Did someone say something?
grumblegrumblewish people wouldn’t feel compelled to poke it into activitygrumblegrumble
True enough. Although you’d think for consistency’s sake, conservatives would also be complaining about our “incompetent” military. If the government can’t handle delivering a letter, how are they able to defend us?
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.”
I believe another term for it is “cherrypicking”. 
Bit more than that, actually. It’s all about disrupting, intimidating and bullying opponents, as opposed to engaging them in rational debate on the issues. And artificially inflating the protesters’ numbers, to paper over the fact that a majority of Americans are backing Obama’s healthcare reform plan. And astroturfing – corporate lobbyists paying to bus non-residents of the district to each “town hall” meeting to, again, artificially inflate the protesters’ numbers.
Health Care for America Now is also starting to fight back – see here. 
Isn’t it also what got Skip Gates arrested? (At least so the police report stated.) So why is it okay at town hall meetings and not behavior subject to arrest? I’ve been wondering this since all of this started a few days ago.
:dubious: You are comparing apples and altar boys. A “town hall” meeting between a member of Congress and his/her constituents is a public forum expressly devoted to debate of public-policy issues, and everyone present is presumably there for that purpose. A man’s own home, which has been invaded suddenly and unexpectedly by cops acting like assholes, is not. Different standards apply. I’m not saying Gates didn’t act like an asshole too, I’m just saying different standards apply.
All the Congresscritter in question needs to do is ask any disruptive person to show that they are a constituent of that CC. If they aren’t, have police remove them. That would end this mess toot sweet. Even better if the noisy ones “resist.” A few hours/days in the drunk tank with some smelly, puking bums would be a lesson to them.
I don’t see a lot of references to the relevant point that the town-hall disruptors are being bussed in. They aren’t locals going to their local meeting with their representative, but paid-by-insurance-and-medical-interests out-of-towners bussed in to do their thing.
The representatives’ intercourse with their constituencies is being disrupted by paid outsiders.
It is sheer douchebaggery.
My Rep., Kathy Castor, had some fun today. The ‘townhall’ was held in a place that holds about 200 and 1500 showed up. As of a few minutes ago there were 25 videos up on youTube (the SIEU, who hosted, didn’t get along with the protesters).
SEIU
I remember how in the 90’s when Clinton was President, John Leo would frequently lament the tactics of campus liberals who would steal student newspapers when a conservative-tinged argument was published. I agreed with him that preventing someone else’s free speech is not a form of free speech. I checked his official website to see if he’s still enthusiastic about this vital point now that it’s the conservatives using ‘free speech’ as a rationalization to squelch others’ viewpoints. So far, he hasn’t found it rates a mention. I’m sure he’s feverishly working on it right now.
These people are absolute insane! They are arriving at these Town Halls with their posters and their cue cards with Glenn Beck inspired talking points, and are accusing the Representatives of despicable and utterly false things. John Dingell in Michigan last night got questions asking if the bill was going to require euthanasia of disabled and elderly people – when he said “No”, he was greeter with shouts of “Liar!” and “Read the bill!”. (When Dingell is a longtime health reform advocate who most likely played a large part in writing the danged thing.) A disabled woman trying to tell the story of her experience with health insurers was called a plant, a patsy and a liar as well, by people screaming at the top of their lungs. One man showed up with his son, who has CP, and walked right up to Dingell, accusing him of wanting his son dead, and ultimately getting so threatening that he had to be escorted out.
They are brainwashed beyond all belief, and utterly insane with rage. This is not going to end well. I can only pray that a healthcare reform bill does get passed, because if it dies and these crazy people get the idea that their tactics were responsible — ugh.
Dissent is democratic and honorable, but what is being done here is anything but.
It is simple, if you don’t have a valid response ,shout down and end the discussion. If they had any intelligent answers they could have offered them and won the day with logic and honesty. It is like the right wing Fox people. They shout down and yell over the answers of guests that disagree with them. Bullying is good in right wing world.
From a public meeting? Are you serious?
You might encounter one or two little Constitutional issues with this scenario.
Regards,
Shodan
Are you trying to call me a communist without saying so, or something?
I doubt it. Bush famously allowed only Republican party members in good standing to attend most of his events (and people who expressed dissenting opinions at all, regardless of the manner in which they did so, were often removed) and nobody on the right and few on the left ever objected to that.
I don’t think it’s the right thing to do, though.
Nah, I just thought the commies had a pretty good grasp of hooliganism.