Just a reminder:

[elfs]

This is not what's happening right now. As Paul Krugman wrote this morning, this man is expressing his freedom, and those around him may disagree, but they are respectfully giving him his due. When the shouters and screamers start behaving with the due respect the political process deserves, then maybe we can start to treat them as anything other than ill-informed yahoos.

Comments

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

What is also depicted in that picture and is NOT happening now: Puiblic forums where the representative wants to hear public opinion.

The so-called "Town Hall Meetings" that were staged the last couple days wer nothing more than set-ups where the representative shows up, says a few words, answers some pre-scripted questions, and then leaves... all the while reserving the front two rows for SEIU's union thugs so that anyone with a dissenting voice can be shouted down.

Attend one of these meetings and see what I'm talking about. Don't just listen to the party line as its reported by the media.

[(Anonymous)]

The difference is that the representative has plenty of other chances to solicit and obtain public opinion. Hell, their very job depends on it. And something tells me they wouldn't be able to get away with ignoring a reasonable question asked calmly, even if the intention is to use only scripted questions.

Anyway, that's a separate topic from the "shouters." Scripted townhalls would be disappointing indeed, but that's still a far cry from the eliminationist disruption and borderline violence we're seeing from the other side. It's one thing to want to push a message at your own forum, but quite another to want to deny the opposition any forum at all.

Number 127

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

It's one thing to want to push a message at your own forum, but quite another to want to deny the opposition any forum at all.


Which is exactly what is happening, but the media is only reporting the cases that get out of hand looking bad for conservatives. The Pelosi/Reid/Obama camp is sending out their talking points to reinforce this fallacy, and the DNC is instructing their reps to set up their "meetings" in a way that makes it obvious that conservatives will have no voice, and wil be bullied by the SEIU goons...

they are INCITING the shouting because there is no other way to be heard, and then reporting only about the shouting.

[(Anonymous)]

No other way to be heard? They could have a town hall of their own. Go to a park and start talking to people. There's the internet. Write a letter to the editor. Call in to a radio show. There's all kinds of ways to be heard without trying to interfere with someone else's attempts to speak.

They don't want to be heard; they want to stop the other side from being heard, pure and simple. If SEIU "goons" were following them around wherever they went, shouting them down with accusations of treason whenever they opened their mouths, then I might agree the situations are equivalent. Until then, however, there is absolutely no comparison.

Number 127

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

If SEIU "goons" were following them around wherever they went, shouting them down with accusations of treason whenever they opened their mouths, then I might agree the situations are equivalent.

You mean like this:

A post I made earlier, including YouTube video of an SEIU Goon getting arrested for hitting a man selling "don't Tread on Me" flags outside one of these events (http://darrelx.livejournal.com/252107.html)

[(Anonymous)]

Well, first, it's obvious something happened there, but as far as I can tell that video doesn't actually contain any footage of the incident described, just the aftermath. Not saying it didn't happen, just that the video isn't really any sort of evidence. If it did happen as you describe, then yes, it's reprehensible. However, it paints at best an incomplete picture. There's nothing that I can see that gives an indication of motive or provocation, for starters.

But yes, if your description is accurate, that's just as bad as what's happening at these townhalls. But you know what? The fact that the other side may be doing it too changes nothing. It's reprehensible for either side to be doing it. I understand you're frustrated at what you perceive to be asymmetrical media coverage, but you'll have to take that up with the media. It doesn't justify "shouters" trying to quell someone else's free speech.

Number 127

[mikstera.livejournal.com]

So, in your mind, one incident is exactly the same as a concerted, organized, nationwide effort?

How does that work, exactly?

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

The only "concerted organized effort" I am seeing is the smear-campaign the Left is feeding the media with, and the PAID ATTENDEES in the form of SEIU an dother Union goons.

There's even a Craigslist ad for workers to be paid $1200 to @1600 per month to attend town hall meetings and make sure that the liberal agenda is heard. $5Million was donated by George Soros specifically to fund this effort.
http://www.newsmax.com/insidecover/soros_donation_healthcare/2009/08/10/246219.html

Whose paying the conservatives to be there? No one. They are there because they HONESTLY have an opinion that they want heard. One that Nancy Pelosi considers to be "simply un-American".
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/10/tight-spot-pelosi-calls-health-care-critics-american/

[elfs.livejournal.com]

So your claim is that Tea Party Patriots (http://www.teapartypatriots.org) doesn't exist?

[darrelx.livejournal.com]

Is it your claim that they are PAYING people to voice their opinion?

George Soros is.

[gromm.livejournal.com]

Ugh. I got a newsletter about this from the AFA today (because I'm the kind of fly in the ointment that would subscribe to the AFA's newsletter, *just* to send messages to Pepsi applauding their acceptance of gays, using the AFA's own website). Considering the behaviour of the Republicans for the past 78 years now, I just laughed.

I'm really, really, truly sorry that this is happening to them now. Really. I am. Honest.