Why are constituents shouting down their Dem Congressmen at Townhall meetings? To stop the flow of lies! (unemployment, Baby Boomers)
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We've heard several reports of so-called "Town Hall Meetings" where congressmen (usually Democrats) start talking to their constituents about the benefits of the coming Govt-run Health Care, and they get interrupted, booed, and sometimes shouted down by their voters.
The Democrats immediately run to the nearest microphone or blog PC, and announce that the people shouting them down were merely drones, sent by various sinister party leaders with instructions to paralyze the communication process. Even though they have been unable to name a single actual instance of any voter being "instructed" or "sent" by anyone.
The Dem Congressmen have been careful not to address the idea that maybe these people were actual concerned citizens who came on their own, who thought that a govt takeover of Health Care was a BAD thing. And they have especially avoided discussing the idea that those citizens may be right.
Why ARE these citizens shouting down the Congressmen?
The answer is simple: They don't want the Congressmen filling the time of the meeting with lies.
It's easy to find TV and radio shows that have both conservative and leftist guests, where the guests get asked questions about political matters. And in nearly every one, when the leftist gets asked about an indefensible agenda such as govt-run Health care or Social Security etc., the leftist either changes the subject or starts telling bald lies ("you won't lose your present health care", "you can always purchase your own private health care under the House plan", etc.).... and then keeps talking in that vein, running out the clock and preventing any debunking or actual discussion.
People watching those shows are inevitably frustrated (except for viewers who rotely believe and see nothing to question), but can do nothing about it. And they watch opportunity after opportunity to slide past, with no progress toward a solution that will work.
Finally, come the Town Hall meetings where they themselves can participate... and where an actual lawmaker will be present. Great so far... but when the meeting starts, they hear the same bald lies start up. And when they try to question them, the questions are ignored, subject changed, and the lies resume.
But now, unlike a TV show they can only watch silently, they can do something about it. They can't make the congressman tell the truth. But they can at least let him know what they think of statements like "Govt health care will cover 40 million more patients but cost less with no reduction in quality".
They can't make him discuss the absurdity of such statements, or even get him to acknowledge that questions have been asked. But they can at least stop the flow of lies, finally... and they do exactly that.
Congressmen, if you don't want to get interrupted, booed, or even shouted down, come ready for a DISCUSSION. That's where you present your points, citing HONEST reasons why you think they will work, then listen to the other guy discuss them and present his points, then discuss his points HONESTLY without trying to ignore or mischaracterize them.
Try it, Congressman. It will be a new experience for some of you.
But I should warn you: This approach carries risks. And the risks will be worse, if you are pushing an agenda that flat-out won't work... such as govt-run Health Care. You really should avoid trying to push such things, if you want to have an honest discussion with your constituents, and come out in one piece. Because citizens who know the details of your agenda, will take it apart piece by piece, and you will be unable to refute their statements, no matter how many chances they give you.
This is the crux of the matter. You are pushing an indefensible agenda, you know in your heart it won't work, you still won't give it up, and you have these Town Hall meetings to go to. You're between a rock and a hard place, and I don't envy you. If you still want to push this unworkable plan, you will have to lie about it (as you have been doing) to make it look good. But as you are finding out, your constituents have serious concerns over what you are trying to impose on them. And they have had it up to here with the lies you and your party have been telling about your plans. And when they finally get you in a forum where they can answer you, they aren't about to let you continue with the lies. They can't force you to tell the truth - what you say is always up to you, as it should be. But they can at least, finally, shut down the lies. And they will.
Responding to them with even more lies (They were paid and shipped in by insurance companies, they are drones, they are Nazis etc.) will not help your cause. Particularly when the next election rolls around. And whining that they are "out of control", is nothing less than an acknowledgement that Democracy is working. No, Congressman, you cannot control them. You cannot make them line up and accept a scheme they know is unworkable, and you can't fool them into it by lying about it. If you try... well, you've seen what their response is, when they're finally allowed to respond. And that's exactly as it should be.
Your choices here are limited, Congressman. If you want to avoid being booed, heckled, and shouted down, you can start pushing a different agenda, one that WILL work. And hold town meetings to tell constituents about it, and listen to and discuss their replies. You will find you are NOT shouted down, if you are able to give them honset, rational reasons why your new plan WILL work - something you can't do with the present govt-run Health Care scheme.
Why are you, Congressman, being shouted down at today's Town Hall meetings?
Because with the dreadful lack of planning and insight that went into the unworkable Health Care plan you are presenting, along with the running string of lies you keep telling about it, that's the only response you deserve.
NO, there was nothing wrong with organizing your side or ours.
Did you feel that those ORGANIZED protesters were in the right?
Weren't they more powerful when they ORGANIZED??
If they had just acted like intelligent adults and DISCUSSED the issues instead of disrupting the rights of others to talk and then running off like cowards they would've been welcome. They had every right to have their say....WHY couldn't they let others????
The town hall meetings, unlike rallies for Bush , do not discriminate ....they let anyone in....but expect decent behaviour from attendees....is that too much to ask from the repubs???
The townhall meeting that BO has are filled with friendly prescreened attendees with friendly prescreened questions. These townhall meeting are an example of what is really going on. Haven't been following the polls?
We've heard several reports of so-called "Town Hall Meetings" where congressmen (usually Democrats) start talking to their constituents about the benefits of the coming Govt-run Health Care, and they get interrupted, booed, and sometimes shouted down by their voters.
The Democrats immediately run to the nearest microphone or blog PC, and announce that the people shouting them down were merely drones, sent by various sinister party leaders with instructions to paralyze the communication process. Even though they have been unable to name a single actual instance of any voter being "instructed" or "sent" by anyone.
The Dem Congressmen have been careful not to address the idea that maybe these people were actual concerned citizens who came on their own, who thought that a govt takeover of Health Care was a BAD thing. And they have especially avoided discussing the idea that those citizens may be right.
Why ARE these citizens shouting down the Congressmen?
The answer is simple: They don't want the Congressmen filling the time of the meeting with lies.
It's easy to find TV and radio shows that have both conservative and leftist guests, where the guests get asked questions about political matters. And in nearly every one, when the leftist gets asked about an indefensible agenda such as govt-run Health care or Social Security etc., the leftist either changes the subject or starts telling bald lies ("you won't lose your present health care", "you can always purchase your own private health care under the House plan", etc.).... and then keeps talking in that vein, running out the clock and preventing any debunking or actual discussion.
People watching those shows are inevitably frustrated (except for viewers who rotely believe and see nothing to question), but can do nothing about it. And they watch opportunity after opportunity to slide past, with no progress toward a solution that will work.
Finally, come the Town Hall meetings where they themselves can participate... and where an actual lawmaker will be present. Great so far... but when the meeting starts, they hear the same bald lies start up. And when they try to question them, the questions are ignored, subject changed, and the lies resume.
But now, unlike a TV show they can only watch silently, they can do something about it. They can't make the congressman tell the truth. But they can at least let him know what they think of statements like "Govt health care will cover 40 million more patients but cost less with no reduction in quality".
They can't make him discuss the absurdity of such statements, or even get him to acknowledge that questions have been asked. But they can at least stop the flow of lies, finally... and they do exactly that.
Congressmen, if you don't want to get interrupted, booed, or even shouted down, come ready for a DISCUSSION. That's where you present your points, citing HONEST reasons why you think they will work, then listen to the other guy discuss them and present his points, then discuss his points HONESTLY without trying to ignore or mischaracterize them.
Try it, Congressman. It will be a new experience for some of you.
But I should warn you: This approach carries risks. And the risks will be worse, if you are pushing an agenda that flat-out won't work... such as govt-run Health Care. You really should avoid trying to push such things, if you want to have an honest discussion with your constituents, and come out in one piece. Because citizens who know the details of your agenda, will take it apart piece by piece, and you will be unable to refute their statements, no matter how many chances they give you.
This is the crux of the matter. You are pushing an indefensible agenda, you know in your heart it won't work, you still won't give it up, and you have these Town Hall meetings to go to. You're between a rock and a hard place, and I don't envy you. If you still want to push this unworkable plan, you will have to lie about it (as you have been doing) to make it look good. But as you are finding out, your constituents have serious concerns over what you are trying to impose on them. And they have had it up to here with the lies you and your party have been telling about your plans. And when they finally get you in a forum where they can answer you, they aren't about to let you continue with the lies. They can't force you to tell the truth - what you say is always up to you, as it should be. But they can at least, finally, shut down the lies. And they will.
Responding to them with even more lies (They were paid and shipped in by insurance companies, they are drones, they are Nazis etc.) will not help your cause. Particularly when the next election rolls around. And whining that they are "out of control", is nothing less than an acknowledgement that Democracy is working. No, Congressman, you cannot control them. You cannot make them line up and accept a scheme they know is unworkable, and you can't fool them into it by lying about it. If you try... well, you've seen what their response is, when they're finally allowed to respond. And that's exactly as it should be.
Your choices here are limited, Congressman. If you want to avoid being booed, heckled, and shouted down, you can start pushing a different agenda, one that WILL work. And hold town meetings to tell constituents about it, and listen to and discuss their replies. You will find you are NOT shouted down, if you are able to give them honset, rational reasons why your new plan WILL work - something you can't do with the present govt-run Health Care scheme.
Why are you, Congressman, being shouted down at today's Town Hall meetings?
Because with the dreadful lack of planning and insight that went into the unworkable Health Care plan you are presenting, along with the running string of lies you keep telling about it, that's the only response you deserve.
Shouting-down anyone is really not productive of a discussion. That's the simple fact that you cannot disprove. There are lots of problems with the proposed health-care legislation. Everyone who attends these meetings has concerns and questions. So several people shouting, chanting, or otherwise trying to control the town-hall meeting are not just being rude to the Congressman, they are being rude to the other people attending the meeting. Listening goes both ways. There are legitimate ways to debunk misinformation. Like citing data from credible sources. And there are credible sources out there that can be used to challenge this proposed legislation. Why not point that out to the Congressman, rather than try to shout him down and call him names? Why do you defend people who are trying to shut-down communication, instead of advocating more communication?
People shout b/c they get sick of Congressmen refusing to directly answer the questions.
I understand that kind of frustration. But lapsing into shouted chants of "liar, liar, liar, liar..." isn't going to elicit an answer either. And sometimes calmly saying, "Congressman, I appreciate your response, but you really haven't answered my question. Would you like me to repeat it?" can, if nothing else, bring the Congressman to a better response, or draw audience attention to the fact that he's avoiding an answer. The shouting is a turn-off, not just of the Congressmen who is being stopped from speaking. It also turns-off the audience and any empathy that might be generated. Do you really want the audience withdrawing as well as the elected officials?
RRWA's also go to town meetings and can be quite disruptive in order to suppress debate. To them the very idea of government health care or insurance is sinful blasphemy and must not be allowed to be though about or discussed.
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