Interesting goings-on at the Town Hall meetings being conducted all over the country. MSNBC and others are blasting those who dare to speak sternly to our leadership class as though they were equals as mobs organized by right wing talk radio (or some other shadowy outfit). FOX sees them as heroic defenders of democracy and (rightly) ridicules those who insist that somehow this isn’t right.
I expect there is some truth in the accusations that someone has had a hand in coordinating the opposition but that doesn’t make the debate any less valid. We have, in the past, had large organized groups in Council chambers who were mad about an issue. It wasn’t comfortable and sometimes it was less than amicable but I would never dismiss them out of hand because they are organized. If that was the case, all the trade associations and lobbyists in the world should be sent into exile and I don’t see that happening any time soon!! I would like to see the debate conducted in a somewhat more genteel manner but sometimes that ain’t in the cards. Having the government take over health care (or some significant portion of it) is a big deal and a debate that big isn’t always clean. In addition, from what I see, it’s clear that some significant portion of the lawmakers who find themselves in these meetings aren’t entirely clear on what is being proposed. On the Senate side there isn’t a bill so that might make some sense but overall I get the impression that the dorks on the Hill aren’t quite sure what they are debating.