I have the feeling that the town hall rowdies are boomeranging.

I can understand, to an extent the feelings of at least some of those who go ballistic at these events since I myself have had some health issues of late.

But when fear and anger take control all reason and sanity vanish. Then primal response takes over and to a large extent this is what is happening.

Agreed that a good number of these folks are just reactionary extremists. However I believe there are more than a few who are just plane terrified.
And are convinced that they will loose what little access to medicine they have right now.

C

I would only add one more suggestion. Do what you can to make sure that news media, local or national, print, cable, TV, or internet, identify that this isn't happening by chance.

Every time a report appears which doesn't note that these demonstrations are planned and paid for, call them out on it. Do it politely, but do it. Use the term astroturf as often as possible, but don't just use it--some of the readers/listeners/viewers don't follow baseball or football.

Document your assertions and provide links You'll find support in some places which might not be your first place to look for allies...Here for an example is a piece from the Washington Post Blog, "On Faith" http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/undergod/2009/08/the_town_hall_demolition_derby.html?hpid=talkbox1

The source which doesn't impress you may very much impress someone else. Links make your post more authoritative. Update your own information. Nothing is as stale as last week's news. This Google news search provided ten new articles in the last 13 hours. http://news.google.com/news?pz=1&ned=us&hl=en&q=organized+disruptions++%22Town+Hall+Meetings%22

I guess this is more than one suggestion...I'm like that: sorry

It's important to distinguish two types of protesters - those who are loud and demonstrative, carrying signs and chanting slogans outside of meetings - and those who try to shout down speakers in meetings. The former have a right to express themselves, and should be met with a vigorous but civil demonstration of support for reform. The latter should be exposed to media attention to show open-minded voters who they are and what they are doing. In my experience, when an audience is confronted with one group who says "we have some facts we want to present", and another group that says "we're not going to let you", people generally have a way of deciding which group has the facts on its side, even if it doesn't get to present all of them.

The irony is the know-nothings who try to shout down speakers in meetings would be shoving and pushing in droves to get to the front of the line to sign up for a new economical gov't insurance program.

Being Republicans, they wouldn't check, care or remember how their Congress rep voted. Yet they would holler like a scalded cat if Congress didn't keep the new program going.

I couldn't agree more. Screaming lunatics are not going to do anything to persuade the undecided to oppose health care. It's important that they not be able to disrupt townhalls, but stopping this is the function of the police, not of our own rowdies.

I'll go further and suggest that folks stop referring to them as brownshirts and stormtroopers. Angry senior citizens do not equate to a nazi putsch. Being hyperbolic ourselves does not serve the purpose.

Has anyone else noticed........

....that in the 5 days since the right wing fruitcakes started their campaign of disruption and bad manners, Obama's overall APPROVAL rating at Gallup has gone up 7 points? (His APPROVAL up 4 and his DISAPPROVAL down 3)??

Just saying..........

Another term for right wing nuts? How about "Paliban insurgents"?

Oh! It has backfired alright, but not in the way you suggest.

I don't think you should be dismissing the Wisdom of the Crowds so quickly.

True, many haven't a clue what is really being proposed. But far from condemning them for their ignorance, it should be looked upon as the cause of their anger -- and a true and correct response to the present situation.

Let's go back to how Obama promised he would approach health-care. At a town hall meeting in Chester, Va. back in August of last year candidate Obama had this to say about the important value of public debate regarding health care:

"People say, 'Well, you have this great health care plan, but how are you going to pass it? You know, it failed in '93,' And what I've said is, I'm going to have all the negotiations around a big table. We'll have doctors and nurses and hospital administrators. Insurance companies, drug companies — they'll get a seat at the table, they just won't be able to buy every chair. But what we will do is, we'll have the negotiations televised on C-SPAN, so that people can see who is making arguments on behalf of their constituents, and who are making arguments on behalf of the drug companies or the insurance companies. And so, that approach, I think is what is going to allow people to stay involved in this process."

More recently at a town hall occasion – again in Virginia - Mr. Obama had the following to say about value of public debate regarding his plan for the nation’s economy:

"I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking. I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the mess.”

Well, for some reason the health care negotiations never made it to C-SPAN, and far more dangerously, Mr. Obama decided to fast-track the biggest social-engineering proposal since FDR's "Social Security" legislation through Congress before many have even read the bill. Indeed, the bill is still being written even as we speak.

Is it any wonder why people are upset? Is it any wonder why people are angry? Is it any wonder why people are coming to the only real public discourse venue many have, their own town meetings, held by their own Congressional representatives?

The really pertinent question is, given the history of this great nation and its people, what is it about Obama and his friends in Congress that would allow them to think their own constituency would react otherwise?

Since more and more weak-kneed ObamaCare supporters are simply running away from their own constituency, there are many town hall meetings now being planned with or without the local Congressional representative, just an empty podium. Questions will be asked and directed to the empty podium for his/er answer. These town meetings will take place in front of the local Congressional office, on the steps of City Hall, anyplace where the absent Congressional representative might be hiding. All with the purpose of flushing the cowards out into the open air to listen to the people.

ex animo
davidfarrar