listened. He is a true American hero."

Hmm, mighty tasty Kool-Aid, but it begs the question of who thought to invite these clowns, how many were bused in, and who paid for it. As for why, we all know that, but here's another clue:

George Gonzales: “I was escorted from the back of the hall to the front by security, who told me there were a few empty seats that needed to be filled. I sat pretty close to Daniel Hernandez and Michelle Obama. It was an evening I will never forget.”

I wonder if George liked being used for yet another Obama diversity photo-op? 

Update: About those t-shirts - the University of Arizona says that "The school paid for the event, including $60,000 for 20,000 T-shirts bearing the words "Together We Thrive," which were handed out for free. The money will not come student tuition, fees or tax dollars." So who paid for them? Obama's campaign organization Organizing for America who had already been using the slogan?