Who are FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity?

From this article in the New York Times:

"This is not a grass-roots effort. This is a very coordinated effort where the local Republican Party, the local conservative meet-up groups sent people to my event." -- Lloyd Doggett (Democratic Representative from Texas)

"Conservative activists don't want to have a conversation. ... They want to disrupt." -- Jennifer Crider (Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokeswoman)

Sounds like Democrats are on the defensive. But wait...

Watch the video -- look for the "SS" sign at about 1:21 into the video. Maybe Republicans are overreacting. I think the quotes may accurately reflect the level of dialogue and the level of planning involved at these events.

Here's some evidence that the demonstration was planned: A memo apparently from a group that organized "tea parties" earlier in Connecticut (I think), stating "best practices" for demonstrations at town hall meetings.

Who is planning these things? According to the Times, some of them were planned by a couple of groups linked to the Republican Party -- FreedomWorks and Americans for Prosperity. FreedomWorks' board of directors includes Republican politician Dick Armey and "independent" Steve Forbes. Americans for Prosperity's board doesn't include any big-name politicians, but their agenda is clearly "grass roots organization" or "astroturfing," depending on your perspective.

What do y'all think? Are these organizations expressing their constitutional rights, or are they attempting to stifle legitimate debate by shouting down/scaring their opponents? I'm tempted to think the latter.