Things are so convoluted in our government these days that a lot of people are feeling a sense of hopelessness, of being pushed back into a corner. So it's no wonder they're coming out swinging. It doesn't matter how much the administration and its mouthpieces, those "windup" spokespersons on camera in front of the White House, including paid commentators, spin their rhetoric about these uprisings and call these highly concerned citizens crazy, dangerous, organized mobs, etc. The fact is that these citizens are genuinely concerned about the direction in which this country is being taken. And it has not just been conservatives or Republican voters who are attending these townhalls and questioning the policies being put forth right now. The polls that came out today all are reflecting this same truth. People are sick and tired of being sold a bill of goods and told out and out lies. They are no longer willing to sit back quietly and just let it happen! More power to them!
My hope is that these national polls that were released today will be an encouragement to those who were feeling hopeless. Those "well-dressed" people (who can't possibly be "normal" citizens) at the townhalls are demanding that this madness stop! Their determination is beginning to make the far left nervous because these "rowdy" people are beginning to ask direct and pointed questions and demanding answers. They're beginning to hold the far left accountable for the lies they've been telling, and accountable for the piece-by-piece dismantling of this country. Since it is affecting "the powers that be", I hope that these folks really do recognize that their willingness to get out and stand up in those meetings and speak (at whatever volume it takes to be heard) is paying off and will convince them they are making a difference.
There's a term that's being bandied about strongly right now, primarily coming from the White House. That term is "fear". Those who are attending the townhalls are being described as an organized group of people motivated by fear mongering initiated by Republican leaders. That's not true. Rather, I believe there is extreme concern about how quickly and at what depth this administration is taking us away from the country America used to be. Perhaps there is a fear that if they don't act now, this country and the American way of life as it has been know and which has been the envy of the world will be lost forever. But I think that it's a healthy fear. It's the fear when one's survival hangs in the balance. It's the fear that you experience when your family is in danger. And let it be known these townhalls are not just about healthcare and end of life issues. They're about everything that this administration is doing that is destroying this country.
Let's look at where this fear thing all started. It started last fall when Bush started the banking bailout with TARP #1..... birthing fear of financial collapse if we didn't act now and act BIG. Nevermind that no one read the bill. That fear was perpetrated and even enhanced when Obama took office. We had to get the Stimulus Package passed now, don't take time to read the enormous bill, just pass the darn thing right now or the world would end immediately. (I'm still waiting for any news organization to report on the actual shovel-ready jobs that this was supposed to pay for.) And the jobless rate which was supposed to be curbed by this bill has continued to skyrocket dramatically since then. Many more families are in now in real financial jeopardy. Those who've lost jobs are fearful of not being able to get a new one because not only are there more people per job vacancy, there are far less vacancies because many businesses have gone under or have drastically scaled back. Those who still have their jobs are fearful they won't be able to keep it until we get out of this mess.
Well, they aren't alone. There is another fearful group of people. However, this group consists of those few legislators who are holding these townhall meetings as well as those who are too afraid to get in front of their constituents and answer questions as to why they aren't reading what they're voting for before they vote, why they aren't paying attention to their calls and emails, why they aren't being represented in Washington. These politicians don't know how to handle a crowd that's in their face! As a result of their own fear, they're now going to require things like photo IDs and even personal invitations before a person can enter a townhall meeting. Some have even concocted a shell game of posting locations for meetings and changing it at the last minute to do "damage control". What is profoundly interesting is that some of these are the same individuals who voted against requiring photo IDs to vote. Now, does that make sense? The pat answer to this would be that there are two sets of rules, one for the liberal side and one for the conservative side.
I've noticed something about these concerned citizens who are upset about the healthcare plan, the bailouts, the Stimulus Plan, corporate takeovers, and all the czars -- the more they're willing to bow their backs, the more it's confounding those in Washington. They don't know how to handle this. Liberals are the ones that usually behave this way - though perhaps it's not so much out of concern on the issues as it is a disruption of the meeting. So, that's why these fearful politicians and their followers are convinced this is an organized effort to get the "messenger" off topic. But I pray that this movement continues and grows exponentially. I want to see US citizens who are genuinely concerned for this country to fight for it. It's our country - if we take it back, that is!
