Look, I understand the nervousness among liberals when this teabagging stuff happens. When I first saw the videos of these lunatics at townhall meetings, I felt nervous too. Here's what I was afraid would happen:
- Passionate people get on TV shouting down congresspeople.
- It's a good visual and an exciting conflict, so the media eats it up, giving the teabaggers way more attention than their numbers warrant.
- Before long, a meme takes hold: "Regular Americans rise up to Reject Government meddling in their Healthcare!"
But then I gave the videos another look, my nervousness disappeared, and I began to see these protests as teabags from heaven. The reason: Sarah Palin.
Remember when Palin burst on the scene? Charismatic, scrappy, telegenic - the media was fascinated, Obama was knocked out of the news. She had the potential to be a game changer in the election.
But a few weeks later, she was a joke. I'm convinced that, along with her disastrous interviews and general incompetence, the reason for her fall was largely this: at her rallies, she appeared to be inciting a group of fanatics into a crazy mob.
Most people are frightened by crazy mobs.
Most people don't want to join up with crazy mobs.
Most people gravitate toward any rational voice that runs counter to a crazy mob.
When typical Americans see videos of unhinged teabaggers, holding signs calling Obama BARRY THE BABY KILLING STALINIST! and yelling their heads off at political meetings, they recoil.
When typical Americans see rational people trying to talk to these teabaggers and getting shouted down (and sometimes chased to their cars), they will generally take the side of the rational person over the belligerent, threatening loudmouth. Especially in a political debate as important as this one.
That's why I think the best way to deal with these people is to publicly highlight their craziness and link them to the Republican party. Don't ignore them, and don't begrudge them their moment in the media spotlight. Instead, take pictures of their fanatical signs. Post videos of their disturbing chants (especially when the racial element inevitably emerges). Solidify the teabaggers as the face of their party.
They are overreaching in a very big way. They don't understand that they're a fringe group, and the attention they're getting now will only embolden them and make them more extreme. They are shooting themselves in the foot, and rather than worrying about them, we should help them take their party (further) down with them.