Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) today released a timeline of White House statements dating from mid-April showing a consistent disdain toward Americans attending taxpayer rallies and town hall meetings:

April 14:   Asked about the tax day “tea parties” being held the following day, Obama spokesman Robert Gibbs said  I don’t know if the President is aware of the events.”
 
April 15:  At least 615,000 Americans attend at least 640 tea parties across the country
 
April 19:  Asked about the April 15 tea parties on Face the Nation, Obama senior advisor David Axelrod said: “I think any time you have severe economic conditions there is always an element of disaffection that can mutate into something that’s unhealthy”
 
April 29:  Speaking at a town hall meeting in St. Louis, Obama directly addressed tea party attendees"Those of you who are watching certain news channels on which I’m not very popular, and you see folks waving tea bags around, let me just remind them that I am happy to have a serious conversation about how we are going to cut our health care costs down over the long term, how we are going to stabilize Social Security…But let’s not play games and pretend that the reason [for the deficit] is because of the Recovery Act."
 
August 4:   Asked by reporters about the growing concern expressed by town hall attendees, Gibbs said:  I hope people will take a jaundiced eye to what is clearly the Astro Turf nature of so-called grassroots lobbying”.  Questioned further, Gibbs said:  “This is manufactured anger”
 
Sept. 11:   Asked about the planned taxpayer rallies taking place across the country the following day, Gibbs shrugged and told reportersI don’t know who the group is”
 
Sept. 12:    Taxpayers from all 50 states take part in the March on Washington, filling the streets from Freedom Plaza to the U.S. Capitol
 
Sept. 13:     During an interview on Face the Nation, when asked what his message was to those at the previous day’s rallies, Axelrod said:  “My message to them is they’re wrong”