White House Blacklists Citizens for Disagreement with President

The Center for American Progress is a respected liberal think tank headed by John Podesta, President Clinton's Chief of Staff from 1998 to 2001, that provides invaluable policy research on a broad range of issues. From American Progress today....

"The deception and misinformation efforts of the White House are starting to catch up with the president and his band of merry privatizers. Bush is now on day 28 of a 60 day taxpayer-financed Social Security privatization tour, and the results are not pretty. With the president's Social Security job approval numbers in the red zone, the White House is now resorting to comical, politburo-designed 'town hall' events to prop up his ill-conceived plans for dismantling the system.

The White House is forcibly removing dissenters from public, taxpayer-funded Social Security events. Three Denver residents report 'they were forcibly removed from one of President Bush's town meetings on Social Security because they displayed a bumper sticker on their car condemning the administration's Middle East policies,' according to the Washington Post.

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan claimed the person who removed them was a volunteer staffer who was concerned 'they might try to disrupt the event.' The three individuals 'said nothing and did not sport T-shirts or signs criticizing the president or his policies.' McClellan added, "There is plenty of opportunity outside of the event to express their views."

The White House is blacklisting Americans who disagree with the president's efforts to privatize Social Security. The Denver purge was not an isolated incident. Before a February event in Fargo, North Dakota "more than 40 residents were placed on a 'black list' of people who were not to receive tickets because they had expressed opposition to Bush's policies," according to the LA Times. The White House also blamed this incident on "an over-eager volunteer."

Why is the president going to such lengths to suppress dissent? Because Americans don't buy his plans to privatize Social Security. The White House's modus operandi since the Iraq war has been to spin a thick web of lies and misinformation about intended policies with the hope of steamrolling the opposition before the public catches on. Not this time. Americans have wisely avoided the president's den of deception and have spoken loudly: 'Don't privatize Social Security!' "

I'm amazed that it's legal to use taxpayers' funds for campaign-style events for particular political positions, and then to exclude taxpayers from those events. It would be fascinating to know the price tag of the President's expensive campaign blitz, especially in light of his Draconian budget cuts from children, families, the elderly and the disabled. (Read here, here and here.)

Don't forget....there is no crisis in Social Security!