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Conservative activist have successfully persuaded congressional members to cut billions of dollars from healthcare legislation and won a tough fought promise to not raise taxes on millions of middle-class families. Grassroots conservatives credit health care industry groups with helping to inform and instruct activists on how to approach members of congress. Activists were given copies of proposed healthcare legislation and directed to specific parts of the legislation conservatives felt was unacceptable.
"It was great," said Archie Bunker. "I showed up to my town hall meeting knowing exactly what part of the legislation I disagreed with. All I had to do is hand my representative the parts of legislation I disagreed with and he told me he would do what he could to keep costs low and not raise taxes."
The congressman also promised to hold another town hall meeting or a conference call during the remainder of the legislative process on healthcare, Bunker explained.
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Hey mainstream media: Why are we not reading this story? Why are we reading that conservative activists are shouting down congressional members at town hall meetings? Why are we reading that conservatives activists are calling Obama Hitler and his policies socialism over and over and over and over again and again and again?
It would be simple for the right to challenge the legislation at town hall meetings; simply take the portions of the legislation they don't agree with, hand it to their congressperson and tell them they don't agree with it and want it changed ... you know, the democratic process. If the congressperson feels enough of his constituents want or don't want something in the legislation he or she will go to the congress and lobby for those positions.
Why can't conservatives do this? Why are they resorting to shouting down congressional members and calling Obama Hitler?
Why?
They lost elections because their ideas were rejected by a majority of American voters. And, because they do not have the numbers to persuade congress to do what they want to do, they are resorting to other extreme means - this is not democracy, this is an attempt at mob rule - to threaten, intimidate, confuse and scare.
Democracy is a process that includes putting forth ideas for solving problems, petitioning your representatives to accept or reject these ideas and voting to elect those you feel best represent the ideas you believe are best for the country.
The right is not following this process. The right is not petitioning its representatives to persuade them to choose another course.
Why is this so difficult for the mainstream media to grasp?
This is your frame of reference.
This is your story.