August 6, 2009: Republican Operative Pretends to Be ‘Just a Mom’ at Raucous Health Care Forum

Heather Blish speaks at Steve Kagen’s forum. [Source: WGBA]Congressman Steve Kagen (D-WI) attempts to explain his position on health care reform to a sometimes-raucous crowd, mirroring the difficulties other lawmakers have had with demonstrative and angry audiences (see June 30, 2009, July 6, 2009, July 25, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 27, 2009, July 31, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 1, 2009, August 2, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 3, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 4, 2009, August 5, 2009, August 6, 2009, and August 6, 2009). Towards the end of the health care forum, one audience member, Heather Blish, questions Kagen’s position on the issue. Blish describes herself as “just a mom from a few blocks away” who is “not affiliated with a political party.” In reality, she was a Republican Party of Wisconsin and a Republican National Committee (RNC) official; she also worked for Kagen’s opponent, John Gard, in 2008. According to her LinkedIn profile, Blish is still a member of both Republican organizations, and an adviser to the state party. Reporter and pundit Sam Stein writes: “We don’t know why Blish chose to describe herself the way she did. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with people showing up at a town hall to express their differences. But Blish’s misdirection feeds a suspicion that she—like some other protesters at these events—are there to create political theater rather than participate in serious debate.” [Huffington Post, 8/6/2009; Think Progress, 8/7/2009; WGBA, 8/7/2009] Blish’s boss, Scott Detwiler, who owns a Web design firm that develops sites for political candidates and campaigns, confirms that Blish has been active in local Republican politics. Blish says she has terminated her connections with the Republican Party. [New York Times, 8/7/2009]