ImprovingKilling health care reform

The most disturbing thing about this video--in which activists opposed to Democratic-proposed health care reform harrass Rep. Lloyd Doggett in Austin--isn't the evidence that conservative activists have organized their people so well that it actually looks like a majority of Americans are opposed to reform. (They aren't.) It isn't people's rudeness and intensity--you see that in political rallies and events of various stripes and in various places. It isn't even the loose connection between activists' complaints and the realities of the reforms being considered.

It's the fact that, once they've driven the congressman away, they break out applauding:



By harrassing an elected official--who might or might not be THEIR elected official--they succeed in...shutting down the conversation entirely. This is a victory, worthy of applause? That's bizarre and absolutely unproductive.

Unless, of course, they don't want conversation, a more conservative solution to the country's health care problems, or a more bipartisan approach (whatever that means). If their goal is simply to derail everything the Democrats do that's related to trying to improve health care--and to benefit politically from the resulting failure--this may be a pretty productive way to get that done.

It's as if I know first aid, and someone else desperately needs it, and a third person is trying to administer it but I don't like the way he's doing it, so I intervene. But I don't take over--instead I pull the guy off and simply hold him down, maybe make fun of him a little, while the injured person dies for lack of attention. Then I blame the other guy for the death.

In short, it's completely despicable.