Using shorthand messages on Twitter, Fleckenstein scoured the House bill for days, relaying interpretations as he went. On July 20, he sent out "tweets" about pages 425 and 427: "Govt mandates program 4 order 4 end of life. The Govt has a say in how ur life ends."
Fleckenstein, who has said he has no expertise on health care issues, quickly became an authority for fellow conservatives.
Among those who passed along his analysis, as "Fleckman's" deconstruction went viral: a University of Dayton professor and the advocacy arm of Liberty University's law school, followed by an array of social, economic and religious conservative Web sites.
Larry Schweikart, a University of Dayton history professor, said in an interview that he couldn't remember the original source of the comments about the House bill that he "reposted" on FamilySecurityMatters.com. (A link in his posting went to Fleckenstein's blog.) Opponents distributed printed copies of the line-by-line analysis at Maryland Democratic Senator Benjamin L. Cardin's town hall meeting in Towson last week.
Schweikart, who said he had read the bill, said he had no doubt that the legislation had a "euthanasia clause" and that government doctors will "encourage elderly people to get out of the way."
"In my view, it's going to be mandatory. I say the wording isn't there but the implication is clearly there," he added. "All you have to do is look at the record of government. It always, always, always expands its power."
Liberty Counsel, an arm of Liberty University's law school in Lynchburg, Va., posted Fleckenstein's work on its Web site. The religious legal organization said its Washington staff had reviewed, revised and adapted the analysis, obtained from a re-posting on FreeRepublic.com, a popular conservative Web site.
In doing so, Liberty Counsel reinforced the conservative assault by amplifying misleading references.
Fleckenstein, referring to page 425, lines 17-19 of the House bill, wrote: "Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of atty. Mandatory!" Liberty Counsel's version: "Government WILL instruct and consult regarding living wills and durable powers of attorney. Mandatory end-of-life planning!"
Through traditional channels, Republican politicians and other conservative commentators, such as Rush Limbaugh, added their voices to the effort.
