The Political Calculus Of CoffinGate

On Sunday, members of the St Louis Tea Party Coalition held a mock funeral for the victims of healthcare.  Using a flag-draped coffin, the members prayed for the victims and leaders and held a candelight vigil after a motorcade to Russ Carnahan's home.   This is a picture of the coffin from the video.  It's dark, but not scary. It symbolizes the death of freedom.

On Wednesday, the media started running a story of threats of violence against Democratic members of Congress.  The stories were built around some real incidents, and several fake ones, with the intention being to label Tea Party groups across the country as dangerous and violent.  Politico ran with it, Drudge picked it up, and Carnahan spokesperson Sara Howard went on KMOV to say a coffin was left on Carnahan's lawn.  But it wasn't.  Why would she lie?

In the Capitol, Steny Hoyer and Nancy Pelosi are holding House members in session later than normal, specifically to give them cover from having to go back home to their districts. The story about threats of violence, much like the stories about alleged racist taunts and spitting, have one purpose - give vulnerable House members a reason not to face their constituents back home.  Carnahan has been very inept when in his home district.  He's been laughed at, videotaped leaving out the back of a car dealership after promising to speak, and of course, there's the SEIU attack on the Tea Party that occurred outside one of his Town Halls where members of his Carnahan Crew were arrested while members of OFA and SEIU were arrested for assault. 

The August Town Halls were a nightmare for the Democrats, exposing the arrogance, foolishness, and laziness of House members who had not read the bill and thought little of explaining themselves to mere voters.  Those Town Halls were a turning point in the popularity of the healthcare bill, and the Democrat majority in general.

And this is where Sara Howard comes in.  Using a story from three days earlier Carnahan's staff tries to make the mock funeral into a death threat by claiming a coffin was left on his lawn.  That never happened, as Bill Hennessy points out at StLouisTeaParty.com. in fact, Bill has the coffin in his garage.  If it was left on Carnahan's lawn on Wednesday, surely Howard has it?  

The story captured in video, is that a flag-draped coffin was used in protest to symbolize victims. The difference in the two stories is very important, and Carnahan's cynical attempt to make him out to be some target is despicable, but expected. Sara Howard has a history of outrageous press stories, including her defense of a racist flyer in 2004, claiming images of police turning a fire hose on black civil rights protesters was a tactic in use by John Ashcroft and the Justice Department.

This story, like the lies told by Emanuel Cleaver and Andre Carson, is unraveling, but it's already out in the public.  As Carnahan and the rest of the legislators come home, remember this is not about fact, but about politics.  They aren't really proud of their vote.  They're scared of it, and want to hide all House members from the consequences of those votes.

Call it the Howard-Piven Strategy.  Or maybe the "'Coward"-Piven Strategy.

Comments

[Zachary Bauer]

Carnahan is scared of the voters in this district. The story has one purpose; to make him out to be a victim and help the campaign money to start flowing in.

His republican opponent John Wayne Tucker will no doubtedly beat him in November.

http://www.johnwaynetucker.com

[Darin Cdon]

It seems there have been some pretty radical actions on both sides of the fence.

I don't believe Rebpublicans or Democrats should have to endure threats for voting any particular way.

[BBINMO]

What is a 'threat' vs. what is just free speech? Frankly, these 'incidents' appear to be blown out of proportion (or just lies) for one purpose - to falsely associate any opposition to this health care bill to people who are extremists and violent. Ya don't like your gov't telling you how to make your intimate, personal health care choices - you must be CRAZY = Don't you know when you're being manipulated?