Chickens and eggs: How Republicans have taken the town-hall protests too far

By Michael J.W. Stickings

"The American people remain anxious and confused about health care reform," observes Marc Ambinder. "That is an underlying reality that Republican activists are so eager to exploit." Yes, but it is also Republican activism -- in the form of lies, distortions, and propagandistic fearmongering -- that has manufactured much of the confusion and anxiety out there.

Otherwise, Ambinder is right that "the loudest voices [have] tended to be the craziest, the most extreme, the least sensible, and the most easy to mock." Again, though, this has been what Republicans wanted, an angry mob from the fringes of the party and the conservative movement -- or rather from the base itself, much of which lies on the outer fringe of American society -- disrupting deliberative democratic discourse and the educational efforts of the pro-reform side with a lack of "restraint" and without even "approximate truths" on their side.

"Unrestrained," he continues, "these town hall meetings are going to turn off the type of voters Republicans most need to pressure Blue Dog Democrats -- independents who don't have red genes or blue genes." Yes, but, then, Republicans are themselves unrestrained at the moment and, once the fog of lies, distortions, and fearmongering is lifted, it is precisely what Republicans stand for, both the policies and the propaganda, that is turning people off. In other words, if "conservatives are blowing their chance" (the title of Ambinder's post), it is only because conservatism itself blows -- that is, it's not just the strategy but the substance. Republicans are losing this battle because of what they stand for, an increasingly extremist right-wing ideology that includes opposition to reform, not just because their town-hall activism has gotten out of hand.