The Reasonable Strike Back

Some good news on the town hall front, where some pro-health insurance reform citizens have been able to neutralize the brownshirts by the end of the week. From Indiana, a particularly good read:

1. One woman said she had recently lost her job and her kids were on Medicaid but she didn't want the government controlling her health care! When reminded that Medicaid was "single payer" she said she'd rather not have her kids on it but she had to! Well, at least she could have that.

2. Another guy was complaining about VA health care and all the cuts, I reminded him that we just had an historical increase in VA health and other benefits, he retorted that was for young vets and he wasn't going back to College. I questioned whether he wanted to help out vets coming home from Iraq/Afghanistan and he drifted off muttering of course.

3. Another woman who had a sign that said "obamacare supports abortions and euthanasia" had an appeal to Senator Donely (sic), which was both misspelling his name and mistaking him for a Senator instead of a Rep. When I pointed out that the misinformation in her sign matched her knowledge of the Representative, she quickly lowered it in embarrassment. Later, I noticed she had torn off his name and title, and was holding the sign a little lower.

4. I often used the phrase that "you are entitled to your own opinion but not to make up the facts" which seemed to really stun them. They were confronted with a view that someone respected their different views but challenged them on the misinformation and really couldn't respond to it.

5. Many of them acted as if everyone held the same opinion as they did, and when I politely said I did not, it seemed to genuinely surprise them. In their circles, they don't know anyone who has a different view and who doesn't just nod at the same misinformed view they have. I always corrected them if they came up to me talking as if I agreed with them which happened at least a dozen times. They just assumed I was there like they were and for the same reasons.

Progress from Washington state, Massachusetts (they even have crazies there) and others. On the flip side, there's a pro-reformer car vandalized last night in Colorado and union members being threatened with violence, no doubt due to the rightwing gin-up from the Florida scuffle earlier this week, as expected completely turning on it's head who started what.

What may become more disturbing even than the wingnut disruptions is a question that ought to warm their hearts:

Did Obama already sell out true healthcare reform to the pharmaceutical industry?