Astroturf
Created •
When it was around, the Houston Astrodome (in Texas) was enclosed, so live grass couldn't grow in there. Icky, greasy, and slick fake plastic grass was installed in the fields instead. It is known as astroturf. The word already has a negative connotation, because many fans and players didn't like it (see appropriate adjectives).
So when it's used to describe the activities of corporate-sponsored "concerned citizen" groups, it is meant in a derogatory way. It suggests the group is greasy, plastic, and worst of all, FAKE.
Not only is this funny, but it may actually be more damaging to both the puppet/puppeteers than to those they are attempting to thwart, in that enough people have the good sense and scruples to see that this is astroturf, and would therefore discount the concerns of the puppets and hold the puppeteers in contempt.
And really, that's what's happened. (Hooray for ambiguous contractions!) Those of us who are aware of the astroturf nature of the t-baggers, etc, laugh away their illegitimate concern. The more they howl and scream into the echo chamber of corporate greed, the less we take them seriously.
