Story highlights Errol Louis: White house kidding itself that town hall protests are cooked up by activists; there is genuine constituent anger

But no question, Democratic strategists may be hoping to ride wave of activism into a majority in House in midterms, he says

Errol Louis is the host of "Inside City Hall," a nightly political show on NY1, a New York all-news channel. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) White House spokesman Sean Spicer is kidding himself if he truly thinks the wave of protesters swarming Republican congressional town hall meetings from coast to coast represent a flash in the pan, or some less-than-authentic paid lobbyist campaign.

"Protesting has become a profession now," Spicer said on Fox News . "They have every right to do that. Don't get me wrong, but I think that we need to call it what it is. It's not these organic uprisings that we've seen through the last several decades. You know, the tea party was a very organic movement. This has become a very paid, Astroturf-type movement."

Wrong, Mr. Spicer. The town hall protests appear to be driven by an authentic concern about the future of health care reform and troubling reports about Russian meddling in the November elections. Reporters who investigated allegations that paid protesters disrupted a recent town hall in Utah found none, and even some Republican lawmakers targeted by protesters in Iowa and upstate New York acknowledge the anxiety of their constituents is real.

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In the words of Rich Lowry, editor of the conservative National Review : "In the normal course of things, it's not easy even for a well-funded and -organized group to get people to spend an evening at a school auditorium hooting at their congressman. If these demonstrations are happening in districts around the country, attention must be paid."

That's putting it mildly. Confronted by journalists, Spicer later hedged a bit: "I think some people are clearly upset. But there is a bit of professional protester, manufactured base in there," he said at a recent briefing -- no doubt reflecting what his boss, President Trump tweeted: "The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists."