This is not the Voice of the American Public

Whether you watch the news on TV, listen to it on the radio, or read it online, you are very likely not getting the whole story. Case in point are the "spontaneous protests" at health care town hall events, such as an event held by HHS Secretary Sebelius and Senator Specter in Pennyslvania. Another disruption also took place at a congressman's district in Texas. The goal is to create a sense that the Democrats are acting against the "will of the people".

If you had read the New York Times, it would appear that the Democrats have a problem. Without doing any sort of research, the reporter decided that these angry folks were the unassailable vox populi of the American people. And if they had just shown up and were indiciative of a popular movement in these locales, it would be news, and would be something for Democrats to consider.

However, this is clearly not the case. These aren't groups of citizens trying to make their voice heard in a legitimate matter. These are nothing more than mobs meant to disrupt the meetings and stifle any meaningful discussions of the issues. They have no desire to hear the other side, to them the other side isn't worth debating. They are just there to make sure the Democrats can't get anything done.

To them, debate and compromise are weaknesses, not the foundation of a functioning government. Hell, to most of these people (The supposed patriots known as "Tea-Baggers"), a functioning government is not a desirable goal. They believe any government is unproductive, and as little as possible needs to be put into place. Its a breed of fanaticism that has nothing to do with religion, but has everything to do with the mythical infallibilty of the high holy market. Anything they don't like is tarred and feathered with the word "socialism", and anyone they disagree with is called less than patriotic.

The strategies employed by these mobs are not indicative of what democracy should be. Democracy is built upon the free exchange of ideas, on the grand process of taking many different perspectives and ideas and turning them into functioning policy and law. These town halls are meant to be open forums, where people can get answers from those who represent them in our government. It quite obvious that the tactics of these groups show their desire to be destructive instead of constructive. If they decide to stop attacking and start delivering real alternatives, we'll be waiting for them.