Posted on 09/02/2009 6:44:53 PM PDT by Kaslin
Health care reform is said to be in trouble partly because of those raucous August town hall meetings in which Democratic members of Congress were besieged by shouters opposed to change.
But what if our media-created impression of the meetings is wrong?
What if the highly publicized screamers represented only a fraction of public opinion? What if most of the town halls were populated by citizens who respectfully but firmly expressed a mixture of support, concern and doubt?
There is an overwhelming case that the electronic media went out of their way to cover the noise and ignored the calmer (and from television's point of view "boring") encounters between elected representatives and their constituents.
It's also clear that the anger that got so much attention largely reflects a fringe right-wing view opposed to all sorts of government programs most Americans support. Much as the far left of the anti-war movement commanded wide coverage during the Vietnam years, so now are extremists on the right hogging the media stage — with the media's complicity.
Over the last week, I've spoken with Democratic House members, many from highly contested districts, about what happened in their town halls. None would deny polls showing that the health reform cause lost ground last month, but little of the probing civility that characterized so many of their forums was ever seen on television.
"I think the media coverage has done a disservice by falling for a trick that you'd think experienced media hands wouldn't fall for: of allowing loud voices to distort the debate," said Rep. Mary Jo Kilroy, whose district includes Columbus, Ohio.
(Excerpt) Read more at ibdeditorials.com ...
We’ll see whether or not they are right in November 2010.
I say they’re in for a surprise.
YEAH....riiiiiiiigggghhhhttt.....uh huh....
Another “filler” article at IBD.
Once and for all... the yelling only started when the audience lost patience with the pol’s evasive/patronizing/lying answers.
It’s when the congresscritter repeatedly refused to give them a straight answer that things got noisy.
THIS passes for rational argument?
Deliberate mocking insult, yes.
Argument, not even for a third grader.
Look who wrote that opinion. I never read anything from that Washington Post writer.
I heard a chick on fox news ask if all the raving and ranting was about more than health care...i dont think confronting congressmen about anything ravining and ranting.
Heh...I sure hope you’re right! I know I believe that and also believe the the media is way out of their league. They have been so removed from society that they actually think that their endorsement by their peers makes their ideas factual. I really think that they believe that.
They are so removed from the normal people that they can’t understand the popular revolt.
Only E. J. Dionne with his head straight up his a** could say this with a straight face in light of the plummeting polls for the Obozo and his gubmint run health care.
E. J. Dionne gets paid to try and make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t.
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