Hard to believe these people can't take the time to compose an argument that has some data or facts that make sense. A debate about the health care proposals makes sense. But this kind of mobthink has got to be the worst aspect of the political process. These are the same folks inspired by the loud talkshow right when it comes to anything remotely progressive for this country. Most of these misinformed gasbags don't even know that Medicare is a government-run program. Unfortunately, it makes for sad reading, especially for a country that has had some pride in its educational systems. On the other hand, I actually wish now that The White House would write its own proposal for health reform and let it come to a vote. The bills circulating in the two houses have left quite a lot of confusion. But I guess the experience of the Clinton plan failing back in '93-4 led to a sense that Congress should do the composition of the bill. One can hope something will get done on this after all the shouting dies down...BP

Not only are anti-reformists showing up, they’re terrorizing legislators with their tomfoolery when they do. Blinded by fear and passion, armed with misinformation and misplaced anger, they descend on these meetings and hoot and holler in an attempt to shut down the debate rather than add to it.

I must say that this says more about them than it does about any forthcoming legislation. Belligerence is the currency of the intellectually bankrupt.

Trapped in their vacuum of ideas, too many Republicans continue to display an astounding ability to believe utter nonsense, even when faced with facts that contradict it.

A Daily Kos/Research 2000 poll released last Friday found that 28 percent of Republicans don’t believe that Barack Obama was born in the United States and another 30 percent are still “not sure.” That’s nearly 6 out of 10 Republicans refusing to accept a basic truth. Then again, this shouldn’t surprise me. According to a Gallup poll released last summer, 6 in 10 Republicans also said they thought that humans were created, in their present form, 10,000 years ago.

Let’s face it: This is no party of Einsteins. Really, it isn’t. A Pew poll last month found that only 6 percent of scientists said that they were Republicans.

Democrats should be leading this discussion. Instead, they’re losing control of it. That’s unfortunate because the debate is too important to be hijacked by hooligans.

Charles Blow
NY Times
8-8-09