Politico: Calling all crazies - Obama needs you

[apropos]

This article presents an interesting idea worth pondering...perhaps in some cases polite discourse is more harmful than confrontation, and in other cases confrontation is better than politeness? When should one tactic be used over the other I wonder?


What a terrible time to draw a ruly crowd. Barack Obama needed an angry mob at his town hall meeting in Portsmouth, N.H., this week.

He needed to show strength, resolve and fortitude in the face of confrontation, anger and vitriol.

Instead, Obama got a tea party. His health care town hall was filled with polite people who apparently felt that a president of the United States deserves a certain amount of respect.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0809/26054.html

[acptulsa]

Fine line. One way they'll try to paint you as crazy, the other way they'll try to walk all over you. I guess the key is to give them what they're not prepared for, whatever that may be. So, if they publicly say they're expecting anger and chaos, give them controlled anger and fierce debate.

Actually, controlled anger and fierce debate is a pretty good fallback position. When in doubt...

[pcosmar]

What a pile of dung.
That was a cherry picked crowd, there was no questioning. There were staged question from established supporters.

They have NO interest in discourse. They are not interested in our opinion, options, or needs.
This will be pushed down our throats in the end regardless.

They are not there to represent us, they are trying to SELL us on this plan.
These town halls were a tool to push the program, a program that they don't even understand themselves.

and the media is helping them
:mad:

[SWATH]

He should have got a real tea party.

[acptulsa]

He should have got a real tea party.

Oh come on. The Secret Service would never have allowed people to dump him in Boston Harbor.