Conservative sisterhood is powerful: VOICESPAC director throws Twila Brase under the bus after anti-Dayton protest fiasco

Earlier today, Bluestem reviewed how the rocking-chair media neglected one of the basic "5 Ws" of journalism by failing to identify Jake Macmillian/MacAulay as more than "citizen" in yesterday's coverage of Governor Dayton's press conference.

If that omission is neglect, then VOICES of Conservative Women director Jennifer DeJournett should be charged with depraved indifference to the facts in her treatment of Citizens' Council For Health Freedom President Twila Brase in the former's True North post, Dayton Press Conference sponsored by the Lifetime Movie Network.

The legacy press failed to identify Citizen Jake's activism and ministry; the conservative blogger went a step more by failing to use Brase's name at all.

She wrote:

To the amazement of Minnesota press, activists watching online, and, probably, the protesters in the room, Governor Dayton invited his detractors to the podium.   The protestors spoke with passion but were clearly unprepared for this important political moment.   There were no prepared talking points, no storytelling, and no clear action item to their message.  Watching from home, I wondered: where was one leader in the group who could concisely sum up the message in 2 minutes, with an action item for the people at home watching?  Why wasn’t this person speaking on behalf of the cause?   On this day, there was no coherent message.  As a result, our side lost the moment because we were not prepared, not because we were wrong about the matter at hand.  Their incoherent message detracted from the prepared remarks of our elected leaders who planned a concise message regarding the economic damage that Dayton’s signature would yield.

DeJournett could thus lament the quality of the conservative response to Dayton's move to expand Medicare in Minnesota, decrying the lack of leadership, without having to note--by name--the blistering failure of a well-known conservative woman who is an acknowledged leader in the health care debate. Moreover, DeJournett could also beat her hobby horse of the need of conservatives to recruit more women leaders.

This may be enough to hoodwink the North Star state's sleep-walking press corps, who will no doubt repeat the talking point that the Tea Party reception for Governor Dayton was grassroots and leaderless. Perhaps they might want to review the many tapes of the event, in which Brase clearly indentified herself.

DeJournett implies that the naifs at the podium--so generously offered in the spirit of free speech by Governor Dayton--were simply not prepared in the face of Dayton's lifelong preparation for singular, defining moment of his career.

Seriously?

While DeJournett sees Dayton as a master political actor, she must have missed the Star Tribune profile last year noting Brase's own mad skills:

Among insiders, she is an acknowledged master of political theater, turning out raucous crowds for hearings and staging publicity stunts such as a recent "Obamacare" shredding party in the Capitol rotunda. She said she solicited no votes for Modern Healthcare magazine's 2009 list of "100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare."

And--unless she has a very short memory or really bad reception from where she was watching at home--Dejournett must know who Brase is. After all, they shared the stage at last April 15's St. Paul Tax Day Tea Party at the Capitol. As a matter of fact, Brase had third billing in the events, while Dejournett fell considerably further down the list.

Brase has been trotted out by Minnesota conservatives at nearly every debate and discussion of health care reform and "Obamacare" in the past few years.

Take a look at her credentials from a pdf on the Citizens Council for Health Freedom

In August 2009, Modern Healthcare magazine named her as #75 on the “100 Most PowerfulPeople in Healthcare” list. In May 2010, the Star Tribune profiled her on the front page: “Twila Brase: Health care power or health care pain?” In 2000, the Minnesota Physician magazine selected her as one of “Minnesota’s 100 Most Influential Health Care Leaders.” . . .

Ms. Brase provides daily radio commentary through the “Health Freedom Minute” (AM 1280 - The Patriot), provides testimony at the legislature, meets with members of Congress, and speaks around the country. For example, she has presented on topics such as:
• The intrusive wellness and prevention initiatives in ObamaCare (Washington, D.C.)
• Patient privacy and need for consent (Congressional staff briefings; NM legislative committee)
• Danger of “evidence-based medicine”(EBM) (Washington Policy Center (Seattle))
• Proposed health care reform ( Kentucky business forum/Minnesota Tea Party rallies)
• Evidence-Based Medicine (State Policy Network forum in Miami; Physician forum Ohio)

She also testified against imposing a national patient identification number before a federal committee in Chicago. Her article “Blame Congress for HMOs” has been placed into the Congressional Record of the U.S. House of Representatives. She is regularly invited to join with other health care experts in a 2-day summit hosted by The Cato Institute.

Ms. Brase’s media interviews include: CNN, Fox News, KARE-TV (NBC), KTLK, Minnesota Public Radio, NBC Nightly News, NBC TODAY SHOW, NPR, New York Public Radio and WCCO-TV. She has been quoted in The Associated Press, Dallas Morning News, Medical Economics, Minneapolis Star Tribune, Modern Healthcare, St. Paul Pioneer Press, TIME, TheWall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, UPI, WORLD, andWORLDNETDAILY, to name a few.

This is not a newbie. This is a person quite practiced in speaking about health care issues. This is a person who can condense a message to a “Health Freedom Minute” on AM 1280 - The Patriot.

Leadership? This is a spokester who appeared on Glenn Beck's show with no less than Tom Emmer himself on April 24, 2009. (The Emmer channel is gone--but the clip can be seen here).

This is a person Minnesota Majority gave second billing only to Michele Bachmann herself at a rally last March, as the Minnesota Progressive Project reported.

This is a person who barnstormed across Southern Minnesota with Allen Quist, scolding Congressman Walz about health care reform.

Now, having been at one of the events staged by Quist at the Happy Chef in North Mankato, I can say from personal experience that I found Brase's notions to be close to barking mad. However, her presentation skills were acceptable.

And yet DeJournett has erased the name of this leader--who organized Wednesday's protest--as surely as a Stalin-era photojournalist in the old Soviet Union following a purge. What's up with that?

Photo: Twila Brase.

Comments

[Phoenix Woman]

The Ratbleeper Vanishes?

[DiscordianStooge]

"This is a person who can condense a message to a “Health Freedom Minute” on AM 1280 - The Patriot."

Well, to be fair, these usually aren't coherent or informative in any way.

"Danger of “evidence-based medicine”(EBM) (Washington Policy Center (Seattle))"

But does she support science based medicine, or some kind of non-evidence based medicine instead?

[charlieq]

The "rocking chair media" coverage was indeed lamentable, especially considering they didn't just send sportswriters to the Governor's event. This slipshod reporting needs to be hit again and again.

[DC]

What a joke! Not prepared? Well, the first speaker to disagree with Dayton appeared ready and intelligent, and respectful, I may add. The following two clowns, asking to speak, seemed indicative of the incoherent, mentally challenged Tea Party conservatives who have limited understanding, except for the incoherent Glenn Beck blackboard. It is not Dayton's responsibility to keep the the right wing-nuts informed or elequent. Unfortunately, the second two speakers were illustrative of the far right lack of intelligence.

Dayton asked if anyone wanted to speak. The far-right representative did that. What's that statement about opening your mouth and proving something....?