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All last August, the righties showed up (some with loaded weapons), shouted down anyone they wanted to, bullied & pushed people around, and the mainstream media called them "spirited", "spunky", "bold", "exciting", etc.
The general approach to their antics, was to film them and then demand explanations from the congresspeople/senators/candidates who were bullied by them. The questions usually ran the gamut from "why do you think so many people hate the way you are governing", to ""what are you planning to do, to accommodate these protesters, and don't you dare try to exclude them".
The fact is this. If you are running for PUBLIC office, you are no longer entitled to PRIVATE rallies, unless they are on private property, with invitations sent out, or are "buy a ticket" events.
Even in a "private" meeting, people have cell phones with video cameras, so candidates should always be on their best behavior.
When candidates hold public meetings in public places, and advertise them as town hall meetings or meetings for constituents, they have to be adult enough to expect the occasional heckler. It should be reasonable to expect the "guests" to show up UN-armed though, and to be civil in their discourse.
A guy I once knew, owned the bowling alley we bowled at. He had a penchant for holding "raves" in the bar on the weekends. No matter how often the bowlers complained, he liked the raves because , as he said "They are exciting". We reminded him that lots of things are "exciting"..things like heart attacks or car accidents. He liked to have them because they brought in a LOT of cash.
These "ravers" trashed the once-nice bowling alley, drove away most of his bowling clientele, and then one night a guy was stabbed in the bar and died in the parking lot. The owner eventually sold the place, but it was impossible to overcome the bad reputation .The place is now shuttered and sits empty because no bowler would ever go back there.
There is BIG MONEY behind these tea party movements, and no one will be allowed to mess with them..no 115lb women with cardboard signs, no Dads with teen-aged sons in tow, no democratic constituents who may dare to want to ask a question..no one is allowed to interfere with their agenda.
Last August was the test-run, when they cased the joint to see just how far they could go, and how much free media they could count on, and how favorable that media would be. Other than the relatively few left-leaning media venues, the tea partiers were well received, and their movement was accepted with open arms. Their (irrational) anger was what the media used to set the tone for the '10 elections. The mainstream media fell all over themselves covering these miscreants, malcontents and assorted nuts and gave credence to their gibberish.
The ignoring of their thuggish behavior set the stage for what we now have, on an almost daily occurrence. The pushing & shouting gave way to head-stomping, and it will only continue to escalate.
If the gains are as large as expected next Tuesday, look for even more violence when all the chips are on the line in '12. These are people who feel an inordinate amount of entitlement, and they will not be denied.
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