Even if there are concerns and questions about the health care reform bills currently in front of Congress, the approach the right is taking will, I believe, backfire. Americans may be uneasy about such a huge sea-change, and there is enough misinformation out there to stir the pots of even the most educated citizen; for the most part, though, Americans do not like mobs acting like, well, mobs. Once there are enough pictures and videos and stories of Congressmembers being harangued into silence, escorted out under guard, and the various folks sounding alike across the country, my guess is that, however successful they may be at shutting down local discussions, on the national level - it's going to fail badly.
In just a couple days, my wildest dreams concerning how this will play out seem to pale in comparison to reality.
Screeching, being incoherent, turning off other folks who turned up to ask legitimate questions regarding health care and other issues, seniors who receive Medicare decrying "socialized medicine" - it has all the marks of farce, with the occasional scary face of rage. Whoever thought this was a good idea will probably end up a "political consultant" on some cable chat show. Failure is no barrier to becoming a lip-flapper on TV.
Once again, whether you support health care reform or not, attend any meetings your Congressional Representative may be having. Be respectful. If the mob shows up, don't try to shout them down. Give them as much room to act out as possible.
And, if your cell phone has video capability, catch a few seconds of the fun and upload it, send it to TPM or some other news or website. The more attention this kind of thing gets, the better off we'll all be.
