Lately detractors in the Health Care reform debate have become more vocal in sharing their opinion. Every cable news show is running clips from town hall meetings across the country using clips to frame the debate as they want it to be seen. Television can edit the protesters to seem sensible or crazy depending on what clip they use. The question is, does this vocal minority detract from the Republican debate and hurt the Republican reform message?
If I truly believed that the protests were spontaneous, I would probably think this was a good thing for the Republican Party. And while some may be there to truly voice their opinion, the ones that make it to into the mainstream media or on YouTube seem to be staged or over-the-top outrageous. Spreading across the liberal websites is a leaked memo from FreedomWorks explaining how to strategically disrupt a town hall meeting. While I dont disagree with the tactics (I mean, really they are straight from the “Bush is a war criminal” liberal manifesto), I think most Americans by knowing this tune out the facts and begin to create their opinions on the semantics of the argument. In other words – No one wants to be associated with the crazy guy.
Here is one raw video from a recent Pennslyvania town hall. You can find many more examples on Youtube to show the atmosphere at many of these events (Ironically enough, the ones with cameras around…hmmm…)
The citizen asks a thoughtful question and the audience responds with cheering – great so far. Then Kathleen Sebilius begins to answer the question that she was never a member of Congress, and the crowd boos. Boos? Why? Then, when Arlen Specter speaks, they are talking over him most of the time. Although I do think they rightfully booed when he said they needed to “do this fast”.
This is not an intelligent debate. If you dont listen to the opposition, you look foolish and then whatever you have to say loses its value. I feel strongly enough that the facts can lead to the correct solution on Health Care. These town hall detractors drowned that message with childish displays of protesting.
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MacGregor
Johnny M
Timmy K
But doesnt the double standard make you sick? We are basically forced to listen to the opposition from every major media outlet besides talk radio and foxnews.
Do you believe that MOST of the protestors are orchestrated as Olbermann, Maddow and CNN claim? And that its based on confusion, racism and stupidity?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32323195
“Childish display of protesting”
I agree with you that it no longer becomes a intelligent debate. I think you are forgetting the reason why people “protest” . It is usually because there was no chance for intelligent debate. So that only leaves the opposition with the only choice of gathering as many people as possible and shouting out there problems. This can be very persuasive eventually with enough support. Think about the anti war rallies in U.S. history……. they always seam to gain steam with this last resort tactic.
This is the perfect storm. Americans are for the most part middle right when it comes to their values and beliefs. They wanted change and this was understandable, but now our system is failing us. With the democrats being able to push what ever they want, the people no longer have a voice! I say go to these meetings and shout! Shout loud so that the people who were elected to represent the ones who voted them in know how they feel and know how to vote on the issues. After all they are “REPRESENTATIVES”.
Part of me wants “activism” on the right to counter the well funded radicals on the left, but the other part of me wants to be allowed to finally frame our own debate.
I too prefer even handed approaches when discussing ideas and politics, but often times thats just not possible. But, since the left owns the media they have the bully pulpit to marginalize the conservatives and average folks in a manner that we cant, so i believe toning down the “debates” might be the best thing to help the cause while we try and educate the folks..
I will add this…since I posted this article, Ive been amazed how poorly members of the Democratic party and strategists have handled the opposition in these town hall meetings. For Pelosi & Hoyer to write an op-ed piece in one of the largest papers in America saying that the protesters are “un-American” is ludicrous. For people to compare the protesters to Nazi’s is even more ludicrious (and ironic considering Nazi’s are “national socialists).
If you are on the left, you dont want to make this a 1st ammendment issue. The hypocrisy in that after 8 years of many not even acknowledging Bush as the President of the U.S.A. is laughable. They will lose if they make this an attack on the protesters. I expected them to handle it better, but instead they are melting down and look confused on how to respond to people not wanting their health care plan. Maybe they do serve a purpose…
Good point Johhny, this is another SHINING example of the smug arrogance of the liberal elite. The more this stuff goes on, the more the average democrat is gonna realize that their leadership is much more radical than they are.
Is the question, is it working, or is it good for the debate? The answer is yes and no on both…. As previous replies stated, sometimes you have no voice without shouting. Shouting is the only way for conservative views to be heard on most mainstream news stations. The smug, liberal bias of the mainstream media is such that they think they are doing Obama good by showing conservatives to be right wing nuts. Really they are putting our message on their airwaves. Might not be a pretty picture, but it is getting the concerns heard by a much larger audience; concerns that would otherwise never be heard by the Obama Kool Aid drinkers. I don’t know if they are orchestrated or not, I have seen many examples that I did not think were orchestrated, or if they were the concerns of the plant were questions I myself would like to ask.
The other way the detractors help is that the ultra left of the Democratic Party, can always be counted on to alienate people by opening their mouths, talking down average American citizens, and showing people just how elite they think they are…
I think it has opened true debate, debate by the American people, and has also grown the awareness to the point that the Liberals can’t shove it down our throat without considering the concerns of the current minority party. Unless of course they want to become the minority party.
Clarence – Agreed and I think that is what the polls are showing.
I think Team Obama is a horrible reactionary staff. They wait for the polls to come in to determine who to demonize, whether its Rush in the case of the Repub party or how they’ve switched from doctors, to the right wing protesters, to insurance agencies as the demon in this debate. The reform is becoming “health insurance reform” rather than health care reform. As I said above, I under-estimated how the typical liberal fervor would lead middle America to listen more closer to the right wing concerns.
However, whether orcherstrated or not – you can tell that a lot of the hatred is for the Congress. The President is still getting the reverence the position deserves when he speaks. The left thinks this is good for their side, but I actually think it works well for the right too. Even if its dropping 50% still approve of the President. I think if the same debate tactics were used in the President’s town halls, it may work against the protesters.