Today many Connecticut editors and reporters received the following “heads up” from the State Democratic Party’s Communications Director, Colleen Flanagan based on a memo that has been leaked. Here are some excerpts:

“To Editors and Reporters:

Many of you may be covering town halls or other events in August hosted by your local Congressional Representative or Senator. While the topics of these events may be varied, what’s clear is that many of them will be attended by groups of people bent on disrupting and disturbing the conversation and discussion within them. Certainly people who may not agree with their Congressional Representative are encouraged to come to these events and share their opinion respectfully. But this type of conduct, besides plainly rude, is simply anti-democratic. It stifles free speech, drowns out legitimate debate and discourse, and drives good izens away from the democratic process.

Please read this leaked memo by conservative Connecticut Tea Partier Robert “Bob” MacGuffie, a member of the Right Principles. MacGuffie created a “best practices” memo based on his group’s disruption at a town hall hosted by Representative Jim Himes. In the memo, MacGuffie suggests other groups of his kind:

• Artificially Inflate Your Numbers: “Spread out in the hall and try to be in the front half. The objective is to put the Rep on the defensive with your questions and follow-up. The Rep should be made to feel that a majority, and if not, a significant portion of at least the audience, opposes the socialist agenda of Washington.”
• Be Disruptive Early And Often: “You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep’s presentation, Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep’s statements early.”
• Try To “Rattle Him (the Congressional Representative),” Not Have An Intelligent Debate: “The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda. If he says something outrageous, stand up and shout out and sit right back down. Look for these opportunities before he even takes questions.”