Billionaires for Wealthcare are a political Guerrilla theatre

Guerrilla theatre

Guerrilla theatre, or Guerrilla Performance, is a term coined in 1965 within the San Francisco Mime Troupe to describe its performances, that in spirit of the Che Guevara writings from which the term guerrilla is taken, were committed to "revolutionary sociopolitical change." The group...

 and culture jamming

Culture jamming

Culture jamming, coined in 1984, denotes a tactic used by many anti-consumerist social movements to disrupt or subvert mainstream cultural institutions, including corporate advertising. Guerrilla semiotics and night discourse are sometimes used synonymously with the term culture jamming.Culture...

 group that is satirically opposed to U.S. President Barack Obama

Barack Obama

Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...

's attempts at healthcare reform in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. Their real goal is to further the cause of reform by publicly mocking the Tea Party movement

Tea Party movement

The Tea Party movement is an American populist political movement that is generally recognized as conservative and libertarian, and has sponsored protests and supported political candidates since 2009...

 and various other protesters against the president's proposed plan.

Modus operandi

Much like the earlier Billionaires for Bush

Billionaires for Bush

Billionaires for Bush is a culture jamming political street theater organization that satirically purports to support George W. Bush for those activities which are perceived to benefit corporations and the super-wealthy...

, its members arrive at events (both pro and anti reform) in phony limousines wearing fancy attire (tuxedos, top hats, evening gowns, pearls etc.) and address one another by pseudonyms such as "Phil T. Rich" , "Z. Roe Compassion" and "Frida Market". They carry signs with slogans such as Let Them Eat

Let Them Eat Cake

"Let them eat cake" is the traditional translation to English of the French phrase "Qu'ils mangent de la brioche", supposedly spoken by "a great princess" upon learning that the peasants had no bread...

 Advil

Advil

Advil is a brand of ibuprofen, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug . Advil is manufactured by Pfizer and has been on the market since 1984.-History:...

, Do not Harm Our Bottom Line and If We Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It! (the latter also being the group's official motto). Their chants include: Walk. It. Off., Wealthcare, Not Healthcare! and Your pain, our gain. Their repertoire also includes songs with satirically modified lyrics set to well known tunes such as The Battle Hymn of the Republic

The Battle Hymn of the Republic

"The Battle Hymn of the Republic" is a hymn by American writer Julia Ward Howe using the music from the song "John Brown's Body". Howe's more famous lyrics were written in November 1861 and first published in The Atlantic Monthly in February 1862. It became popular during the American Civil War...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x1I9xsV-g9Y and We Shall Overcome

We Shall Overcome

"We Shall Overcome" is a protest song that became a key anthem of the African-American Civil Rights Movement . The title and structure of the song are derived from an early gospel song by African-American composer Charles Albert Tindley...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k4uQ-N8qME.

They are always friendly and polite to reform opponents, making sure to thank them profusely for fighting to protect their supposed fortunes. Likewise they adopt a polite but faux taunting posture towards pro reform advocates. Often these tactics create confusion, with reform opponents returning their friendly gestures and supporters responding angrily back.

Activities, growth and media coverage

The Billionaires were started in the summer of 2009 by Chase Foster. They currently have chapters in 20 states and the District of Columbia. The BFW have been featured or mentioned in numerous media outlets, both mainstream and underground. On October 23, 2009, at the final day of the Washington DC conference of America's Health Insurance Plans, an insurance industry advocacy group, BFW members interrupted a speech by Republican pollster Bill McInturff, with a version of the song Tomorrow

Tomorrow (1977 song)

"Tomorrow" is a song from the musical Annie, with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, published in 1977.-Production history in the musical:...

 from the musical Annie

Annie (musical)

Annie is a Broadway musical based upon the popular Harold Gray comic strip Little Orphan Annie, with music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Martin Charnin, and the book by Thomas Meehan. The original Broadway production opened in 1977 and ran for nearly six years with a blonde Annie as the poster...

, featuring lyrics modified to mock those opposed to the public option http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_fHKgxP6GA, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fZrZbJaVDo,http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2QX9sMV5xI. This happened to include most everyone attending the conference. The BFW members continued to sing as they were escorted out by security.