Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Sun Editorial:

A circus atmosphere

Conservative mobs turn to intimidation at town-hall meetings for members of Congress

It is a long-standing tradition for members of Congress, while in recess or on weekends, to return to their states and districts for town-hall meetings with constituents. The feedback on various issues, both pro and con, can provide valuable information that lawmakers can use when they return to Washington to craft legislation and address national priorities.

The key is to maintain civil discourse so that all voices are heard. But some conservative organizations have begun to pack town-hall meetings of Democratic Senate and House members with mobs of rude individuals who have no interest in civil discourse. All they want to do is shout down the lawmaker in hope of creating an embarrassing moment on video that can be spread on the Internet.

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, who addressed the topic on her show last week, aptly called the behavior “hooliganism.”

This behavior was on display recently in Philadelphia, where an unruly crowd confronted Sen. Arlen Specter, D-Pa., and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius on health care. The conservative group FreedomWorks, which has encouraged these confrontations, has a video on its Web site of the event and urges viewers to emulate that behavior at town-hall meetings throughout the country over the next month.

The Web site also features videotaped confrontations with Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, and Tim Bishop, D-N.Y., under the heading “grass-roots outrage over health care takeover ...” It is as though these mobs are serving as mouthpieces for health insurers and pharmaceutical companies, the very parties that have blocked much-needed health care reform.

With the House and Senate in recess, lawmakers can expect many similar confrontations in the next several weeks.

The problem with the latest brand of conservatives who practice confrontation over civil discourse is that they have no new ideas on health care, the environment, the economy and other pressing issues. All they have is intellectually empty intimidation.

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