Astroturfing In Syracuse?

A letter appeared in the Syracuse (NY) Post-Standard's Opinion Blog Reader's Page today concerning Operation Fast and Furious. The letter was signed by a "J. Wagner" of Solvay, New York which is a suburb of Syracuse. The letter accused the Republicans of being hypocrites and said Obama inherited Operation Fast and Furious from George W. Bush.

To the Editor:

The Grand Old Party should change its name to the Grand Old Party of Hypocrisy, and I was a Republican.

The Grand Old Party’s attack on Operation Fast and Furious shows their hypocrisy. It was started by George W. Bush and his attorney general as Operation Rolling Thunder. Every Republican on the hill supported it. They don’t want the hard-core supporters to know they started it. The Republicans and their attorney general are responsible for Fast and Furious; Obama inherited it, just like the war, the bad economy and the cost of the two wars they didn’t carry on the books.

I was a registered Republican for 40 years; no more. I’m changing my registration to Independent.

Operation Rolling Thunder? Even Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) and the Minority on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee never found an "Operation Rolling Thunder" in their attempt to blame gunwalking on the Bush Administration. The only Operation Rolling Thunder than I am familiar with is the bombing campaign over North Vietnam during the 1960s. A Internet search finds the local law enforcement agencies in Syracuse did have a program called Rolling Thunder that was aimed at area criminals with open warrants for their arrest.

As to whether "J. Wagner" is really a Republican, I don't know. However, he or she does have a number of letters to the editor over the past year that were scathing in their condemnation of Republicans. For example in a letter from June 2011, he or she says "I’m sick of the Republicans in Congress lying about the president’s stimulus plan." In another letter from August 2011, he or she says "The GOP wants to destroy our democracy and replace it with a country run by oligarchs, like the Koch brothers." Finally, in a letter from March 2011, he or she writes "If you voted Republican, you have no business complaining about gas prices. You got what you voted for."

I'm sorry but these are not the statements one would make if he or she were really a "registered Republican for 40 years" as J. Wagner claims. It makes you wonder if the Carrier Dome is missing some of its Astroturf.