Ed Stein: Mobocracy in Action
The GOP-encouraged, right wing media-inflamed, health care industry-funded mobs engaged in shouting down Democratic congressmen and Senators at town hall meetings presents us with a new low from a party I thought couldn’t sink any deeper. The goal, of course, is to defeat health care reform by drowning out the support with a wall of noise.
It’s hard to understand exactly what enrages these people. Yes, they’ve been fed a steady diet of misinformation about the proposed reform–told that this is a government takeover of health care (it’s not), that it’s socialism (no), that it’s a step toward single payer (not even close), that people will lose their ability to choose their own doctor (as if they actually had that)– but something else is stoking the fury. Some of it, I suspect, is lingering resentment over losing the election, some of it is fueled by the covert racism underlying the Birther movement, and much of it is fear of change fed by Republicans who simply wish to hand Obama a defeat and by the insurance and drug industries that don’t want any change in their cash flow. As usual, they’ve managed to persuade a lot of people to oppose their own self interest
The unholy alliance of the health care industry and their Republican enablers offer nothing but a return to the status quo that has shut tens of millions out of access to health care. And they’re doing it with a disgusting return to the ugly, divisive politics that were so thoroughly repudiated by the Obama election.
See more of Stein’s work at EdSteinink.com
Oh, that the people question the HighOinintedOne.
He on High should not be ask questions.
Just shut up and die, old people.
Especially you Lowly people.
We are keeping a List.
Just shut up.
Okay ?
o. k. ?
This is an unbelievable response from so called liberal open minded party. It shows the radical corrupt Chicago style politics of our wanabe DictatorHussianOblama. It shows his Marxism. Unbelievable people like Ed Stein who live on FREE SPEECH want to silence dissenters.
Gene, your response is the one that is unbelievable – you missed the point entirely. No one has said those who oppose health care reform can not voice their opinions. The simple fact is that it is counterproductive to disallow anyone to voice their thoughts. But that’s exactly what the scream-in’s at meetings about health care have done. Those who are actually interested in having a discussion have no opportunity to do so because of this. The result is that your friends appear to be the dictators by not allowing the free speech of everyone. That’s what a democracy is about.
BTW it’s well known that “lists” were kept by the previous political party not the one currently in office.
And Ed,
You ought to stick to drawing inflammatory pictures and leave the inflammatory words to people who can write.
Great commentary. Lovely depiction of the astroturf roots crowd! And I concur with your observation – the Birthers are indeed racists.
Yeah,
Leave the inflammatory words to amateurs like Spray or professionals like ObamaHisself.
It’s funny we hear Republicans say that they do not want “faceless bureaucrats” making medical decisions but they have no problem with “private sector” “faceless bureaucrats” daily declining medical coverage and financially ruining good hard working people. And who says that the “private sector” is always right, do we forget failures like Long-Term Capital, WorldCom, Global Crossing, Enron, Tyco, AIG and Lehman Brothers. Of course the federal government will destroy heathcare by getting involved, Oh but wait, Medicare and Medicaid and our military men and women and the Senate and Congress get the best heathcare in the world, and oh, that’s right, its run by our federal government. I can understand why some may think that the federal government will fail, if you look at the past eight years as a current history, with failures like the financial meltdown and Katrina but the facts is they can and if we support them they will succeed.
How does shouting down to stop the conversation of the healthcare debate at town hall meetings, endears them to anyone. Especially when the organizations that are telling them where to go and what to do and say are Republicans political operatives, not real grassroots. How does shouting someone down or chasing them out like a lynch mob advanced the debate, it does not. So I think the American people will see through all of this and know, like the teabagger, the birthers, these lynch mobs types are just the same, people who have to resort to these tactics because they have no leadership to articulate what they real want. It’s easy to pickup a bus load of people who hate, and that’s all I been seeing, they hate and can’t debate. Too bad.
Paulus politus,
Read the story on France. They are now struggling with their s o c i a l i s t health system. Can’t figure out how to pay for it. And they are the experts on s o c i a l i s m. Read of Cuba, now with a toilet paper shortage. And they are the experts on s o c i a l i s m. Read the story of Canada. People with cancer coming to the U. S. for treatment so they won’t die.
Too bad, we want to change our successful system for what ???????? Unbelievable.
Um, Gene,
Everyone is struggling to pay for everything – or is it that you haven’t heard there is a huge recession going on around the world? If not, where the heck has your head been?
Oh, and Cuba may have a shortage of toilet paper (a “fact” that seems to have very little to do with healthcare reform in the United States) – but they have some of the finest medical schools in the world.
Dawned on me . . . that was a month ago. Oh well, nothing has changed, except the town hall meetings and Tea Parry gatherings have stirred a new democracy movement not seen in many years. I.e. the people are catching on. O. is being discovered and losing support. Things still grim in Cuba, and not expected to change. Oh, by the way, when el Presidente Casto the Most Beloved and Murderous Dictator was sick recently, . .why did he send to Spain for doctors. ????????????????????????? You do know about his murderous history????????????? Okay, what month is it Dawn???????????????
Regarding the above your uninformed ‘astroturf’ statements; see the following website that has actual pictures of the Denver protesters for Pelosi. The motley anti-health reform side has hand made signs, and are not all well dressed as Pelosi has described. They look like normal people. The pro-ObamaCAre side are totally organized with printed up stock signs, and being instructed what to do. Have a look;
http://www.lookingattheleft.com/2009/08/pelosi-astroturf-healthcare/
“Regarding the above your uninformed ‘astroturf’ statements . . .” (sp)
Sir, you certainly speak the radical right party line well. The majority, however, do find said party line comments are ever so infelicitous. Concur with the earlier comments of the “astroturf roots” campaign. This plotted political terrorism has no place in a civilized society.
Well, I agree with Gene about damn little, but I certainly agree that this is a ridiculous use of the word “terrorism”, clearly by someone who has never lived under its’ threat.
COLO1 – Sir!
After you accuse me of speaking a party line,
You have the nerve to copy the words “political terrorism” of Rep. Baron P. Hill, when used the words. He said; “I’m trying to control the event,” Hill said, shortly before an informal discussion with a dozen business people at the Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce. “What I don’t want to do is create an opportunity for the people who are POLITICAL TERRORISTS to blow up the meeting and not try to answer thoughtful questions.”
So you were not even cleaver enough to put those poor words yourself. Now maybe you and Rep. Hill are both parroting some party line, who knows? You even copied the ‘civilized society’ bit also.
My, what an original thinker you are!!!
The left really should learn how to use the word terrorism. It actually has a meaning.
Here is another view of astroturf – from Michael Ramirez.
http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/08/024230.php
Gene,
Remember when there were those that said that dissent was the highest form of patriotism? Now those very people are against dissent. So in their own definition they are very un-patriotic, sorry to hear that they have such a dim view of themselves.
Sammy
Sam,
That highest form of dissent line was a highjacked Thomas Jefferson quote taken somewhat out of context, if I recall. Have not heard it lately.
I wonder if Ed Stein knows the origin of the astroturf label. I don’t mean the type that was in the back of Clinton’s ElCamino, but the type of manufactured artificial protest that was perfected by s o c i a l i s t s like Saul Alinsky and David Axelrod at his PR firm in Chicago. Typical of the left, use the term and lie about what it means.
And when will Ed Stein start b___ing about the Afgan War now that it is expected to cost more than Iraq?
It is a low point for the White House and the history of democracy in America.
Gene,
Yes the rules and methods that they set in place and used are now coming back to haunt them. They are at the point of either having to chose honesty and fairly apply standards that they instituted or show themselves to be a hypocrite. If they choose honesty it will take some adjustment on their part yet in the long run it will bring self-improvement. Choosing hypocrisy will only damage themselves. I am heartened to see a few choose honesty. Perhaps with their example others will also choose honesty.
Sammy
What I find so very interesting, and Ed is a prime example, is the disbelief that it is independents, democrats, and other non-republicans that are the main thrust of the dissent. In fact I do not believe many main-stream Republicans are going to benefit from this anti huge-government growth movement. Just as many of us would not support McCain, we will not, in the future, support others that are pro-big government, regardless of the party affiliation.
We live in great times, times when the USA populace is awakening and the political landscape is being profoundly changed. Sadly, the ones that should be chronicling these changes are living 10 -20 years in the past and missing the change entirely. When one, like Ed, is committed to furthering his own political agenda instead of being a true journalist, the self-imposed blindness is deabilitating.
Sammy
Perhaps it is the result of decades of liars, cheats and so on purporting to represent the American people… it just happened to come to a boil during this Admin… Additionally, it is a frightening prospect to think that health care must somehow first go through miles of bureaucratic red tape before payment is approved (already happening, sure to increase under this reform), when medical assistance is almost always time sensitive… early detection and all that… And it is as I feared during the election process, any dissent is immediately labeled “racism.”
Dawn,
Yes I agree that the problem has been awhile in the making. One thing different that this administration has done: where other administrations were content with small increases of oppressing, taxing, and growing government this administration increased all three in leaps and bounds. As Gene has noted, a frog will take small increments of heat until it is finally boiled. We now have huge increments of heat and the frogs are fighting back.
I also agree that the racism term is overused and very trite and hackneyed. Like the boy always crying wolf. When true racism does occur no one will pay attention. So in a perverse way, the overuse of calling racism is racist in itself.
Sammy
Wow, back from a vacation. Good to see opnions still going strong. For those that cannot afford health care and are under-insured, why not have a safety net for them? Who is going to pay for it, well crap Republicans (Reps), here is your chance to take baby steps back to fiscal conservatism by ensuring this is funded how you see fit, by doing away with some other funding types out there to pay for some of this.
I am for an option of government health care, the kind that allows private also, such as those who can afford the sky rocketing health insurance companies policies. If my taxes are raised, so be it, as long as my taxes are actually used for government health insurance and not “borrowed” against like social security.
I am also an Independent, and I am glad to say not a Democrat (Dems) because of the disgraceful way you are pussy footing around with the Reps who have what, 31 Senators, and 1/3 of the house, and the Dems can’t come together and whip the “Block Bully”‘s ass? Pathetic. For as dumb as the Reps have become with warfare and fiscal responsibilty, they are some how able to scare the crap out of the American people, get their agenda accross for better or ill, and the Dems continue to not stand up to the grand ‘ol bully. Pathetic.
But not really pathetic as my theory is being proven that the founding fathers only gave future generations the opportunity to achieve greatness, and we are still waiting.