In the last few weeks, anti-Trump activists have rattled Republicans across the country, registering their displeasure at town halls while inviting media comparisons to the Tea Party.
Altogether it’s been portrayed as a spontaneous groundswell of opposition. But one Georgia protest last week was hardly impromptu. Organized by the group Atlanta for Everyone, it was a choreographed protest.
After driving almost an hour to Greensboro from Atlanta, hundreds of activists crashed a “constituent services day” hosted by the staff of Sens. David Perdue and Johnny Isakson along with Rep. Jody Hice. Instead of asking questions about casework, they hoisted the signs and bellowed the talking points that they had devised at a dress rehearsal the night before.
The protest’s organizer, Johanna Nicol, put out the call. Writing on Facebook, the activist encouraged protesters to attend a run through at the organization’s headquarters “to discuss talking points, make a poster, and (for those interested) practice what you’ll say.” Attendance wasn’t mandatory though. Demonstrators could grab directions at the door.
Is all of this a legitimate exercise of the right to peacefully assemble? Of course. Does it raise questions about the scope and origin of these protests? Absolutely.
Progressive politicos have already gained national attention for trying to jumpstart a grassroots movement. A brainchild of former Capitol Hill staffers, a group called Indivisible has centralized opposition, crashed GOP town halls across the country, and posted a step-by-step “guide for resisting the Trump agenda.” That playbook was on full display last Friday down in Georgia.
Still the Atlanta for Everyone protest wasn’t meant to make Hice, Isakson or Perdue listen. None of the lawmakers were scheduled to be there. And it wasn’t about speaking truth to power. District staffers were there to troubleshoot problems with Medicare, passports and Social Security. Instead, the protest was about getting on the news. As one protester summarized online, “Give ’em hell everyone!”
After heckling staff for a few hours, the event ended. Again, there’s no scandal here, just context for a growing trend of liberal public outrage carried out on the local level.
The Georgia episode provides a small peak behind the curtain of community organizing. The next time liberal activists make a show of force in a plus-30 Republican district, perhaps it’s worth questioning whether the protest is spontaneous outrage or choreographed chaos — and what that means about the breadth and depth of the movement.
Philip Wegmann is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.
