Actively not listening to your constituents is not going to be a winning strategy...
11
Weak TEA, sir.
15
Senator Dean Heller and Rep. Mark Amodei of NV are holding a town hall together (strength in numbers?) in Reno on Monday from 9-11 AM. Unfortunately, folks who have a job won't be able to attend, which I assume was not a coincidence, since they booked a small room for the event.
11
No. Other than that, get out as you and your ilk don't and won't ever belong in this country. You are all fascists, tyrants, theologians. Everything this is country is NOT about. Get out now! Tired of your lies, cheating, manipulation. Git! And take your small minds with you.
16
Mr. Brooks quotes from Emerson and Thoreau, wonderful philosophers, but also aloof wealthy Yankees who had the luxury of being able to escape from the crowds to their family estates. They also had the family connections to get their voices heard. Individuals who make up the tea party and progressive mass protest movements do not have the luxury of wealth an family connections. Only by speaking in unison, in one voice, and threatening revolution will the wealthy politically connected take notice. The founding fathers assumed the constitution would be replaced or heavily revised every generation, they assumed protest and revolution would be a constant force.
16
The one-person-one-vote principle works only when voters are informed of their own interests. This condition cannot be met when (1) our representatives owe their survival on wealthy lobbies with different agendas and (2) corporate media succeed in sowing doubt, "parallel facts", misdirection, and division in the minds of voters. Your de-individuation strategy works well when people are interested in discovering facts that may be obscured and suppressed by mob behavior. That strategy undermines the power of the mob to level the playing field against a politician whose survival is otherwise guaranteed by the lobbies that fund his political stand.
9
The protesters in question are protesting severe threat to programs and policies progressive have supported for 40,50,60, even 80 years. I think this fact would predict stronger and longer lasting protests. In my case i think of my grandparents, long gone who supported the New Deal in the 1930's. I have never heard a stronger for or against most progressive policies than my grandparents' arguments. In addition, the protests line up almost entirely with public opinion as most polls show making them very hard to ignore even in conservative strongholds.
18
Even a well organized, civil, and well spoken group of progressives may appear as a mob to a Republican representative who has not faced this kind of audience and who may suddenly fear that there is much for which they might be held to account.
And most of the progressives I know--as organized, civil, and well spoken as they may be--would be happy to inspire this kind of fear. Why not?
And most of the progressives I know--as organized, civil, and well spoken as they may be--would be happy to inspire this kind of fear. Why not?
22
Nice try, but cherry-picked quotes and examples do not an argument make. Rather, there is an ominously authoritarian 1984ish feel to the very term "re-individuation" - and the threat behind taking names before being allowed to speak (akin to "Show me your papers") is to silence dissenting speech. Which is clearly the conservative GOP agenda and strategy no matter how much Mr. Brooks tries to Halloween candy coat it.
21
In that same letter to Abigail Adams Jefferson wrote: "I prefer perilous liberty to quiet survitude." Keep showing up at town hall meetings. Keep putting pressure on elected officials. Hold your elected representatives accountable and make them feel uncomfortable. Stand up and be heard.
34
Simply another republican who lives to protect his amoral party from hearing the truth. He can quote writers from now to doomsday to prove his point, however where was he in the past when his party of goons were acting like spoiled children, as they are today? The truth hurts and no amount of nonsense like this screed is going to wipe it away. His unethical, racist, misogynist, party consists of a bunch of a sorry cowards led by an insane incompetent little child.
41
More of the usual. A Republican shouting "Stop acting like us!"
24
I do not recall Brooks objecting to the "lock her up" chants at the Republican convention. If he did in his NYT column I missed it. Does anyone remember back that far?
The haunted look of House Republicans replaces the foolish grins they wore at the surprise election results. All they wanted was re-election, now they can suffer the consequences.
I grew up in New England (home of Thoreau, Emerson et al.). We had real town meetings, with binding citizen votes on issues. There was always debate and protest. Don't try to water down democracy to 15 seconds to speak in front of a mic, then sit and shut up, with no consequences, just to make life easier for your Congressperson.
Everyone knows it is scary to face a hostile crowd alone. Yet there will always be crowds. Anyone not brave enough to face them should leave politics rather than suppress dissent, even organized dissent, which will fail and only draw sympathy to a politician if not done with just the right degree of passion, loudness, and self-restraint.
The haunted look of House Republicans replaces the foolish grins they wore at the surprise election results. All they wanted was re-election, now they can suffer the consequences.
I grew up in New England (home of Thoreau, Emerson et al.). We had real town meetings, with binding citizen votes on issues. There was always debate and protest. Don't try to water down democracy to 15 seconds to speak in front of a mic, then sit and shut up, with no consequences, just to make life easier for your Congressperson.
Everyone knows it is scary to face a hostile crowd alone. Yet there will always be crowds. Anyone not brave enough to face them should leave politics rather than suppress dissent, even organized dissent, which will fail and only draw sympathy to a politician if not done with just the right degree of passion, loudness, and self-restraint.
9
Congressmen should conduct town halls under rules that preserve order and permit full participation by their constituents:
1. Only registered voters from the district allowed in the forum.
2. Two minute time limit per speaker - allow one follow up question.
3. No shouting down speakers, sign waving, shoving matches.
4. Max 50 speakers per meeting.
5. Schedule follow-on meetings
Eject all disrupters of this orderly process from the forum. For those who demand an open outcry demonstration, provide an area outside the forum where the planned mayhem of street demonstration would be permitted by anyone. Demonstrators outside could smash hated images, shriek uncontrollably, rend their clothes and hair, defecate on cop cars, and scream profanities to their heart's content, without disrupting the Q & A forum for constituents.
1. Only registered voters from the district allowed in the forum.
2. Two minute time limit per speaker - allow one follow up question.
3. No shouting down speakers, sign waving, shoving matches.
4. Max 50 speakers per meeting.
5. Schedule follow-on meetings
Eject all disrupters of this orderly process from the forum. For those who demand an open outcry demonstration, provide an area outside the forum where the planned mayhem of street demonstration would be permitted by anyone. Demonstrators outside could smash hated images, shriek uncontrollably, rend their clothes and hair, defecate on cop cars, and scream profanities to their heart's content, without disrupting the Q & A forum for constituents.
1
"Members of Congress facing furious crowds could start treating protesters as individuals." I like your sentiment, Mr. Brooks -- but keep dreaming.
Congressional Republicans are too socially inept to care about the other 99%, and so ignorant of our lives, needs, and goals that they also have not the first clue about how to treat us as individuals.
Congressional Republicans are too socially inept to care about the other 99%, and so ignorant of our lives, needs, and goals that they also have not the first clue about how to treat us as individuals.
9
At all the town halls I have attended, questioners DO stand, state their names, and ask focused questions. It often seems that members of Congress behave more like an irresponsible crowd when they huddle in their (echo) chamber at the Capitol, unwilling or unable to hear what their constituents have to tell them about their lives, wishes, and needs.
14
The kind of self pleasuring article one would expect from Arthur Brooks, practiced in the art of false equivalency. The people who are showing up at these town halls to protest are not just progressives, there are some of the orange one's voters who aren't true believers feeling betrayed in a major way in his reneging on campaign promises about jobs and health care. It is genuine anger at feeling betrayed, not some mindless mob looking for "blood". I doubt that Mr. Boks has ever been faced with gut wrenching choice , do we buy the food or the medicine?
17
Sure it is is organized and it should be. Wherever they go, their misdeeds and foul treatment of the 99% should be in their faces. 2018 is coming. Let them never forget nor ignore. We not "uneducated" nor are we an uncontrolled mob. We are a majority of Americans who are sick and tired of the GOP group of quacks selling us all out. Heed the warnings. They are real and they shall continue.
17
Asking audience members to identify themselves is one thing. The GOP is now doing "screenings" at town halls forcing participants to (a) prove they live in the district, (b) are not armed (doesn't the GOP love guns?), and (c) confiscate any "signs" that are larger than an 8x10 piece of paper. In one red state, the audience members were not allowed to use red or green 8x10s; apparently that is too "frightening" for the congressman.
When a Republican Congressman (Mullen of Oklahoma) says he is not a public servant, that his constituents do not pay his salary, and that he is doing THEM a "public service" by getting elected, the GOP has officially lost its mind. When regular citizens have their backpacks rifled through by police, is it no surprise when a participant politely asks why their congressman puts them through such scrutiny for HIS "protection," what is he doing for theirs?
Perfectly acceptable question, deserving an answer. And why on earth do citizens now have to meet arbitrary GOP "standards" to attend a public meeting in a public place? What is the GOP afraid of -- other than American citizens.
When a Republican Congressman (Mullen of Oklahoma) says he is not a public servant, that his constituents do not pay his salary, and that he is doing THEM a "public service" by getting elected, the GOP has officially lost its mind. When regular citizens have their backpacks rifled through by police, is it no surprise when a participant politely asks why their congressman puts them through such scrutiny for HIS "protection," what is he doing for theirs?
Perfectly acceptable question, deserving an answer. And why on earth do citizens now have to meet arbitrary GOP "standards" to attend a public meeting in a public place? What is the GOP afraid of -- other than American citizens.
24
Kids picking candies from bowls stand at some remove from angry grownups facing armed, possibly hostile police. Mr. Brooks could have drawn a much more meaningful narrative by comparing effective and intelligent handling of energized attendees by our representatives to some Congressional behaviors widely seen as defensive, accusatory, of condescending; even not showing up. For example, here in the Minnesota 3rd, Congressman Paulsen is believed by many constituents to be in the witness protection program.
8
Republicans in Congress, having treated their voters with utter contempt for so long--most recently by coming close to kicking 26 million off of health insurance--are facing the same kind of backlash as United Airlines. The people are rightly mad as hell, and they're not going to take it anymore. And it's a good thing, too.
17
I don't buy it. Unless the author has the experience of attending many town halls to make these assertions, I think it's based on what's seen on TV. It's better, more interesting television to show the people screaming at the representative than it is to show the calm, ordered meeting that probably happened 8.5 times out of 10 (statistics made up for clarity).
I'm sorry if my harebrained congressman (I live in Jason Chaffetz' district, lucky me) doesn't want to hear an opposing viewpoint, or would like to believe that everyone is admiring how he is conducting himself in office. He's not, we don't, and it's my right as a citizen to peacefully let him know.
I'm sorry if my harebrained congressman (I live in Jason Chaffetz' district, lucky me) doesn't want to hear an opposing viewpoint, or would like to believe that everyone is admiring how he is conducting himself in office. He's not, we don't, and it's my right as a citizen to peacefully let him know.
18
It's a fact of life that, in the US anyway, that everyone is screaming at the top of their lungs about everything. Turn on the TV. The voices you hear whether from a sitcom or pundit are almost without exception several decibals above the normal human hearing range; we all know how the tv suddenly gets louder when the commercials come on.
Congressional members wouldn't hear a gentle voice, or even one loud voice. It's a lot easier to blow off one person than a crowd. For example, the crowds (not mobs as Brooks likes to say) found solidarity protesting the repeal of the ACA and I believe that Congress started to realize the lie about the "American People" wanting repeal wasn't going to cut it anymore.
Also if some of them had a whit of political sense they would be counting the vote of each person they see in the crowd. But many just turn into hypocrites & cowards when it comes time to face the people.
The time of Emerson & Jefferson has passed into history and Congressmen better listen up or they'll be gone in 2018, that's a promise. Resist. Loudly.
Congressional members wouldn't hear a gentle voice, or even one loud voice. It's a lot easier to blow off one person than a crowd. For example, the crowds (not mobs as Brooks likes to say) found solidarity protesting the repeal of the ACA and I believe that Congress started to realize the lie about the "American People" wanting repeal wasn't going to cut it anymore.
Also if some of them had a whit of political sense they would be counting the vote of each person they see in the crowd. But many just turn into hypocrites & cowards when it comes time to face the people.
The time of Emerson & Jefferson has passed into history and Congressmen better listen up or they'll be gone in 2018, that's a promise. Resist. Loudly.
9
I was fooled into reading this article by the interesting title. However, he does nothing but source silly studies. At the bottom of the article it states that the writer is from the American Enterprise Institute, which explains the lazy writing and the "branding" of the activists attending the town halls.
19
Congressman John Dow Chemical Moolenaar 4th district MI, has avoided town halls like the plague. Mr. Moolenaar sits in one of the safest Republican seats in the country. Yesterday my friend's Quaker group of 8 people convinced him to meet with them. She told me that the group was more informed than the Congressman. Each time he tried a talking point, Obamacare is in a death spiral, people are flooding from Canada for healthcare, Medicare is going broke, the group countered him with facts and research. He said the tax relief for the rich was just "incidental" to repealing Obamacare. Then he brought up the debt, to which they replying cut the military. After they shot down all his GOP myths, he told them healthcare is not a right. Can you be Pro-life and believe no one deserves healthcare?
32
Jeff Flake is holding a town hall meeting tonight. On the email from his office, there was a list of dos / don'ts for the event. I'm sorry that I can't attend but I'm sure there will be a big turnout. I'm hoping that the attendees stay focused & ask the questions he needs to answer like - why would you sponsor the internet privacy bill when you used constituent privacy as a reason to vote against gun control measures. At this stage, Flake is taking flack from both parties. Not a good place to be when you're running in 2018.
18
Most of the town hall protestors are not Republicans, they are Democrats, so the G.O.P. members of Congress tend to want to ignore them where their districts have been gerrymandered into safe ones. Where the protestors represent potential majorities of the voters, the G.O.P. members have to listen and adapt, but these are a minority in the Congress.
9
The GOP lost its way as a cohesive credible political force focused on financial conservatism. Republicans have grabbed power at the local and state level through the flow of massive amounts of dark money supporting the expansion of the Tea Party extreme right and the growth of Taliban-style religious fundamentalism.
Trump was supposed to represent a way to a better life for his supporters, but that was just window dressing. The GOP leadership, Ryan and McConnell, are focused on destroying Medicare, Social Security regulatory control of Wall St. and the environment. Trump, Ryan and McConnell couldn't care less if their base starves or dies for lack of health care and many loyal fans are waking up to this reality.
Trump is the GOP TV clown distracting the media. Nevertheless, the majority of Americans realize how dangerous the Trump pseudo-presidency is and they know that they must protest and vote against the forces that want to destroy their lives. They must throw the Republicans out of Congress. It is a matter of survival.
Trump was supposed to represent a way to a better life for his supporters, but that was just window dressing. The GOP leadership, Ryan and McConnell, are focused on destroying Medicare, Social Security regulatory control of Wall St. and the environment. Trump, Ryan and McConnell couldn't care less if their base starves or dies for lack of health care and many loyal fans are waking up to this reality.
Trump is the GOP TV clown distracting the media. Nevertheless, the majority of Americans realize how dangerous the Trump pseudo-presidency is and they know that they must protest and vote against the forces that want to destroy their lives. They must throw the Republicans out of Congress. It is a matter of survival.
28
This is rich! Citizens, exercising the first and most precious right granted to them by the Bill of Rights -- against a president and a party that have systematically and perniciously maintained their power in Washington by, among other things, subverting the right to vote -- and Brooks invokes Emerson in defense of the Republicans?
Try to understand this, Mr. Brooks: when angry citizens arrive by the thousands to announce their displeasure with the kleptocratic, belligerent, and (quite possibly) treasonous Republicans, it's not the politicians who need defending.
Try to understand this, Mr. Brooks: when angry citizens arrive by the thousands to announce their displeasure with the kleptocratic, belligerent, and (quite possibly) treasonous Republicans, it's not the politicians who need defending.
30
They swept in on a wave of hostility--it's ironic that the same forces they unleashed on our political system will be their undoing.
20
Oh the horror of people calling their Congressional representatives to complain about he/she being hell bent on wiping out the ACA or Social Security because seeking to end policies that have sought to create a more perfect union like the ACA or Social Security.
Brooks' notion that "an individual's social constraints are diminished and distorted by being part of a crowd that forms to express a particular point of view" speaks volumes about the modern GOP. They are a mob that doesn't understand that part of being a decent human is having empathy for others and to meet their needs. They are more concerned with giving tax breaks to the few and ignoring the needs of the many.
However, I was puzzled by his comment "We can all think of cases in which we have been swept up in a wave of kindness and compassion in a group, even in spite of our personal feelings." I don't know how Mr. Brooks was raised ... but my family and the community that I was raised valued compassion and caring for others above all else.
Brooks' notion that "an individual's social constraints are diminished and distorted by being part of a crowd that forms to express a particular point of view" speaks volumes about the modern GOP. They are a mob that doesn't understand that part of being a decent human is having empathy for others and to meet their needs. They are more concerned with giving tax breaks to the few and ignoring the needs of the many.
However, I was puzzled by his comment "We can all think of cases in which we have been swept up in a wave of kindness and compassion in a group, even in spite of our personal feelings." I don't know how Mr. Brooks was raised ... but my family and the community that I was raised valued compassion and caring for others above all else.
14
Yes. But don't assume the politician is the individual and the mass of protestors are the deindividuated. If the politician is a mouthpiece and the protestors are indignant about sham representation, it looks just the same.
10
Does Brooks actually get paid for writing this stuff? Is breathing air good or bad? It depends. If you stop breathing, you die and therefore escape all the ills flesh is heir to; if you live, you get both the joy and pain of being alive.
NYT, you can send my check too The Crowdancer Enterprise Freedom Awesome Institute of Panglossian Ambivalence (we're social advocacy organization so don't bother to deduct any taxes).
NYT, you can send my check too The Crowdancer Enterprise Freedom Awesome Institute of Panglossian Ambivalence (we're social advocacy organization so don't bother to deduct any taxes).
9
"When people detach from a group, the research suggests they will become more ethical, rational and intelligent."
Mr. Brooks, why weren't you making this clarion call when Trump was leading the chants of "Lock her up!"
Also, invoking the name of Thomas Jefferson into this postmodern issue is patently ridiculous. Memo to Brooks, for all his great statesmanship, Jefferson lived in an era before the industrial revolution, and would have a different outlook in the digital age.
Mr. Brooks, why weren't you making this clarion call when Trump was leading the chants of "Lock her up!"
Also, invoking the name of Thomas Jefferson into this postmodern issue is patently ridiculous. Memo to Brooks, for all his great statesmanship, Jefferson lived in an era before the industrial revolution, and would have a different outlook in the digital age.
16
There is a difference.
Most of them are protesting potential loss of government jobs and welfare benefits.
The Tea Party was protesting use of taxes to fund government jobs and welfare benefits.
Most of them are protesting potential loss of government jobs and welfare benefits.
The Tea Party was protesting use of taxes to fund government jobs and welfare benefits.
6
If a mob of protesters shows up, but the protestee does not, is it still a protest?
I say let them scream and yell at each other for empty press coverage.
There is no reason for elected officials to dignify screaming mobs. There is nothing to be gained. The mobs are not interested in dialog or in hearing. They simply want to yell.
I say let them scream and yell at each other for empty press coverage.
There is no reason for elected officials to dignify screaming mobs. There is nothing to be gained. The mobs are not interested in dialog or in hearing. They simply want to yell.
1
I KNOW....those tea party groups were totally obnoxious!
6
Life must be very comfortable for you.
5
The Republicans are getting it good from both sides because what they are selling is only good for about 5% of our population.
Let's play this out... A town hall attendee says "why are you getting rid of my health care plan and offering pathetic tax credits?"
The crowd grumbles as the Republican Congressman blurts out that the ACA is unpopular.
An attendee says, "but you have no effective replacement plan!"
Thus, civility comes when we have a conversation based on reality.
Let's play this out... A town hall attendee says "why are you getting rid of my health care plan and offering pathetic tax credits?"
The crowd grumbles as the Republican Congressman blurts out that the ACA is unpopular.
An attendee says, "but you have no effective replacement plan!"
Thus, civility comes when we have a conversation based on reality.
18
The author forgets: the GOP doesn't exist to help ordinary people. They exist to retain power so they can help the rich and powerful, who in turn help them. That's it. Can anyone name ONE thing the Republican Party has done in the last 20-30 years to help ordinary Americans? No so far has given me a satisfactory answer to that question.
17
There is nothing wrong with asking individuals to separate themselves from the crowds to "individuate" (what kind of nonsense term is that?) as the author says. But then there should be nothing wrong with asking the Congressman/woman to actually answer the question the individual asks them. You know, like two individuals talking. It is also not asking too much of Republican Congressmen/women (i.e. - cowards) to actually hold town hall meetings and meet with their constituents. Our Congressional Representative, Lloyd Smucker (R-PA) has refused to do so. And he is from as safe a Republican district as any in the country. Yet still, he refuses to come out and face his constituents. What is he afraid of? A "mob"? In my region of Pennsylvania if he is afraid of a "mob" developing out of a town hall meeting, he has a lot bigger problems to fix.
If the author feels that those who go to these public forums should act as individuals and not as groups and mobs, then the author should also demand the Congressional Representatives do their jobs.
If the author feels that those who go to these public forums should act as individuals and not as groups and mobs, then the author should also demand the Congressional Representatives do their jobs.
16
To turn back the tide of town hall anger, the GOP need only wait.
It won't be long before people return to their normal hum-drums.
It won't be long before people return to their normal hum-drums.
1
Rep. Greg Walden of Oregon should be on the Dems hit list. His committee authored the failed health repeal legislation.
6
Both houses of Congress are supposed to be deliberative bodies who do the work that supports the wellbeing of the country and the citizens within. I have seen little evidence that the "My way or the highway, stubborn as a mule" Republicans have been anything but deliberative. More importantly, they have been doing the bidding of the top 0.01%ers rather than addressing the needs/desires of the populace (think gun control laws that even most Republicans want, healthcare reform that strengthens Obamacare, environmental policies that allow their citizen's to breath clean air and drink safe water, etc.).
It is no wonder that the voters showing up at these meeting are upset. The Representatives are simply not looking out for the interests of their citizen's. Absent pouring dollars into the Republican's laps, like the oligarchs do, it makes sense to me that they show up to town halls and express their displeasure.
It is no wonder that the voters showing up at these meeting are upset. The Representatives are simply not looking out for the interests of their citizen's. Absent pouring dollars into the Republican's laps, like the oligarchs do, it makes sense to me that they show up to town halls and express their displeasure.
11
For starters, the GOP needs to redefine itself or implode -- if, that is, it wants a really good-faith relationship with most voters. Its major agenda is cutting taxes for the top 1% and cutting benefits (healthcare and Social Security) for all the rest. To get in office, Republicans must lie and misrepresent themselves, because their agenda would so obviously reveal them as selfish, greedy, and hateful. You can find no better example of this than Trump, who conned voters into thinking he was a populist. As we see from his agenda (repealing healthcare with nothing creditable to replace it), he is no Bernie Sanders.
8
Brooks has lost the point of why citizens are angry. Sure, design a town hall meeting that is civil. The point is the masses are cut out of the economy. They know it. They have no say and they know it. Talk about that problem and stop the condescension.
11
A crowd of snowflakes is a glacier.
11
And a glacier is a very powerful entity...
6
Like Clinton and the protective rope around her?
Like Pruitt and his 8 protective secret service members
Like Devos and her $8M is protective secret service members
Like Devos and her $8M is protective secret service members
6
If the GOP makes another run at limiting healthcare coverage to Americans, they can expect even more outrage and had better keep a close eye on their 2018 chances.
15
Brooks tells us that well organized progressive groups are giving elected Republican hell in town hall meetings, then he gives us a pointy headed academic discourse on the varieties of individuation. Cloistered in his think tank [just another oxymoron?] he must not be aware of indivisible.org.
Halloween candy! What a piercing analysis of a social phenomenon.
Halloween candy! What a piercing analysis of a social phenomenon.
4
If the GOP wants to turn back the tide of town hall anger, it can give up trying to wreck our democracy and our Constitution, to demonize government, to dismantle every decent government program from public education to Social Security and Medicare to food safety and environmental protection. It can stop funneling money to the 1% while demolishing workers' collective bargaining rights. It can stop its war on women, minorities, science, Planned Parenthood and personal privacy. It can stop getting us into shooting wars.
Give up your extremist agenda, GOP. That will turn back the tide of town hall anger.
Give up your extremist agenda, GOP. That will turn back the tide of town hall anger.
10
Heck no, the protests are not going to stop! Shortly after the election, a bunch of us like minded progressives got together here in Seattle and decided that the moment called for a progressive version of the Tea Party. It seems that a lot of people around the country were on the exact same page, so it's been gratifying to see this play out, in blue and red districts. We are fired up, organized, focused, and we have the money to help flip districts across the country. I don't think the GOP is going to know what hit them!
14
And yet again we see perhaps the most milquetoast statement to ever be written: basically that mobs aren't as smart as people, and that we shouldn't treat people as part of a mob but as individuals whose voices should be heard.
But because it's a conservative that said it, we get things like "the GOPs problem is deep, deep mental problems" from Socrates or "republicans need to take responsibility for the inept government they created" from gemli. A group of self righteous people busily showing just how much better they are than you, to the detriment of any kind of logical thought or unbiased consideration of opposing views.
I haven't seen a more close minded group of self righteous people than the comment section of any conservative article in the NYT. Honestly it should serve as an object lesson in how having the "right" moral stance doesn't prevent you from being a bigoted fool. And how the prejudice of the ignorant rapidly transitions into justified violence, as more and more of these comments begin advocating for or at least tacitly allowing violence against conservatives. And thus we see, once again, the commentors proving every point the author makes.
But because it's a conservative that said it, we get things like "the GOPs problem is deep, deep mental problems" from Socrates or "republicans need to take responsibility for the inept government they created" from gemli. A group of self righteous people busily showing just how much better they are than you, to the detriment of any kind of logical thought or unbiased consideration of opposing views.
I haven't seen a more close minded group of self righteous people than the comment section of any conservative article in the NYT. Honestly it should serve as an object lesson in how having the "right" moral stance doesn't prevent you from being a bigoted fool. And how the prejudice of the ignorant rapidly transitions into justified violence, as more and more of these comments begin advocating for or at least tacitly allowing violence against conservatives. And thus we see, once again, the commentors proving every point the author makes.
Perhaps Albert Brooks could gather the plethora of excellent comments here and bring them to his greedy, callous bosses the Koch Bros. (I didn't know until today).
Not that they'll care about the peasants but just to let them know that the pitchforks are out, we're watching, we're organizing and we're moving & shaking.
Not that they'll care about the peasants but just to let them know that the pitchforks are out, we're watching, we're organizing and we're moving & shaking.
6
Is it just me, are there a lot of conservatives writing articles about how we should be calming down, not protesting so much, and (most incredibly) watching the news with a less attentive eye?
Liberals tend to be, well, liberal in their views. This usually means we are more likely to say, "Hey. We all have different opinions." We can look pretty docile and kicked back most of the time. It takes a lot to get us riled up. But now you have found out how much we will put up with before we protect personal freedoms. Trump has crossed the line, and there are more of us than there are conservatives.
Getting us to all stand up at the same time and move in the same direction can be challenging. It's like herding cats. But would anyone want to be in a roomful of cats when they are really freaking mad and have decided you are the problem? I guess the GOP has discovered the answer is no.
Liberals tend to be, well, liberal in their views. This usually means we are more likely to say, "Hey. We all have different opinions." We can look pretty docile and kicked back most of the time. It takes a lot to get us riled up. But now you have found out how much we will put up with before we protect personal freedoms. Trump has crossed the line, and there are more of us than there are conservatives.
Getting us to all stand up at the same time and move in the same direction can be challenging. It's like herding cats. But would anyone want to be in a roomful of cats when they are really freaking mad and have decided you are the problem? I guess the GOP has discovered the answer is no.
9
Obviously, its dangerous getting between people and their "entitlements."
2
Obviously, it's dangerous getting between people and their "rights and freedoms."
There...fixed it for ya
There...fixed it for ya
3
"Entitlements"?? I've worked full time for over 40 years paying taxes as a good citizen should. Is asking for decent healthcare and social security income in my old age "entitlement"?
Must be grand to be wealthy.
Must be grand to be wealthy.
2
"Re-individuate" the GOP first, then the town halls will become civil again as if by magic.
2
Pace Thoreau and Emerson, this is not a problem of masses or of crowds, it is a matter of citizens--remember them?-- who justifiably are furious at those representatives--representatives?-- who joyously voted to screw them out of health insurance and give the 1% a huge tax break, ALL IN ONE BILL!!!
So, let´s follow the author´s advice and turn to social science and history. We could start with George Rudé, whose work on THE CROWD IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (1959) put Le Bon where he deserved to be, which is nowhere at all. Following on Rudé we had those magnificent essays by Edward Palmer Thompson and, follow old E.P. , a lengthy and notably insigntful etcetera. What they discovered was the crowd as a historical subject. What we are rediscovering is that a purposefully and intelligently mobilized citizenry can sometimes get us where we want to go. We need to keep it up, in and out of Town Halls.
So, let´s follow the author´s advice and turn to social science and history. We could start with George Rudé, whose work on THE CROWD IN THE FRENCH REVOLUTION (1959) put Le Bon where he deserved to be, which is nowhere at all. Following on Rudé we had those magnificent essays by Edward Palmer Thompson and, follow old E.P. , a lengthy and notably insigntful etcetera. What they discovered was the crowd as a historical subject. What we are rediscovering is that a purposefully and intelligently mobilized citizenry can sometimes get us where we want to go. We need to keep it up, in and out of Town Halls.
2
I don't buy it. Was all of this research done in the 19th century by Germans? In the U.S. by American males in the early part of the 20th century through 1950 or so? So it's accepted as settled science, then. What nonsense! As a woman, please allow me to point out the blatant male bias in the conclusions reached by both the writers quoted and by the research cited, albeit it all anonymous. There is a famous tale told amongst female scientists about the 1970s study of the mating habits of American mustangs. It had been conclusively (ahem) taken as God's truth for years that all females in a herd were ONLY impregnated by the alpha male. It took a female researcher who dug deeper and did genetic testing to prove - lo and behold! - that females in the herd were "cheating" on the alpha male and mating with males outside the "circle." They - literally - snuck out of the circled herd at night and made nooky with other rogue males. So much for "established" scientific "truths."
1
Mr. Brooks, you give political ideologues more credit than they deserve. The voting masses are generally brainwashed in either conservative or liberal dogma so it makes little difference if they spew "group think" individually or collectively. The anger still remains since it is one primary tools politicians (and many think tanks) use to motivate people to support their agendas. And now people are angry that they have indeed been fooled again!
On the other hand, if your goal is to move the crowd to its lowest common denominator, you just do what Trump does at his rallies.
4
These are the fifteen core issues of the Tea Party: (teaparty.org)
1. Illegal aliens are here illegally.
2. Pro-domestic employment is indispensable.
3. A strong military is essential.
4. Special interests must be eliminated.
5. Gun ownership is sacred.
6. Government must be downsized.
7. The national budget must be balanced.
8. Deficit spending must end.
9. Bailout and stimulus plans are illegal.
10. Reducing personal income taxes is a must.
11. Reducing business income taxes is mandatory.
12. Political offices must be available to average citizens.
13. Intrusive government must be stopped.
14. English as our core language is required.
15. Traditional family values are encouraged.
But, if you were to ask most of these citizens how they like their Social Security and Medicare, they will probably tell you that those are not government programs. Or, oh, those can stay, they can't cost much. The military can't cost much, either. It’s stuff like Planned Parenthood that’s killing us, that's for sure.
Somebody should hand them a pie chart of our Federal spending.
God bless the masses of well-informed liberal Democrats who are now mobbing our town halls. I encourage all our Republican legislators to "re-individualize" any one of them, any time. Unlike your past experience preaching to the willfully uninformed, you will, perhaps, have a refreshing give and take exchange of ideas with people who actually understand the issues.
1. Illegal aliens are here illegally.
2. Pro-domestic employment is indispensable.
3. A strong military is essential.
4. Special interests must be eliminated.
5. Gun ownership is sacred.
6. Government must be downsized.
7. The national budget must be balanced.
8. Deficit spending must end.
9. Bailout and stimulus plans are illegal.
10. Reducing personal income taxes is a must.
11. Reducing business income taxes is mandatory.
12. Political offices must be available to average citizens.
13. Intrusive government must be stopped.
14. English as our core language is required.
15. Traditional family values are encouraged.
But, if you were to ask most of these citizens how they like their Social Security and Medicare, they will probably tell you that those are not government programs. Or, oh, those can stay, they can't cost much. The military can't cost much, either. It’s stuff like Planned Parenthood that’s killing us, that's for sure.
Somebody should hand them a pie chart of our Federal spending.
God bless the masses of well-informed liberal Democrats who are now mobbing our town halls. I encourage all our Republican legislators to "re-individualize" any one of them, any time. Unlike your past experience preaching to the willfully uninformed, you will, perhaps, have a refreshing give and take exchange of ideas with people who actually understand the issues.
7
If only Trump were interested and capable of 'de-individuating' a crowd - he relishes in its opposite, 're-mobifying'.
2
Oh, one more thing:
don't be hypocrites.
don't be hypocrites.
2
Governing by Republicans is as far from "civilized and respectful" as the American Enterprise Institute is from the true meanings of "American" "Enterprise" and "Institute".
2
Mr. Brooks,
Quoting 120 year old texts of French psychologists and using terms such as “deindividuation” and “re-individuation” misses the ENTIRE point of WHY there are protests.
Back in 2010 the so-called TEA Party was simply angry that a black man was in the White House and therefore we got signs that said “Keep the government off my Medicare.” This wasn’t protest similar to the Boston Tea Party of no taxes without representation. No they were following the lead of YOUR basest GOP members of congress, of the “You lie” Joe Wilson who is now being shouted down.
No YOUR constituents aren’t a mob of hysterical, misguided fools (as was the TEA Party), no these folks are furious that not one of these leftovers from the Tea Party doesn’t have any idea how to legislate. That they can only say “NO!” and are unable to come up with any plan for actually helping their constituencies, “Repeal Obamacare” was the mantra and so for the waste of tens of millions of tax dollars these GOP wimps kept having votes for repeal,
THEN when your GOP gets both houses and the presidency they are unable to come up with ANY replacement. WHY? Because no one in the GOP could come up with anything that didn’t hurt the folks back home. Legislation wasn’t any well thought out bill, it was simply a hash of gawd awful points from “policy wonks” like Paul Ryan who didn’t even understand how insurance works!
Your party has members who are unable to speak clearly and intelligently and the people are ANGRY!
Quoting 120 year old texts of French psychologists and using terms such as “deindividuation” and “re-individuation” misses the ENTIRE point of WHY there are protests.
Back in 2010 the so-called TEA Party was simply angry that a black man was in the White House and therefore we got signs that said “Keep the government off my Medicare.” This wasn’t protest similar to the Boston Tea Party of no taxes without representation. No they were following the lead of YOUR basest GOP members of congress, of the “You lie” Joe Wilson who is now being shouted down.
No YOUR constituents aren’t a mob of hysterical, misguided fools (as was the TEA Party), no these folks are furious that not one of these leftovers from the Tea Party doesn’t have any idea how to legislate. That they can only say “NO!” and are unable to come up with any plan for actually helping their constituencies, “Repeal Obamacare” was the mantra and so for the waste of tens of millions of tax dollars these GOP wimps kept having votes for repeal,
THEN when your GOP gets both houses and the presidency they are unable to come up with ANY replacement. WHY? Because no one in the GOP could come up with anything that didn’t hurt the folks back home. Legislation wasn’t any well thought out bill, it was simply a hash of gawd awful points from “policy wonks” like Paul Ryan who didn’t even understand how insurance works!
Your party has members who are unable to speak clearly and intelligently and the people are ANGRY!
5
I guess the GOP snowflakes need their safe spaces or else they will cry! Funny how Trumpbarts like Hannity didn't seem to mind hostile town hall meetings when Democrats defended the ACA in 2009. I even recall seeing AK-47s and Ar-15s among the protestors at that time. That was fine of course. But let the GOP gets called out on its
Lies now and it's "leave me alone. Your protests are scaring me. I'm going to go
Hide now."
Lies now and it's "leave me alone. Your protests are scaring me. I'm going to go
Hide now."
4
hilarious. citizens showing up to talk to their congressmen are now a mob according to Brooks. no such article from him about tea party gangsters
5
Divide and conquer, right, Artie?
2
Careful!..The GOP hypocrisy is showing!!
*can't bring back coal mining jobs|steel mill jobs
*nothing on infrastructure
*cutting meals on wheels & subsidized school lunches
*cutting housing vouchers
*cutting snap/food stamps
* cutting $money for grants & scholarships
*killing healthcare
But, stands for tax cuts and $Billions for more military hardware.
*can't bring back coal mining jobs|steel mill jobs
*nothing on infrastructure
*cutting meals on wheels & subsidized school lunches
*cutting housing vouchers
*cutting snap/food stamps
* cutting $money for grants & scholarships
*killing healthcare
But, stands for tax cuts and $Billions for more military hardware.
6
A bit of a difference between an angry mob loose in the streets out to tar and feather opponents {or lynch them} and loud adversaries sitting in a forum under the eye of the local police. But yes, taking questions one at a time from individuals is not only recommended it is the general procedure for these things. -- Who selected the title for this piece? I expected some uncanny analysis along the lines of how the "Can the G.O.P. Turn Back the Tide of Town Hall Anger." Instead we are treated to a little pop psychology.
4
Brooks displays his ignorance about both social science and about the nature of collective action. protesters are rarely an assemblage of individuals; they are collective actors that are organized and mobilized by organizations. These organizations are not necessarily highly structured or hierarchical and may be relatively temporary -- but the movements of which they are a component are usually longer lasting. "Deindividualizing" these collective actors is usually a strategy to take away the power that comes from organizing and engaging in collective action.
2
I will believe all these 50 person turnout as "hounding" up as true after next midterm elections if it at all makes any sense or is another dream "40 percent lead"
1
Excellent Mr. Brooks. I move for the immediate re-individuation of GOP House members. Let each rise and explain, independent of colleagues, party, conservative media, think tanks, and financial backers, and with due civility and respect, their "ethical, rational and intelligent" positions on global warming, access to healthcare, economic inequality, immigration policy, and taxation. We're listening quietly.
7
Here ye!
1
I thought the demonstration marches and the town-hall protests were orchestrated by the loyal opposition, including the aggrieved members of Hillary's campaign, the Democrat Party, Democrat members of Congress, and progressive special-interest groups, all of whom were flummoxed by the election of Donald Trump and angered by the potential loss of federal funds for their favored programs, which the election of Trump threatens. No amount of individuation of such ideologically committed opponents can have any ameliorating effect.
As I see it, the progressive wing of the Democrat Party probably only accounts for 30-35% of the whole. Unfortunately, progressives have gained control of the Party's leadership in Congress and in the Party itself. However, the vast majority of Americans are fed up with progressives' political agenda, which may be captioned "big governmentism," or statism. The ineptitude of the bureaucracy is one reason, and the burden of taxes and regulations required by a progressive agenda is another reason for the general dissatisfaction with statism.
The miserable showing of Democrats in elections throughout America during the recent election cycles is a reflection of progressivism's fall from grace under Obama's leadership. The fact that the Democratic Party remains firmly under the control of progressives does not bode well for its future regardless of how badly Trump performs.
As I see it, the progressive wing of the Democrat Party probably only accounts for 30-35% of the whole. Unfortunately, progressives have gained control of the Party's leadership in Congress and in the Party itself. However, the vast majority of Americans are fed up with progressives' political agenda, which may be captioned "big governmentism," or statism. The ineptitude of the bureaucracy is one reason, and the burden of taxes and regulations required by a progressive agenda is another reason for the general dissatisfaction with statism.
The miserable showing of Democrats in elections throughout America during the recent election cycles is a reflection of progressivism's fall from grace under Obama's leadership. The fact that the Democratic Party remains firmly under the control of progressives does not bode well for its future regardless of how badly Trump performs.
The Progressive agenda is bigger than the Democratic party. It's an agenda where citizens can get affordable health care and send their kids to college. Where a minimum wage is a living wage. Where your daughter gets paid the same as her co-worker who does the same exact job. Where clean energy replaces burnt fossil fuel which causes respiratory problems. Go ahead and blast progressives but without them, your kids wouldn't have a guaranteed education.
3
Did the GOP really forget that behind each disenfranchised or underrepresented citizen is a living breathing human being? Did they really have no plan beyond gaming the system?
The number of people at Town Halls is a direct function of how many people the GOP is hurting with their policies. It's not that complicated - I bet an Indivisible group could explain it to Mr. Brooks in ten minutes.
The number of people at Town Halls is a direct function of how many people the GOP is hurting with their policies. It's not that complicated - I bet an Indivisible group could explain it to Mr. Brooks in ten minutes.
6
The "GOP" can't "turn back the tide of anger" at all, not as a collective entity. Each town hall meeting is separate and each elected member has their own qualities when dealing with a hostile crowd.
The best politicians, in my experience, are those who relish going before hostile groups; who will answer their pointed questions with good-natured humor and from their own internalized beliefs. They have the courage of their convictions and I respect such individuals regardless of whether I agree with them.
The cowards who cancel the meetings are politicians who have no real beliefs; who can only use canned talking points; and whose self-importance makes them forget that they are in an elected position in order to serve their constituency.
So the real story in each instance is how the elected official reacts, not the conduct of the crowd. I hope your reporters get that flavor into their stories.
The best politicians, in my experience, are those who relish going before hostile groups; who will answer their pointed questions with good-natured humor and from their own internalized beliefs. They have the courage of their convictions and I respect such individuals regardless of whether I agree with them.
The cowards who cancel the meetings are politicians who have no real beliefs; who can only use canned talking points; and whose self-importance makes them forget that they are in an elected position in order to serve their constituency.
So the real story in each instance is how the elected official reacts, not the conduct of the crowd. I hope your reporters get that flavor into their stories.
5
Demonstrations are a shout. Not a reasoned argument. Not a dialogue.
While I will never support shouting down a speaker and preventing someone else from speaking, there ARE times to shout. But when shouting is successful in communicating how strongly people feel about an issue, it is then in the interest of both sides to talk. Any politician who does not recognize that deserves to hear more shouts.
While I will never support shouting down a speaker and preventing someone else from speaking, there ARE times to shout. But when shouting is successful in communicating how strongly people feel about an issue, it is then in the interest of both sides to talk. Any politician who does not recognize that deserves to hear more shouts.
2
Brooks makes a cogent point; but he expresses it in an inelegant way. When I've done political advocacy, this is how I've explained it:
Even though we legally describe discrimination as being against a group of people who share a characteristic (e.g. gender, race, sexuality), and we write our laws to protect them as a class, the the harmful effects of injustice are felt by individuals, and not always the group as a whole.
In the 1990s, an argument used against including gay rights in non-discrimination laws was that gay men on average tended to be wealthier than straight men/couples. The fact that they were richer indicated that they weren't suffering negative effects of discrimination, and thus didn't need protection.
That logic is wrong. If a gay man loses his job because of discrimination, it doesn't matter to him if all of his gay friends are rich; he feels the impact of the discrimination as an individual. A Latina who gets kicked out of her apartment for being Latina doesn't care that there are other Latinos who own their own homes. Etc.
Brooks' "re-individuation strategy" implies that the protesters' complaints should be understood in terms of how individuals are harmed by policies, not as an expression of anger by a group.
However, Brooks puts the onus in the wrong place: The way he describes it, it seems like it's the protesters' fault for not framing their message correctly. Wrong! It's the Congressperson who has the responsibility to understand it this way.
Even though we legally describe discrimination as being against a group of people who share a characteristic (e.g. gender, race, sexuality), and we write our laws to protect them as a class, the the harmful effects of injustice are felt by individuals, and not always the group as a whole.
In the 1990s, an argument used against including gay rights in non-discrimination laws was that gay men on average tended to be wealthier than straight men/couples. The fact that they were richer indicated that they weren't suffering negative effects of discrimination, and thus didn't need protection.
That logic is wrong. If a gay man loses his job because of discrimination, it doesn't matter to him if all of his gay friends are rich; he feels the impact of the discrimination as an individual. A Latina who gets kicked out of her apartment for being Latina doesn't care that there are other Latinos who own their own homes. Etc.
Brooks' "re-individuation strategy" implies that the protesters' complaints should be understood in terms of how individuals are harmed by policies, not as an expression of anger by a group.
However, Brooks puts the onus in the wrong place: The way he describes it, it seems like it's the protesters' fault for not framing their message correctly. Wrong! It's the Congressperson who has the responsibility to understand it this way.
4
While watching these protests at these Town Halls, I always thought the best think the congress person could do would be to have on stage two barstools with a table between them with a pitcher of water, and then invite people in the crowd up to the stage to sit with him/her and ask their question.
While I'm more than happy to see the crowd's challenging these republicans on healthcare, the spectacle was a bit like what took place in the Roman Coliseum.
While I'm more than happy to see the crowd's challenging these republicans on healthcare, the spectacle was a bit like what took place in the Roman Coliseum.
I never cease to be amused when those who have enabled the Republican party to manifest itself in its current form wring their hands about its behavior. Whether It's Mr. Brooks of AEI or Mr. Brooks of The Times's op-ed page, they have been complicit and culpable in the obstructionist, inhumane behavior that has characterized that party for a couple of generations now. So, if Arthur Brooks wants Republicans to start treating people humanely, his first stop should be at a mirror.
5
Citizens are angry. As long as the arguments are logical, and non-violent, the lawmakers should listen to their constituents. They are becoming cowards, and increasing the distance between those who govern, and the people.
Patterns like this lead to violent revolution.
Patterns like this lead to violent revolution.
4
In "People of the Lie," the psychiatrist/philosopher/writer M. Scott Peck observed that groups of people tended to have far more potential for evil than individuals.
We should be careful to be especially civil in crowds/rallies since there can be a rush to judgement..."Lock her up!" comes to mind. Let's not imitate that on the left.
We should be careful to be especially civil in crowds/rallies since there can be a rush to judgement..."Lock her up!" comes to mind. Let's not imitate that on the left.
The first thought coming to my, African American, mind is how differently the group can be perceived. A great deal of the success of the Civil Rights movement came from the strength of the group. I’m certain individuals within the movement felt an increased sense of power and courage when marching together, arm and arm, against a system routinely utilizing ‘the group’ (very often presenting themselves in white robes/hoods), to terrorize and abuse. Claudette Colvin was the first to refuse to move to the back of the bus, to no avail…then came Rosa Parks with the power of the group boycott behind her. How interesting your turn to history and social science led you in a completely different direction.
4
Thanks for sharing your perspective! I'm around long enough to remember Selma and then a very similar march in my home town of Milwaukee about 2 years later in support of open housing.
http://wuwm.com/post/recounting-push-fair-housing-50-years-after-march-m...
I think one key difference that the 60's Civil Rights movement brought to groups of people was a connection with a spiritual and moral higher calling. Churches and the ministry were on the vanguard of this movement. That arm in arm acknowledgement of a higher spiritual purpose empowered people as you made so clear.
We so need that now (especially joining real not virtual arms) but as much as I want to it's hard to imagine a level of spiritual cohesiveness anywhere close to the Civil Rights movement in current time to resist (for example) health care destruction, even though lives are now at risk here too.
http://wuwm.com/post/recounting-push-fair-housing-50-years-after-march-m...
I think one key difference that the 60's Civil Rights movement brought to groups of people was a connection with a spiritual and moral higher calling. Churches and the ministry were on the vanguard of this movement. That arm in arm acknowledgement of a higher spiritual purpose empowered people as you made so clear.
We so need that now (especially joining real not virtual arms) but as much as I want to it's hard to imagine a level of spiritual cohesiveness anywhere close to the Civil Rights movement in current time to resist (for example) health care destruction, even though lives are now at risk here too.
1
Gee, Mr. Books, I don't remember you feeling this way in the Tea Party era against the Democrats. Quoting Jefferson, Emerson, Thoreau now -- anything but considering WHY people are so angry at their Republican legislators. How about encouraging our cowardly and privileged legislators, who have their own lifetime health insurance programs and other perks, to consider seriously the issues that are driving people to these town halls?
7
Back in September of 2009 I had the dubious honor of facing such a mob as described here. Asked by my then Congressman to join him and a handful of other speakers for a town hall at a local community college I agreed. I am not a politician or for that matter especially comfortable in any public speaking situation under the best of circumstances. I almost immediately regretted my 'yes' and when nobody from the Congressman's office followed up I hoped the invite had been canceled. By the time the call did come, the day before the event, Tea Party sponsored disruption had become a staple of evening news broadcasts. Unprepared, writing notes on a scratch pad at the last minute and second or third in line, behind experienced public speakers and burdened with the task of actually introducing the Congressman, a man I genuinely admired and respected, I found myself confronted by a wave of shouted, 'sid-downs, shud-ups and we want the Congressmans.' I remembered my 7th grade principal, Dr. Tarabokia, who when our cafeteria inexplicably exploded into total food fight/war stood silently in the entrance until total, pin-drop-silence befell that mob. I took the podium and thanked the previous speaker above the din, folded my arms and waited, cries of, 'let him speak' and 'be quite' welled up over the disruption. Within a few moments I was able to resume, my fear of speaking tempered and overcome by my determination to be heard. I introduced the Congressman and the din resumed.
1
Nothing here people. Stop being fooled listening to the left. They will spin anything Trump, Republicans or Conservatives say because they can't help it. Its all they do and it's gotten so much worse since they have gotten away with it for 8 yrs while Obama smiled from the sidelines. It's time we show them what a real Country and good people look like.
Yeh. Let's divide our country for the real Americans against the fake Americans. I'm sure you know the difference. Correct?
2
This may be considered abstract or irrelevant however sometimes its necessary to look inward at your party and outward for solutions. The GOP faces unruly, upset crowds as well as phone calls, letters and damning press reports followed by reporting by the media on national TV. There is "legitimate political expression" by demonstrators at public meetings, private gatherings, on Facebook, Twitter, and on phone lines to the offices of GOP representatives. Certainly it must be disheartening to the GOP that has fought so long for control of state legislatures, the lower courts, Congress and now the White House and the Supreme Court. What is wrong?
What is wrong is what I call "missing the Disney Rule." What is Disney's most accomplished feat of management? It's not just producing great films, or making theme parks fun for kids and adults too. Its more than just marketing Mickey Mouse and the fantasies of Disney World.
What Disney does is listen to people! Disney listens to kids, parents, its cast members, production and creative people. Disney creates happiness by carefully listening. It works! Disney listens to its customers and its employees and finds the best of all worlds then it charges everyone for a good time and makes money and happiness. Disney gives people what they want.
The GOP hasn't figured out how to listen to America and then manage the party. Republicans can't understand the necessity of listening to Americans first to bring us together. Disney does.
What is wrong is what I call "missing the Disney Rule." What is Disney's most accomplished feat of management? It's not just producing great films, or making theme parks fun for kids and adults too. Its more than just marketing Mickey Mouse and the fantasies of Disney World.
What Disney does is listen to people! Disney listens to kids, parents, its cast members, production and creative people. Disney creates happiness by carefully listening. It works! Disney listens to its customers and its employees and finds the best of all worlds then it charges everyone for a good time and makes money and happiness. Disney gives people what they want.
The GOP hasn't figured out how to listen to America and then manage the party. Republicans can't understand the necessity of listening to Americans first to bring us together. Disney does.
2
"Jefferson, Emerson and maybe even your member of Congress could all agree on that." .............................................................................................................................................Not if they don't show up for their own town hall.
2
Some of us remember: in the late 1960s and 1970s, these deindividualized masses protested the murder of 4 unarmed students at Kent State University by state agents, rallied against a mismanaged, catastrophic war in Vietnam that was fought disproportionately by the poor and dark skinned citizens of the US, saw 58,000 of them die, and millions of Vietnamese, Laotians, and Cambodians die, our national wealth squandered, the rich Trumps of the world avoid military service, all because our 'representatives' advocated for and passed the lying Gulf of Tonkin resolution. And Brooksy cites a study about candy. Candy, for Christ's sake. Give me those deindividualized masses, any day.
13
Clearly this author has never been party to a group attempting to overcome violations of rules and ethics by those in power, where "individuation'' results in retaliatory actions against the few brave enough to say truth to subverted power. Mr Brooks falsely portrays himself as a thoughtful commenter, when in fact he is only justifying why and how those in power can ignore large and loud numbers with opposing views.
7
If only this article would be read and heeded by all members of Congress.....
1
Yes, Jefferson liked "a little rebellion now and then" as long as it wasn't HIS or any other slave owners "chattel" rebelling. That "rebelling" was limited to rich, white guys trying to avoid paying taxes.
As for YOUR party's view of the masses, well, its just a shame that you guys need them every 2 or 4 years. The president YOUR party elected is a perfect example; so far he's 0 for 3 on delivering ANYTHING he promised to the "tired and huddled masses". It seems this bunch can't even organize an "Easter Egg Hunt" much less run a government.
Like I write to the OTHER conservative Mr. Brooks, nice try but what your peddling, I'm not buying.
As for YOUR party's view of the masses, well, its just a shame that you guys need them every 2 or 4 years. The president YOUR party elected is a perfect example; so far he's 0 for 3 on delivering ANYTHING he promised to the "tired and huddled masses". It seems this bunch can't even organize an "Easter Egg Hunt" much less run a government.
Like I write to the OTHER conservative Mr. Brooks, nice try but what your peddling, I'm not buying.
5
You are quite correct.
1
The best response to date is Gohmert (R-TX) refusing to hold a town hall saying something to the effect that "someone is going to get hurt."
This from the party that spawned Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharon Angle and her infamous "Threaten them with Second Amendment rights."
Let me know when liberals start showing up with guns, Congressman Gohmert. I'll see if I can rustle-up a scintilla of sympathy for you.
This from the party that spawned Nevada U.S. Senate candidate Sharon Angle and her infamous "Threaten them with Second Amendment rights."
Let me know when liberals start showing up with guns, Congressman Gohmert. I'll see if I can rustle-up a scintilla of sympathy for you.
5
I wonder if Mr. Brooks ever wrote about this concern of his the Tea Partiers were lambasting Obama in mob fashion? Hmmm.
6
Divide and conquer. Let's call this strategy what it is, Mr. Brooks, shall we? And coming from a ringleader of th mob that refused to give Merrick Garland a hearing, your plaints for "a civilized, respectful exchange of ideas and concerns" fail to move me. That ship has sailed.
Sauce for the goose, Mr. Brooks, is sauce for the gander. Man up. Or stand down. Your ilk can't govern and won't govern because it does not believe in government in the first instance and nominated the best evidence of that which now plays at POTUS. Your Randian fantasies are coming to pass, and the peasants are revolting, are they not? Elections have consequences.
Sauce for the goose, Mr. Brooks, is sauce for the gander. Man up. Or stand down. Your ilk can't govern and won't govern because it does not believe in government in the first instance and nominated the best evidence of that which now plays at POTUS. Your Randian fantasies are coming to pass, and the peasants are revolting, are they not? Elections have consequences.
11
So let's take Mr. Brooks' argument a step further. Consider Citizens United. In this case monetary contributions are speech. "Reindividuation" would require that all the contributors identify themselves. What say you, Mr. Brooks?
13
How can even you not see all those shocking pink hats? None so blind as those who will not see. After the Women's March this harkening back to the 19th century drivel is what Mr. Brooks comes up with. You Sir, got an object lesson of millions all over the world peacefully marching against fascists. All those grandmothers looked like a mob to you, huh?
7
Tell me Mr. Brooks, whom is more likely to be lied to? Much less a bold faced, easily fact checked, false news, alternative fact? Hmmm....? The single individual or the mob pulling the tumbrel cart and the head-chopper along with it?
The powers that be are not concerned with the single individual.
But they do pay attention to the hoi-polloi that are up in arms.
Seems the tar and feathers on a rail drove the point home well.
Not to say that the mobs don't get out of hand.
Best to listen and work with the masses prior to such a turn of events.
This would apply to both political parties at this point in time.
The powers that be are not concerned with the single individual.
But they do pay attention to the hoi-polloi that are up in arms.
Seems the tar and feathers on a rail drove the point home well.
Not to say that the mobs don't get out of hand.
Best to listen and work with the masses prior to such a turn of events.
This would apply to both political parties at this point in time.
1
I hope these "crowds" and "mobs" make it a living hell for these Republican criminals. Better start sending your resumes around to your one percent owners, we are getting rid of ALL of you come 2018.
4
Ha! When the Tea Party was ascendant in 2010, we didn’t hear this cry to “re-individuate a crowd?” Why now, Mr. Brooks? You don’t like the message you are hearing? So now you want “to offer a sign of respect, and it could help forge a path toward civility and intelligence in American politics.” Unfortunately, civility and intelligence begins at the top – in the Oval Office, whose current occupant lacks both.
Nice try, Mr. Brooks, but the GOP needs to first look inward and with a good dose of humility. Trump promised the moon to his base and the GOP simply cannot deliver on all of his bombastic claims. So let the “re-individuation” begin with the GOP leadership, who can educate the president about how get off campaign mode and learn to govern – away from the fringes and more to the center.
Nice try, Mr. Brooks, but the GOP needs to first look inward and with a good dose of humility. Trump promised the moon to his base and the GOP simply cannot deliver on all of his bombastic claims. So let the “re-individuation” begin with the GOP leadership, who can educate the president about how get off campaign mode and learn to govern – away from the fringes and more to the center.
5
there seems to be a major hole in mr. brooks' education. otherwise he would have referred to nietzsche, by far the most trenchant critic, throughout most of his philosophy and especially in the 'genealogy of morality,' of masses, of the herd mentality. for those interested, start by reading just the third essay of that book. after that, i trust you'll want to read more.
We the people stay individualized, each on our own (and powerless) while the corporate conglomerates are super organized and financed for maximum power. The corporations are the ones who are 'unionized, collectivizd' to leverage the power of individual investors. But employed people have few ways to combine, to leverage their their individual will for their own interests. Most lawmakers elected to represent them have to work for their big donors who have invested in them.
Why does the NYT run this column at such a time in our history, when our democracy and well being is at stake?
And Kristof also has advice on how we should do 'resistance' to the Gop/Trump takeover--- a bit more practical, but says 'skip the lofty rhetoric be polite'! We are lofty and impolite! We are being counseled by columnists who have secure jobs, pay, health insurance and retirement.
But were are the challenges by the NYT to the poisoning of our campaign finance sysem--the most expensive and privatized among the democracies, and the resulting wealth inequality, higher than other capitalist countries?
See intl OECD figures on economic mobility---the US lags, where once it was the leader. Few columns address this. We just get excuses and slogans---'globalization' and tech.
Why does the NYT run this column at such a time in our history, when our democracy and well being is at stake?
And Kristof also has advice on how we should do 'resistance' to the Gop/Trump takeover--- a bit more practical, but says 'skip the lofty rhetoric be polite'! We are lofty and impolite! We are being counseled by columnists who have secure jobs, pay, health insurance and retirement.
But were are the challenges by the NYT to the poisoning of our campaign finance sysem--the most expensive and privatized among the democracies, and the resulting wealth inequality, higher than other capitalist countries?
See intl OECD figures on economic mobility---the US lags, where once it was the leader. Few columns address this. We just get excuses and slogans---'globalization' and tech.
3
Have the news media and op ed writers not gotten the message that readers have been so loudly voicing? Many of us are tired of the symmetry (in layman's terms "unequal comparisons" )being fostered by the news media and the op ed contributors who write. Thank you to the many commentators on this and numerous other articles who have called them out.
4
Funny. Where were your profound thoughts on ochlocracy when the Tea Party was doing it?
6
It seems that Mr Brooks has forgotten how our country was formed, I.e. when power became overbearing and arbitrary, the founders went beyond shouting--to whit the Boston tea party and Lexington. He should take solace that the overbearing, mean-spirited and arbitrary policies of this administration have only been met with shouting.
5
Author makes an excellent point when he speaks about "re-individuation," separating the individual from the group and giving him or her the floor to formulate a question. But Mr. BROOKS fails to mention that town hall protests r frequently orchestrated by outsiders, and protesters r paid, not all but many. Opposition party is traditionally favored in an off year election, and Dems. will probably register gains in 2018,Entrance to town hall assemblies should be subject to a control,and limited to those actually living in the c.d.of the Congressional representative.Otherwise the protest will lose its validity, will seem manufactured.Mr. Brooks as well as other employees of the paper would perform an enormous public service by finding out whether Deray Mckesson,former leader of BLM accepted the challenge issued by Dallas police chief to try out for the force, or did he get cold feet?Have called numerous times Dallas police chief, left voice mail messages but to no avail. Did D.R., who called for "pigs in a blanket"when he was marching against police officers, get religion, reconsider his position, and try out for,the force? Mr. Blow and others on the Times staff who r sympathetic to BLM, as I am,have thus far evaded answering the question.
1
How many town halls have you attended before writing this piece? I think you would find much less of an angry mob mentality than outspoken citizens advocating for government action on issues that impact their lives and their children's future. You must have confused town halls with Trump rallies - there is your mob. There hasn't been enough time or opportunity in this Administration to justify any MoC's refusal to hold in-person town halls. Their hesitancy to face constituents comes from the inability to support their positions and to get anything done in Congress that truly serves individual Americans over special interests and the wealthy.
123
Maybe you missed this - "mostly futile to try talking over a protest chant". These newly civic minded peeps aren't there for rational discussions.
Bravo, Sally. Glad you reminded Mr. Brooks about the Trump rally mob, baseball caps, guns and all....
1
Cowardly and dishonorable Republicans. They act for the good of the Republican party and not the people who they are tasked to represent. Now, when those same people have something to say to them, they run and hide. It seems to me, if you have to run and hide from the electorate, you might consider you are doing something wrong. Cowardly and dishonorable Republicans.
1
When the right wing loses an election, they scream bloody murder and question the legitimacy of the winner. When they win, they gloat that elections have consequences (even if influenced by Russia) and everyone else should just shut up and bear it. This column is a piece of advice to the 'winners' how they can dissipate the anger of people who feel cheated.
It is a strange coincidence that two conservative commentators for the NY Times have the name "Brooks". I must admit, I very much prefer the other one.
It is a strange coincidence that two conservative commentators for the NY Times have the name "Brooks". I must admit, I very much prefer the other one.
3
I suppose that Arthur Brooks can be forgiven for claiming to turn to more objective evidence just prior to citing a bunch of subjective opinions. This is not unlike a medieval scholastic philosopher citing Aristotle as evidence of a geocentric universe. So here's one more for the arsenal, from the seventeenth century:
"If there be any among those common objects of hatred I do contemn and laugh at, it is the enemy of reason, virtue, and religion, the multitude ... one great beast and a monstrosity more prodigious than Hydra."
- Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici (1643)
Perhaps not entirely unlike Mr. Brooks, Browne was a royalist defending a beleaguered monarchy--though ostensibly but a proponent of rational and temperate discourse. Bracing prose, certainly. But Charles I had just run for the Scottish hills, and six years later would literally lose his head.
"If there be any among those common objects of hatred I do contemn and laugh at, it is the enemy of reason, virtue, and religion, the multitude ... one great beast and a monstrosity more prodigious than Hydra."
- Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici (1643)
Perhaps not entirely unlike Mr. Brooks, Browne was a royalist defending a beleaguered monarchy--though ostensibly but a proponent of rational and temperate discourse. Bracing prose, certainly. But Charles I had just run for the Scottish hills, and six years later would literally lose his head.
2
Mr. Brooks, your attempt to delegitimize protesters who object to Republican policies begins with describing the crowds as "well organized." One sees this time and again from conservative commentators. The concerns of these constituents can not be legitimate because, of course, they have been sent by Progressive Extremists, and probably even paid to do it! I would call it piffle if it weren't so contemptible. Why did you not write this article when the "Make America Great Again" crowds at Trump's rallies were shouting "Lock her up!" and violently following his instructions to "get them out of here?"
By the way, are we Great Again yet?
By the way, are we Great Again yet?
3
There's a short story--really more a short sketch--by Edgar Allen Poe. Oh what is the name? "The Man In The Crowd"--something like that.
Poe represents himself (if I remember right) in London, sitting indoors in some comfortable place, looking out through a window--watching the crowd. The time--early evening. His eye falls upon a face--an unusual face. Eventually he gets up, follows the man. That man (he tells himself) is on his way to some doubtful business--a long-meditated crime, an assignation.
No such luck! The man has a horror of being alone. He wanders the streets all night, joining himself--willingly, ecstatically--to whatever crowd happens to be gathering. He is haunted by a fear of solitude. He flees it. He shuns it.
This goes far, does it not? to explaining the Nazis. Those immense rallies--hundreds of thousands of people--all worked upon, caught up in the ecstasy of losing themselves--submerging themselves in numbers. Hitler desired nothing better--and sakes! he got it. In spades!
"Your mob," said Alexander Hamilton, "is a many-headed beast." I gather he had no use for "mobocracy"--such a nice word! so preferable to the more pedantically correct "ochlocracy." Same thing though. I'm not so sure I much care for "mob rule." Like Emerson I prefer "individuals." People that think--reflect--"look before and after." People (in many cases) with a conscience.
Poe represents himself (if I remember right) in London, sitting indoors in some comfortable place, looking out through a window--watching the crowd. The time--early evening. His eye falls upon a face--an unusual face. Eventually he gets up, follows the man. That man (he tells himself) is on his way to some doubtful business--a long-meditated crime, an assignation.
No such luck! The man has a horror of being alone. He wanders the streets all night, joining himself--willingly, ecstatically--to whatever crowd happens to be gathering. He is haunted by a fear of solitude. He flees it. He shuns it.
This goes far, does it not? to explaining the Nazis. Those immense rallies--hundreds of thousands of people--all worked upon, caught up in the ecstasy of losing themselves--submerging themselves in numbers. Hitler desired nothing better--and sakes! he got it. In spades!
"Your mob," said Alexander Hamilton, "is a many-headed beast." I gather he had no use for "mobocracy"--such a nice word! so preferable to the more pedantically correct "ochlocracy." Same thing though. I'm not so sure I much care for "mob rule." Like Emerson I prefer "individuals." People that think--reflect--"look before and after." People (in many cases) with a conscience.
This explains the Trump rallies.
12
The town hall meetings are great as they bring individuals with different views into close contact with each other where they can discuss their views. This did not happen after the elections two years go or after the presidential election in 2012. Legislators need to conduct these and listen to all views. I will result in more participation in politics which should be the desired outcome.
10
Henry David Thoreau, "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member, but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest."
What we are seeing now is that “the mass” is not really the mob of angry constituents of these lawmakers, but the Washington GOP mob itself, Congress, Supreme Court, and White House. A few individuals made a pretense of being something more than just one of the GOP mob, but now almost all have capitulated to the lowest level.
Giddily happy the day after the election, members of the GOP mass return home and seem genuinely surprised they are now lumped in with a man whose agenda-of-the-day seems to be determined by a spinning pointer in a child’s game. The only real question is why anyone of the GOP mass is surprised at this outcome.
What we are seeing now is that “the mass” is not really the mob of angry constituents of these lawmakers, but the Washington GOP mob itself, Congress, Supreme Court, and White House. A few individuals made a pretense of being something more than just one of the GOP mob, but now almost all have capitulated to the lowest level.
Giddily happy the day after the election, members of the GOP mass return home and seem genuinely surprised they are now lumped in with a man whose agenda-of-the-day seems to be determined by a spinning pointer in a child’s game. The only real question is why anyone of the GOP mass is surprised at this outcome.
13
I find that many people join large groups simply because no one would listen to them as an individual. When this is your experience, you look for another way to address the problem.
6
The kind of 'resistance training' that is discussed elsewhere in today's NYT makes an excellent point about effective communication. 'Organized' resistance at Town Halls should be heeding those points. However, it's unconscionable for any elected representative to duck meetings with their constituents. If fact, a regular schedule of in-person Town Halls, conference calls, etc. should be a mandate for anyone elected to office. If you can't conduct yourself professionally, listen to ALL of your constituents and manage even an angry meeting, then you're no leader and shouldn't run for office. People's anger spills over simply because they have no other outlet, except to vote. And many who vote regularly are getting the sense that their votes are meaningless- after all, the popular vote doesn't elect their President. Their local districts are so gerrymandered that the only remedy would be to find other like-minded individuals and move en masse. I write regularly to my elected officials- and get polite form letter responses. There is never any acknowledgement of the POV you're representing or explanation as to why an opposing POV doesn't make sense to them. Yes, they're busy. But they WORK FOR US- and they all seem to forget who pays their salaries. Oh, that's right... the corporations, lobbyists and others who get them elected. Is it any wonder that the voting public is fed up??
16
I watched my Democratic Congressman do this in '09 with a large, angry Tea Party crowd. He asked people to line up at a microphone and promised to stay until all questions were asked and answered. He ignored shouted questions or insults. He still lost, but our new Republican Congresswoman won't speak to groups. She sets up private meetings with up to a dozen people, hand picked. The meetings are secret until she reports and brags about them later. To me, this is dishonest. Both settings have the effect of revealing, through individual questions, the complexity of issues, which crowds tend to make simple. You could see that in Trump's rallies, where the candidate and the people riled themselves around idiocies.
17
What an elitist dismissal of the growing public groundswell for real change in this country. 'Re-individualize' them by quieting their voices to one raised hand at a time? What nonsense. Americans won their civil rights by marching in masses, by protesting in masses. American women won the right to vote with marches and mass protests. Americans won the right to form labor unions and win 40-hour work weeks, decent minimum wages, weekends off and no more child labor -- not by timidly raising their hands, one by one, but by joining together in loud protests and mass marches.
Many of our grandmothers and grandfathers risked so much; some lost their jobs, some were beaten, and some died. But they bravely stood together, marched together, demanding a better future, so that we, including you, Mr. Brooks, could enjoy what rights we have today. Don't you dare condescend, don't you dare forget, how you reached that elite perch you write from. Rebellion is very much in order right now, with loud voices and large numbers demanding a better, fairer future for the good of this country and all who live here -- not just for the elites. Be on the right side, Mr. Brooks.
Many of our grandmothers and grandfathers risked so much; some lost their jobs, some were beaten, and some died. But they bravely stood together, marched together, demanding a better future, so that we, including you, Mr. Brooks, could enjoy what rights we have today. Don't you dare condescend, don't you dare forget, how you reached that elite perch you write from. Rebellion is very much in order right now, with loud voices and large numbers demanding a better, fairer future for the good of this country and all who live here -- not just for the elites. Be on the right side, Mr. Brooks.
12
It's SO HARD to be an individual in groups, especially groups that are hurt or angry. I can sometimes do it with five to ten people, but facing a crowd gives rise to the strongest most prevalent kind of fear we all experience: 80% of the people say stage fright is their strongest fear. Submerging in a crowd is easier, for a while, but may not help thinking. Donald Trump outperformed Hillary Clinton in the televised debates, strutting like a circus ringmaster. Many in the crowd watching are mesmerized and cast their vote for him. In order to support the individuation of all the citizens, and the politician, would it be worth the investment of considerable effort to encourage the Debate Commission to set up debates which were actually tests?---the candidates are given a limited time to answer focused questions, must give reasons and draw on personal experience, then face more specific questions from an experienced panel (something like Michael Kinsley did in 1992). The candidates are expected to show their thinking and individuality. Not a bad idea for other offices and state government, too
2
Why should they care? It's not the voters who put them there. It's the state legislatures. If you take the percentage of votes cast in November, then you get a US House which is
214 Republicans
210 Democrats
11 Independents/Green
Instead what we get is
241 Republicans
194 Democrats
In the election only 23 seats were viewed as competitive and only 14 as close. Congress is not an elected body. They're appointed by the states.
214 Republicans
210 Democrats
11 Independents/Green
Instead what we get is
241 Republicans
194 Democrats
In the election only 23 seats were viewed as competitive and only 14 as close. Congress is not an elected body. They're appointed by the states.
6
A "mob" was exactly what I saw in the crowds that attended Trump rallies during the caucuses. Of course they were led to be a mob because Trump liked to play to them, feed off them, and they were easily manipulated. Trump benefitted from a large, raucous turnout and the attendees benefitted emotionally from being a part of something bigger than themselves while being with people who appeared to be in agreement with each other.
It always reminded me of scenes out of "Gunsmoke" but without Matt Dillon to stand up to the mob. This resulted in a rhetorical hanging to the satisfaction of the mob.
It always reminded me of scenes out of "Gunsmoke" but without Matt Dillon to stand up to the mob. This resulted in a rhetorical hanging to the satisfaction of the mob.
10
Sounds like the crowds at an NFL game or a NASCAR drive around.
Brooks takes a social science view of demonstrations and groups.
I take a corporate view. It used to be said that one letter to the CEO represented 10,000 disenchanted customers. Feedback is cheaper now, but the idea still holds. One Tweet can be shared and liked by thousands of people. Think of the problems United is having with mockery like "We put the Hospital in Hospitality."
The crowd at a Town Hall represents a lot more than the number who show up. If 10 people usually show, and you draw 200 angry people, especially in a mixed crowd of young people and grandmothers, you have a problem. You are looking at what the CEO is looking at - your disenchanted group is larger than it seems, and it has a good chance of damaging the bottom line.
So the crowds serve a purpose: they are the embodiment of a problem at the voting booth, a loss of customers to competitors, a dilution of brand. Keep the crowds coming, they are the single crow that is a harbinger of a lot more crows to follow.
I take a corporate view. It used to be said that one letter to the CEO represented 10,000 disenchanted customers. Feedback is cheaper now, but the idea still holds. One Tweet can be shared and liked by thousands of people. Think of the problems United is having with mockery like "We put the Hospital in Hospitality."
The crowd at a Town Hall represents a lot more than the number who show up. If 10 people usually show, and you draw 200 angry people, especially in a mixed crowd of young people and grandmothers, you have a problem. You are looking at what the CEO is looking at - your disenchanted group is larger than it seems, and it has a good chance of damaging the bottom line.
So the crowds serve a purpose: they are the embodiment of a problem at the voting booth, a loss of customers to competitors, a dilution of brand. Keep the crowds coming, they are the single crow that is a harbinger of a lot more crows to follow.
7
Except the lone letter to the CEO is a random event. The well organized progressive crowds that appear in these town hall shout downs are not random. They are staged. They have scripts. They have stage direction. They have actors. They have producers. If you have seen one performance, you have seen them all. You can find the production company at indivisible.org.
Perhaps if the protesters were actually real people who live in the districts they are protesting in this would make some sense. The vast majority of protesters at these town halls are paid operatives who do not live in the town hall districts with the possible exception of college students who would protest the fact that sun rises everyday.
The Democrats have a specific campaign designed to disrupt anything and everything Republican but when your entire platform is simply a negative sell against the competitor you get beat. The Dems would be much better off selling the strengths of their programs or in other words ...just sell the positive.
If the protests were actually stocked with real Dems then it stands to reason that they wouldn't have lost every election imaginable last November.
The Democrats have a specific campaign designed to disrupt anything and everything Republican but when your entire platform is simply a negative sell against the competitor you get beat. The Dems would be much better off selling the strengths of their programs or in other words ...just sell the positive.
If the protests were actually stocked with real Dems then it stands to reason that they wouldn't have lost every election imaginable last November.
3
What evidence do you have besides the illogical assumption that all the protesters must have voted?
1
Your statement is so untrue. I've been to two town halls in my district, one dem and one repub. I asked around and everyone I spoke to were local. There are no busses shipping folks in. We are voters who want answers. Stop watching FOX all the time.
2
You hit the nail on the head. Democrats have nothing worthwhile to say, so they are reduced to a mob mentality. This is evidence that their 'diversity, inclusion, tolerance' mantra was a hollow gourd.
There is a real difference between a group that shouts "Lock her Up" and one that shouts "Do Your Job." Republicans need to be reminded who they represent, and it's not corporations or oligarchs.
14
Arthur is missing the obvious: these crowds aren't like the anti-Obamacare tea-party that swept out the Democrats in 2010. Those crowds were Republicans angry at Democrats. These crowds are Republicans angry at Republicans.
Frankly I don't see how the Republicans can possibly come out of this in one piece. The problem is fundamental and existential -- they were put into power on the basis of ridiculous claims, and cannot deliver. In reality they didn't intend to make any real attempt to deliver: Ryan's AHCA and the Trump/Ryan/GOP "tax reform" plans are nothing like Trump's promises.
The situation here is like the grifters in Huckleberry Finn, putting on "The Royal Nonsuch" -- the audience knows it has been defrauded. In their hearts they know that they've been suckers, to be defrauded, and that hurts worse.
In Mark Twain's morality tale the grifters end up tarred and feathered.
Frankly I don't see how the Republicans can possibly come out of this in one piece. The problem is fundamental and existential -- they were put into power on the basis of ridiculous claims, and cannot deliver. In reality they didn't intend to make any real attempt to deliver: Ryan's AHCA and the Trump/Ryan/GOP "tax reform" plans are nothing like Trump's promises.
The situation here is like the grifters in Huckleberry Finn, putting on "The Royal Nonsuch" -- the audience knows it has been defrauded. In their hearts they know that they've been suckers, to be defrauded, and that hurts worse.
In Mark Twain's morality tale the grifters end up tarred and feathered.
9
True, mob rule is no less desirable than dictatorship. I don't think any of the current protesters would disagree with that; however, from time to time the mob must be mobilized in order for the one rational voice to speak and be heard. Please, call us by name and we will speak.
6
Tea Party folks famously spat on John Lewis. They also vandalized the home of my then-congressman Tom Periello (one of Sarah Palin's `bulls eyes') except that they got it wrong, and vandalized his parents' house instead.
As far as I can tell, groups protesting GOP congressman don't behave like this. Only one end of the political spectrum has given up all sense of decency.
As far as I can tell, groups protesting GOP congressman don't behave like this. Only one end of the political spectrum has given up all sense of decency.
13
"....right of the people to assemble and petition for redress of grievances." Right there in the First Amendment. Originalists in particular please take note.
8
Liberals in particular take note. "...or the right of the people to peacefully to assemble, and petition the Government for a redress of grievances." You can't yell "FIRE" in a crowded theater.
My rep stood there and told a group of well informed(mannered) that the ACA was harming millions. His loud mouthed overconfident advance men just assumed any protest was just for its own sake. Lying Tom Reed and his crew of American Enterprise Institute clones will find work with excellent benefits where they land next. Hopefully fishing near fallen down bridge on a newly polluted stream. We won't notice its you.
5
What happened to the Wisdom of Crowds?
3
Well, Arthur, you asked the question: Can they turn back the tide? Why are they mad, Arthur? You never stopped to address either. It's this lame, smug non-commentary, which sounds like "let them eat cake" while waxing on about Thoreau, that gets them up and in your grill at town hall meetings, Arthur.
You see Arthur, the classical definition of management is the art and science of producing a good. That is what we want from government; not to trash it, but for it to produce; to work. Obama produced the ACA and it works. You rant for eight years - produced nothing. Either produce or take a seat.
You dither on in your right wing swamp about small government. Most people are not listening to you because your ideology is in search of an identity, Arthur. Your own folks do not believe it.
You want to know why? Because they have bills to pay, and sick relatives to pay for. They are getting hammered, with you telling them to drink the kool-aid, while you cater to the .01 percent. They do not want a hand out, but they do want a hand up to level the field when the game is fixed. That hand up is called government, Arthur.
Ryan dithers on about freedom. First lecture in Econ 101, Arthur: nothing is free; somebody always pays. And so what gets them back into your grill is that, while you preach about redistribution from up to down, what is going on is the reverse; from down to up. Only there ain't no more. The well is dry. Step down out of the metaphysical, Arthur. Get real.
You see Arthur, the classical definition of management is the art and science of producing a good. That is what we want from government; not to trash it, but for it to produce; to work. Obama produced the ACA and it works. You rant for eight years - produced nothing. Either produce or take a seat.
You dither on in your right wing swamp about small government. Most people are not listening to you because your ideology is in search of an identity, Arthur. Your own folks do not believe it.
You want to know why? Because they have bills to pay, and sick relatives to pay for. They are getting hammered, with you telling them to drink the kool-aid, while you cater to the .01 percent. They do not want a hand out, but they do want a hand up to level the field when the game is fixed. That hand up is called government, Arthur.
Ryan dithers on about freedom. First lecture in Econ 101, Arthur: nothing is free; somebody always pays. And so what gets them back into your grill is that, while you preach about redistribution from up to down, what is going on is the reverse; from down to up. Only there ain't no more. The well is dry. Step down out of the metaphysical, Arthur. Get real.
7
Hmmmm, did Mr. Brooks write a similar article eight years ago?
3
The next lie will undo whatever they try.
Many of these furious crowds are just Soros funded rent a mobs who are their to disrupt not to have a dialog. Brown shirt tactics.
3
You know this how?
1
Arthur, you need to get out more. The crowds at today's Town Hall meetings are not you father's crowds. Nor are they Tea Party crowds. Moreover, they are not "organized" in the sense they are directed by an interest group. They are organic, springing from people's anger at what happened on November 8, 2016 and continues to happen in Washington DC as it descends from dis-function to chaos. And if you think there is GOP chaos in DC now, wait until November 2018 when the handwriting is on the wall and a last minute fly-in from the likes of Ted Cruz will not so much buck up the faithful as it will draw laughter and buck-up the opposition. These Town Hall crowds have a few people who are a bit over the top, but by and large, the participants are ethical, rational, intelligent - and mad as hell. And, I might add, your worst nightmare.
8
Your Town Hall crowds are well organized, angry Democrats who can't healthily adjust to losing on 11/8. They all did their homework as prescribed on indivisible. org. Your characterization of them as ethical, rational and intelligent is typical liberal hyperbole. Only you liberals think you are all +2s.
A bizzare column. "The opportunity is to “re-individuate” audience members..."
How about representing the interests of the people (and a healthy, non-toxic environment) rather than corporate billionaire donor interests?
How about representing the interests of the people (and a healthy, non-toxic environment) rather than corporate billionaire donor interests?
9
Karma is a beautiful thing.
2
Brooks is desperately out of touch. Nothing is working from air travel to water quality to healthcare and beyond. This is precipitating a tipping point among a highly effective citizens, not those taken in by false news, in numbers far beyond those in the town halls. People who have never been active before are intent on change and being heard.
So called think tanks that are nothing short of lobbying groups promulgating PR like this bogus opinion piece need to consider patriotism and voters, and cease being lap dogs to those who are undercutting our very democracy.
So called think tanks that are nothing short of lobbying groups promulgating PR like this bogus opinion piece need to consider patriotism and voters, and cease being lap dogs to those who are undercutting our very democracy.
5
These Tea Party Republicans are the mob incarnate.
Begin with that truth, Mr. Brooks, and then spin your philosophy.
Begin with that truth, Mr. Brooks, and then spin your philosophy.
6
What a lot of question begging! Brooks STARTS from the assumption that protesters at town hall meetings behave as a “crowd” (“une foule” in Le Bon’s specially defined sense) and not as thinking individuals who stand for something in common.
9
"Re-individuate a crowd?" Re-individuation strategy? How about using plain English?
6
Re-individuate comes from the same place as re-accommodate
https://twitter.com/joethomas73/status/851478374438645760
https://twitter.com/joethomas73/status/851478374438645760
Did you advocate for "re-individuation" during the 2010 Tea Party protests?
5
The only thing that will make it a living hell for these Republicans will be to actually voted out of office. That has not happened yet. The liberal news media does not produce "Fake News" so much as produce "Fake Narratives". In Kansas, the first real test, expectations were of an upset in the making, it did not happen. I remember the medias' full blown coverage of the anti Scott Walker rallies in Wisconsin. They made him look like a "Dead Man Walking". He won comfortably. I think the tribalism of Republican voters has been well documented. In the end, they rally around their candidate even if their candidates' policies have been a disaster to them and their state. Look how Senator Sam Brownback was supposed to be in deep trouble, he is still there looking as cocky and confident as ever, even though his policies were ruinous. I'll believe a turn to the center or left of this country only when it actually happens.
1
"But Democrat James Thompson significantly reduced the Republican margin in the district, to 7 points, from 31 points in 2016 — a 24-point shift for Democrats."
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/12/us/politics/kansas-house-...
Read and weep, Babel.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/04/12/us/politics/kansas-house-...
Read and weep, Babel.
2
Republican Ron Estes won a sinecure in Kansas but there was 24 point shift towards the Democrats. The unpopularity of the ideologue governor Brownback didn't help. However, you can't conclude too much from a special election.
1
I am not enraged at my congressman simply because I've been whipped up by the crowd. I attend local events—meetings, protests, town halls with cardboard cutouts of my representatives—because I am already frustrated and have already been ignored by my representatives' offices. My representative never responds to requests for private meetings, and the form letters he issues in response to my calls never actually answer any of my questions or state a clear position.
GOP congressmen are desperate to paint the groups of constituents mobilizing against them as an astroturf charade peopled by hapless idiots. The problem with this is that the "mob" they decry is the same as "the people" they claim to represent, and no amount of dismissive crowd theory will change that.
Signed,
One from the Mob
GOP congressmen are desperate to paint the groups of constituents mobilizing against them as an astroturf charade peopled by hapless idiots. The problem with this is that the "mob" they decry is the same as "the people" they claim to represent, and no amount of dismissive crowd theory will change that.
Signed,
One from the Mob
8
The comparison between the heat being felt by the Republican members now and the one inflicted by the Tea Party in 2010 is yet another false comparison. More than that it is odious.
Folks today are protesting the stripping away of health care, something that was made possible by the very man that the Tea party was protesting in 2010. Today they feel their support being yanked away by this feckless Congress led by the two-faced Ryan, whereas in 2010 they felt uncomfortable and threatened with the fact that an Africa-American rose to get the top job.
Brooks' comparison is worse, much worse, that Spicer's comparison of Assad and Hitler. How low can these comparisons go?
Folks today are protesting the stripping away of health care, something that was made possible by the very man that the Tea party was protesting in 2010. Today they feel their support being yanked away by this feckless Congress led by the two-faced Ryan, whereas in 2010 they felt uncomfortable and threatened with the fact that an Africa-American rose to get the top job.
Brooks' comparison is worse, much worse, that Spicer's comparison of Assad and Hitler. How low can these comparisons go?
5
To paraphrase a line from the movie 'Men in Black': a person is smart- people are dumb, impressionable, and irrational.
Well I'm sharpening my pitchfork
12
There is a reason people are out there protesting. When people feel this threatened, they fight back!!!
"Many liberals who disdained the Tea Party revolt like the progressive “resistance” movement, and for conservatives the inverse."
You failed to point out that the Tea Party was a product of American's for Prosperity and the Koch Bros.
With Citizen's United and all the Dark Money used to push a corporatist agenda, the only recourse we the people have is to protest.
And these guys are too stupid to shut up and not argue with people who've taken hours out of their work days to come out and fight against losing health care or Medicare or social security, meals on wheels, etc.
Republicans have a horrible agenda. People are fighting for their lives!
De-individuation? My derriere!
"Many liberals who disdained the Tea Party revolt like the progressive “resistance” movement, and for conservatives the inverse."
You failed to point out that the Tea Party was a product of American's for Prosperity and the Koch Bros.
With Citizen's United and all the Dark Money used to push a corporatist agenda, the only recourse we the people have is to protest.
And these guys are too stupid to shut up and not argue with people who've taken hours out of their work days to come out and fight against losing health care or Medicare or social security, meals on wheels, etc.
Republicans have a horrible agenda. People are fighting for their lives!
De-individuation? My derriere!
14
I live just outside the 6th district in Georgia. Is was Gerrymandered out and into RIghtwing Barry Loudermilks. On the Next Door App, last week some naive or not so naive woman posted a question about Jon Ossoff D running for the 6th who has 8M in campaign contributions residence. Their have been over 90 responses.
Women, Jewish residents, milenials, and many others have been awoken.
There are 18 candidates, 4-5 Dems, 1-2 independents and 11 Republicans Hell bent on destroying Ossoff and now each other.
They seem to have forgotten 4 major hospitals are in this district. My daughter has done rotations for her nursing degree at three of the hospitals on pill hill. Those Obamacare policies and newly found eligible folks with Medicaid ( even in a state who didn't expand Medicaid eligibility) are allowing big hospital expansions, more well paying jobs. Many of the voters in this district are self employed or small businesses, they are the ones who have done the best with the ACA/ Obamacare. Even a doctors office told me that they were able to leave a hospital and once again become a private practice because the could have an ACA SHOP plan
Women, Jewish residents, milenials, and many others have been awoken.
There are 18 candidates, 4-5 Dems, 1-2 independents and 11 Republicans Hell bent on destroying Ossoff and now each other.
They seem to have forgotten 4 major hospitals are in this district. My daughter has done rotations for her nursing degree at three of the hospitals on pill hill. Those Obamacare policies and newly found eligible folks with Medicaid ( even in a state who didn't expand Medicaid eligibility) are allowing big hospital expansions, more well paying jobs. Many of the voters in this district are self employed or small businesses, they are the ones who have done the best with the ACA/ Obamacare. Even a doctors office told me that they were able to leave a hospital and once again become a private practice because the could have an ACA SHOP plan
7
Is anyone else entirely puzzled by the illustration that accompanies this essay? I have no idea what it is.
2
Yes, but, then again, I'm puzzled by the piece itself. This may explain the illustrator's problem as well.
Ochlocracy....my spell checker did not like this word. I had to override it three times. "Look up" couldn't find a dictionary definition. Wikipedia came through, but couldn't the editor just have gone with "mob rule"?
4
What have you got against sesquipedalianism? :-)
1
Watching many Republican reacting to these crowds you see that they want to lecture -- they won’t tolerate “an exchange of ideas.”
They want to state their unexamined think tank provided talking points, be applauded for their brilliance, and then go home. But these constituents have been schooled in the issues by hard experience -- they need to listen, and possibly learn, if they intend to be true representatives of their constituents.
But in reality, most don’t see their job as representing people. They see it instead as represented their own single-minded ideology.
Without pragmatism, and pragmatic discussion, democracy can’t and won’t prevail.
They want to state their unexamined think tank provided talking points, be applauded for their brilliance, and then go home. But these constituents have been schooled in the issues by hard experience -- they need to listen, and possibly learn, if they intend to be true representatives of their constituents.
But in reality, most don’t see their job as representing people. They see it instead as represented their own single-minded ideology.
Without pragmatism, and pragmatic discussion, democracy can’t and won’t prevail.
Senators and Members of Congress are elected to represent those who live in their districts and states, regardless of the political affiliation of those constituents. At the very least their job duties include listening to constituents' opinions, considering their points of view, and addressing their concerns. Deciding to avoid that part of the job by not meeting with constituents in person or being available by phone or electronic media as many Republicans are doing is equivalent to a four yes old sticking his fingers in his ears and yelling to avoid hearing his mom or dad. Time to grow up, folks.
14
Certainly mobs have been infamous for making the worst of outcomes. But with the advent of not just Trump, but with the advent of people in this country that would descend to the level of supporting a man (or woman) like Trump, there is really no discussion to be had. Discussions need to use facts. That leaves Trump and his supporters completely out of discussions. The only question that I need answered is if these angry voices are all are mostly from Progressives attending Republican town halls or if there are actually sane Republicans with a modicum of integrity doing the same.
8
One of Congressman Joe Barton's recent town halls, in two small towns south of Arlington-Mansfield but close to each other, had to be moved from a tiny senior center to a school gym because a large contingent of us big city Democrats showed up. There was one microphone, which he refused to share with any of us in the bleachers, even though a friend offered to be a runner. it was a very calculated move in his part. in the town hall preceding that, he told a constituent to sit down and shut up. He is holding an April one in Mansfield during the day (for his retired supporters).
6
This would work well only if we assume our elected leaders actually want to improve the lot of their constituents. I don't buy it.
The Republican Party is all about winning re-election and not at all about governing. Witness their performance on ACA.
Since Gingrich, putting party over country is the game. The only way to impress such people is to threaten their smooth image. To ruffle their edges.
The Republican Party is all about winning re-election and not at all about governing. Witness their performance on ACA.
Since Gingrich, putting party over country is the game. The only way to impress such people is to threaten their smooth image. To ruffle their edges.
7
Members of Congress should hold town halls. The people who come to town halls should be polite. What has our democracy come to if these things, town halls and politeness, are no longer there?
1
of course this is a plan to revitalize protest. The AEI is anti-worker and anti-environment. It is important the the GOP answer for their policies, even if they are winning. The king should feel the bitterness and wrath of his subjects.
6
Based on the past pronouncements of Mr Brooks and the American Enterprise Institute, I assume that the "faceless mass" refers to the American people while the "individuals with a right to be heard" are corporate lobbyists and those wealthy enough to pay for face time with a member of Congress.
13
A representative who is not meeting with his or her constituents is by definition not a representative and should thus be recalled.
10
A. The descriptions of "mobocracy effects" apply directly to the trump* election: the lowest, meanest prevail(ed).
B. Big difference now is that unlike T-party vs "liberals", this protest is in large part republican-on-republican. The RW base is finally realizing that the Donald trumps, Paul Ryans and Mitch McConnells of Washington are in a grand struggle that is not just disconnected from the base, but actively working against the best interests of the base and instead, in the interests of the 1% and the oligarchy.
Mr. Brooks is whistling past the graveyard.
B. Big difference now is that unlike T-party vs "liberals", this protest is in large part republican-on-republican. The RW base is finally realizing that the Donald trumps, Paul Ryans and Mitch McConnells of Washington are in a grand struggle that is not just disconnected from the base, but actively working against the best interests of the base and instead, in the interests of the 1% and the oligarchy.
Mr. Brooks is whistling past the graveyard.
6
Protesting is less about being a change agent (rational discourse) and more about expressing individual frustrations over not being change agents (irrational unpredictability).
We would not be these United States without our protesting Founding Fathers. Angry crowds don't necessarily equate with unruly mobs, though the news media like to focus on those instances for video clips — if several thousand people are protesting and twenty are unruly, you can be sure those twenty will be featured at 6pm. But it all comes down to representative government — let our elected officials remember they work for us. Given the oppressive, outsized effect of corporate influence, they need to be reminded now more than ever.
1
Although I agree that the loud disruptive protests are counterproductive, it is deeply therapeutic to see them. The Tea Party lugheads set the precedent, republicans benefited from it. Now they don't think so highly of it. I want meetings where debate is civil and substantive, but that would require intelligence from both sides...unlikely.
3
Mr. Brooks' psychology of re-individualizing should go a long way towards creating a conversation when the crowd has prevented one from occurring.
A corollary is the reverse psychology of control that I observed while in the Army. We were all 'deindividualized'. While being required to stand at attention in a formation, we were addressed as a block. I have to concede that it was effective but it was not my cup of tea. :-(
A corollary is the reverse psychology of control that I observed while in the Army. We were all 'deindividualized'. While being required to stand at attention in a formation, we were addressed as a block. I have to concede that it was effective but it was not my cup of tea. :-(
1
Where was Mr. Brooks of the American Enterprise Institute when the Tea Party needed "re-individuation"? Now on the receiving end, the AEI and GOP members of Congress suddenly feel a moral duty to suggest re-individuating their opponents would be best for the country. Such hypocrisy is breath-taking.
4
I can,t believe I read the whole thing.
I predict that this tactic will fail loudly and miserably...
I predict that this tactic will fail loudly and miserably...
4
They view angry folks at their town halls as paid protestors and agitators, not citizens and constituents. As if the Left has the money for that kind of thing. Regardless, it's just another way of dehumanizing and delegitimizing the opposition -- something Republicans have turned into an art form.
4
I was contemplating Mr. Brooks' premise of comparing the tea party town meetings with today's progressive reaction. I would wager the current outrage is far more reality-based rather than the ginned up conspiracy fantasies of the tea party groups.
5
When you choose to run for office you need to be prepared to deal with the less pleasant aspects of being a politician or you shouldn't bother. These people are constituents with legitimate concerns. Serving party over your people will eventually bite you.
3
"When people detach from a group, the research suggests they will become more ethical, rational and intelligent."
Wow, Brooks just explained the problem with congressional republicans!
Wow, Brooks just explained the problem with congressional republicans!
4
Perhaps the crowd that needs "re-individuation" is the Republicans in the House and the Senate. Because "rude, lame, unmade, pernicious in their demands and influence, and need not to be flattered, but to be schooled" sounds about right.
8
The United States Senate is an object lesson in the inevitable abuse of fortuitous power.
3
The mean spirited and flat out cheating ways of Mitch McConnell and his ilk operate are no different than the way United airlines dragged that poor man down the aisle.
We the People, as a country, we are weary and justifiably angry.
We are done with having our once great country dragged down the aisle, bloodied and injured by thugs who win at any price.
Perhaps the clearest example is the blatant highjacking of a Supreme Court seat. The Fed may be next (recognize it is a private entity).
As the song says, "...don't wanted to be treated this a way..."
We the People, as a country, we are weary and justifiably angry.
We are done with having our once great country dragged down the aisle, bloodied and injured by thugs who win at any price.
Perhaps the clearest example is the blatant highjacking of a Supreme Court seat. The Fed may be next (recognize it is a private entity).
As the song says, "...don't wanted to be treated this a way..."
6
So the long term President of a right wing think tank whose mission is to limit government and promote capitalism and the concentration of capital into corporate hands sees the public as a mob needing to be manipulated so they do not disturb or concern the elected officials doing the bidding of billionaires.
Gee, I am so surprised!
Gee, I am so surprised!
8
This reminds me of the cruel but sometimes true joke, "I walked into the room and the average IQ rose by 20 points". Its hard for me to imagine a gerry-mandered-elected Republican with his/her head stuffed full of alternative facts, conspiracy theories, inbred Hilary hatred, and blind loyalty to Trump, taking on a well-prepared and articulate opponent, singly or in a group. Logistically, I cannot see how a group of "resistance" members could sit in a room with the elected Republican's true believers without the two groups killing each other before a town hall meeting begins.
5
Republicans are used to compliant victims.
Crashing the world economy and stealing people's homes while getting huge bonuses went so smoothly.
What's the point of running the government if you have to listen to the people?
Crashing the world economy and stealing people's homes while getting huge bonuses went so smoothly.
What's the point of running the government if you have to listen to the people?
7
Next week kindly share your views on whitesplaining and mansplaining. Many protests are from marginalized groups who can not safely make their voices heard anywhere but in a group.
6
What is your evidence that the crowds are "well-organized"? They seem spontaneous to me.
5
What difference does it make either way. Organized and spontaneous gatherings of citizens are both legitimate. God knows the fat cat donors to these bought off Congressmen are organized.
4
They don't need or turn it back, just ignore it.
I'm sure republicans would vastly prefer to focus upon their donor class and leave the hoi polloi to shift for themselves.
but sometimes, you know, life ain't fair...
but sometimes, you know, life ain't fair...
3
Or, in honor of the season, GOP reps could ideologically perish and be reborn Easter Sunday as human beings interested in other individual human beings.
About as likely.
About as likely.
5
There is also a phenomenon called the wisdom of crowds. In this case, the crowd has a common grievance of rebellion against incompetence and shoddy government and is fully justified in their actions. Too bad if the pols can't deal with it.
26
I suggest that angry attendees of town hall meetings, for the already elected Republican politicians, are not seen as "a concerned assembly of people as individuals with a right to be heard", nor "a faceless mass to be placated". They are seen and generally treated as stupid and unsophisticated children that should be quieted and brought into line. Hopefully for unhappy citizens, at some point, an election will provide them an appropriate "teaching moment".
25
"They must be paid agitators for the other side" seems to be the general attitude among the elected elite.
5
When a Congress person refuses to meet with a group of constituents it makes one think that this representative is glad to get their vote, but "see ya later" when it comes to actual representation and instead make obvious that s/he is there for him/herself. What is more amazing is that there seems to be no shame in this refusal. It is incumbent upon their constituents to make it shameful and the representative suffer humiliation at their cowardice. These representatives do not deserve to hold this office.
41
Once they get re-elected, it is clear sailing to the next election. The US dos not have any provision to call special elections to resolve crises of confidence in government between regularly scheduled elections.
3
I think of my own representative, Kevin McCarthy who locks his office
up and refuses to speak to any of the groups that are there that would like to talk with him. And I would state here that
I know some of the people showing up in groups at his office. They are senior
citizens and very polite people. But McCarthy knows that in his
district he will always be reelected. So he can and does ignore any person
or group that would want to discuss anything with him that might not agree
with his point of view. He can afford to be arrogant as he knows he can be our congressman the rest of his life if he wants to.
up and refuses to speak to any of the groups that are there that would like to talk with him. And I would state here that
I know some of the people showing up in groups at his office. They are senior
citizens and very polite people. But McCarthy knows that in his
district he will always be reelected. So he can and does ignore any person
or group that would want to discuss anything with him that might not agree
with his point of view. He can afford to be arrogant as he knows he can be our congressman the rest of his life if he wants to.
4
If elected officials can't take criticism and advice from their constituents, they should return to private life.
38
So--the way to control a group of people is to employ a top-down re-individuation strategy? Sounds good. So---the GOP could re-imagine the recipients of health care, social security, and disability benefits as actual suffering individuals, rather than a faceless mass of undeserving ingrates, and adjust their policies accordingly. This just could work!
216
We call politicians who individualize suffering, DEMOCRATS.
3
The GOP could stop supporting tax cuts for the wealthiest among us and start working for the good of all. Funny, eight years of opposing the ACA and the GOP could not develop a replacement. That's because the only reasonable replacement is single payer.
34
Remember Bruce in "Finding Nemo?" In reality there are no vegetarian sharks.
2
This kind of protesting is what democracy is about. We elect and send people to represent our interests, the peoples interests. Yet Congress has developed this uncanny ability to create all the problems this country has, either by their direct legislative, or regulatory actions or by their legislative or regulatory inaction. They want to contantly take the taxpayers money and give it to themselves, or to thier elite ilk. Leaving us the public at large to suffer with low paying jobs, stagnant wages, no health care, all while giving billions in tax breaks to the rich, and taking money from the health care lobby. Or outright owning of assets (stocks) of healthcare companies. Then either writing legislation that favors them or voting on legislation that will have a direct positive effect on their holdings.
These are a few examples of the GOP/Democrats blatant disregard for their constituency's needs, or for the greater good. Protest and social protest is the only avenue we the people have to assert our sphere of influence without having to "pay" for our elected officials representation of the people who's interests they are supposed to represent. This is the only way they will see our anger\frustration with the status quo. We need to continue to protest and let them know this is NOT what we the people want.
These are a few examples of the GOP/Democrats blatant disregard for their constituency's needs, or for the greater good. Protest and social protest is the only avenue we the people have to assert our sphere of influence without having to "pay" for our elected officials representation of the people who's interests they are supposed to represent. This is the only way they will see our anger\frustration with the status quo. We need to continue to protest and let them know this is NOT what we the people want.
12
Why would we think that members of the elected GOP begin to treat other people as human and be due dignity and respect. Since they base their approach on the Skinnerian perspective that humans are nothing but lumps of protoplasmic clay to be shaped and manipulated to the ends the "leaders" see fit, I doubt they are capable of ever making a shift to view citizens as anything more than part of a mobocracy. The citizens voted and the Electoral College chose Trump as president. He promised the moon and has only been able to issue executive orders. The most puzzling aspect of this past electoral cycle is that we have one party is control of both branches of government with a right-leaning Supreme Court and they still can't seem to govern. No wonder the mob is so angry and cockroaches are held in higher esteem than most elected officials.
17
More than 25 years ago as a young public employee, I held a meeting where we allowed the mikes to go into the audience. Speakers, surrounded by their friends were quite belligerent. Never again. Always have a podium set up, have speakers walk to it and give their names. Comments are much more focused and less aggressive.
5
The GOP has reaped what it has sown. The larger GOP relied on the politics of dividing us into opposing groups for 40+ years. Donald Trump is only the latest and most extreme manifestation of that. They were happy to whip up fear and anger in "the masses" when it served their purposes. Now they want to hide from those who are marginalized. Individuation might tone down one person at a town hall meeting, but the masses are coming for the GOP with pitchforks and torches unless they start respecting and working with ALL groups. I'll believe it when I see it.
10
As I read this i was thinking of how Donald Trump gathered his crowds to himself and goaded them on with all sorts of bait appealing to their lowest instincts, whatever it took to win. And so this is the man who won the presidency...no Emerson, no Jefferson.
That the GOP is now faced with the repercussions and thinking of hiding from that anger they have some responsibility for is maybe predictable. But too, the unpopular and harmful agenda being imposed on us will keep the so called "mob"s gathering, letting Senators and representatives have it. It's a time for the people to have a say, even at their lowest common denominator.
That the GOP is now faced with the repercussions and thinking of hiding from that anger they have some responsibility for is maybe predictable. But too, the unpopular and harmful agenda being imposed on us will keep the so called "mob"s gathering, letting Senators and representatives have it. It's a time for the people to have a say, even at their lowest common denominator.
13
The trick-or-treater who dumps the whole bowl of candy into his bag and laughs grows up to become a Wall Street investment banker.
38
Or President.
5
At his town hall meeting, one congressman recently told his audience that he did not press for Trump’s tax returns because it was “unconstitutional.” (The congressman has since been persuaded by his constituents to press for their release.)
A Right that is stated in, and thereby guaranteed by, the US Constitution is, by definition, “constitutional.” A denial of, or a mandate against, that Right is “unconstitutional.”
Example: The right of a citizen to vote.
A denial or a refusal of, or a mandate against, a presumed or an assumed right not stated in the Constitution is not “unconstitutional.”
Example: Mandating Trump to show his tax returns is not unconstitutional.
A Right that is stated in, and thereby guaranteed by, the US Constitution is, by definition, “constitutional.” A denial of, or a mandate against, that Right is “unconstitutional.”
Example: The right of a citizen to vote.
A denial or a refusal of, or a mandate against, a presumed or an assumed right not stated in the Constitution is not “unconstitutional.”
Example: Mandating Trump to show his tax returns is not unconstitutional.
20
One must be careful not to conflate a crowd with a mob. As others have pointed out, the Women's March was a large crowd, but not a mob. When anger and hostility are the uniting motives, the mob behaves like its least constrained member. When positive motives unite people, crowd behavior is elevated.
I was at Woodstock nearly 50 years ago. A quarter of a million people gathered, drank, took drugs and partied. There was no violence at all. We were a heterogeneous group of people determined to have fun, and we did. I also attended a college-days block party in Ithaca, NY, that the police decided to break up, despite no evidence of violence. It quickly devolved into a mob confrontation, with tear gas and arrests. Same sort of attendees; a very different result.
I was at Woodstock nearly 50 years ago. A quarter of a million people gathered, drank, took drugs and partied. There was no violence at all. We were a heterogeneous group of people determined to have fun, and we did. I also attended a college-days block party in Ithaca, NY, that the police decided to break up, despite no evidence of violence. It quickly devolved into a mob confrontation, with tear gas and arrests. Same sort of attendees; a very different result.
18
The Republicans could stop making life more like a living hell for ordinary people, for starters. So far, they've laughed all the way to the bank by catering to wealthy interests who pay for their campaigns (and that's a mess, amplified by Citizens' United).
They've gotten by on a lot of lies and hot air, encouraging hatred and division, but now they're in charge the good programs they've obstructed with organized fervor are their problem, not the problem of their victims. We all need clean air and water and a habitable hospitable earth. We need worker protections, not a return to robber barons and the 19th century, and health care for all.
They are no longer invisible as they continue to obstruct all policies that benefit the generation population in favor of special interests and practice a form of "Christianity" that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus (see the Gospels). I mention the latter because of the rage directed at living people in favor of fetuses (god help the babies once they are born, the Republicans won't), and at other people's sex lives which harm noone and are nobody's business until predation comes into play (and predation is quite common with hypocrites who preach that you do as they say, not as they do).
Meanwhile, Arthur Brooks, one of the movers and shakers of the Kochtopus, is trying to put a pretty face (he appears to be a pleasant chap) on efforts that embody cruelty to the less fortunate and favoritism for poisoning the public sphere.
They've gotten by on a lot of lies and hot air, encouraging hatred and division, but now they're in charge the good programs they've obstructed with organized fervor are their problem, not the problem of their victims. We all need clean air and water and a habitable hospitable earth. We need worker protections, not a return to robber barons and the 19th century, and health care for all.
They are no longer invisible as they continue to obstruct all policies that benefit the generation population in favor of special interests and practice a form of "Christianity" that has nothing to do with the teachings of Jesus (see the Gospels). I mention the latter because of the rage directed at living people in favor of fetuses (god help the babies once they are born, the Republicans won't), and at other people's sex lives which harm noone and are nobody's business until predation comes into play (and predation is quite common with hypocrites who preach that you do as they say, not as they do).
Meanwhile, Arthur Brooks, one of the movers and shakers of the Kochtopus, is trying to put a pretty face (he appears to be a pleasant chap) on efforts that embody cruelty to the less fortunate and favoritism for poisoning the public sphere.
53
Actually I think it was Democratic president Obama who catered to the wealthy. All CEOs of top US businesses are democrats. He made sure they were happy. The recovery from the last recession was a recovery for the wealthy. He took every opportunity to make sure the well connected stayed wealthy and maintained the wealth status quo. Democrats are the party of big business and the wealthy. Republicans are the party of the aspiring who hope to move up into the realm of the wealthy.
These representatives took an oath of office that included upholding the Constitution, including, the pursuit of happiness and justice for all. Their actions seek to destroy many foundations of this country. Furthermore, through the refusal to negotiate, leave the politics out of the Supreme Court, and destroy numerous agencies such as the EPA, Social Security, healthcare, etc. they are denying the citizens liberty and justice and are replacing it with the old pork barrel favors via tax cuts etc. for their cronies and corporate sponsor. We the People must not normalize this; we must take our power back. Demand Town Halls! Demand that our Representatives hear us loud and clear!
25
Chant it with me:
This is what democracy looks like!
This is what democracy looks like!
3
A recent poll demonstrated which side of the ideological spectrum is part of a "crowd" and which continues to allow its members to keep their individuality:
"In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that only 22 percent of Republicans supported the U.S. launching missile strikes against Syria in response to Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons against civilians. A new Post-ABC poll finds that 86 percent of Republicans support Donald Trump's decision to launch strikes on Syria for the same reason. Only 11 percent are opposed." (WaPost) In contrast, 38% of Democrats supported bombing when Obama proposed it, and 37% supported it under Trump.
We do need re-individuation - on the Right. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine!
"In 2013, when Barack Obama was president, a Washington Post-ABC News poll found that only 22 percent of Republicans supported the U.S. launching missile strikes against Syria in response to Bashar al-Assad using chemical weapons against civilians. A new Post-ABC poll finds that 86 percent of Republicans support Donald Trump's decision to launch strikes on Syria for the same reason. Only 11 percent are opposed." (WaPost) In contrast, 38% of Democrats supported bombing when Obama proposed it, and 37% supported it under Trump.
We do need re-individuation - on the Right. Bring back the Fairness Doctrine!
43
That's amazing.
I wonder if there's a good and effective way to leverage that into some consciousness raising, a way for us to see for ourselves the extent to which our feelings and thoughts on what would seem to be a matter of prudence or conscience can be determined by who gets to be the boss?
My thoughts by association are taking me back 60 years to when I first heard the Sunday School story of an Old Testament prophet confronting King David with a story that, by analogy, fit the pattern of how David had arranged for one of his soldiers to die in battle because David desired the soldier's wife. Thou art the man.
I wonder if there's a good and effective way to leverage that into some consciousness raising, a way for us to see for ourselves the extent to which our feelings and thoughts on what would seem to be a matter of prudence or conscience can be determined by who gets to be the boss?
My thoughts by association are taking me back 60 years to when I first heard the Sunday School story of an Old Testament prophet confronting King David with a story that, by analogy, fit the pattern of how David had arranged for one of his soldiers to die in battle because David desired the soldier's wife. Thou art the man.
1
Thomas Jefferson wrote in a 1787 letter to Abigail Adams, “I like a little rebellion now and then.” But not on his plantation.
12
The glass slipper is now on the other foot. Karma.
7
America got conned
a good portion of us know that and are now striking back.....
a good portion of us know that and are now striking back.....
24
I believe the real question is: Does the G.O.P. really care about town hall anger? The answer is no. We should be asking ourselves why?
We watched the congress at home during their last recess sneaking in and out of their offices through back doors and refusing to talk to their constituents. When they returned to Washington, they approved Justice Gorsuch, a member of the Federalist Society, in record time. This despite the fact that the Justice was evasive throughout the hearings and a majority of the country had questions.
The Women's march had a huge turnout, but the Trump administration seemed oblivious and couldn't care less.
We are about to have the Tax Day March, the March for Science and again, I believe the outcome will be the same.
Please don't say that demonstrations caused the pulling of the disastrous Ryan Health Care bill. It was pulled because the far right conservative members of congress felt it didn't go far enough.
It seems that Trump or members of his administration do or say something daily which in different times would trigger an immediate congressional investigation, yet all we've seen is the Nunez debacle.
My 90 year old mother has told me that I'm a pessimist, I disagree. I've concluded that for 2+ years I've been watching a well orchestrated theatrical production. Improbable? Kellyanne Conway etc etc.
Behind the scenes, Trump and his backers have created a wall of invincibility and I fear that we'll be stuck with him for another 7 1/2 years.
We watched the congress at home during their last recess sneaking in and out of their offices through back doors and refusing to talk to their constituents. When they returned to Washington, they approved Justice Gorsuch, a member of the Federalist Society, in record time. This despite the fact that the Justice was evasive throughout the hearings and a majority of the country had questions.
The Women's march had a huge turnout, but the Trump administration seemed oblivious and couldn't care less.
We are about to have the Tax Day March, the March for Science and again, I believe the outcome will be the same.
Please don't say that demonstrations caused the pulling of the disastrous Ryan Health Care bill. It was pulled because the far right conservative members of congress felt it didn't go far enough.
It seems that Trump or members of his administration do or say something daily which in different times would trigger an immediate congressional investigation, yet all we've seen is the Nunez debacle.
My 90 year old mother has told me that I'm a pessimist, I disagree. I've concluded that for 2+ years I've been watching a well orchestrated theatrical production. Improbable? Kellyanne Conway etc etc.
Behind the scenes, Trump and his backers have created a wall of invincibility and I fear that we'll be stuck with him for another 7 1/2 years.
35
I've spoken with a 98 year old who says that In her experience Trump's election was the worst event in her long lifetime, including the Depression, WW II, etc...so it's time to in fact be a pessimist, based on this.
4
Some time ago I watched Sen. Lindsey Graham run a town hall. I was awed by his skills for interacting with his audience. I don't usually agree with the senator and would not vote for him. That didn't prevent me from admiring how well he worked with his constituency. He really did listen patiently to their questions. When he gave answers and audience members objected to what they were hearing, he paused and asked that they give him a fair hearing, just as he was giving them. He's blessed with a great self deprecating sense of humor, often used to defuse anger. He's an excellent off the cuff public speaker, he's in command of issues and information, he's poised and not easily rattled.
The individuation strategy you describe is nothing new. It's simply a description of a well run forum, a true sharing and listening session. I've seen other politicians over the years hold what they billed as listening sessions, but they dominated events, talked incessantly, took few questions, and dodged even those questions to again seize control of the floor. Obviously this will anger even a neutral audience and infuriate a hostile one. Many people can give a well coached stump speech. Not many can perform as Senator Graham did. Some control ticketing for their events to insure friendly audiences. Others are in hiding. They know they will now face tough audiences and they lack necessary skills to carry out this basic requirement of holding office: communicating with their constituents.
The individuation strategy you describe is nothing new. It's simply a description of a well run forum, a true sharing and listening session. I've seen other politicians over the years hold what they billed as listening sessions, but they dominated events, talked incessantly, took few questions, and dodged even those questions to again seize control of the floor. Obviously this will anger even a neutral audience and infuriate a hostile one. Many people can give a well coached stump speech. Not many can perform as Senator Graham did. Some control ticketing for their events to insure friendly audiences. Others are in hiding. They know they will now face tough audiences and they lack necessary skills to carry out this basic requirement of holding office: communicating with their constituents.
15
I think you're referring to manners. They're taught in most respectable families, but can be quickly overwritten by watching too much of today's television.
2
As a free lance artist who has worked for groups ranging from the Conservative Party of Alberta, to Labor Unions, to public festivals, to radical street protests, I concur with Henry David Thoreau, "The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member, but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest."
I don't align myself with any group, however much I might agree with some of their tenets. I distrust group agenda and the subversion of autonomy for the common good whatever that is deemed to be.
I distrust principles. Whenever I hear someone defending an action they personally would not make, but do so on principle, I smell a rat. Why hide behind principles? What do you really feel? Why not decide what to do on the courage of your own convictions?
I don't align myself with either the left or the right. I have a strong social conscience but as a private contractor have made my own way in the world, working for unions at wages that their members would scoff at.
Even here, in this forum, I can't seem to align myself with the vehement and entrenched ideologies of the right and left, am outside the norm, a place I treasure and defend dearly. I have a gregarious public persona, a mask I put on when I work in the public sphere, but my true self is introspective.
As to turning back the tide of Town Hall anger? I doubt it can be done by any group, let alone the GOP. The root is deep and all are out of their depth.
I don't align myself with any group, however much I might agree with some of their tenets. I distrust group agenda and the subversion of autonomy for the common good whatever that is deemed to be.
I distrust principles. Whenever I hear someone defending an action they personally would not make, but do so on principle, I smell a rat. Why hide behind principles? What do you really feel? Why not decide what to do on the courage of your own convictions?
I don't align myself with either the left or the right. I have a strong social conscience but as a private contractor have made my own way in the world, working for unions at wages that their members would scoff at.
Even here, in this forum, I can't seem to align myself with the vehement and entrenched ideologies of the right and left, am outside the norm, a place I treasure and defend dearly. I have a gregarious public persona, a mask I put on when I work in the public sphere, but my true self is introspective.
As to turning back the tide of Town Hall anger? I doubt it can be done by any group, let alone the GOP. The root is deep and all are out of their depth.
9
Memi, thank you for speaking out. It's a more complex and interesting take than many of us here, and I believe it needed to be said. I will continue to be outraged, but you are right that we are all out of our depth.
4
I find myself wondering what you mean by distrusting principles. People may advocate for actions they personally would not make, but it has nothing to do with principles as I understand them. If you have no principles that ground your thinking, you are left with emotional reactions. The rest of what you say seems to contradict your distrust of principles.
Democracy is based on a sense that legitimacy comes from group action. Sometimes the majority gets things wrong and we have to have protections in place for the rights of minorities when that happens.
Town Hall anger is a kind of group emotion. For me, it's useful because it lets our elected representatives know they are treading on shaky ground.
My own representative in the 19th Congressional District, NYS, is a Republican. I expect that Town Hall anger will affect how he votes. He's in a tough spot, caught between his visibly angry constituents and his party leaders. His dilemma may be resolved in 2018 when a fired-up group of Democrats will get out the vote and he can return to being a lobbyist.
Democracy is based on a sense that legitimacy comes from group action. Sometimes the majority gets things wrong and we have to have protections in place for the rights of minorities when that happens.
Town Hall anger is a kind of group emotion. For me, it's useful because it lets our elected representatives know they are treading on shaky ground.
My own representative in the 19th Congressional District, NYS, is a Republican. I expect that Town Hall anger will affect how he votes. He's in a tough spot, caught between his visibly angry constituents and his party leaders. His dilemma may be resolved in 2018 when a fired-up group of Democrats will get out the vote and he can return to being a lobbyist.
4
I think what is meant here is that rather than principles, which are taught/family inherited, the trust is put in what we old-timers call a gut feeling. It's just something you 'know' without knowing why you know it.
1
A good article to read in this dangerous time: Bruce Bartlett, 12-25-12 -
"A Conservative Case for the Welfare State." Very insightful.
"A Conservative Case for the Welfare State." Very insightful.
2
Conspicuously absent are stories about Democrat candidates meeting with rooms full of angry voters. More and more Americans are understanding what they have to lose if the current regime in Washington gets its way..
11
Because Democrats are a marginalized, powerless, minority party that is not worth anyone's time.
Well, may explain Mitch McConnell's behavior in squelching Elizabeth Warren -- de-individualizing her. Now what explains his seditious behavior in ignoring Merrick Garland and subverting the Constitution? Party above patriotism and hubris, perhaps?
22
It's interesting to see how many articles and posts crticizing protest have come out since November.
Take heart, protesters! Your efforts are obviously working.
Take heart, protesters! Your efforts are obviously working.
34
Mr. Brooks' argument can be applied equally to the Republican legislature. They are a crowd if ever there were one, hiding under the carapace of Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan's skirt. I doubt if 10% of the population could name their representatives in Congress.
Under the shield of their party's "leadership", they have voted 60 1/2 times to repeal Obamacare, completed the theft of a seat on the SCOTUS, enabled the installation of Cabinet of Clowns and accented to the Clown-in-Chief's random walk through governance.
The opponents of the individual representatives are putting their names on milk cartons, buying newspaper ads asking where they are and calling them out for their indiividual (in)action at town halls. To repeat a chant I heard at the DC Women's March, "this is what democracy looks like".
Under the shield of their party's "leadership", they have voted 60 1/2 times to repeal Obamacare, completed the theft of a seat on the SCOTUS, enabled the installation of Cabinet of Clowns and accented to the Clown-in-Chief's random walk through governance.
The opponents of the individual representatives are putting their names on milk cartons, buying newspaper ads asking where they are and calling them out for their indiividual (in)action at town halls. To repeat a chant I heard at the DC Women's March, "this is what democracy looks like".
24
Note to congress- Americans want to even out inequality and it is high time your donors pay their fair share and stop draining and starving the US
No, Mr. Brooks, this is not ochlocracy. This is democracy in all its glory confronting oligarchy.
20
The lack of any Republican responsibility (actually morally dishonest) continues to be remarkable, and this Mr. Brooks is no exception. Today I heard "W." asked if his paintings of war veterans made him ponder his decisions (based on....no WMD?). "W" responded: "they volunteered. They knew what they were getting into" (completely missing the point). Did they know of profound questions regarding their life and limbs on the line? (No). Do Trump voters know the depth of Republican partisan only "policy"? Well i guess they should. However, now we are back into full "kill-the-messenger" mode, much like the opposition to going into Iraq. Mr. Brooks and his GO-P/T-P/Freedom-P turning to history and....science? ....for a more objective view. The GOP won't be warming up to that evolution, ever. The entreaties to turn to History and Science (Science is done exclusively by Government and Education institutions).....are rich.
7
The only political "mobs" I've seen in the past year and a half are the mobs engaging in mindless chants of "Build that Wall" and "Lock Her Up", under the direction of Donald Trump, who literally encouraged his goons to throw out or beat up those who stood out as insufficiently uncivilized. Now this columnist invites us to speculate that protesters and dissidents at GOP town halls might be some sort of problem for democracy. The shamelessness of Arthur Brooks never ceases to amaze me.
37
I agree. And the only thing crowds of hysterical Democrats showing up at town hall meetings to disrupt, heckle, and scream, are going to do us attract crowds of Republicans to scream back at them - just as has happened for decades in the abortion showdowns. I once actually saw two groups of women, on opposite sides of the steeet in front of an abortion clinic, screaming and hurling insults at one one another. The cops had to be called in case it got out of hand.
1
Perhaps the reasons people were screaming at Republicans protesting at abortion clinics is because said protesters, across the country, were SCREAMING in women's faces (while exercising their constitutional and legal right to a medical procedure) and yelling derisive and hateful things at them and their families, while their brethren were bombing and vandalizing clinics and assassinating abortion providers.
3
So you saw crowds of hysterical women screaming at each other?
Ever been to a sports event with crowds of hysterical men screaming at each other?
Ever been to a sports event with crowds of hysterical men screaming at each other?
3
Republican politicians on the far Right deserve public scorn and ridicule. They're been wrong about virtually everything and normal Americans have a responsibility to tell them so, even when they have to be loud and assertive to be heard.
25
I live in deep red South Carolina, home of, among others, "You lie" Joe Wilson, and Lindsey "Benghazi" Graham. Much of the dissatisfaction aimed at them and others does not occur at the Town Hall meetings. They are not considered far right enough, so there have been announcements by candidates who will really Make America Great. Gerrymandering and deep-seated hatred will keep SC bathed in red for a long time, I fear.
3
GOP problem: needing people like Le Bon to tell them what to think?
Live by the sword, die by it. The GOP, as booster of an economy red in tooth and claw, is part of the dissatisfaction machine. Consumerism, materialism, and mercantilism are essential to the economy of today. Dissatisfaction sells stuff. It also serves as a political tool--remember all the hatred you guys worked up about Obama? You can't turn off the spigot. Go fall on your swords--you fashioned them.
Live by the sword, die by it. The GOP, as booster of an economy red in tooth and claw, is part of the dissatisfaction machine. Consumerism, materialism, and mercantilism are essential to the economy of today. Dissatisfaction sells stuff. It also serves as a political tool--remember all the hatred you guys worked up about Obama? You can't turn off the spigot. Go fall on your swords--you fashioned them.
10
what kind of awful rhetoric and wording is this? We all need to get away from using war analogies and metaphors when talking about politics.
"As such, working to re-individuate a crowd is to offer a sign of respect, and it could help forge a path toward civility and intelligence in American politics."
Does that also extend to the de-individuals in Trump's crowd who shouted "Lock her up" while Trump stood there smugly egging them on by his silent smirk?
Seems to me the now Attorney General (then campaign fawn) also stood there on stage basking in the de-individuation created by a rabble rouser born and bred. Lots of collective misogyny in those Trump-that Rhymes-with-Witch tee-shirts, too.
Were you complaining about mobs when the Tea Party was mobbing? Did you complain when the congressman shouted "You lie!" or McConnell vowed to make Obama a one-term president from day one?
So angry Democrats should play nice and put down the pitchforks, while your party of record signs off on bribing foreign governments, pouring coal refuse into streams, selling our privacy to the highest bidder, stripping 24 million folks of their insurance, and reintroducing that double standard from yesteryear for women who can take on the scarlet letter of sex and maternity once again because mammograms and contraception and birthing are Not for Us Men?
Does that also extend to the de-individuals in Trump's crowd who shouted "Lock her up" while Trump stood there smugly egging them on by his silent smirk?
Seems to me the now Attorney General (then campaign fawn) also stood there on stage basking in the de-individuation created by a rabble rouser born and bred. Lots of collective misogyny in those Trump-that Rhymes-with-Witch tee-shirts, too.
Were you complaining about mobs when the Tea Party was mobbing? Did you complain when the congressman shouted "You lie!" or McConnell vowed to make Obama a one-term president from day one?
So angry Democrats should play nice and put down the pitchforks, while your party of record signs off on bribing foreign governments, pouring coal refuse into streams, selling our privacy to the highest bidder, stripping 24 million folks of their insurance, and reintroducing that double standard from yesteryear for women who can take on the scarlet letter of sex and maternity once again because mammograms and contraception and birthing are Not for Us Men?
39
The GOP opposition to Obama (a thoughtful moderate) can be described as mob rule. The pack mentality rose to a fever pitch, a level that can be described as illogical and psychotic.
18
The problem is not only the individualization of the crowd, it's the informed intelligence of the politician. It's a two-way street. From health care to climate change the right's business strait-jacket, and the left's green delusion, on facts and honesty, are endemic to the conversation. You cannot have a healthy dialogue when willful ignorance carries the day in the minds of the people's representatives.
RE: "Many are facing large, well-organized crowds who are out for blood." Not one of which even comes close to the level of hate, intolerance, and depravity on display at Trump rallies where the NYT and other media took their cameras for us. While the Town Hall events may be attended by a large turn out of people who are not happy, not one of them, as best I know, has had a mob.
When is a misogynistic blood thirsty crowd a "rally" and when is crowd fearful of losing that which sustains their life and livelihood a mob?
When is a misogynistic blood thirsty crowd a "rally" and when is crowd fearful of losing that which sustains their life and livelihood a mob?
8
Mr. Brooks has a solution: grant more tax cuts to billionaires. Mr. Deep Thinker strikes again.
9
What is this mealy-mouth nonsense that tries to deflect righteous anger of American citizens against politicians who think they are running the show for their own benefit? How about an honest take on the fact that voters are finally wishing up to throw out the bums? This is just the beginning of what is long overdue. How about a real assessment instead of one from an apologist?
9
I tried to read Brooks but am haunted by too many concrete American problems to find it worth struggling with "deindividuation" and candy metaphors.
A concrete problem heard on BBC World and then again on Sveriges Radio in the early morning hours of April 13 here in Sweden: Donald Trump proposes cutting NIH funding by 18%. Even if what is left of the American government system may stand in his way, the simple fact of his proposing one more anti-science and anti-American public measure while at the same time proposing to build walls is yet another measure of his colossal ignorance.
The only mention of this I can find in the Times is on March 22. Would prefer to be reading more on that instead of reading about candy.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
A concrete problem heard on BBC World and then again on Sveriges Radio in the early morning hours of April 13 here in Sweden: Donald Trump proposes cutting NIH funding by 18%. Even if what is left of the American government system may stand in his way, the simple fact of his proposing one more anti-science and anti-American public measure while at the same time proposing to build walls is yet another measure of his colossal ignorance.
The only mention of this I can find in the Times is on March 22. Would prefer to be reading more on that instead of reading about candy.
Only-NeverInSweden.blogspot.com
Dual citizen US SE
6
Not a chance.
The GOP's head honcho, #45, is off the rails. He has made it clear he cares not at all for those who actually voted for him. Americans are tired of a Congress that spends its days doing nothing past taking away our healthcare.
"Let them eat cake" doesn't fly in today's America.
The GOP's head honcho, #45, is off the rails. He has made it clear he cares not at all for those who actually voted for him. Americans are tired of a Congress that spends its days doing nothing past taking away our healthcare.
"Let them eat cake" doesn't fly in today's America.
"Can the G.O.P. Turn Back the Tide of Town Hall Anger?"
HOPEFULLY, NO
HOPEFULLY, NO
10
Brooks has more "it depends" and on-the-other-hands than an economist.
2
Why can't I shake the nagging feeling that this column would never have seen the light of day were Hillary Clinton President?
2
um maybe because Hillary wouldn't signed such ghastly executive orders? or tried passing a huge tax cut by calling it a health care reform bill? or because she wouldn't have left the federal government so woefully understaffed and unprepared for it's basic, day to day functioning?
oh wait, are you suggesting because she would have editorial control over the NYT? really? no wait, really???
oh wait, are you suggesting because she would have editorial control over the NYT? really? no wait, really???
What are you going to think when Wall Street crushes our economy again and the people march by the millions on Washington?
4
Where was this column when the Tea Party loonies were the ones doing the protesting? I suppose Arthur could provide us a link but I doubt that he has one as protest was not a big problem to him when members of the right were the ones doing the protesting.
And the Republicans currently destroying America's institutions are cowards and traitors, do we own them ANY civility and respect when it is obvious they hold us voters in contempt (as exemplified by gerrymandering).
And the Republicans currently destroying America's institutions are cowards and traitors, do we own them ANY civility and respect when it is obvious they hold us voters in contempt (as exemplified by gerrymandering).
7
If done well, then it is good...done poorly, then it is not so good.
Unfortunately for democracy in general and America specifically the current electorate must vociferously shout and visibly demonstrate to break through the barrier of corporate bribery...oops, erase, erase...campaign donating to get and keep a candidate's attention. Vive la Résistance!
Unfortunately for democracy in general and America specifically the current electorate must vociferously shout and visibly demonstrate to break through the barrier of corporate bribery...oops, erase, erase...campaign donating to get and keep a candidate's attention. Vive la Résistance!
2
Mr. Brooks flashes his signature super power, the ability to denigrate any behavior by progressives (to him a disruptive mob in this iteration) in real time while pretending to have cared about the same negative behavior from his home team, the right-wingers. Yes, he cared enough to chastise them 8 years after the effect, because there must be a statute of limitations on hypocrisy, amirite?
Peddle in a little of that good ol' Brooksian pseudo-psychology (this time it's about how to neuter your opposition) and you see why he is continually asked to don that super hero costume.
Peddle in a little of that good ol' Brooksian pseudo-psychology (this time it's about how to neuter your opposition) and you see why he is continually asked to don that super hero costume.
2
Perhaps if republican congressional members went to congress with the mindset of actually working to find solutions that help instead of hurt, they would be able to calmly discuss issues with their concerned constituents instead of hiding from them in spineless fashion. Instead, with the cash of super PACS in their pocket and their lockstep marching orders in hand, they go off to Washington with every orifice squeezed shut. With such uncompromising mindless obedience they should expect an uncomfortable response.
8
We have one such town hall defector in WA state. Dave Reichert, the silent 8th District Representative, refuses to attend town halls because they "place him and his staff in danger." He is the candidate who ran on the lie that he solved the Green River case. He was all over media then; he won't show his face now. It could be because he has nothing to say, something he is good at.
7
Come now, Lesser Lord Brooks. Surely you must be aware that the First Amendment guarantees freedom of assembly (violated willfully by Mayor Mikey Bloomberg during the 2004 RNC convention, for which the city paid out judgements), and a right to seek redress of grievances from the government.
The questions about whether hostile town halls are good or bad for democracy are pure deflection. They are enshrined right there in the First Amendment, your lordship.
And that "experiment" with trick or treaters would be flagged by an intro to sociology professor as laughably weak.
The grandees of the party you have long supported have long ago set about hoarding all of the candy. The lesser Lord Brooks gets a couple of Snickers bars for providing reasonable sounding cover in the "liberal" New York Times.
The questions about whether hostile town halls are good or bad for democracy are pure deflection. They are enshrined right there in the First Amendment, your lordship.
And that "experiment" with trick or treaters would be flagged by an intro to sociology professor as laughably weak.
The grandees of the party you have long supported have long ago set about hoarding all of the candy. The lesser Lord Brooks gets a couple of Snickers bars for providing reasonable sounding cover in the "liberal" New York Times.
8
I wonder what Mr. Brooks thought about the anti Trump protesters who assaulted a woman with eggs or the ones who blocked a highway to prevent people from coming to a Trump rally.
More faux social science. Mr. Brook’s examples and analysis via Emerson of “the masses” that are “rude, lame, unmade, pernicious in their demands and influence” is strikingly illustrative of the Trump rallies. Bear witness to the mind numbing “lock her up” and “make America Great again” slogans and red hat wearers.
For evidence he offers his “favorite” study about the Halloween candy. Is he equating empirically children’s thought processes with adults? Maybe so for Trump supporters who think Trump will magically by executive order and deal making make their lives immeasurably better.
And what about the town halls and concerns of th “masses” that he condescendingly references. Health care, clean air and water, deregulation not only in the EPA but economically, problems with federal education loans, stronger support of public education, real infrastructure investment?
Talk to the masses. There is a town hall coming up in NJ that Representative Smith of LD 4 will not be attending. Look into the intellectual hard work and purpose given to the Indivisible groups across this country. Organized individuals are rightfully concerned by the erosion of our democracy most recently visited by how Gorsuch was approved in the Senate. De Toqueville warns, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
For evidence he offers his “favorite” study about the Halloween candy. Is he equating empirically children’s thought processes with adults? Maybe so for Trump supporters who think Trump will magically by executive order and deal making make their lives immeasurably better.
And what about the town halls and concerns of th “masses” that he condescendingly references. Health care, clean air and water, deregulation not only in the EPA but economically, problems with federal education loans, stronger support of public education, real infrastructure investment?
Talk to the masses. There is a town hall coming up in NJ that Representative Smith of LD 4 will not be attending. Look into the intellectual hard work and purpose given to the Indivisible groups across this country. Organized individuals are rightfully concerned by the erosion of our democracy most recently visited by how Gorsuch was approved in the Senate. De Toqueville warns, “Power corrupts. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
132
Almost all of the angry people I know are "elite": they have bachelor's degrees at least, a comfortable living, are invested in their communities, and interested in the country. I think his analogy about candy works for the Tea Party (lower MY taxes, please, give ME more freedom please). What do you do when those who are becoming politically energized are arguing for people who have less than they do to have opportunities and justice, too? I see people who realize that part of the cost of living in a civilized society is paying taxes (after, all we socialize roads and sewers in the recognition that we cannot have pure capitalism and without becoming a socialist country with nobody able to make a buck on their own). They realize that gated communities are NOT communities at all and that, yes, none of us makes it completely on our own.
2
To flip the coin, we could be describing political parties here. Take the case of judge Merrick Garland as an example, had members of the senate been reindividualized, he would have had a hearing and been confirmed and the Supreme Court would not have been one person short for a year. We could add other examples, too, from immigration reform to infrustructure improvement that have been stymied by crowd behavior tied to political parties.
6
And it is precisely his ability to play to the lowest-common-denominator crowd mentality that won Donald Trump the presidency.
14
Moderation, civility, mutual respect, active listening would improve our politics and help cooler heads prevail. Most of the Republican Congress is in lock-step, rubber stamp, follow the leader mode, but a few, namely the Tuesday Group are interested in compromise and seriving all of their constituents. Making headlines and ventilating with shouting matches do not help. Talking to and careful grooming of these 15 or so Republican Representatives and Senators is what keeps these pragmatists resisting, slowing and stopping the radical Trump, Bannon, Sessions agenda. Other than that the Indivisibles are a great group.
3
"... you can't fool all the people all of the time." Yes, the recent spate of backlash at town halls held by Republican members of Congress feel a lot like the Koch-fueled protests (minus the 18th century costumes). The reality is that many people now have voter's remorse because they now realize they were sold a "bill of goods" that isn't going to be what they asked for.
We-the-People want a better medical insurance program, respect for the working class, fair taxes, a reasonable paying job, et cetera. What Congress has produced thus far is all aimed at showering more benefits on the wealthiest (who fund political campaigns, PAC's, et cetera) while stiffing the people who thought that the RNC was the ticket for them.
To be sure, the mob is a problem for official power and the mob rapidly devolves but what fired up We-the-People to mob-like action is pretty clear. The actions of Congress are the opposite of the promises made. That We-the-People were manipulated with all kinds of psychological tricks is more evident every day. We-the-People are angry and telling everyone who will listen. Unfortunately, the response of the members of Congress is to shut their doors, stop listening, claim that the protests are organized by the opposition and to take refuge with their big donors in places where there are no cell phones or recording devices anywhere nearby.
We-the-People want a better medical insurance program, respect for the working class, fair taxes, a reasonable paying job, et cetera. What Congress has produced thus far is all aimed at showering more benefits on the wealthiest (who fund political campaigns, PAC's, et cetera) while stiffing the people who thought that the RNC was the ticket for them.
To be sure, the mob is a problem for official power and the mob rapidly devolves but what fired up We-the-People to mob-like action is pretty clear. The actions of Congress are the opposite of the promises made. That We-the-People were manipulated with all kinds of psychological tricks is more evident every day. We-the-People are angry and telling everyone who will listen. Unfortunately, the response of the members of Congress is to shut their doors, stop listening, claim that the protests are organized by the opposition and to take refuge with their big donors in places where there are no cell phones or recording devices anywhere nearby.
3
I don't see the people at these town hall meetings as an angry mob. They are people genuinely concerned about how they will pay for their healthcare. They are people genuinely flummoxed at their representatives who had years to come up with a credible healthcare plan and clearly never even thought about it. They are genuinely angry about all the government cuts that they are discovering will have an effect on their day to day lives, and not for the better.
For the GOP, an angry crowd is only a good thing when it's on their side. They are showing themselves to be cowards by avoiding the people they work for. Snowflakes is a term that comes to mind.
For the GOP, an angry crowd is only a good thing when it's on their side. They are showing themselves to be cowards by avoiding the people they work for. Snowflakes is a term that comes to mind.
8
"So are political protest crowds good or bad? "
The problem here is you have not distinguished the size of the crowd and the source of their complaints and demands. The Tea Party was to a large extent instigated and directed by FOX News, where people heard consistent lies so often, they began to believe them. Now that the lies are being revealed even to them, they are splitting apart.
The groups opposing the Republican reps now are mostly local groups of self-educated people, not directed by anyone. The voters showing up now are each more informed and are directed by real (yes, there is a difference between made-up and real issues) specific concerns than the Tea Party drinkers of Kool Aid (they should have stuck to tea).
So, there are protest crowds and there are protest crowds. Don't confuse what should be differentiated.
The problem here is you have not distinguished the size of the crowd and the source of their complaints and demands. The Tea Party was to a large extent instigated and directed by FOX News, where people heard consistent lies so often, they began to believe them. Now that the lies are being revealed even to them, they are splitting apart.
The groups opposing the Republican reps now are mostly local groups of self-educated people, not directed by anyone. The voters showing up now are each more informed and are directed by real (yes, there is a difference between made-up and real issues) specific concerns than the Tea Party drinkers of Kool Aid (they should have stuck to tea).
So, there are protest crowds and there are protest crowds. Don't confuse what should be differentiated.
9
I believe you could apply the Thoreau and Emerson quotes to several members of Congress ("You lie!" Joe Wilson for example during Obama's State of the Union address) and President Trump ("rude, lame, unmade, pernicious" to quote RWE) who wrote the book on making mobs out of campaign rallies. Perhaps these weak and whining GOP members just need a strong dose of what they've been inflicting upon everyone else.
6
Shameless Congressmen bought by big money are too afraid to face their constituents who have genuine fears and anxieties about what is being done to them. Calling this "Mob Rule" is trying to avert their responsibility.
This is a shameless article.
This is a shameless article.
15
A few months ago, someone I know called Marco Rubio's Tampa office until she actually got a staffer on the phone. He blamed "the opposition" for tying up the phone lines.
When political staffers refer to their own constituents as "the opposition," it's a safe bet that democracy is in big trouble. (To the author's point, note the difference between the plural—constituents—and the singular opposition.)
When political staffers refer to their own constituents as "the opposition," it's a safe bet that democracy is in big trouble. (To the author's point, note the difference between the plural—constituents—and the singular opposition.)
7
Let's see. Republican congresspeople are going home and finding that the people who elected them are not happy with them. Brooks wants to blame the unhappy people and group-speak. Could it be that he's turning his telescope in the wrong direction? I think that's what's happening here.
12
Basing ones arguments--even in part--on the writings of outdated philosophers is questionable, at best. Let us not forget that most of these philosophers were individuals of considerable wealth, who often looked down on those they viewed as inferior. Some of the most notable philosophers argued very successfully that certain classes of people (and animals) lack consciousness and therefore can be treated as subhumans. The ruling classes, including the major churches and political parties, gladly embraced these arguments and try to enforce the consequences to this day. As a case in point, some of these philosophers argued that slaves are lacking conscious minds and females are inferior to men; a view for which black people and females still pay the consequences. For example, Aristotle stated "The slave is wholly lacking the deliberative element; the female has it but it lacks authority; the child has it but it is incomplete." And others, most notably Descartes, argued that animals are nothing more than automata and have no reason or consciousness; a view that has successfully been used by the factory farming industries to justify the inhuman treatment and slaughter of these poor animals and has prevented legislation to finally protect these sentient beings from their tormentors.
2
In the 1990s, technology was developed for consensus-building community processes that allowed each member of a large meeting to quietly and quickly record their own views via an electronic, anonymous voting calculator that would show, in real time, on the wall via a projector, how many of the people in the room agreed or disagreed with a proposal. This is the type of procedure that town halls should be using - since otherwise, nobody really knows how many people of a meeting agree with what is being proposed, and the loudest can dominate. That elected officials have not yet adopted this technology, available now for 20 yrs, is shameful - it shows a lack of respect for the constituents. This article also reminds me of my environmental activism in the 1970s when I led a community-based chapter of an international environmental organization (Friends of the Earth). We activists knew (from common sense, and The Environmental Handbook) that we had to have a BETTER idea to win. (Thanks to my mother for teaching me not to criticize unless I could do better!) But it also helped the BETTER ideas to be considered seriously that we had about 500 local members that we represented. Thus the importance of being organized and not splintered. I'm disappointed in so many Dems for splintering ourselves into multiple orgs instead of all working together through the Democratic Party to make it stronger, though I understand why people want to start fresh. United we stand...
It appears that issue is being taken because a page has been taken from the right-wing playbook and is being used by the opposition. This opposition, by the way, represents the majority of American voters, as we saw in the last election. Mr. Brooks, right-wing partisan that he is, may be discovering that what's good for the goose may be a bit uncomfortable for the gander. The resistance is awake, on the move, and at town hall meetings. Ignore or avoid them at your risk....on the other hand, keep ignoring and avoiding them. That might work out nicely.....for the resistance.
7
Ever since Donald Trump became president, nothing has changed that would have been productive for the American people. President Trump, in partnership with the Republican Congress has created an Administration that’s mostly composed of the same millionaires that caused the 2003 economic downfall in which millions of people lost their jobs. While the President has turned this country into in anarchy; a state of disorder where there is no recognition to authority, the Republican Party doesn’t act because they follow his philosophy – no questions asked.
In America, we have the freedom of speech, or of the press; we have the right to expose our views without fear; appear at any town hall meeting to peacefully expose a politician for lying and demand what rightfully belongs to us and it’s happening because the Republicans got caught and nothing last forever!
Can hardly wait for the American people to find out that President Trump, in his first 100 days has spent $20 million more than the 8 years Obama was President. He’ll be cutting programs but make no sacrifices about his lavish lifestyle. At this rate, it could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Is this how he plans to “make American great again?”
Hal Borland said and I quote: No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
In America, we have the freedom of speech, or of the press; we have the right to expose our views without fear; appear at any town hall meeting to peacefully expose a politician for lying and demand what rightfully belongs to us and it’s happening because the Republicans got caught and nothing last forever!
Can hardly wait for the American people to find out that President Trump, in his first 100 days has spent $20 million more than the 8 years Obama was President. He’ll be cutting programs but make no sacrifices about his lavish lifestyle. At this rate, it could cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars. Is this how he plans to “make American great again?”
Hal Borland said and I quote: No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
4
Being able to vent your frustration to your elected representatives is a major essence of our republic. The issue here is whether the angry crowds are real or not. As Brooks said they are very well organized. So is this true grassroots anger or are these groups shills for a larger political agenda? The answer is probably a bit of both.
Yet the GOP needs to know how the people feel on issues. Is there a more constructive way to approach our elected representatives? Probably. But Town Halls are there for a reason. If the officials only want people to come who will laude them as the next great politico, then they have no real idea what governing in our nation is all about. These politicos need to leave their beltway bubble more often. It would do them some good.
The reality is that there are a significant number of the populace that are angry and actually frightened of what the GOP Congress may do that will effect their day-to-day existence. We may not be happy with Obamacare premiums and deductibles, but there are so many provisions that have helped individual people, that the idea of simply gutting the law is terrifying to those whose lives depend on the law's provision. My immediate family are some of those people. So yes, you are going to get yelled at if your idea of governing is to deprive people of healthcare. Too bad.
Remember the old saying: If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen? GOP - you wanted this job, you got it, now deal with it.
Yet the GOP needs to know how the people feel on issues. Is there a more constructive way to approach our elected representatives? Probably. But Town Halls are there for a reason. If the officials only want people to come who will laude them as the next great politico, then they have no real idea what governing in our nation is all about. These politicos need to leave their beltway bubble more often. It would do them some good.
The reality is that there are a significant number of the populace that are angry and actually frightened of what the GOP Congress may do that will effect their day-to-day existence. We may not be happy with Obamacare premiums and deductibles, but there are so many provisions that have helped individual people, that the idea of simply gutting the law is terrifying to those whose lives depend on the law's provision. My immediate family are some of those people. So yes, you are going to get yelled at if your idea of governing is to deprive people of healthcare. Too bad.
Remember the old saying: If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen? GOP - you wanted this job, you got it, now deal with it.
6
But the point of a crowd is--there's LOTS of us.
5
The G.O.P. can turn back the tide by instituting single-payer health care, raising the minimum wage, making education affordable for all, lowering drug prices, reining in Wall Street greed, raising taxes on the wealthy, etc. Simple.
4
Judging from his conclusion, the author has never attended a town hall. I have attended five and in every one the Congressman, failed to understand how to deal with the anger. Even with identification and taking of individual questions, the anger grew amongst the crowd because the Congressmen persisted in providing deflections, lies and propaganda. Not one of the them had the courage to say, "I will think about what you are saying and consider it carefully the next time I vote, take action or refuse to take action". "In the future I will provide you with my reasoning and I promise it will not sound like the drivel on Faux Gnus nor will it sound like the canned responses provided by Leadership consultants."
6
The protesters in town hall meetings at present are not as rude, rowdy, noisy , organized and financed by billionaires (specially Koch brothers). Republican Congress members never cared their voters. They know that their voters are gullible . The Republican Party is by the rich and for the rich. The economic condition in the south is getting worse and worse everyday and the voters have been voting for GOP without asking a question. Why the people in northeast and west coast of America are much better off ? The angry voters elected Trump and elected Republican congress. After 4 years their situation will get worse and they will be more angry. Then they will vote for Republicans again. Because we are naïve.
3
"Sire, the peasants are revolting!" "They certainly are."
What's happening in town halls is the most encouraging thing I've seen in a very long time. Democracy happens when people get on their feet.
What's happening in town halls is the most encouraging thing I've seen in a very long time. Democracy happens when people get on their feet.
6
This article is a thin defense of Congressional Republicans' cowardice at facing their constituents. After eight years of big talk, big plans, big wagers, gerrymandering, take-no-prisoners campaigning, and complete disregard for their constituents' lives, now we are horrified to discover these congressmen have nothing, nada, zilch to offer other than more wealth for the wealthy. In fact, we now know all their recesses, vacations, holidays are the best protection we have from all they could do to us.
We should send everyone of them packing on November 6, 2018. Think of the taxpayer monies we could save!
We should send everyone of them packing on November 6, 2018. Think of the taxpayer monies we could save!
6
Our elected officials proclaim to represent their "constituents-the voters in their districts". I wonder who they really represent. My Congressman doesnt hold local town halls but rather telephone town halls. And based on my experience he does not respond to inquiries sent via internet. Years ago I could just walk into the Capitol and stroll the halls--thanks to "security" concerns that is no longer possible. Guess who can stroll the halls--lobbyists!! That tells me who their real constituents are--the money men!
3
Republicans can do nothing unless they decide to reverse all their positions on major issues. This odious party has not had the interests of the American people at heart for decades. They're a reverse Robin Hood party, taking from the poor and middle and giving to the rich. What's simply incredible is that they still manage to get plenty of people to vote for this nonsense. Those folks need to wake-up soon, before it's too late.
DD
Manhattan
DD
Manhattan
4
This advice is likely to fall on deaf ears. If there is one deep lesson these GOP town halls have to teach children, it's that powerful conservative men (and it's almost entirely men) are astoundingly fragile and unaware of their own power and privilege. When confronted with counter voices, they are at turns outraged, shocked, saddened, and totally surprised. They have no self-awareness. They are people who have never had anyone shout disdain in their face. The people shouting this time have endured this kind of abuse and contempt all their lives by the GOP. Just desserts, I say.
5
Every day it becomes increasingly clearer that the immutable laws of economics mean that unless the Republicans want to allow medical underwriting, that is where insurance companies can reject applicants with preexisting conditions, something very close to Obamacare must be retained.
Demand for medical care is inelastic. Controlling prices charged by doctors and hospitals via the use of monopsony like the rest of the developed world does is an anathema to Republicans. Monopsony, meaning "single buyer" is the flip side of monopoly. A monopsonist sets prices below free market equilibrium. It does not matter if there is an actual single payer or many buyers (or payers) whose prices are set by the government or by insurance companies in collusion with each other. see: Obamacare And Beyond: The Outlook For The Healthcare Sector. http://seekingalpha.com/article/1647632
As it is dawning on the Republicans, any system that does not explicitly control prices must have mandates and subsidies similar to those in Obamacare. Otherwise, most individual insurance policies would be far beyond the reach of middle class Americans since, without medical underwriting insurance companies would have to price their policies based on the assumption that the applicant has a costly preexisting condition..."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4042715
Demand for medical care is inelastic. Controlling prices charged by doctors and hospitals via the use of monopsony like the rest of the developed world does is an anathema to Republicans. Monopsony, meaning "single buyer" is the flip side of monopoly. A monopsonist sets prices below free market equilibrium. It does not matter if there is an actual single payer or many buyers (or payers) whose prices are set by the government or by insurance companies in collusion with each other. see: Obamacare And Beyond: The Outlook For The Healthcare Sector. http://seekingalpha.com/article/1647632
As it is dawning on the Republicans, any system that does not explicitly control prices must have mandates and subsidies similar to those in Obamacare. Otherwise, most individual insurance policies would be far beyond the reach of middle class Americans since, without medical underwriting insurance companies would have to price their policies based on the assumption that the applicant has a costly preexisting condition..."
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4042715
2
Crowds, in our society, are the best way to get attention from both the elected official and the force multiplier known as the media. Town hall crowds are an intervention in response to arrogant governance. Prevention is always easier and cheaper than intervention. Prevention, which entail working across the aisle for the benefit of the electorate, seems impossible for these partisans (almost called them "ideologues" but that would have implied thought and consideration); who insist on doing things like voting to support the president in his desire to keep his tax returns secret or taking health insurance away from tens of millions of people. Stupidity deserves crowds and continued stupidity will earn continued crowds. This is what makes America great!
2
When the people see that WE have a government that is beholden to corporations, Trump's own family and friends, and foreign governments WE MUST protest. The leaders we presently have do not listen to us. We have no choice but to demonstrate our anger and fear that our way of life is being wiped away by the grab for power and money. We must write to our legislators, email them, show up at their every function to demonstrate our repugnance of the stink and filth that is being forced upon us. We must financially support the opposition and give all the help we can. We have no choice. It's resist or die.
2
Lets keep it simple. The greatest natural politician of our time, Bill Clinton, knew the American people like the back of his hand. Clinton's mantra was: It's the economy stupid. The American people are too pragmatic to worry too much about anything but their own wallet or pocketbook. The republicans from this moment on own the economy. If the economy tanks in the next 2 years, then the midterms will be a bloodbath for Republicans, if the economy stays solid than thing will be okay for them. The economy is always boom or bust, so the odds are good. Then there is inflation, inflation is another thing to watch, then there is gas prices. But things like human rights, health care, bombs in Syria or Korea, none of that means a thing in local elections.
The GOP can easily turn back the tide of Democrat town hall anger -- those Dems are never going to vote for the GOP anyhow. Despite all of George Soros's money, mimicking the Tea Party won't get the Dems any new Congressional seats.
You're assuming, without supporting data, that these town hall protesters are all Dems.
3
The "town hall anger" you so easily dismiss will not be lost on folks who have previously voted Republican. Consider that the "anger" will draw their attention to the issues.....and perhaps raise their awareness that things are not turning out the way they expected. People's minds can change when they realize that they're not getting what they thought they were voting for.
Anti-Republican groups are pre-organized and showing up at these town hall meetings prepared to disrupt and shout down discussion. They are not there to obtain an answer nor listen to a discussion.
Kinda like the GOP during the Obama administration?
Hmmm. Civil Rights. Ending the war in Vietnam. I guess we should be more polite.
4
Speaking of golden opportunities, it seems that Mr. Brooks missed one to point out that FOX and Breitbart an effective way to "deindividuate" an incredibly large audience, by giving legitimacy to their darkest lunacy in a 'digital mob'. Obviously not a perfect parallel, but interesting food for thought.
1
It's not really surprising that a member of the American Enterprise Institute looks upon crowds at meetings as a "management" problem.
People with legitimate issues, affected negatively by policies being enacted, need to be managed when they raise these issues. Just like widgets. Or workers. Oh, sorry--same thing. Interchangeable.
It's all about the spreadsheet. As George Carlin said, keep it in the black. No matter what.
People with legitimate issues, affected negatively by policies being enacted, need to be managed when they raise these issues. Just like widgets. Or workers. Oh, sorry--same thing. Interchangeable.
It's all about the spreadsheet. As George Carlin said, keep it in the black. No matter what.
2
It's disingenuous to NOT include a discussion Of The ISSUES involved in the protest crowds.
5
It is a shame you did not pitch the column in terms of advice to the mob on how to improve their political effectiveness. Then we would see you as a friend to participatory democracy.
People of the mob: express your view but keep it short, let the next speaker speak. Bring a few microphones and small speakers, pass them round, take turns to articulate. Shear volume is satisfying, but argument changes minds. Convince them that their next election depends upon them hearing and acting upon your point of view.
People of the mob: express your view but keep it short, let the next speaker speak. Bring a few microphones and small speakers, pass them round, take turns to articulate. Shear volume is satisfying, but argument changes minds. Convince them that their next election depends upon them hearing and acting upon your point of view.
2
When a one party Congress comes close to passing a bill like Trumpcare--quickly, with no public discussion or even Congressional discussion, and when--even under these conditions only 17% of the populace who elected a same-party President approves this bill--Congress cannot be said to be doing the will of the people. That Congress wished to pass a bill under the guise of "Repeal and Replace" with a replacement healthcare bill containing neither health nor care--primarily to provide tax cuts to the wealthy from money taken from Medicaid which serves the poorest of our citizens--this is a defrauding of all US citizens.
The wonder of Trumpcare is how MANY GOP Congressmen were willing to pass a bill that would be detrimental to their constituents in the name of Party loyalty!
The wonder of Trumpcare is how MANY GOP Congressmen were willing to pass a bill that would be detrimental to their constituents in the name of Party loyalty!
4
Now if one imagined there was bias in media, and of course we all know there is no such thing, one would wonder why this piece was not written when Tea Party activists (am I allowed to use the word "activist" with a conservative cause? Not sure of the rules here) were in town hall meetings expressing their anger at seas of red ink so great the mind has trouble imagining it.
BUT THERE IS NO MEDIA BIAS. So we can just chalk it up to poor timing.
BUT THERE IS NO MEDIA BIAS. So we can just chalk it up to poor timing.
2
A crowd that comes together by virtue of inflammatory rhetoric of anger is a mob, and earns the disdain of Thoreau and Emerson. A body of people who rise from the grassroots and unify in their purpose become the kind of force upon which our nation was founded. Let us hope that we come together with the mutual goal preserving our national values and erasing the power and financial corruption that has been slowly absorbing our government, which WAS founded upon purer motives. The groundswell of resistance that seems to be morphing into action seems to be holding on a productive level. We have reached our current level of dysfunction through OBstructionism. Let us hope that active CONstructionism can revitalize us. Our motto should not be "Make America Great Again", but rather "Keep America and Our Values Great". We need to be a sea of voices, not a mob.
126
NO. They cannot.
They want to destroy democracy in America. WE - THE PEOPLE do not.
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
They want to destroy democracy in America. WE - THE PEOPLE do not.
FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!
44
Agree with everything in your article. That said, sometimes people need to just stand up and vent! Demonstrations are sometimes a way of focusing attention at the collective anger. Having respectful, rational discussions (that will likely go nowhere after the meeting concludes) is unlikely to show up on the six o'clock news. And the point of demonstrations is to focus attention and get attention.
14
It looks like Mr. Brooks is a fan of government control by individuals instead of by the masses. Somehow he has leap frogged right over the women's movement, and the struggle for civil rights. He is, in his way, taking a stance against change. Instead of seeing such protest that things are not quite right, he paints them as bad actors. Using past examples to make his point is pointless since resistance today has a more solid basis.
20
It it hadn't been for people like my grandfather, Frank Newton, God rest his soul, who along with other strikers (RIOTERS, Gasp!!!) in Racine, Wisconsin against J. I. Case in Racine, Wisconsin in the 1930s, who got his head bashed in at least once by a cop's baton, we'd ALL be wearing brown shirts and black boots, and all of us would ONLY be blonde and blue-eyed.
Strange how, with the GOP controlling all of the political power in this country, conservative thinkers are suddenly obsessively concerned with the "dangers of a crowd."
The entire premise of this article represents a false frame. Even the rhetorical maneuver of moving from "protests" in speaking of Jefferson, then to "masses" when speaking of Henry David Thoreau or Ralph Waldo Emerson and then "crowds" (Le Bon), then to "mobs" speaks to the author's disingenuousness.
Whether crowds are good or bad is irrelevant. The 'Constitutionalists'' beloved Constitution allows for free assembly and each citizens' right to lobby their government. Angered citizens are making use of that right. Crowds of constituents coming to meet with their Congressional Representative isn't a mob. It's a group of citizen lobbyists, rightfully and dutifully expressing their displeasure with their elected officials.
I suspect Mr. Brooks's 'concern' with these groups isn't nearly so great as his passionate defense of a soft-spokent billionaire holding private meetings on behalf of himself, his company, his industry, in order to lavish a voting Congressperson with unlimited campaign funds. That's 'proper' lobbying in a conservatives mind, no?
And the flippant comment notwithstanding, as an outspoken liberal, I had no issue with the Tea Partiers complaining in their town halls, other than with their ridiculous wardrobes, and the 'astroturf' nature of the organizations funded largely by the Kochs.
The entire premise of this article represents a false frame. Even the rhetorical maneuver of moving from "protests" in speaking of Jefferson, then to "masses" when speaking of Henry David Thoreau or Ralph Waldo Emerson and then "crowds" (Le Bon), then to "mobs" speaks to the author's disingenuousness.
Whether crowds are good or bad is irrelevant. The 'Constitutionalists'' beloved Constitution allows for free assembly and each citizens' right to lobby their government. Angered citizens are making use of that right. Crowds of constituents coming to meet with their Congressional Representative isn't a mob. It's a group of citizen lobbyists, rightfully and dutifully expressing their displeasure with their elected officials.
I suspect Mr. Brooks's 'concern' with these groups isn't nearly so great as his passionate defense of a soft-spokent billionaire holding private meetings on behalf of himself, his company, his industry, in order to lavish a voting Congressperson with unlimited campaign funds. That's 'proper' lobbying in a conservatives mind, no?
And the flippant comment notwithstanding, as an outspoken liberal, I had no issue with the Tea Partiers complaining in their town halls, other than with their ridiculous wardrobes, and the 'astroturf' nature of the organizations funded largely by the Kochs.
78
We also understand all too well a popular strategy called "divide and conquer".
38
It's only about getting the votes to stay in office, Mr. Brooks. These elected officials don't care about their constituents but just continue their lies and inaction.
18
Note that Mr. Brooks fails to mention the extensive social science research on social movements that shows conclusively that, without the crowd, those in power have no incentive to listen to individuals. Mass protest is essential to holding rulers of any political system accountable.
53
Gerrymandered districts may make many of them feel safe but voters -- and those who didn't vote -- are finally beginning to realize that the Republicans are bent on destroying their health care and their planet. If the GOP starts tinkering with Social Security and Medicare those town halls will really explode.
34
I can't help but wonder how many of these voters who may lose health care and suffer from Social Security and Medicare "fixes" supported the gerrymandering, the bait and switch actions and in the end voted for the legislator that now appears to not represent their interests? Did these people that are now questioning the motives of their lawmaker not know when they voted what that candidate had campaigned on? Now they complain?
As a drill sergeant many years ago stated to that if you volunteered for the military as opposed to being drafted, you cannot complain. So goes those who voted against their own well being and interests.
As a drill sergeant many years ago stated to that if you volunteered for the military as opposed to being drafted, you cannot complain. So goes those who voted against their own well being and interests.
1
Dan, these are likely some of the same folks who some years back were shouting "Keep your government hands off my Medicare!" And remember the uproar when W tried to mess with Social Security? Some people will never realize that these programs they so rely on are actually government programs, but, boy, when someone starts talking about tinkering with them....look out!
Dear Mr Brooks,
Our family loves to read your column and watch you on Fridays discuss the week with Mark Shields but.... This lesson on deindividualization or as first responder instructors have been teaching for years "diffusion of responsibility" is old news. So old in fact that you quote writers who may be trending up as fast as Fredrick Douglas but are just as pre Obama administration. Where was this article before the Tea Party protests? Today in this era of slick sound bites and parsing of words it is important to have these town hall meetings where organized groups ("mobs") can call someone out on these phrases that sound clever but mean precious little. So many reporters ask wonderful questions then just sit and smile while they receive prepared sound bites that do not even address the wonderful question. The "mobs" help point these out better than any individual is capable of doing in this setting. Thank you for you time on this matter.
Our family loves to read your column and watch you on Fridays discuss the week with Mark Shields but.... This lesson on deindividualization or as first responder instructors have been teaching for years "diffusion of responsibility" is old news. So old in fact that you quote writers who may be trending up as fast as Fredrick Douglas but are just as pre Obama administration. Where was this article before the Tea Party protests? Today in this era of slick sound bites and parsing of words it is important to have these town hall meetings where organized groups ("mobs") can call someone out on these phrases that sound clever but mean precious little. So many reporters ask wonderful questions then just sit and smile while they receive prepared sound bites that do not even address the wonderful question. The "mobs" help point these out better than any individual is capable of doing in this setting. Thank you for you time on this matter.
9
Respectfully, you have confused Arthur Brooks with David Brooks, of Brooks and Shields.
It is David Brooks your family likes to watch on PBS with Mark Shields. This is Arthur C Brooks, totally different guy.
In Argentina, politics is above all. Street protests, from a few to thousands of participants, are a daily event. Peronistas make control of street protests their main instrument of political power. In the US, the ruling elite never trusted political marches as a legitimate instrument of democracy. Now, the mistrusted is even greater since society is politically split and increasingly aggresive.
'Protesters' is an inadequate term. They are diagnosticians. And they come armed with evidence. When folks gather to reason in the Public Sphere slogans and 144 'caricatures' fail to offer real policies that work.
6
What is driving these town meeting demonstrations is the righteous indignation of citizens who realized that they have been conned by Trump and the GOP.
In this respect, they constitute a "class" in the same sense as the Trump University students, who were similarly conned and responded with "class action" suit. Are you suggesting, Mr. Brooks, that they just grin and bear it?
Your analogy to trick or treaters taking candy is both patronizing and wrong. If anything, these citizens are protesting so that their candy is not stolen by the GOP's and Trump's false promises and bogus populism. They are seeking accountability and not just for rich donors and lobbyists.
In this respect, they constitute a "class" in the same sense as the Trump University students, who were similarly conned and responded with "class action" suit. Are you suggesting, Mr. Brooks, that they just grin and bear it?
Your analogy to trick or treaters taking candy is both patronizing and wrong. If anything, these citizens are protesting so that their candy is not stolen by the GOP's and Trump's false promises and bogus populism. They are seeking accountability and not just for rich donors and lobbyists.
23
Trump's WH seems to be leaning more in the direction of the Wall Street crowd and away from the Bannon populists. As he reneges on some of the things he promised the populists will they join their moderate brethren to scold their representatives at town hall meetings? Could get interesting...
7
More likely they will go back to being a splinter group with little actual political power. Divide and conquer cuts both ways, after all...
I fear that as long as we have GOP representatives that are gloating about the fact that they now control both houses, the White House and soon the Supreme Court, they will not respond to the anger and frustration felt by their constituency. The Republicans have successfully gerrymandered voting districts so the voters who brought Trump and his band of know-nothing sock puppets in to power will continue to vote in do-nothing representatives an senators. The GOP is the party of NO and they are good at blocking legislation but as the past 100 days have shown, they have no clue about how to run the country and take care of the Americans who trust them to represent them and make or keep laws that support the principles of democracy and empathy that our country was built on. Trump is a mélange of lies, deceit, vulgarity, and apathy. He has clearly demonstrated his lack of knowledge on key issues. He assumed he could get through the Presidency without having to understand how it has functioned over the years. He assumed he could behave like a dictator and get bizarre laws passed. Donald Trump on the other hand is mired in personal scandals: Sexual assault, financial wrongdoing and Russia. He is a man in whom thinking American have no confidence.
19
What if they just spoke to truth? People sense fundamental changes. What if leaders shared their understanding of world order, current conflict, economic forces - sort of a where we've been and where are we headed and why. Why so much propaganda and distraction and tedious inane platitudes? Do they not understand themselves?
6
What the author fails to point out is that one major intention of the resistance mob is to isolate and "individuate" the politician in question. While tea Party tactics relied on numbers and the optics of a mob to establish a PR message of righteous anger -- itself contagious for people watching on TV and impressionable pundits -- the Resistance mob is trying to put members of congress into a corner where they have to own their own words, opinions and actions. There's a difference. The way things stand now, it's Congress that is the mob, able to hide its own mass and behind a demagogue, never accepting responsibility, and degraded to it's most degraded member. That's tyranny. That calls for braking things up. That's the Resistance.
32
Last night Mike Coffman (R-CO) had a town hall in Aurora. One woman asked him what it would take for him to side with his constituents over Republican Party doctrine. He did not answer and moved onto the next question.
Sometimes silence communicates more than words do.
Sometimes silence communicates more than words do.
34
Trump vanquished all other Republican opponents to become the undisputed leader of the Republican party. And he did so in large part by playing to the crowd. Treating "the whole group like one individual" asking questions "Should I lock her up?" or "Who's going to pay for The Wall?". This cheer leading tactic to solicit the crowds response was a yuge tactic to his and other GOP candidates' winning success.
But now elected it appears they don't want to hear the voices of the people from their home districts. All of whom they are supposed to be representing?
Maybe it is due to the fact that the promises they campaigned on have now mostly been forgotten and they don't want to be held accountable.
But now elected it appears they don't want to hear the voices of the people from their home districts. All of whom they are supposed to be representing?
Maybe it is due to the fact that the promises they campaigned on have now mostly been forgotten and they don't want to be held accountable.
21
Not surprising that a writer for the AEI would want to diminish the strength of progressives in their numbers. This is nothing more than a veiled attempt to tell legislators to isolate individuals so that in isolation their voice is weakened. I wonder if he was of the same opinion when the Tea Party was voicing their complaints in 2012?
8
This column reads like a very, learned sociological study and totally misses the point. These protesters are frustrated with the completely lack of rational government activity not some sort of organized protest. The GOP has the power and will do anything to maintain it despite endless incoherence of any consistent policies by Trump. The frustration is palpable and to be subjected to be reduced to pedagogical analysis is offensive to me.
12
"But when they were alone and asked their names, only 10 percent took more than they were allotted."
That's the 10 percent the AEI on whose behalf the AEI agitates. This column is the equivalent of recommending what color shirt a Rep should wear to a rally. How about recommending that a Rep ask why so many people feel motivated to form/join a crowd in the first place? What about the issues they're shouting about?
If a Rep has a hard time handling a crowd, s/he better ask how they got in that predicament in the first place rather than how to make the evening more frictionless for her/himself.
And by the way, I would've had no problem with Tea Party protests if the Tea Party was in fact a grassroots organization rather than a store-bought front for the Koch Bros etc.
That's the 10 percent the AEI on whose behalf the AEI agitates. This column is the equivalent of recommending what color shirt a Rep should wear to a rally. How about recommending that a Rep ask why so many people feel motivated to form/join a crowd in the first place? What about the issues they're shouting about?
If a Rep has a hard time handling a crowd, s/he better ask how they got in that predicament in the first place rather than how to make the evening more frictionless for her/himself.
And by the way, I would've had no problem with Tea Party protests if the Tea Party was in fact a grassroots organization rather than a store-bought front for the Koch Bros etc.
14
The "town hall meeting" is a sly appropriation of "Town Meeting", in my opinion. (See Frank Bryan's excellent study "Real Democracy"). Town Meeting is a governing system in New England (perhaps elsewhere) which practices Direct Democracy, not Representative Democracy. It is effective, communal, open, contentious and strengthens community. Perfect, of course, it is not, and it is too unwieldy to be effective in cities. Republicans, in particular, arrive at their version of these "town hall" meetings (if they have the courage to do their jobs and go) armed with assigned catchphrases (assigned by Mitch M., no doubt) to further the Party line. "Repeal and Replace!", for example. It is bumper sticker thinking, and is infuriating to intelligent, informed voters (yes, we are out there!). I hope that Republican Congress members display some courage in representing those of us who got them to Congress, rather than shilling for this sadistic and cruel administration.
14
This is silly: "Lots of research confirms this, showing that deindividuation can lower inhibitions against immoral behavior." The example shows if kids see others taking more than allowed, they will also break the rule. It has nothing to do with the size of the group. And we didn't need research, we see it with speeding on the highway.
5
Your thoughts, Mr. Brooks (I'm stressing the individual in my reaction) are relevant, but the GOP congressmen who will be removed from office in California next year (I'm talking to you Issa, Rohrabacher, Royce and Walters) are part of a group that rode the coattails of Trump into a position of greater power via Russian meddling. The GOP crowd that are attempting to turn back the clock to 1957 will have done this to themselves as part of a collective led by the King, Mitch McConnell. The "You lie" crowd at local meetings is just the start.
12
So the problem is the angry crowds and not the legislative swill that republicans are trying to foist on the public. Nice try mr. brooks.
I would indeed like the Republican members of Congress and those in the White House to re-individuate their constituents. I would like it to matter to them whether those constituents live or die; whether they survive day to day in fear of losing health care, or the whims of their employers; whether DACA dreamers live in terror every day for fear of the deportation of their hard-working parents.
I would like them to discover the humanity of their fellow human beings, even when those fellows aren't family members who happen by the luck of the draw to be felled by disease, or bigotry; or happen to be of another faith or sexual preference.
Simply put, I would like Republicans to start seeing their fellows as human beings rather than simply as opportunities to gain political advantage by stirring up of hatred. But since I have lived a long time -- through Nixon and Agnew, through Atwater and Rove, through Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson, through Gingrich and Palin, and now Bannon and Trump -- I do not expect this to occur in my lifetime.
I would like them to discover the humanity of their fellow human beings, even when those fellows aren't family members who happen by the luck of the draw to be felled by disease, or bigotry; or happen to be of another faith or sexual preference.
Simply put, I would like Republicans to start seeing their fellows as human beings rather than simply as opportunities to gain political advantage by stirring up of hatred. But since I have lived a long time -- through Nixon and Agnew, through Atwater and Rove, through Pat Buchanan and Pat Robertson, through Gingrich and Palin, and now Bannon and Trump -- I do not expect this to occur in my lifetime.
5
"When people detach from a group, the research suggests they will become more ethical, rational and intelligent."
Well that's a problem for republicans, who depend on their constituents being unethical, irrational, and unintelligent.
Well that's a problem for republicans, who depend on their constituents being unethical, irrational, and unintelligent.
5
The theme of this article reflects why the founders of our country settled on a republic rather than a democracy. An angry democracy can morph to anarchy.
I am concerned that they can, in fact, turn back the tide by proper `messaging'.
They have convinced everyone that they are the pro-life party.
They have convinced everyone that they are the pro-life party.
3
This op-ed piece offers little insight into the problem of democratic representation in Congress. "Haunted" Republicans, studies of "Halloween trick-or-treaters," labeling Americans who participate in Town Hall Meetings as "crowds" or "mobs." Pure rubbish!
Modern polls have shown that Americans are deeply disaffected and unhappy about the political behavior of their elected members of Congress. The last Congress had an approval rating of only 8%. Nevertheless, Republican gerrymandering of Congressional districts ensured continued control of the House of Representatives by the most extreme Republican faction:
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/05/the_gop_screwed_themselves_the_brilliant...
https://www.flippable.org/blog/2017/3/6/how-republicans-rigged-the-map
As Mr. Brooks knows, since "money is speech" every politician hews to the piper's tune.
The people who show up at town meetings are attempting to tell their representatives directly how they feel about the issues that affect their lives: economic insecurity, health insurance insecurity, protection of women's rights to control their own bodies, protection from excessive police force, safe water, clean air, and more.
These people (not mobs or crowds) assemble peaceably, question and confront their representatives in public forums and listen. They do not damage property or assault strangers.
Though funded by the 0.1%, Republicans should face their own voters.
Modern polls have shown that Americans are deeply disaffected and unhappy about the political behavior of their elected members of Congress. The last Congress had an approval rating of only 8%. Nevertheless, Republican gerrymandering of Congressional districts ensured continued control of the House of Representatives by the most extreme Republican faction:
http://www.salon.com/2016/06/05/the_gop_screwed_themselves_the_brilliant...
https://www.flippable.org/blog/2017/3/6/how-republicans-rigged-the-map
As Mr. Brooks knows, since "money is speech" every politician hews to the piper's tune.
The people who show up at town meetings are attempting to tell their representatives directly how they feel about the issues that affect their lives: economic insecurity, health insurance insecurity, protection of women's rights to control their own bodies, protection from excessive police force, safe water, clean air, and more.
These people (not mobs or crowds) assemble peaceably, question and confront their representatives in public forums and listen. They do not damage property or assault strangers.
Though funded by the 0.1%, Republicans should face their own voters.
15
The story about the children with a bowl of candy seems fitting when discussing our present Republican leadership. Even with tiny hands, you can grab a lot if you dive in often enough.
But you missed a point when discussing the town hall meetings. Republicans pack heat. And their leaders, who have granted them as much access to weaponry as possible, know it. These are people who've been lied to and played for fools, and they're starting to wake up. So maybe there's a good reason for trepidation.
But you missed a point when discussing the town hall meetings. Republicans pack heat. And their leaders, who have granted them as much access to weaponry as possible, know it. These are people who've been lied to and played for fools, and they're starting to wake up. So maybe there's a good reason for trepidation.
2
It is a bit sad that you are asking if "this kind of protest" (going to your representative's town hall) is "good for American democracy". Is low attendance "good for American democracy"? Many readers are aware of a recent Princeton study showing fairly strong Congressional resistance to popular opinion and more sympathetic response to campaign donors. The feeble state of our democracy is creating conditions of protest; it makes no sense to blame protest for the poor state of our democracy.
Angry town halls contributed, to some extent, to the defeat of Trumpcare and that was pretty good for American democracy
Angry town halls contributed, to some extent, to the defeat of Trumpcare and that was pretty good for American democracy
5
Town Hall Anger makes for good television, however, unless this anger translates to anger at the polls it means nothing. Jim Sensenbrenner, who has been in Congress since 1979, told one of these "angry" gatherings, "I won by 146,000 votes." In other words, I can't lose, I will never lose and I don't care how loud you are or how angry you are.
My Congressman is in the top five on the list of representatives with the worst attendance records and he basically runs unopposed. Does anyone think he cares if he holds a town hall with angry voters?
My Congressman is in the top five on the list of representatives with the worst attendance records and he basically runs unopposed. Does anyone think he cares if he holds a town hall with angry voters?
5
The author's "de-individuation/re-individuation" thesis could be applied to the governing GOP in general. They have been acting like an organized mob for some time now. These town halls are a forum for "calling them out" individually, to stand up, state their name and what they stand for. They apparently don't like being held accountable in person.
3
What I wonder is how many people at these town halls voted for GOP candidates. If they voted for them, I have no pity for them. What they are finding out now is that "ignorance IS NOT bliss."
1
My congressman, Dan Donovan have refused multiple times requests to held a town hall. He had one in the fall where hundreds attended in Brooklyn and 2-3 yellers were removed.
He has been using this excuse ever since, distorting the event on CNN.
What use do we have of a Representative who is afraid to meet the people he is representing?
Tele town hall is a one-way street. He offers one-on-one meetings (I had one), where he dominates the discussion and 3 of his aides backing him.
He used to be a prosecutor (of Eric Garner that made him famous) --
We need a man, not a puppet.
He has been using this excuse ever since, distorting the event on CNN.
What use do we have of a Representative who is afraid to meet the people he is representing?
Tele town hall is a one-way street. He offers one-on-one meetings (I had one), where he dominates the discussion and 3 of his aides backing him.
He used to be a prosecutor (of Eric Garner that made him famous) --
We need a man, not a puppet.
5
You seem to misunderstand the depth of resistance. For many of us the election of Trump was a last straw. The Republican party is now for ever linked to treason, it is now not possible to be a patriot and a Republican. A dissolution of the union is preferable to a continuation of the ludicrous undemocratic rule of the current regime.
5
The American enterprise institute is a phony think tank funded by wealthy donors to pursue an agenda favors inequality, tax breaks for millionaires and stifles all funding for education, infrastructure and healthcare. Just who do they really represent?
5
There are crowds and there are crowds. Somehow, Mr. Brooks failed to mention the Trump campaign crowds. Those were mobs, angry, stupid, ready to lynch mobs. Then there were those crowds in Selma, Al. who marched just to be treated as an equal. They weren't trick or treaters, another false equivalence by a close-minded conservative.
Then there are the lack of crowds like Trump's inauguration.
Then there are the lack of crowds like Trump's inauguration.
6
@Nick Adams
You do not know what you are talking about.
I was at several Trump rallies. They people came to hear Trump speak not lynch anyone.
I saw two anti Trump protesters sneak in and try to provoke a fight with an elderly man. They had to be dragged out by security because they refused to leave quietly.
You do not know what you are talking about.
I was at several Trump rallies. They people came to hear Trump speak not lynch anyone.
I saw two anti Trump protesters sneak in and try to provoke a fight with an elderly man. They had to be dragged out by security because they refused to leave quietly.
Thanks for straightening me out.
1
Crowds protesting are one of the few effective tools left in our gerrymandered democracy. I say keep them.
5
This is what happens when the will of the majority of voters is denied. The current president and his government are a sham. Most Americans did not vote for Donald Trump. And they are doubly angry to learn that Russia interfered in the election to bring Trump to power. The outcry at town halls is the natural result of what happens when you shut people out of the political process. The GOP is reaping the whirlwind.
5
When we vote we are always "crowd sourcing"; it is a very simple and uncomplex true/ false yes/no situation. Reasoned individual thought of leads us to jin one or another group to express our opinion. Democracy does not in our current America form lend itself to a large variety of choices.
1
What should dissatisfied voters do then? Just sit home and sign am online petition or post an article on Facebook? I've seen op-eds like this before questioning whether people should participate in marches or protest at town halls and I wonder what the ulterior motive is. I suspect what the authors really want is for us to just stand by quietly while our democracy is being shredded. Sorry, I want my voice heard and I will use all the tools I have at my disposal in a democratic country.
7
Everything is equal for Mr. Brooks, Koch financed tea party activists protesting against a health law that will benefit them, spontaneous protests against eliminating a health law that benefits them. Social science/philosophy abstractions, easy to do, makes you sound so erudite, versus the reality of the policy issue. It's not the rudeness, Mr. Brooks, it's the policy!!
1
The greater problem, in my mind, is the almost pathological fear most politicians exhibit of addressing the questions their constituents pose. How often have we heard a clear, well-reasoned (and, if we were especially fortunate, cogent) response to a focused question? The proclivity of politicians to engage in Doublespeak does nothing to encourage their electors' respect for them.
9
The GOP has a problem. Remember all those people who vote against their self-interest? A lot of them are beginning to get more curious about what their self-interest actually is, or better said, what their politicians are doing in opposition to those interests. As they figure it out, it turns out that maybe they aren't so self-destructive and easily led as the GOP hopes for them to be. It's not a pretty sight when the victimc of deception figure it out.
10
As I watch some of the tape from the animated town halls held by those GOP members of Congress whi have the fortitude to actually hold them, I am struck by how often, after the event, or after a quick and untimely retreat from the event, that the Rep or Sen talks about "professional protesters." I harks back to the sixties when we often heard about "outside agitators" in the civil rights protests.
Perhaps one reason for all of the anger directed toward Congresspersons is the general impression that the see themselves as only representing the people who actually voted for them. None of these people won 100% of the vote even in heavily gerrymandered districts. They are constituents too. When GOP Representatives and Senators -- or even Presidents and Vice Presidents start to understand that they have a duty to citizens who are not part of "the base" or who actually voted for them, then just maybe we can see some progress. Oh, and the town halls will be much more civil.
Perhaps one reason for all of the anger directed toward Congresspersons is the general impression that the see themselves as only representing the people who actually voted for them. None of these people won 100% of the vote even in heavily gerrymandered districts. They are constituents too. When GOP Representatives and Senators -- or even Presidents and Vice Presidents start to understand that they have a duty to citizens who are not part of "the base" or who actually voted for them, then just maybe we can see some progress. Oh, and the town halls will be much more civil.
12
I believe the age-old adage applies - "The chickens have come home to roost."
This is political karma. The GOP Congress has been obstructionist for many terms, denying any legislative directions suggested by President Obama. The GOP propaganda machines (Fox Entertainment and AM radio) churned out misinformation that helped Trump win the White House. Now Trump is bumbling his way along, flailing on any of his campaign promises and the GOP in Congress are complicit because they've not stood up to him.
The GOP Congress, always walking lock-step regardless of the issue, are tasting their just rewards. America has experienced years of poor national and international policy. Supply-side economics, originated by Reagan and repeatedly tried, never trickled down wealth or made American jobs. Endless wars abroad have been quagmires without planned political end games.
The GOP has no real and honest answers. They are a directionless political machine making money for the 1%.
So SAD!
This is political karma. The GOP Congress has been obstructionist for many terms, denying any legislative directions suggested by President Obama. The GOP propaganda machines (Fox Entertainment and AM radio) churned out misinformation that helped Trump win the White House. Now Trump is bumbling his way along, flailing on any of his campaign promises and the GOP in Congress are complicit because they've not stood up to him.
The GOP Congress, always walking lock-step regardless of the issue, are tasting their just rewards. America has experienced years of poor national and international policy. Supply-side economics, originated by Reagan and repeatedly tried, never trickled down wealth or made American jobs. Endless wars abroad have been quagmires without planned political end games.
The GOP has no real and honest answers. They are a directionless political machine making money for the 1%.
So SAD!
9
Respect is the sine qua non of any relationship, be it with a crowd or an individual. If Congressmen show respect to the group needs of their constituents (rather than the deep pockets of a benefactor or two) and to their constituents as individuals (treating all people as equal regardless of how much money they might donate), then the world will be a better place.
3
By ignoring the angry masses, the GOP got their party hijacked by a populist who became the president and most of their leadership is playing the Emperor Has Clothes game in a sort of Stockholm syndrome.
But it is not a republican monopoly. By ignoring the content of the anger of the masses and Russian intervention, Hillary lost the elections to the same populist.
A re-individuation strategy sound good to me as long as the results of the needs of the people are not ignored. Again.
But it is not a republican monopoly. By ignoring the content of the anger of the masses and Russian intervention, Hillary lost the elections to the same populist.
A re-individuation strategy sound good to me as long as the results of the needs of the people are not ignored. Again.
2
With Mr. Trump, back in Washington, trying to help them by insisting the repeal of Obamacare is still on the table, the Republican's may survive the town hall plague this recess. But with Trump continuing to play spin-the-bottle with his associate and his policy positions, Republicans are in deep trouble. So is America.
We cannot have a leader whose focus, positions, and friends change from day to day; moment to moment at the whim of whomever is standing nearest to him and what ever the morning polls say.
We will not change Trump, but Congress and the Courts can and should lead the country and make clear our policies and positions. It is our only hope. Trump will lead us into war if he thinks it will improve his polls. We don't need Americans killed for his advantage.
We cannot have a leader whose focus, positions, and friends change from day to day; moment to moment at the whim of whomever is standing nearest to him and what ever the morning polls say.
We will not change Trump, but Congress and the Courts can and should lead the country and make clear our policies and positions. It is our only hope. Trump will lead us into war if he thinks it will improve his polls. We don't need Americans killed for his advantage.
3
It is interesting that the turnout at angry town meetings with representatives is the public that was so fed up with the Obama agenda over the previous 8 years, that they steadily voted the Dems out of office and elected conservatives to correct the situation. "Straighten up this mess", they said, "but don't cut any programs or regulations that benefit me." So are we going to have another hope and change movement?
2
what's going to happen is that "the people" will grow increasingly angry about republican policies as the so called governing process continues. the problem will be that the republican gerrymandering and voter suppression will guarantee them continued wins for some time..... and the appointments coming to the supreme court will guarantee that we the people will suffer under their oppressive rule for even longer than it will takes to get them out of congress.
5
These events are painful for any political that represents their own interests or the interests of their party over those of their constituents.
This is also the time where politicians come face to face with the reality that they really do work for us the US taxpayer! That is frightening for many of them.
This is also the time where politicians come face to face with the reality that they really do work for us the US taxpayer! That is frightening for many of them.
3
Those pesky voters! Why do they stick around after the election theater and expect their representatives to hold to their campaign promises? Why would they want representatives to consider their - the voters! - needs instead of the ones who made the win possible, those with plenty money? The nerve!
4
I recently attended a friday night townhall given by Scott Tipton, our local GOP congressman in Colorado's 3rd district, which is deep red. I planned to ask a reasonable question when called upon, despite the fact that I think the congressman couldn't care less about anything than his preconceived notions. Instead, I did get caught up in the crowd's angry reactions to his comments when he reinforced his support for the standard GOP policies in face of questions from the audience. I agree with the author that "de-individualization " may be a problem, but the greater problem is the fact that the GOP seems to have gotten together and made a list of everything that is good about America, and has come out with a plan to defeat every single idea on that list. They deserve the anger they are getting; and I hope that they get repeatedly pummeled for their naked corruption. If they want to cancel townhalls because they cant take the heat, they can pay the consequences.
9
The author has a point , but that one voice , individuated , is only meaningful when that voice has a larger crowd behind them backing them up .
It's not an " either or " set of circumstances . Both group and individual voices are essential to effectuate change and both rely on the other for their strength and ultimate outcome .
It's not an " either or " set of circumstances . Both group and individual voices are essential to effectuate change and both rely on the other for their strength and ultimate outcome .
3
You're assuming that the politicians are there to engage rather than advance their agenda by whatever rhetorical means necessary. I suspect more the latter, based on the video I've seen. Right now this comes across as advice to the oppressors.
"'The mass never comes up to the standard of its best member, but on the contrary degrades itself to a level with the lowest.'"
That would be the Senate Republican caucus and its leader, Mitch McConnell.
The House Republican caucus has institutionalized this dynamic in the Hastert Rule.
That would be the Senate Republican caucus and its leader, Mitch McConnell.
The House Republican caucus has institutionalized this dynamic in the Hastert Rule.
3
Contributors have money and can confront legislators as individuals. They have power as individuals. Voters do not have as much money and have power only as a body with the power to throw their legislators out of office.
If you want to treat voters as if they were individuals, start by listening to them and serving their interests as if they counted as much as rich contributors.
If you want to treat voters as if they were individuals, start by listening to them and serving their interests as if they counted as much as rich contributors.
When a party (the GOP) takes the rich as its constituents and works in their interests to the detriment of the average citizen, no one should be surprised that voters turn up to shout at their so-called representatives.
1
Most town hall exchanges require an individual from a group to either stand up or go to a podium, state their name - despite this being optional for the individual by most open meetings laws - and talk no longer than set period of time, usually 3 - 5 minutes. This is not new and has clearly evolved to re-individuate a group. When the mob rules is when a politician does not attempt to ask angry individuals to go to the podium to speak their 3 minutes.
1
Our congressman was met at his recent usually love-fest 'Town Hall' with a crowd that wanted to know what he was going to do to save the affordable heath care act-in this extremely conservative area, he seemed shocked to discover that ACA was wanted! He kept trying to 'move on' to other topics, but the crowd kept demanding an answer on health care.
4
"When people detach from a group, the research suggests they will become more ethical, rational and intelligent."
I would like my two republican senators to detach themselves from their group and become more ethical, rational and intelligent. Stealing a SCOTUS seat, supporting a bill to remove 24 million from health insurance, voting to defund Planned Parenthood, selling my internet history to the highest bidder, I could go on and on and on...
I would like my two republican senators to detach themselves from their group and become more ethical, rational and intelligent. Stealing a SCOTUS seat, supporting a bill to remove 24 million from health insurance, voting to defund Planned Parenthood, selling my internet history to the highest bidder, I could go on and on and on...
4
The problem is that the entire foundation of conservative ideology is that there is no such thing as "individuals" - except of course for the Great Men who are ordained by god to be the rulers. The rest of society is nothing but a herd of cattle to be used and discarded without conscience. If any of these GOP congressmen were ever to see his constituents as individuals, he would have no choice but to reject his party's entire philosophy.
2
Individuation? Re-individuation? More evidence--as if any were needed--that turning to social science is about the last thing we need to do.
1
I attended my third, well-organized Indivisable meeting last night in NYC. The group consists of smart, assertive and very motivated individuals with a myriad of backgrounds and ages.
We, and other Indivisable groups around the country, plan to keep that haunted look firmly etched on Republicans faces for years to come.
We, and other Indivisable groups around the country, plan to keep that haunted look firmly etched on Republicans faces for years to come.
2
Thanks to town meetings where real decisions are made through direct citizen votes, New Englanders are accustomed to vocal local meetings. The moderator in our town is pretty good at keeping the discussion and tone both civil and productive.
Unfortunately, the culture of a New England town meeting is not universal across the nation. Mid-westerners -- I grew up in Ohio -- shun open public conflict. It's perceived as "not polite." However, mid-westerners too easily are giving up their voices in decision making.
On the other hand, if a legislator cannot take the heat, then they should get out of the kitchen and pursue another line of work.
Unfortunately, the culture of a New England town meeting is not universal across the nation. Mid-westerners -- I grew up in Ohio -- shun open public conflict. It's perceived as "not polite." However, mid-westerners too easily are giving up their voices in decision making.
On the other hand, if a legislator cannot take the heat, then they should get out of the kitchen and pursue another line of work.
2
Most of our elected officials, whether they are GOP members or Democrats, do not listen to us. It's not possible for them to be honest either given the way our electoral process works. They are way too dependent upon funding from companies, billionaire sponsors, and not upon us except for the election. They are extremely unresponsive, have assistants who do not bother to take the time to understand the issues we raise, and care only about being re-elected. It's not just a GOP problem. It's a problem all across the political spectrum. We don't help it when we refuse to consider why a certain bill or regulation should be voted down or voted for. Most often we don't want to be taxed to pay for things that need to be done such as upgrading and improving our infrastructures, having a better social safety net, setting up and maintaining a good health CARE system for all Americans.
We don't want those people, the ones we deem unworthy of anything, to get anything. If there's one thing that's very clear in America it's this: when it comes to helping the less fortunate we don't. We'd rather let people live and die in poverty no matter how they got there, than try to provide everyone with a decent standard of life. We might not have slavery any longer but we still have the prejudice that accompanied it. The GOP just gives voice to it.
We don't want those people, the ones we deem unworthy of anything, to get anything. If there's one thing that's very clear in America it's this: when it comes to helping the less fortunate we don't. We'd rather let people live and die in poverty no matter how they got there, than try to provide everyone with a decent standard of life. We might not have slavery any longer but we still have the prejudice that accompanied it. The GOP just gives voice to it.
19
True. Our representatives use voters but enact legislation for their donors.
And we, as voters, wish not to understand that there is personal good and there is societal good. When we elect an inept and possibly criminal President who specifically crows how much he likes the poorly educated--we should all realize a well-educated citizenry benefits all of us.
When our hospitals charge us enormous sums because our healthcare system pushes the destitute to use emergency care as their only medical resource--we all pay, we all lose out. As a society, we all benefit from a vaccinated population, a healthy population.
And we, as voters, wish not to understand that there is personal good and there is societal good. When we elect an inept and possibly criminal President who specifically crows how much he likes the poorly educated--we should all realize a well-educated citizenry benefits all of us.
When our hospitals charge us enormous sums because our healthcare system pushes the destitute to use emergency care as their only medical resource--we all pay, we all lose out. As a society, we all benefit from a vaccinated population, a healthy population.
1
The real problem is most congressmen only listen to and act for the voters that elected them and ignore the majority of their constituents
36
This comment doesn't make much sense. If they are elected representatives then those who voted for them are the majority of their constituents.
People in the Congress and the Senate don't listen to us peons that are their constituents. They listen to their big donors during campaigns and to lobbyists bringing gifts and money.
Not even that, Tom. They only listen to big donors who finance their campaigns.
Treating people as individuals with a right to be heard works only if you have something to say to them in return. If you want to get rid of the only health insurance they can afford, and have nothing to replace it with, keeping people in the mass and lying to them is the best strategy.
91
Normal well-bred, well-educated people must be revolted by any barbarian attempt to destroy their values. There may be some mob psychology behind the behavior of Trump's horde of ardent supporters, but those of us who were brought up with the golden rule find the current culturally illiterate rightwing Trump zealots to be more analogous to the Genghis Khan's Mongol horde than to compatriots in a nation that was the best educated in the world at its birth in 1788-89. It is perhaps no coincidence that in the same year we ratified the Constitution, France, then divided between a mass of illiterates and a handful of aging philosophes and corrupt theocrats, collapsed in a very violent revolution followed by a violent dictatorship and 26 years of constant war. The way to avoid the French model is to make sure the well-educated always vastly outnumber the illiterati. Our public education system has failed in that task over the past fifty years, and promises to amplify that failure under Ms. DeVos. If we are to save our democratic Republic, we must jettison the values of the Neo-Republican Party.
19
France did not collapse in the Revolution. Paris and environs did. The rest of the country reacted only when the Prussians invaded.
2
This advice, while sensible, would offer problems for elected leaders whose policy positions contradict the needs of most of their constituents. The Democrats stumbled because they did a poor job of explaining the ACA and the stimulus program, both of which helped far more people than they hurt. The Republicans, on the other hand, flee for the very good reason that Ryan's healthcare and tax measures benefit a small elite at the expense of the average voter.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Brooks tailors his advice to focus on the mechanics of the interaction between a speaker and his audience. He seeks to help his beleaguered client 'manage' a hostile group without really addressing the reasons for their anger. The possibility that a politician might defuse a tense confrontation by truly listening to the substance of the complaints and then promising to rethink her position on an issue, this alternative does not occur to Brooks.
In the first case, the speaker controls the crowd without yielding any of his power. In the second scenario, she behaves like a democratic representative of a sovereign electorate. This approach does not require an elected official to agree with her challengers, who number only a small portion of her constituency. It does demand, however, that she engage them in a serious discussion and take their complaints into account.
Treating people as individuals comports with the values of a free society, but only if you don't try to manipulate them.
Not surprisingly, Mr. Brooks tailors his advice to focus on the mechanics of the interaction between a speaker and his audience. He seeks to help his beleaguered client 'manage' a hostile group without really addressing the reasons for their anger. The possibility that a politician might defuse a tense confrontation by truly listening to the substance of the complaints and then promising to rethink her position on an issue, this alternative does not occur to Brooks.
In the first case, the speaker controls the crowd without yielding any of his power. In the second scenario, she behaves like a democratic representative of a sovereign electorate. This approach does not require an elected official to agree with her challengers, who number only a small portion of her constituency. It does demand, however, that she engage them in a serious discussion and take their complaints into account.
Treating people as individuals comports with the values of a free society, but only if you don't try to manipulate them.
11
Demonstrations are the last resort when 90 percent of the House is re-elected despite an approval rating in the low teens.
The Great Compromise which gave us a Constitution was eviscerated when House membership was frozen at 435 by statute, not amendment, in 1929. As a result, there is no longer proportional representation when 994,000people in Montana share a single representative and only 528,000 share one in Rhode Island. Moreover, the very size of a congressional district, which averaged 710,000 as of the last census, provides a barrier to entry for any competition. Hence the absence of turnover. And the absence of representative democracy.
The only way left for ordinary people to be heard is by their physical presence. It's the system.
http://www.twoyearstodemocracy.com/
The Great Compromise which gave us a Constitution was eviscerated when House membership was frozen at 435 by statute, not amendment, in 1929. As a result, there is no longer proportional representation when 994,000people in Montana share a single representative and only 528,000 share one in Rhode Island. Moreover, the very size of a congressional district, which averaged 710,000 as of the last census, provides a barrier to entry for any competition. Hence the absence of turnover. And the absence of representative democracy.
The only way left for ordinary people to be heard is by their physical presence. It's the system.
http://www.twoyearstodemocracy.com/
18
Perhaps what should scare the GOP the most is that the crowds they are facing are come to protest and are educated to their cause. This is not the time of the Tea Party. Those showing up at town halls understand the effect of the destructive legislation being pushed through by their congressman and their president. The protesters are effective because they can present a directed counter argument to the "Make America Great" rhetoric of Donald Trump. It is heartening to see the energy behind the groups who rally, march make phone calls and represent what Democracy really looks like. Perhaps the legacy of the treason of McConnell and the stupidity and hatred pushed by our present administration will have been to motivate, energize and bring into the voting process the millions of Americans as they learn that their votes do count.
27
There was a great fear of "the mob" during America's pre-revolutionary and revolutionary times. With good reason. Mobs were known to enjoy watching people being killed and, during the same time period, public executions in England and elsewhere were seen as good entertainment for the masses. Presumably, no one is threatening Republican members of Congress with a similar fate.
When the tea party started yelling at Democratic members of Congress in 2009, they were mainly screaming about what would come to be known as Obamacare. Problem was, it had not yet been defined. Still, these people knew they were against it. How?
Many Republican voters at the time were quoted as saying that the government should keep its hands off Social Security and Medicare, not realizing, duh, that these were government programs. Virulent opposition to everything Obama was cranked up to the max before he had served six months in office.
Yelling at public meetings has an ugly character to it no matter who does it, but it serves to act as a shock to the system for members of Congress, mostly House members, who otherwise believed everything was smooth, wonderful, great with the folks back home. It serves to put them on notice that opposition exists and is getting stronger.
Had it not mainly been a tool of the Republicans, the tea party eruption could have been a positive influence pushing away from ideology. It remains to be seen whether Democratic oriented shouting is anything more than just anger.
When the tea party started yelling at Democratic members of Congress in 2009, they were mainly screaming about what would come to be known as Obamacare. Problem was, it had not yet been defined. Still, these people knew they were against it. How?
Many Republican voters at the time were quoted as saying that the government should keep its hands off Social Security and Medicare, not realizing, duh, that these were government programs. Virulent opposition to everything Obama was cranked up to the max before he had served six months in office.
Yelling at public meetings has an ugly character to it no matter who does it, but it serves to act as a shock to the system for members of Congress, mostly House members, who otherwise believed everything was smooth, wonderful, great with the folks back home. It serves to put them on notice that opposition exists and is getting stronger.
Had it not mainly been a tool of the Republicans, the tea party eruption could have been a positive influence pushing away from ideology. It remains to be seen whether Democratic oriented shouting is anything more than just anger.
12
The shouting that some Reps complain of has become louder due to the selective hearing of said Reps.
This article misses the point that most of the 'protesters' are trying to make. And it is a very simple point. With the plan to repeal the ACA they are rightfully worried that they will have to pay more for health insurance and get less coverage from companies trying to maximize their profit.
So despite the general GOP line to oppose government subsidies, they discovered that those very same taxes and subsidies were the only way to make a market driven, for profit system work. In other words, they saw the ideology of their party taking money out of their pockets.
These protests weren't about deindiviuation. They were about dollars and cents. The mood in some districts was also fueled by the massive anti-Trump post election demonstrations. Remember that there were many sister protests in cities and towns across the country.
But while some may have originated in organized opposition groups, most were average voters from those districts waking up to realize that they had become the 'other people' that GOP policies had been demonizing as 'not willing to work' or complaining about lake of opportunity'.
The white, suburban middle class, which is the core of GOP voters are now starting to feel like the very people that use to look down on. Their chickens have come home to roost and they don't like it.
So despite the general GOP line to oppose government subsidies, they discovered that those very same taxes and subsidies were the only way to make a market driven, for profit system work. In other words, they saw the ideology of their party taking money out of their pockets.
These protests weren't about deindiviuation. They were about dollars and cents. The mood in some districts was also fueled by the massive anti-Trump post election demonstrations. Remember that there were many sister protests in cities and towns across the country.
But while some may have originated in organized opposition groups, most were average voters from those districts waking up to realize that they had become the 'other people' that GOP policies had been demonizing as 'not willing to work' or complaining about lake of opportunity'.
The white, suburban middle class, which is the core of GOP voters are now starting to feel like the very people that use to look down on. Their chickens have come home to roost and they don't like it.
12
On the other hand, these Republicans have been acting as if the electorate were a mob for the last several years. They have played to its worst, most violent and divisive instincts, calling for vengeance (electoral or economic) and irrational action (bring back coal) as though they were strong policy. It seems to me they deserve what they get, or, better, they reap what they have sown. Those who have supported government shutdowns, tried to remove health care from those who need it, increase the margins of pollution, and deny voting rights need to take a little heat for their thoughtless positions. They have not read the public mood they have manipulated it. Shame on them and on us for letting it go this long.
33
Let's listen to Nero fiddle as the world burns.
Those who would own far more than their share of the nation's resources have convinced the dispossessed (blue-collar and non-executive white-collar pay since Reagan's ascension) to pillage the commons with the connivance of the family values party.
Lincoln said that you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Lincoln was an optimist.
Imagine the shock that many people felt when they realized that the Obamacare against which they had railed was the ACA, which their Know Nothing congresscritters were about to repeal. These people are concerned and angry as individuals, not as a mob, unless of course a mob qualifies as a group for actuarial purposes.
Wait until the mob finds out that these same varmints who gorge at the Koch trough have "relaxed" environmental regulations because several earthquakes a day in Oklahoma must be the Lord's will.
Today, Gail Collins writes about Alabama Governor Bentley, who apparently neglected matters of state as he dallied with an aide who was paid by the State. Oh that all of the GOP governors from coast to coast could be similarly distracted! Here in Maine, a little sweetness on the side might keep our Governor (who some say is the John the Baptist to Trump's you know who because LePage demonstrated that a mentally deficient ball of anger could be not only elected but also re-elected) from denying Medicaid or insulting yet another group of disadvantaged people.
Nice tune, Nero.
Those who would own far more than their share of the nation's resources have convinced the dispossessed (blue-collar and non-executive white-collar pay since Reagan's ascension) to pillage the commons with the connivance of the family values party.
Lincoln said that you can't fool all of the people all of the time. Lincoln was an optimist.
Imagine the shock that many people felt when they realized that the Obamacare against which they had railed was the ACA, which their Know Nothing congresscritters were about to repeal. These people are concerned and angry as individuals, not as a mob, unless of course a mob qualifies as a group for actuarial purposes.
Wait until the mob finds out that these same varmints who gorge at the Koch trough have "relaxed" environmental regulations because several earthquakes a day in Oklahoma must be the Lord's will.
Today, Gail Collins writes about Alabama Governor Bentley, who apparently neglected matters of state as he dallied with an aide who was paid by the State. Oh that all of the GOP governors from coast to coast could be similarly distracted! Here in Maine, a little sweetness on the side might keep our Governor (who some say is the John the Baptist to Trump's you know who because LePage demonstrated that a mentally deficient ball of anger could be not only elected but also re-elected) from denying Medicaid or insulting yet another group of disadvantaged people.
Nice tune, Nero.
18
Brooks asks "Is this kind of political protest good for American democracy or bad?". I'd argue that it is good if one believes that the will of the majority of voters should guide Congress. Republicans have long assumed that "this is a center right" nation, although opinion polls on individual policies consistently argue otherwise. As long as progressives sat at home, Republicans could believe that they were acting in their voters' interests. These angry town halls probably led to the defeat of the Obamacare repeal, for a start. Having watched the Republican Congress in action over the past 6 years, I'd say that a cringing, tentative GOP is a very good thing, indeed.
46
Surely there is a difference between a group of demonstrators organized around a central principle (pro-abortion/climate change/equal pay/etc.) and a group of protesters that forms spontaneously?
I would think that re-individuation is a process used to cool tempers but if the demonstrators are organized and principled in their mission they are, for the most part, of one mind.
I suspect the Republicans going home to vocal constituents are more likely to encounter the focused and organized demonstrator. In other words, these representatives are being asked to defend their votes and party position against informed citizens who have come together in accordance with one another's views. That requires a clear, committed, well thought out position that can be defended with good conscience. It is difficult to believe we have that in the majority of our elected representatives.
I would think that re-individuation is a process used to cool tempers but if the demonstrators are organized and principled in their mission they are, for the most part, of one mind.
I suspect the Republicans going home to vocal constituents are more likely to encounter the focused and organized demonstrator. In other words, these representatives are being asked to defend their votes and party position against informed citizens who have come together in accordance with one another's views. That requires a clear, committed, well thought out position that can be defended with good conscience. It is difficult to believe we have that in the majority of our elected representatives.
19
Mr. Brooks takes a detached, professorial view of what is happening at town hall meetings around the country. Republicans are being confronted with a basic change in American's national belief that all Americans deserve access to regular, reasonable healthcare. Republicans, as Ryancare showed, continue to cling to the belief that healthcare is a luxury belonging only to the "Deserving".
There is also a growing protest against Congress forcing Americans to pay nearly twice as much for healthcare and prescription drugs as people in other advanced countries.
Add this to protests against defunding Planned Parenthood and Republicans' embracing xenophobia and there you have the makings for a town hall meeting.
Mr. Brooks is right. Protests are about focusing groups on issues. He tags them with fancy, dismissive, academic words but that doesn't change the nature and power of public protests.
There is also a growing protest against Congress forcing Americans to pay nearly twice as much for healthcare and prescription drugs as people in other advanced countries.
Add this to protests against defunding Planned Parenthood and Republicans' embracing xenophobia and there you have the makings for a town hall meeting.
Mr. Brooks is right. Protests are about focusing groups on issues. He tags them with fancy, dismissive, academic words but that doesn't change the nature and power of public protests.
39
Your article pushed my thinking this am. Mr. Brooks, the election of Mr. Trump had so many known an unintended consequences that are so multifaceted, it is hard to dissect. I am not surprised regarding the conservative protestors at republican town halls because for whatever the reason prior to Election Day, the vail was over their faces. Now, many are baffled as our president is flipping and doing many of the same things he criticized our former president of doing except amplified.
Your reference of Lebon reminded me of one of his statements, "It seems too that behind the visible facts are hidden at times thousands of invisible causes." There are so many unseen causes that have yet to be revealed with each passing day and I doubt the crowds will remain silent as transparency and truthfulness seems remarkably difficult for this administration.
The concern I have is what are our elected officials doing with the information they receive from these meetings? How are they processing the phone messages and emails? Yes, we all receive a scripted response when we send emails, but how effective are these town halls with impacting change when officials vote against constituents wishes? It is glaringly obvious in some cases that donors concerns take precedence over citizens so how can we stand united against greed and power? Both parties have elitist mentalities and neither are more like Jesus. This is no longer a liberal vs conservative fight, but war against domestic tranquility.
Your reference of Lebon reminded me of one of his statements, "It seems too that behind the visible facts are hidden at times thousands of invisible causes." There are so many unseen causes that have yet to be revealed with each passing day and I doubt the crowds will remain silent as transparency and truthfulness seems remarkably difficult for this administration.
The concern I have is what are our elected officials doing with the information they receive from these meetings? How are they processing the phone messages and emails? Yes, we all receive a scripted response when we send emails, but how effective are these town halls with impacting change when officials vote against constituents wishes? It is glaringly obvious in some cases that donors concerns take precedence over citizens so how can we stand united against greed and power? Both parties have elitist mentalities and neither are more like Jesus. This is no longer a liberal vs conservative fight, but war against domestic tranquility.
6
Why does Mr. Brooks compare angry constituents to sneaky trick or treaters?
Why doesn't he even condescend to address the reasons for their anger?
Why does Mr. Brooks dither about about Thoreau and Emerson who lived and wrote before there was any such thing as widespread health insurance (never mind government regulated and supported healthcare)?
What if representatives started paying attention to what people in their districts need instead of what the corporations and the 0.1% prefer?
Yes, people do behave differently in groups - especially when they are faced with personifications of power and authority.
What do Mr. Brooks' lofty pondering tell us about addressing authority figures who behave irresponsibly to the public? For whom is it more effective to act as an exposed, isolated individual unused to public speaking facing a slick, experienced, (often legally trained), well prompted scheister?
Why does the New York Times pay somebody to try to distract from and minimize people's legitimate needs without even addressing the campaign finance laws and systemic wealth inequality that make government hostile or indifferent to those needs?
Why doesn't he even condescend to address the reasons for their anger?
Why does Mr. Brooks dither about about Thoreau and Emerson who lived and wrote before there was any such thing as widespread health insurance (never mind government regulated and supported healthcare)?
What if representatives started paying attention to what people in their districts need instead of what the corporations and the 0.1% prefer?
Yes, people do behave differently in groups - especially when they are faced with personifications of power and authority.
What do Mr. Brooks' lofty pondering tell us about addressing authority figures who behave irresponsibly to the public? For whom is it more effective to act as an exposed, isolated individual unused to public speaking facing a slick, experienced, (often legally trained), well prompted scheister?
Why does the New York Times pay somebody to try to distract from and minimize people's legitimate needs without even addressing the campaign finance laws and systemic wealth inequality that make government hostile or indifferent to those needs?
69
The perfect example was a Repub official,not even an elected official,argued with a correct member of an audience. The rest new this party boss was wrong and took him to task. He continued to insist he was right and started to call the audience children. That's how Repubs act, then become cowards.
1
Yeah, why does the NYT run this column at such a time in our history, when our democracy and well being is at stake?
And Kristof also has advice on how we should do 'resistance' to the Gop/Trump takeover--- 'skip the lofty rhetoric be polite!
What about the system itself? Where are NYT columns by actual progressives discussing how to deal with the poisoning of our campaign finance sysem--the most expensive and privatized among the democracies, and the resulting wealth inequality, higher than other capitalist countries.
See intl OECD figures on economic mobility---the US lags, where once it was the leader. Few columns address this. We just get excuses and slogans---'globalization' and tech[. Then we are each on our own, while the corporation conglomerates are super organized and financed for maximum power.
And Kristof also has advice on how we should do 'resistance' to the Gop/Trump takeover--- 'skip the lofty rhetoric be polite!
What about the system itself? Where are NYT columns by actual progressives discussing how to deal with the poisoning of our campaign finance sysem--the most expensive and privatized among the democracies, and the resulting wealth inequality, higher than other capitalist countries.
See intl OECD figures on economic mobility---the US lags, where once it was the leader. Few columns address this. We just get excuses and slogans---'globalization' and tech[. Then we are each on our own, while the corporation conglomerates are super organized and financed for maximum power.
The methods America uses to control crowds of people? The question of how much America respects the individual and how much America is really not that far removed from methods of crowd control, centralized authority such as aristocracy, oligarchy, dictatorship, theocracy, monarchy of the past?
I have found America largely discourages a person from gaining a comprehensive view of the country. Every possible method is used to keep a person in the lowland if you will and prevent a view from top of mountain afar. I remember school--the narrowing of the mind (choose your specialty, prepare for future employment). I remember what occurs if you go against the grain when young: Shaming, ostracization, separation of the "problem individual" from bureaucratic structure whether educational or religious or what have you and increased placement of the individual in the realm of the criminal and mad.
Kafka did not write his great books the Trial and the Castle for nothing. No advanced society really honors the individual. Why a person would be declared mad if he or she were to ask simply "What is going on? I do not so much want to work now at anything as much as I simply want to know how every aspect of the nation operates and how it fits together. I want to see into America. I do not want a job which is equivalent to fixing a fence post while the mountaintop view remains distant, I want the view from the top of the mountain. Education to see! Not brainwashed to be a Good American".
I have found America largely discourages a person from gaining a comprehensive view of the country. Every possible method is used to keep a person in the lowland if you will and prevent a view from top of mountain afar. I remember school--the narrowing of the mind (choose your specialty, prepare for future employment). I remember what occurs if you go against the grain when young: Shaming, ostracization, separation of the "problem individual" from bureaucratic structure whether educational or religious or what have you and increased placement of the individual in the realm of the criminal and mad.
Kafka did not write his great books the Trial and the Castle for nothing. No advanced society really honors the individual. Why a person would be declared mad if he or she were to ask simply "What is going on? I do not so much want to work now at anything as much as I simply want to know how every aspect of the nation operates and how it fits together. I want to see into America. I do not want a job which is equivalent to fixing a fence post while the mountaintop view remains distant, I want the view from the top of the mountain. Education to see! Not brainwashed to be a Good American".
18
What a bunch of hypocritical cowards. They had no problem egging on the tea party and right-leaning protesters when it suited their needs. Now that the tide has turned and people are starting to look more critically at the damage (health care, growing income inequality, business-first and foremost representation) they have wrought, they vociferously complain or just avoid the town hall entirely. Forging a path towards civility and intelligence requires the acknowledgement that protesters have legitimate concerns and for Republicans to have the gumption and courage to meet with them and listen.
96
If those Reps were as Christian as they so loudly proclaim to be they would have always seen each of their constituents, Democrats or Republicans, as individuals worthy of their respect. Had they done that they would have been working to make sure their constituents had affordable health care, affordable housing, decent paying jobs, and protection from employers who put profit over safety and human dignity. Instead these faux Christians have been working to enrich the already wealthy, to allow employers to disregard safety regulations (think Massey Coal, truck drivers being fired for refusing to freeze to death) and to treat their underlings as sex objects a la Fox News. In direct opposition to Jesus's teachings they worship profit over people a la Ayn Rand the woman who proclaimed altruism and religion to be evil.
This article in Newsweek is a good explanation of how this veneration' of profit over people came about with the help of places like Harvard Business School and free market worshipping economists. I am old enough to remember when Republicans and corporate America were not like this (for the most part).
http://www.newsweek.com/2017/04/14/harvard-business-school-financial-cri...
This article in Newsweek is a good explanation of how this veneration' of profit over people came about with the help of places like Harvard Business School and free market worshipping economists. I am old enough to remember when Republicans and corporate America were not like this (for the most part).
http://www.newsweek.com/2017/04/14/harvard-business-school-financial-cri...
76
Thanks for the referral to this article. Everyone reading the Times should read this article and watch the film. This is why The American People are rebelling against Trump and the Republican's "Swamp" in Washington.
A nice way to say that angry people are to blame for their anger, while deflecting attention from the issues that brought it forth in the first place. Perhaps the elected official would do better to govern for all their constituants, instead of only the ones who elected them, thereby avoiding such angry throngs in the first place? Isn't the core issue that the polarization so many have profited from has left throngs fed up with being shafted?
We'll leave aside the cowardice displayed by those who simply cancel the meeting; dismiss the crowds as paid protestors; those who single out individuals for public berating; who've refused personal meetings with the agrieved simply because they are too busy seizing power and cashing checks to care; and those who simply are so full of angry, judgmental hatred for the opposite side they can't deign to even look at them.
Character matters, Mr. Brooks. Those mobs are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, Jefferson, Thoreau or Emerson be damned.
We'll leave aside the cowardice displayed by those who simply cancel the meeting; dismiss the crowds as paid protestors; those who single out individuals for public berating; who've refused personal meetings with the agrieved simply because they are too busy seizing power and cashing checks to care; and those who simply are so full of angry, judgmental hatred for the opposite side they can't deign to even look at them.
Character matters, Mr. Brooks. Those mobs are mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore, Jefferson, Thoreau or Emerson be damned.
115
However raucous those town halls are, and however discomforted they make elected officials, those are opportunities to exercise our rights and responsibilities as Americans. Town halls are an attempt to hold those officials accountable for their actions, or inactions. That said, disturbing and damaging deindividuation occurred at Trump rallies and the Republican Convention where hordes of angry people were swept along with the spectacle of Trump as he told one lie after another and provoked violence against other candidates and people who are not White or Christian. As someone who marched on January 21 in Washington, I can tell you that I did not in any way feel deindividuated. We were not a mob - we were a million-strong force to be reckoned with and we will continue to resist this sham administration any chance we get.
131
The quality of life in our country has deteriorated under the conservative, anti-democratic regime and its disdain of government of the people, by the people and for the people.
Politicians are beholden to their corporate benefactors, and not to those they purportedly represent. The idea of one man, one vote has been curtailed by rich oligarchs who can purchase more power in the voting booth than can the average citizen. The people see this, feel this, and respond accordingly.
Dr. Franz Fanon once wrote, "When we revolt it’s not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe."
Many of us can no longer breathe.
Politicians are beholden to their corporate benefactors, and not to those they purportedly represent. The idea of one man, one vote has been curtailed by rich oligarchs who can purchase more power in the voting booth than can the average citizen. The people see this, feel this, and respond accordingly.
Dr. Franz Fanon once wrote, "When we revolt it’s not for a particular culture. We revolt simply because, for many reasons, we can no longer breathe."
Many of us can no longer breathe.
201
precisely so. The succoring of the elite that became once again fashionable during the Reagan years has gone on to its logical conclusion: no one matters except the very wealthy. Corporate Culture has become shockingly elitist, and that is why the United Story has become such a global flap...there is no more room to move in the direction we are going (ever more elitism, farther "right") and we are working up to a sharp correction in public mores and morals.
You forgot to add gerrymandering, not just corporate money. But yes, we're having trouble breathing and thanks to corporations buying deregulating politicians the air will get worse.
The Women's Marches were among the largest protest events we have ever seen in this country. They were conducted peacefully and effectively. So there are instances where the crowd can raise the bar, and that is what happened with the Women's Marches. My family and I attended the one in Boston - 90,000 in attendance. I have never seen a crowd so tightly packed, so focused, and so considerate towards each - united standing up for America and our Constitution and sending a message to a new and reckless administration. So I don't completely agree with the assessments of some of the philosophers, but rather some of our forefathers who viewed it as a useful force against tyranny. The autocratic methods promulgated by the likes of Bannon, Miller and others and permitted by a careless president need to be checked. And the only way that's going to happen is by massive protests in town halls and marches.
420
Is it a crowd, or is it a mob? Crowds may be caught up in waves of "kindness and compassion," but mobs rarely are. Political protest crowds are neither good nor bad, they are a response to a political situation.
What I remember about the protests of the 1960s and 1970s is a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. Others may remember something less positive, but it's impossible to deny the impact.
The rise of the Tea Party was rooted in similar feelings. People looked around and saw people who shared their outrage. Whether it began as a project funded by libertarian billionaires or whether it rested on something more spontaneous, it had political consequences.
I think the beneficiaries of the Tea Party are wise to be concerned about this new movement. I felt a familiar sense of community at the Women's March in January. It was a nice feeling. It also gave me hope at a time when things looked pretty hopeless.
If the Trump administration had been able to fulfill its promises, the movement might have dissipated. Instead, we are getting glimpses of what conservative ideology means when translated into policy. Trying to undermine the reaction of crowds to these revelations won't diffuse the movement. If anything, it may intensify. I'm still hopeful.
What I remember about the protests of the 1960s and 1970s is a sense of camaraderie and shared purpose. Others may remember something less positive, but it's impossible to deny the impact.
The rise of the Tea Party was rooted in similar feelings. People looked around and saw people who shared their outrage. Whether it began as a project funded by libertarian billionaires or whether it rested on something more spontaneous, it had political consequences.
I think the beneficiaries of the Tea Party are wise to be concerned about this new movement. I felt a familiar sense of community at the Women's March in January. It was a nice feeling. It also gave me hope at a time when things looked pretty hopeless.
If the Trump administration had been able to fulfill its promises, the movement might have dissipated. Instead, we are getting glimpses of what conservative ideology means when translated into policy. Trying to undermine the reaction of crowds to these revelations won't diffuse the movement. If anything, it may intensify. I'm still hopeful.
184
Many of us are working further down the line than Trump. It starts with our school boards, our county commissions and state reps........build from the bottom!!
As an active member of a local Indivisible group, I can assure you there is much more to this movement than the shallow, televised views of angry constituents shouting at politicians at town halls.
First, my Indivisible group is bolstering faith in our representative system of government. For the first time ever, many of us are actively participating in the democratic process. Our primary activity is not attending protests. The focus of our group is contacting our members of congress individually by phone, email and fax. Many of our members are now on a first name basis with the staff of our local congressman.
For some, it's also our first lesson in civics since elementary school. I must confess that until joining this group I had little understanding of why and how gerrymandering happened or who my statehouse congressman and senators were--and why they are important.
In addition, our private Facebook group is a useful forum for discussing issues in a nuanced and civil manner rather than the inevitable shouting matches that occur between Trump supporters and progressives. Our members participate in polls on issues. We share our opinions on the best ways to make our voices heard.
In short, this is far from a mindless mob. In fact, it is a rejuvenation of citizenship.
First, my Indivisible group is bolstering faith in our representative system of government. For the first time ever, many of us are actively participating in the democratic process. Our primary activity is not attending protests. The focus of our group is contacting our members of congress individually by phone, email and fax. Many of our members are now on a first name basis with the staff of our local congressman.
For some, it's also our first lesson in civics since elementary school. I must confess that until joining this group I had little understanding of why and how gerrymandering happened or who my statehouse congressman and senators were--and why they are important.
In addition, our private Facebook group is a useful forum for discussing issues in a nuanced and civil manner rather than the inevitable shouting matches that occur between Trump supporters and progressives. Our members participate in polls on issues. We share our opinions on the best ways to make our voices heard.
In short, this is far from a mindless mob. In fact, it is a rejuvenation of citizenship.
572
"In short, this is far from a mindless mob. In fact, it is a rejuvenation of citizenship."
Which is exactly what Mr. Brooks and the GOP are so terrified of. They have proven that they can control mindless mobs very easily. Intelligent, involved citizens on the other hand mean that their long running con is coming to an end.
Which is exactly what Mr. Brooks and the GOP are so terrified of. They have proven that they can control mindless mobs very easily. Intelligent, involved citizens on the other hand mean that their long running con is coming to an end.
11
You Go! Civic Samurai!
1
John Oliver's session on gerrymandering is a must-see educational take on gerrymandering and why it matters.
Plus, it's very entertaining!
Plus, it's very entertaining!
3
Another April Fool's joke, albeit a couple weeks late. All I'll say is this, paraphrasing the last line in "Tora, Tora, Tora" - the right has awakened a sleeping giant, and filled it with a terrible resolve. See you at the midterm, Mr. Brooks.
67
"Lots of research confirms this, showing that deindividuation can lower inhibitions against immoral behavior. "
So deindividuation perhaps explains the fact that the majority of Republicans in Congress, some of whom, I suppose, are good people, will act in lockstep with their party, egged on by wealthy donor bosses, to deny and degrade health care for their constituents, steal a Supreme Court seat to protect their donors' greed is good Citizens United ruling, deny financially squeezed constituents the chance to refinance student loans at lower interest rates, deny funding for addiction services, allow violent men with a history of domestic abuse to have access to semiautomatic weapons and unlimited ammunition, eliminate "regulations" that protect air and water.......
The majority of their constituents, when not fooled by Republican talking point spin, have every reason to be outraged. Perhaps Brooks would prefer they express their sense of betrayal calmly and politely.
The best way to "turn back the tide of town hall anger" is to represent the interests of the people who (their ads fooled and who ) voted for them.
So deindividuation perhaps explains the fact that the majority of Republicans in Congress, some of whom, I suppose, are good people, will act in lockstep with their party, egged on by wealthy donor bosses, to deny and degrade health care for their constituents, steal a Supreme Court seat to protect their donors' greed is good Citizens United ruling, deny financially squeezed constituents the chance to refinance student loans at lower interest rates, deny funding for addiction services, allow violent men with a history of domestic abuse to have access to semiautomatic weapons and unlimited ammunition, eliminate "regulations" that protect air and water.......
The majority of their constituents, when not fooled by Republican talking point spin, have every reason to be outraged. Perhaps Brooks would prefer they express their sense of betrayal calmly and politely.
The best way to "turn back the tide of town hall anger" is to represent the interests of the people who (their ads fooled and who ) voted for them.
160
I think this column misses the point. It's all about how elected leaders can handle the angry mob in terms of defusing and deflecting.
Wouldn't it be better to learn from the chants we are starting to see nightly during every Congressional recess? Wouldn't it be constructive for Congresspeople to learn more about WHY people are angry?
This is not rocket science. Consider the president's (and Congress's) first 100 days. What are constituents seeing?
Debate over replacing the ACA with health plans that cover little, cost a . lot, and give huge tax breaks to corporations; A roundup of immigrants that is starting to look like a police state; A spiteful Muslim ban so far deemed illegal; Repeal of environmental regulations, ushering in a new era of dirty smog, unclean water, and approval of pipelines that you just know are going to unleash oil spills on farmlands; and a budget that guts programs for the local poor in communities where town halls are taking place.
What do these pols expect? Constituents jumping for joy that their miserable lives are going to get even more miserable? As the billionaire cabinet and Congress whacks away at what little benefits Americans derive from social programs, while giving the Pentagon a whole lot of new toys with which to muck up the Middle East, is it any wonder constituents are angry.
Forget how to handle the crowd; go back to Washington and vote for something your people can cheer about.
Wouldn't it be better to learn from the chants we are starting to see nightly during every Congressional recess? Wouldn't it be constructive for Congresspeople to learn more about WHY people are angry?
This is not rocket science. Consider the president's (and Congress's) first 100 days. What are constituents seeing?
Debate over replacing the ACA with health plans that cover little, cost a . lot, and give huge tax breaks to corporations; A roundup of immigrants that is starting to look like a police state; A spiteful Muslim ban so far deemed illegal; Repeal of environmental regulations, ushering in a new era of dirty smog, unclean water, and approval of pipelines that you just know are going to unleash oil spills on farmlands; and a budget that guts programs for the local poor in communities where town halls are taking place.
What do these pols expect? Constituents jumping for joy that their miserable lives are going to get even more miserable? As the billionaire cabinet and Congress whacks away at what little benefits Americans derive from social programs, while giving the Pentagon a whole lot of new toys with which to muck up the Middle East, is it any wonder constituents are angry.
Forget how to handle the crowd; go back to Washington and vote for something your people can cheer about.
374
Christine Mc
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I read them daily!
Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I read them daily!
@Christine McM
I enjoy reading your daily and comments.
What you usually write or suggest is so level headed and rational.
It gives me hope that there are more folks like you out there who see through hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle.
I enjoy reading your daily and comments.
What you usually write or suggest is so level headed and rational.
It gives me hope that there are more folks like you out there who see through hypocrisy on both sides of the aisle.
In other words, you can't fool people all the time.
Wow. Just wow.
The reason the are called "Representatives" is because they are supposed to represent the views of their constituents. Not manage them.
Citizens want to be heard and treated with repeat.. this is a revolutionary concept? Try listening to your aggrieved constituents and represent them.
That's all.
The reason the are called "Representatives" is because they are supposed to represent the views of their constituents. Not manage them.
Citizens want to be heard and treated with repeat.. this is a revolutionary concept? Try listening to your aggrieved constituents and represent them.
That's all.
327
respect
7
"The French psychologist Gustave Le Bon found that crowds were inherently 'unanimous, emotional and intellectually weak.'”
This finding is best exemplified by the Republican Senate and House itself who - after unanimously screaming for eight full years to 'repeal Obamacare' - proceeded to roll out a massive tax cut for the rich and a massive Death-and-Funeral-Care® punishment for all of 'God's American children', all the better to meet the 'Lord and Savior' much earlier than expected due to their patented misanthropic 'early death' zero-insurance technology.
Of course, the Republican mob Congress wasn't quite unanimous with their tax cut 'health care' legislation because a few Republican lunatics were outraged that the legislation wasn't quite cruel enough.
Instead of a 're-individuation strategy', perhaps the Grand Old Psychopaths could try a re-humanizing strategy, whereby they learn that Americans are human beings - not punching bags - and that health care is a basic human right - not a fancy necklace.
The GOP's problem is deep, deep mental disturbance...the religious belief that Greed Over People, good old-fashioned Grand Old Plantation economics and white supremacy is the secret to the 21st century.
The Republican Party needs deep, intensive, daily psychotherapy in a controlled, state-funded prison setting in order to remove them as a clear and present danger to 320 million Americans.
This finding is best exemplified by the Republican Senate and House itself who - after unanimously screaming for eight full years to 'repeal Obamacare' - proceeded to roll out a massive tax cut for the rich and a massive Death-and-Funeral-Care® punishment for all of 'God's American children', all the better to meet the 'Lord and Savior' much earlier than expected due to their patented misanthropic 'early death' zero-insurance technology.
Of course, the Republican mob Congress wasn't quite unanimous with their tax cut 'health care' legislation because a few Republican lunatics were outraged that the legislation wasn't quite cruel enough.
Instead of a 're-individuation strategy', perhaps the Grand Old Psychopaths could try a re-humanizing strategy, whereby they learn that Americans are human beings - not punching bags - and that health care is a basic human right - not a fancy necklace.
The GOP's problem is deep, deep mental disturbance...the religious belief that Greed Over People, good old-fashioned Grand Old Plantation economics and white supremacy is the secret to the 21st century.
The Republican Party needs deep, intensive, daily psychotherapy in a controlled, state-funded prison setting in order to remove them as a clear and present danger to 320 million Americans.
449
Smply put, what goes around, comes around. Today's GOP created this mess when they put an idiotic ideology and a growingly corrupt party ahead of the voters, the nation, its needs, and, above all, the Constitution. Congress's primary job became staying in office, and most voters don't have enough resources to "buy" their congressperson.
If my purported representative told me that I was somehow less than a human being--and definitely less than the corporate and oligarchical donor class--and took steps to shorten my life for no good reason--I would be furious, to put it mildly. It's not the Party line of "outside agitators" who attend town-hall meetings, and voters are finally beginning to see through the smoke and mirrors.
If my purported representative told me that I was somehow less than a human being--and definitely less than the corporate and oligarchical donor class--and took steps to shorten my life for no good reason--I would be furious, to put it mildly. It's not the Party line of "outside agitators" who attend town-hall meetings, and voters are finally beginning to see through the smoke and mirrors.
5
but, but, but corporations are human too
4
First, let me say I love your comments and always look for them. No one else has been able to do as many creative things with GOP as you have. However, I don't think intensive therapy would help these people, unless it's aversion therapy.
6
Do wages and health care still count
As debts and outrế rentals mount?
Does the hoi polloi
Masochism enjoy,
For billionaires act as a fount?
As debts and outrế rentals mount?
Does the hoi polloi
Masochism enjoy,
For billionaires act as a fount?
41
Guess there should be no surprise in further efforts from conservatives to squelch representative democracy by portraying it as ' ochlocracy '.
The relevant point is that voters feel increasingly remote from their representatives, which is something G. Washington and J. Madison are well-known to have feared, with G. Washington choosing that exact point as the only time he addressed the Constitutional Convention:
https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/enlarging-the-house-of-rep...
Instead of squelching voters' voices by lamenting town halls and engaging in egregious gerrymandering, politicians on both sides of the aisle should be working to restore the vaunted " Founders' Intent " by enlarging the House.
Over just the past 60 years, the U.S. population has doubled (we forget we are the 3rd most populous nation, behind only China and India) with no increase in the number of elected representatives, making each voters' voice tinier and tinier, such that voters participate less and less, and representative democracy slowly suffocates.
Town halls are the reflexive reaction to that suffocation, and they would be more orderly if voters had more representatives, so that they felt they were being heard.
The relevant point is that voters feel increasingly remote from their representatives, which is something G. Washington and J. Madison are well-known to have feared, with G. Washington choosing that exact point as the only time he addressed the Constitutional Convention:
https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/07/enlarging-the-house-of-rep...
Instead of squelching voters' voices by lamenting town halls and engaging in egregious gerrymandering, politicians on both sides of the aisle should be working to restore the vaunted " Founders' Intent " by enlarging the House.
Over just the past 60 years, the U.S. population has doubled (we forget we are the 3rd most populous nation, behind only China and India) with no increase in the number of elected representatives, making each voters' voice tinier and tinier, such that voters participate less and less, and representative democracy slowly suffocates.
Town halls are the reflexive reaction to that suffocation, and they would be more orderly if voters had more representatives, so that they felt they were being heard.
98
I had a similar thought: perhaps if Congress was less of a mob engaging in group think, town halls would be more egalitarian.
1
KF - The biggest bonus is that more Representatives would make it harder for special interests to buy off the legislators, or at least allow more special interests who currently haven't bought legislators to buy their own, but it would dilute the power of the present 2 major political parties.
With modern telecommunications, there is no reason for the entire House to fit under the Capitol dome, and on occasions they were actually require to all be physically present, they could be accommodated elsewhere in D.C.
In just my life-time, population growth alone has doubled the number of people each Representative stands for, diluting my voice; the number of Senators was fixed by the Constitution, but they plainly intended the number of Representatives to increase - leading to description of our political system as a ' representative democracy '.
Artificially capping the size of the House derailed the Founders' Intent.
Of course, this concept runs counter to ideas on the Right trying to limit voting rights of citizens ourselves, never mind giving us more representation.
With modern telecommunications, there is no reason for the entire House to fit under the Capitol dome, and on occasions they were actually require to all be physically present, they could be accommodated elsewhere in D.C.
In just my life-time, population growth alone has doubled the number of people each Representative stands for, diluting my voice; the number of Senators was fixed by the Constitution, but they plainly intended the number of Representatives to increase - leading to description of our political system as a ' representative democracy '.
Artificially capping the size of the House derailed the Founders' Intent.
Of course, this concept runs counter to ideas on the Right trying to limit voting rights of citizens ourselves, never mind giving us more representation.
2
Thank you, R. Law -- this is the real problem! It enables everything else. Low-population states with outsize influence on politics are easy targets for billionaire donors to manipulate. Our undersized non-representative House also skews the Electoral College and makes it easier to focus dollars on a few influential states.
Billionaires would have much tougher, more costly road if they had to subvert a 1000 House members instead of 100. Our current system represents dirt and dollars, not the will of the population.
Billionaires would have much tougher, more costly road if they had to subvert a 1000 House members instead of 100. Our current system represents dirt and dollars, not the will of the population.
1
Taking a step or two down from the philosophical plane we simply find a reactionary party and it's rep's encountering real life outside their self made La La land. Its not about boot straps, anti-abortionist, gun nuts, nor the seditious anti-taxers. It's about real life in America circa 2017. It is coming as a surprise to many of the right wingers that most of the population of the country does not agree with them on most any issue. And even worse the majority of folks are resisting all attempts to make us over in the imagery of the reactionary right.
Who knew, after all, that running a country is complicated. And expensive.
Who knew, after all, that running a country is complicated. And expensive.
179
I'm sure the last Tsar of Russia, the last Emperor of China, and the last King of France all decried the impertinence of crowds as well.
We see where that got them.
An era of history, and the class benefiting from it, are once again about to be swept away in the blink of an eye.
It's a question of politics -- and economics, as always -- not politesse.
Worry about manners is the last refuge of absolute scoundrels.
We see where that got them.
An era of history, and the class benefiting from it, are once again about to be swept away in the blink of an eye.
It's a question of politics -- and economics, as always -- not politesse.
Worry about manners is the last refuge of absolute scoundrels.
162
And look what happened in those countries.
"A crowd is stronger, angrier and less ideologically flexible than an individual". Maybe that's why the GOP nominee was able to get across his message of hate and division last year because he was preaching to the choir, to like-minded citizens who saw the country and the world as he did. He encouraged the protest chants that began to take hold of a solid 40% of American voters. This president is no philosopher or thinker but, like any demagogue, he recognized opportunity when he saw it. The rest, as we know, is history.
97
Note that Mr. Brooks, a well-known "conservative" partisan, never mentions any of the issues groups are protesting. Nor does he admit that the haunted look on the faces of his precious Republican Congress members is due to the fear those ranting crowds have put in their hearts.
It's also interesting that reporting by journalists like Jane Mayer reveals that Mr. Brooks, in private speaking engagements to "conservative" groups, very much succumbs to, and is swept up in, the madness of his crowd. His advice is a Trojan Horse for the opposition.
Is it a coincidence that Brooks and Kristof are both trying to tame protestors today?
It's also interesting that reporting by journalists like Jane Mayer reveals that Mr. Brooks, in private speaking engagements to "conservative" groups, very much succumbs to, and is swept up in, the madness of his crowd. His advice is a Trojan Horse for the opposition.
Is it a coincidence that Brooks and Kristof are both trying to tame protestors today?
229
Mr. Brooks is actually what is laughably called a "libertarian," a follower of obsessive-compulsive typist Ayn Rand. That means that if you stand between Brooks and a dollar bill, he believes it is his natural right to kill you.
5
I guess the Times publishes this condescending op ed to show it’s giving us a range of views. So we get this eccentric piece going back to the 19th C for quotes about the degraded, emotional, intellectually weak masses. What a hoot.
The Gop right wing is the one that’s been degrading our democracy and these angry crowds at town halls are realizing it--an apt response to mistreatment.
They have plenty of reason to angrily challenge congress. They’re not getting representation for their taxation.
Per Pew research.org--- "U.S. income inequality, on rise for decades, is now highest since 1928. The top elites control fortunes comparable to those of the Gilded Age. " An age before the rights of workers , before mass education, when millions of citizens couldn’t vote.
Today, unions are weakest in generations, higher education now puts people in big debt, millions are still uninsured, and voter rights are interfered with to affect elections.
Instead of phony, manipulative public relations techniques to control the citizen “mobs”, how about lawmakers start representing the interests of citizen majorities for a change? And stop working for wealthy donors who tether them to special interests, while their profits are the higher priority over our livelihoods, jobs, health care and education?
Where are the inhibitions against pernicious behavior by the ‘mob’ of elite corporate megadonors ruling our elections?
The Gop right wing is the one that’s been degrading our democracy and these angry crowds at town halls are realizing it--an apt response to mistreatment.
They have plenty of reason to angrily challenge congress. They’re not getting representation for their taxation.
Per Pew research.org--- "U.S. income inequality, on rise for decades, is now highest since 1928. The top elites control fortunes comparable to those of the Gilded Age. " An age before the rights of workers , before mass education, when millions of citizens couldn’t vote.
Today, unions are weakest in generations, higher education now puts people in big debt, millions are still uninsured, and voter rights are interfered with to affect elections.
Instead of phony, manipulative public relations techniques to control the citizen “mobs”, how about lawmakers start representing the interests of citizen majorities for a change? And stop working for wealthy donors who tether them to special interests, while their profits are the higher priority over our livelihoods, jobs, health care and education?
Where are the inhibitions against pernicious behavior by the ‘mob’ of elite corporate megadonors ruling our elections?
579
The US seems to be reverting to its original economy of overseers, slaves, indentured workers, and people subsisting in the forests.
10
As someone who has seen US medical ("drugs") adverts, it seems to me that you can persuade a substantial proportion of Americans to believe in or buy almost anything.
A terrific start to remedy this would be a stronger educational system giving due prominence to scientific thinking so that people routinely mentally check things; history - so they know when similar situations have arisen in the past; and English so they realise that much of the time language use in the US is more suited to Alice in Wonderland than being an aid to communication )which of course would mean a more prescriptive approach: The ideal surely is to welcome the new that adds to the existing and shun the changes that demean such as the abuse of words such as liberal (check an older dictionary) and progressive or fascist and conservative. Far too often words come to be a knee-jerk form of abuse rather than an accurate description. May I suggest an online search for George Orwell's Politics and the English Language as a reasonable starting point
A terrific start to remedy this would be a stronger educational system giving due prominence to scientific thinking so that people routinely mentally check things; history - so they know when similar situations have arisen in the past; and English so they realise that much of the time language use in the US is more suited to Alice in Wonderland than being an aid to communication )which of course would mean a more prescriptive approach: The ideal surely is to welcome the new that adds to the existing and shun the changes that demean such as the abuse of words such as liberal (check an older dictionary) and progressive or fascist and conservative. Far too often words come to be a knee-jerk form of abuse rather than an accurate description. May I suggest an online search for George Orwell's Politics and the English Language as a reasonable starting point
How about a study comparing how politicians would behave if their campaigns were actually paid for with public financing rather than by corporate interests? Maybe then they'll admit what's causing the behavior that makes them hide from their constituents at town hall events.
649
Congressmen can hide from the voters but they can't hide from their rich contributors. The harder they work for their contributors, the more they alienate their voters and the more they have to hide from them.
Sounds like a political death spiral to me.
Sounds like a political death spiral to me.
To be a real citizen in the US, you need a billion dollar plus net worth.
2
Trump's rallies? Have they improved?
Candy? Really, are comparisons between children taking candy and demonstrators trying to preserve their healthcare , the environment, public education, freedom of religion, or basic human rights nothing but false equivalence?
What comes to mind is rich people screaming about class warfare.
Candy? Really, are comparisons between children taking candy and demonstrators trying to preserve their healthcare , the environment, public education, freedom of religion, or basic human rights nothing but false equivalence?
What comes to mind is rich people screaming about class warfare.
364
'What comes to mind is rich people screaming about class warfare.'
Bingo!
You got it in one. Few sentences I've ever read better some up the entire career of Arthur C. Brooks.
Bingo!
You got it in one. Few sentences I've ever read better some up the entire career of Arthur C. Brooks.
12
When the rich steal from the poor they call it business as usual.
When the poor want it back they call it violence.
When the poor want it back they call it violence.
11
It's like people armed with nuclear bombs complaining about foes armed with pointed sticks.
2
If drawing false equivalences is the lowest form of argument, then this one is subterranean.
I see some slight differences between the Tea Party, whose members embraced insane fake-news slander about Obama being an ineligible foreign-born Muslim extremist, and thousands of ordinary citizens protesting the conservative push to remove affordable medical care, building absurd walls, deporting the undocumented, bringing back back-alley abortions and defunding Planned Parenthood.
If this constitutes an ochlocracy, we should remember that even a stopped ochlocracy is right twice a day. And the strategy of re-individuating the justifiably angry crowds is just the old “divide and conquer” whine in new bottles.
The goal shouldn’t be merely to quell the anger of aggrieved citizens with rhetorical tricks, but to address their needs. Did these legislators not know that people needed medical care, or were worried about their financial future, or that people were not going to sit back and watch a century of progressive initiatives get overturned because an incompetent buffoon was elected by undiscerning voters?
This entire administration is a joke, rotting from the top down, stuffed with incompetent functionaries and run by in-laws, cronies, sycophants and fools. If this isn’t the time to protest, I don’t know when that might be.
Instead of taking a powder, Republicans should take responsibility for the mean-spirited, inept government they helped to create.
I see some slight differences between the Tea Party, whose members embraced insane fake-news slander about Obama being an ineligible foreign-born Muslim extremist, and thousands of ordinary citizens protesting the conservative push to remove affordable medical care, building absurd walls, deporting the undocumented, bringing back back-alley abortions and defunding Planned Parenthood.
If this constitutes an ochlocracy, we should remember that even a stopped ochlocracy is right twice a day. And the strategy of re-individuating the justifiably angry crowds is just the old “divide and conquer” whine in new bottles.
The goal shouldn’t be merely to quell the anger of aggrieved citizens with rhetorical tricks, but to address their needs. Did these legislators not know that people needed medical care, or were worried about their financial future, or that people were not going to sit back and watch a century of progressive initiatives get overturned because an incompetent buffoon was elected by undiscerning voters?
This entire administration is a joke, rotting from the top down, stuffed with incompetent functionaries and run by in-laws, cronies, sycophants and fools. If this isn’t the time to protest, I don’t know when that might be.
Instead of taking a powder, Republicans should take responsibility for the mean-spirited, inept government they helped to create.
1026
gemli:
I agree that if you take the comparison at face value it is a false equivalence. However, I do see some real connections in here with what we have witnessed over the past couple of years. For example, the angry mobs that reduce themselves to the lowest level of their parts was clear to many in the campaign rallies of Trump supporters. On the other hand, a large group's ability to gravitate toward more altruistic, helpful purposes could also be seen in events like the Women's March in January. Also, the concept of re-individuation explains why it is possible (sometimes) for some of us to be civl and rational in one-to-one conversations with people of differing political leanings.
I agree that if you take the comparison at face value it is a false equivalence. However, I do see some real connections in here with what we have witnessed over the past couple of years. For example, the angry mobs that reduce themselves to the lowest level of their parts was clear to many in the campaign rallies of Trump supporters. On the other hand, a large group's ability to gravitate toward more altruistic, helpful purposes could also be seen in events like the Women's March in January. Also, the concept of re-individuation explains why it is possible (sometimes) for some of us to be civl and rational in one-to-one conversations with people of differing political leanings.
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When the Party of the rich complains about class warfare, we know who won. Republicans only fear progressive gatherings, while they marvel at the brutality of Trump rallies and the fake Tea Party, owned and operated by the Kochs, protesting Obamacare "death panels" and government "taking their Medicare".
And responsibility is what they'll take...along with a bath in the 2018 mid-terms.
Except, of course, in those "GOP safe" districts that the Koch brothers money helped to create.
We need to federally fund all federal elections. Equal budget for all valid candidates, and NO contributions. Only then will we cease to have the best congress money can buy.
And while we're at it, congressional term limits would be a good idea. 2 terms in each house. 16 years in DC, if you're lucky, ought to be enough. Or be creative, extend house terms to 3 years to save some money and lend a bit more stability, and make it 18 years.
Except, of course, in those "GOP safe" districts that the Koch brothers money helped to create.
We need to federally fund all federal elections. Equal budget for all valid candidates, and NO contributions. Only then will we cease to have the best congress money can buy.
And while we're at it, congressional term limits would be a good idea. 2 terms in each house. 16 years in DC, if you're lucky, ought to be enough. Or be creative, extend house terms to 3 years to save some money and lend a bit more stability, and make it 18 years.
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