The list should include the following:
1. When someone else is talking, yell louder than that person in order to be heard.
2. When stepping up to the microphone, make sure your gloves are laced and your mouthpiece is securely between your teeth.
3. Listening to the other side is never an option.
4. Whenever the words “health care” are used, boo and hiss loudly.
5. Bring posters of Obama dressed as the Grinch who stole Medicare.
6. Let your Congressman or woman know you like them as much as the guy in the public pool who stays in there for four hours and then leaves without using the restroom.
7. Old folks should rattle their canes and walkers as loudly as possible when the politician begins speaking.
8. Finally, everyone should dress as the cast of M*A*S*H, set up a still, and drink martinis as they listen to their fearless leaders. Throwing darts at the likeness of Obama is an option after the third round.
Well, I don’t know if any rules or etiquette will help these folks. They are venting in a way that seems to signify nothing and everything. Should we put a great deal of emphasis on this or let it simmer down and die out like a fire started by Sarah Palin in the Alaskan wilderness?
One thing is for certain: these town hall meetings have given lots of people some fifteen seconds of infamy. What happens next is anyone’s guess, but I think the road to health care reform is going to be about as easy to follow as the yellow brick road. There will be some lions and tigers and bears, oh my yes, and a witch or two along the way to spoil the party, but in the end we just might reach that Emerald City of Health care Reform. Mr. Obama may turn out to be a wizard of MD, or maybe a little dog will pull down the curtain and reveal him to be just a guy like the rest of us, treading water and hoping not to get sick.
Article comments
1 - Matthew T. Sussman
This set of town hall meeting rules brought to you by 4chan.
2 - Dave Nalle
Cultural reference I only get because I have a 16 year old who explained it to me the other day.
Dave
3 - roger nowosielski
Same here. I had to look it up in the Wiki.
4 - Dan
How about:
Politicians taking cell phone calls during Q & A.
Politicians regretting that they've not read the specific legislation dealing with a question, but promising that they will introduce legislative amendments to take care of it later.
Sarah Palin look a likes dressed in Hee Haw nurses uniforms.
A sign up table for out of work job applicants seeking government death panel jobs.
Union auto workers demanding the restoration of viagra treatments to their insurance policies.
A symposium on the heroic sacrifice of John Edwards to totally abstain from extramarital affairs, except during periods of remission of his spouses cancer.
An insurance company executive dunking booth.
A seperately sequestered contingent featuring skin heads, nazis, and swastikas labeled "Pelosi's Corner".
5 - Arch Conservative
Politicians routinely lie to us, take as much of our money as they want and waste it on their pet projects, and generally do nothing that could be construed as acting on our best behalf.
Yet we have people like Victor and others bemoaning the lack of civility they are receiving lately? As far as I'm concerned the politicians should get down on their knees and thank their lucky stars that a couple of raised voices is the worst they've had to deal with. If certain individuals became so inclined they could make things much, much worse.
6 - Joanne Huspek
Very humorous, but I'm thinking the etiquette has to spread to those in Congress. You get what you give, folks.
7 - Jim Vivanco
I don't like lack of civility either but, Americans generally get rowdy when they don't like what thier government is doing. (Like 1776, for example). The one good thing about this rowdiness is the march to universal health care has slowed down.
Do you guys remember when, during the Bush years, Sen. McCain and the others in Congress wanted to pass immigration reform through without any debate? The American people got rowdy and it didn't happen.
Three cheers for democrary!
8 - Victor Lana
Thanks for the comment, Jim, and everyone else. They are appreciated.