CHAOS is no match for HOPE

Some of you may remember "Operation CHAOS" as the secret CIA operation to spy on Americans in order to "unmask possible foreign influences on the student antiwar movement." It targetted groups like Students for a Democratic Society with surveillance and moles, and Operation CHAOS was disbanded after the Watergate scandal. I wish it had ended there, but a new revival of the term "Operation Chaos" invokes a related mockery of the Constitution and the democratic process.

I had hoped that this unfortunately named and misguided practice would have faded by now, but is doesn't seem to be going away... so I'd like to take a few minutes to introduce you to the contemporary "Operation Chaos."

As some of you may know, Rush Limbaugh has encouraged his "followers" to subscribe to "Operation Chaos," which intends to sabotage Barack Obama's candidacy for the US Presidency.

During the first phase, Rush encouraged Republicans to vote for Hillary Clinton in the Democratic primaries (to drag out the races and stick it to Obama). It seems as though this may have had an impact in some states:

For a party that loves to hate the Clintons, Republican voters have cast an awful lot of ballots lately for Senator Hillary Clinton: About 100,000 GOP loyalists voted for her in Ohio, 119,000 in Texas, and about 38,000 in Mississippi, exit polls show. (quote from Talking Points Memo).

Rush sent this via email to the SF Chronicle:

''I'm extremely proud of the Operation Chaos volunteers. I never doubted they would triumph in Indiana and I think it is a hoot the Obama campaign is crediting Op Chaos for giving Hillary a 7-point bump. It sounds like they are jealous I out-organized them.''

''I think it was a couple days after the PA primary, I said on air that if the Obama campaign wanted to end Operation Chaos, all they had to do was acknowledge it and say that the Hillary vote was tainted by voters who have no intention of voting for her in November.''

''Tonight, they followed my advice.''

Then why didn't "Operation Chaos" stop??

On his show, Rush gloated about the "success" of Operation Chaos:

And I would also say that McCain would have never have done this and the Republican National Committee, Republican Party would have never done this, which is why we did it.

We needed Obama bloodied up politically.

A "proud liberal blogger" posted this content originally from Democratic Underground.com about the underlying attitude of "Operation Chaos":

'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to the occupation of Iraq.

And 'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to the economy.

In fact, 'Operation Chaos' seems to have been the Republican approach to governing in general."

One blogger responded to Hillary Clinton's extremely close win in Indiana (where Operation Chaos has been identified by some as a pivotal factor) with this:

Rush Limbaugh and Operation Chaos have almost extinguished my candle of faith in America. However, Obama has said that there is no false hope in America.

And that is what I keep my mind set on.

Apparently there was some talk about indicting Rush for his role in messing with the democratic process in Ohio, but as far as I know, nothing has come of it except Rush joking about it on his show, even calling for the indictment of Obama and Clinton if Limbaugh himself were indicted.

The grounds for indictment: Hillary and Barack were courting Republican voters to vote for them in the Democratic primaries, so Rush felt they were really doing the same thing... Of course the difference is that Hillary and Barack are courting voters who might actually want to vote for them; Rush is tampering with the electoral process by encouraging voters to vote for a candidate they don't want in order to wrangle the outcome of the Presidential election.

Limbaugh's meddling is the epitome of "voter fraud", according to Michael Slater of Project Vote, a nonpartisan group that designs voter registration drives for low-income people:

"GOP meddling in the Ohio Democratic Primary was a clear-cut example of fraudulent voting.... Here we have a real instance of spurring people on to engage in illegal election activities with a real intent to affect the outcome...

"That is voter fraud. People were encouraged to break the law. They had to declare allegiance to a political party and sign a document under penalty of perjury.

Intent is what matters in voter fraud."

Seriously, Rush Limbaugh should be prosecuted for election fraud. In case you're interested, here is some more info about what is not legal about what Rush is doing ("Electoral Fraud"):

Coercing votes from persons who would normally vote for another candidate or would not vote at all, but who are nevertheless eligible to vote.

And what was illegal about the Republican voters who took part in this travesty of democracy:

Changing parties: Voters (in elections for party leader) who change membership of parties in order to elect a weaker candidate to run against the leader of their original party.

Since clearly there was no response to hold Rush and his croonies responsible for this travesty of justice and hijacking of democracy, Rush is charging on ahead with further plans for more chaos.

He just announced the second phase of "Operation Chaos" which continues this unconscionable attack on the democratic process.

"Limbaugh, who is now referring to the presumptive Democratic nominee as "the Most Merciful Messiah, Lord Obama," urged his audience to attend open meetings at which the Democratic platform will be discussed."

Rush wants his supporters to infiltrate the meetings in which Obama supporters will collaborate to define the issues in the Democratic platform and create chaos. This to me is despicable!

"Trolls" have also been all over Barack Obama's official campaign website, posting nasty comments and even posing as disheartened former Obama supporters in order to drag down the energy of the movement. This is all very sad and pathetic. When I look at John McCaint's campaign website, 90% of the content is negative crap about Obama and cheap (often untrue or falsely based) attacks with lots of ridiculous photoshopped pics. But Barack Obama's campaign website features the positive message of the Senator from Illinois and hardly even mentions his opponent.

One Republican for Obama expressed frustration with the Operation Chaos activity on barackobama.com:

I am so sick of the FAKE Obama supporters posting their negativity on the site.... I am sick of hearing the news that even Obama supporters are against him. The fact is the true Obama supporters are not against him.

We have a bunch of FAKE supporters on this site, logging on just so they can say ... "I used to like Obama, but he didn't wear a white shirt today ... so I don't like him anymore."

This is absolutely ridiculous ... face it people ... you have two choices for President ... Obama or McCain ... so get over your petty nonsense. Obama has to appeal to more people than just you.

Here is one (very smart) supporter's post on Republicans for Obama blog:

I've noticed a trend lately. McCain supporters have been hopping onto the [mybarackobama.com] lists, posing as Obama supporters, and posting something along the lines of, "I was an Obama supporter until Obama xxxxxx."

Usually it's emotional and divisive issues, like the FISA Bill, abortion, separation of church and state, etc. Unfortunately, Obama supporters respond to these trolls with defensive and emotional responses. The troll wins and the group members lose. This success emboldens the trolls, creating a downward spiral. Then, when a true Obama supporter expresses an opinion that someone else disagrees with, people respond negatively due to the highly charged emotions caused by the conflicts.

I have developed a mantra to repeat when you see this happening:

• I do not have to respond to every post I disagree with.
• I am not personally responsible for defending Barack Obama against every attack.
• The campaign will be fine even with people disagreeing in this or any group.
• I will not let someone else's emotional post force me into an emotional response.
• I like the Delete key.
• I am one with the Delete key.
• What Would Obama Do?

Try it, it works! Get the "What Would Obama Do?" wrist band if you need help - you can even snap it as a physical reminder when you mess up, as we all do from time to time. It's a few bucks, net proceeds go to the campaign, and your heart will thank you for it!

I say we take our message from our leader:
Meet Chaos with HOPE!

Let's launch "OPERATION HOPE" in living rooms, streets, schools, and all over America!

Let's put our positive message out there, and let's accept any "trolls" or "Operation Chaos infiltrators" with open arms. They aren't really "trolls" after all--they're people just like us who are doing what they feel is right.

Dear Operation Chaos:

There is a place for you at our table.
There is enough HOPE and CHANGE for you.

Everyone is valued here,
and disagreements are natural.

We can still work together.

Obama's campaign put out a set of simple guidelines for supporters who encounter "Operation Chaos" folks in their platform meetings, events, or online (I found this on a blog post, which you can access here).

Discussion and Decisions: Everyone's Voice Counts

• Make sure that everyone's voice is heard.
• Respect everyone's point of view.
• You can disagree agreeably.
• Do NOT get into heated arguments with people, even if you think they are outrageous or out of bounds.
• Debate can be cordial and respectful.

Don't Get Mad -- Stay Focused

• We're not here to get goaded or baited.
• Always take the high road.
• Disagreeable people will be asked to leave, politely.
• You can be passionate about a policy. We want you to care.
• Just respect the rights of others to be equally passionate in their viewpoints, however different.

*** Remember every Republican or Independent may NOT be part of "Operation Chaos."

Don't alienate.