So, the profiteers of the health-industrial complex, through its proxies and dupes, has encouraged Tea Baggers to intimidate members of Congress who support real health care reform , issuing instructions on how to disrupt in-district meetings convened by those members. Josh Marshall has dubbed it "civic vigilanteism."
In comments discussing this development, pro-reformers are suggesting ways to counter this insurgent action (see examples among comments here and here).
Well, a good offense is the best defense, and I offer my humble advice below the fold. I hope you, dear readers, will offer your own ideas in comments to this diary.
Among the comments I've seen, this and this seem like good ideas.
In my experience, once disruptions begin at a meeting, anything said by the member of Congress (MoC) comes across as defensive (if it can even be heard in the confusion). So, getting the upper hand right away is crucial, and the only time to do that is when the MoC has the floor at the beginning of the meeting. Then he or she can say:
First, let me ask how many of you in the audience are on Medicare or have a loved one on Medicare -- let me see a show of hands... [pause]... We all know Medicare isn't perfect, but the fact is that Medicare is the most popular health care system we have, and it works well even if it isn't perfect. Medicare is simple to administer, and it makes sure there is no faceless, profit-motivated insurance company standing between you and your doctor, rationing your care. It's also far more cost-effective than any private health plan. Now, it is important that you all understand the primary goal of our health reform efforts -- we want to allow you to choose Medicare for your health coverage if you want to, if for some reason you don't like your private insurance, or if you can't afford private insurance. That's all. Medicare is a public plan that works and is cost-effective, and you should have the choice to enroll in Medicare at any age.
Now, before opening the floor to questions -- and I do want to hear from as many of you as possible today -- let me tell you about this [hold up copy of the memo with instructions on how to disrupt public meetings]. This is a memo that encourages people who are against health care reform to disrupt meetings like this one. It urges people to shout out and disrupt meetings and create the illusion that most of you are against health reform, and some anti-reform organizations have even paid to bus people to meetingslike this one. Now, I hope this doesn't happen at this meeting because I want to hear what all of you have to say. So, if any of you have seen this memo and have come today to disrupt this meeting, I urge you: Please, have the respect for your fellow citizens to allow them to be heard, even if you disagree.
With this sort of setup, the crowd -- including any media present -- will be prepared for whatever might follow. Any disruptions will be properly put into context.
Friends, let's try to come up with some suggestions like this and get them into the hands of our representatives. Add your ideas in the comments.