Good question…

…from Josh Marshall.

"Folks can whine on endlessly about outfits like Freedom Works putting these rackets together, but if the president's plan has any public support they should be able to get supporters to these events too, right?"

As Joe Sudbay puts it, the Congressional recess...

...gives the GOP and the insurance industry five weeks to try to drive a stake in reform. It gives our side five weeks, too.

Of course, with the insurance mob and the Republicans using goon squad tactics reminiscent of the bad old days of Pinkerton strike breakers and Red Squad provocateurs, we need some way to communicate, if not our allegiance to half measures in health care, at least civility in the commons without descending all the way to the bottom of the pit with our foes. How best can we confront the anti-democratic, un-American hooliganism of the right? Steve M. has the best suggestion I've seen yet...

Get some people to the Democratic events now.

Democratic officials need backup.Oh, and I think you should buy a bunch of these, cut them into (reasonably big) strips (i.e., big enough to show up well on TV and YouTube), and wave them as soon as the wingnuts start acting out:

Yes -- products made of artificial turf. Wave 'em at the angry wingnuts and chant, "AS - TRO -TURF! AS - TRO -TURF! " It's clear even to the Times and other mainstream media outlets that the right-wing response is ginned up by well-financed pros. Why not shout the foot soldiers of the corporatists down by identifying their "grassroots" tantrums as exactly what they are?

If your congresscritter's doing public forums this month, grab a piece of plastic grass and go strike a blow for the republic.