I’ve been watching the news clips featuring the rampages at some Democratic town hall meetings. I also watched the Rachel Maddow interview with Tim Phillips, president of Americans for Prosperity, one of the leading organizers of opposition to health care reform. Two things struck me.
First, Mr. Phillips is quite proud of his organizing skills, and unabashedly asserts the evils of health care reform without the slightest embarrassment at the falsehoods used to make his argument. Claiming, without fear of contradiction, that the Democrats are out to ration health care, deny treatment, increase costs, mandate government care, put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor and so on, his self confidence is both impressive and, for some, persuasive. One is inclined to be speechless in the face of the brazenness of it all.
Second, I don’t think it took much organizing to turn out the hysterically anti health care reform zealots to try to shut down any form of democratic assembly at Democratic Town Halls. These are people who are truly scared, but of what? I suspect they are the same ones who participate in tea bag parties, believe that Obama is not an American and are certain that the federal government wants to kill the elderly. They believe that “their America” is being taken away from them. The elderly among them railing against government health care insurance are happy they are on Medicare and have no idea what a contradiction that is. Those who claim to be happy as can be with our current health care system are like persons content with oppression because they have never known freedom from it. Those who are frightened that the Constitution is under threat by the Obama administration seem to have no recognition of the damage done to it by the Bush-Cheney gang and how close we came to De facto dictatorship. There is no more deadly threat to democracy than ignorance combined with a generous proportion of fear, and these are truly frightened people, but frightened of what?
Are they afraid of a “black” man in the White House? I’m not sure it can be reduced to something that simple, and yet I believe it does strike at the truth. A huge population shift that brings people of color and non-European ethnic heritage into positions of power and influence is threatening to those who never questioned their own exclusive right to power and influence. Or, having little of either, never questioned their superiority over those others who are not like them.
As one of my very conservative friends said the other day, “Everything I’ve feared about this president has come to pass; it’s even worse than I thought.” What is it that he feared? A recovery plan that prevented a depression and is slowly leading us out of the worst recession in history? Renewed respect for America in the community of nations? More support for troops in harms way and assistance to returning veterans? An effort to reduce costs and increase options for health care? Tax reductions for the middle classes? No, to the contrary, all of these things are seen as nothing more than cleverly designed camouflage for the real agenda of turning us into a socialist state ruled by people who are not like us.
I feel sorry for these people. I know that the fear they have is genuine and raises their anxiety levels of astronomical heights. On the other hand, if their fear is allowed to dictate public policy we will all be the losers.
A very good essay, one of your most complete and well-expressed! About \”letting a bureaucrat come between you and your doctor\”, those who say that do not, obviously, realize that the insurance officials who make those decisions now (for all those who now are insured, both for Medicare and for private insurance) are actually \”bureaucrats\”, and routinely restrict what will be paid and and for what. Dr.B
CP:With all due respect, I think you have got this one all wrong. I find it amazing that when liberals protest it is a grass roots movement or good \”community organizing.\” When conservatives protest, then they are a bunch of fearmongering racists, and you conveniently lump all the protestors in with birthers and other fringe groups. What a nice way to simplify the complex reality of what is truly going on.The truth of the matter is that liberals are the ones always protesting. Except for pro-life groups, conservatives rarely protest publicly. Conservative politicians have gotten used to being interrupted. Now that the Democrsts are having to face such protests in mass, they do not know what to do other than dismiss it as some coordinated evil scheme, while cable news outlets like MSNDNC are also practicing the politics of fear in suggesting that these people are tearing at the fabric of democracy, when in fact they are exercising democracy.I am not much of a protestor myself and I do not like the kinds of protests that do not allow for civil dialogue, but I think what is happening is that there are a lot of people out there who do not like what they see and no one in Washington is listening to them, so they are finally forcing them to in rowdy ways. You should know this– liberals have perfected such protestings.As far as the Bush-Cheney dictatorship, feel free to pass my comments on in an email to the White House, since what I have written sounds \”fishy.\” Chicago style politics has come to Washington DC.I suggest you read this different anaylsis of the current situation from Peggy Noonan.– http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204908604574334623330098540.html
Well, as you can see it's one positive and one negative response so far. At least it's discussion, and that's more than I can get out of the clergy in this diocese. Allan's point is well made. Thank you Allan. Couldn't disagree more on the basics of course, but you already know that. However, it is true that liberals, especially rabid liberals have perfected the art of political protest in recent years. But they are not the pioneers. In recent history that honor would have to go to people such as the Luddites, No Nothings, and America Firsters. Whether liberal or conservative, it's always destructive of democracy to shut down political conversation.
CP:You write, \”Whether liberal or conservative, it's always destructive of democracy to shut down political conversation.\”I couldn't agree more. I do not like the shouting down and the inability to have spirited but civil dialogue. I do not support that at all, but I just wanted to note that it has worked on the other side as well, so they should not be so shocked when it comes at them.
I think it a sign of political immaturity that I am so uncomfortable with discourse among bloggers and or friends, and or acquaintances, particularly when that discourse feels finger poking and abrupt to me. I have no problem speaking back to the television commentator or politician but face to face honest give and take, (maybe not give and take, rather present, defend, offend, make peace) feels mildly upsetting. Your commenters are determined to get me more comfortable with this back and forth and I suppose I should be grateful(?) for that? Thanks, Dr. B, Allan, CP:)
I'm speechless, well not so much as to not be able to express this comment. I'm what you might call a Tea-Party person. Have you read \”The 5000 Year Leap?\” Our rights come from GOD, not the government. Regarding Healthcare, what the government gives, it can take away. Let me have my rights and I will choose what to do with them in a lawful fashion. The government should support us in our rights, not take them away and mandate that everyone have healthcare and then have the nerve to penalize those who refuse to carry government approved health insurance. If Bush-Cheney were dictators, what do you call the Obama administration? They own financial institutions, car companies, education, student loans, healthcare for seniors. The dictates just keep on growing. It really all started with FDR and the entitlement programs installed. This current administration is NOT fiscally responsibility and our rights as a nation will disappear just like our rights as individuals are disappearing.The answer is less government, not more. Amy Bredwell
I'm speechless, well not so much as to not be able to express this comment. I'm what you might call a Tea-Party person. Have you read \”The 5000 Year Leap?\” Our rights come from GOD, not the government. Regarding Healthcare, what the government gives, it can take away. Let me have my rights and I will choose what to do with them in a lawful fashion. The government should support us in our rights, not take them away and mandate that everyone have healthcare and then have the nerve to penalize those who refuse to carry government approved health insurance. If Bush-Cheney were dictators, what do you call the Obama administration? They own financial institutions, car companies, education, student loans, healthcare for seniors. The dictates just keep on growing. It really all started with FDR and the entitlement programs installed. This current administration is NOT fiscally responsibility and our rights as a nation will disappear just like our rights as individuals are disappearing.The answer is less government, not more. Amy Bredwell
Well Amy, I see that you are not so speechless after all. That was quite a comment. I suggest you examine your bible a bit closer. God has given us gifts, covenants and commandments, but no rights. From our faith we can infer certain so-called human rights as conditions that we believe must be met in order for human beings to fully live into the life that God has given us. Those human rights are only enforceable through the commitment of governments that will recognize them by act of law. That is what we did in our Constitution and many of the laws that followed. It gets a little more complicated when we draw distinctions between human rights and civil rights, but the basic idea is still there. The rest of your arguments about the current administration are mostly nonsense but deeply believed by a very loud group of which you are a part. Too bad. It tends to get in the way of the more serious conversation that needs to take place. CP