This is a paper by the Inkwell Institute:
The townhalls have been going on for about a month now and surely everyone has heard the BS coming from both sides of the political spectrum and yes there is a way to handle the protests, the shouts, the accusations……..
Please gentlemen and ladies do not use the Rep. Barney Frank technique of insulting and antagonizing your questioner that leads to more anger and more accusations and even more anger…..
In the last couple of weeks and months there has been much debate on the Dem health care bill. Some of it is legitimate and some of it is pure fantasy. But beyond that the people protesting the bill have come armed with posters and shouting. The Dems are not handling the protesting very well….they are impotent in selling the bill as a good bill.
We have talked it over at the Institute during our monthly Agitatus Round Table and we have agreed that the Dems need a bit of assistance on the matter.
The question is how do we handle the townhall protests?
The townhall format is an old established way for the reps to meet and answer questions of their people. These days they, the Dems, have let the townhalls become nothing more than shouting matches of accusations and misinformation. No one in attendence has learn anything useful from most of the meetings.
We offer the following technique to dampen the protests.
If protesters start heckling and shouting…the rep should get on the mic and say that they may have their day if the rep is allowed to continue when they are finished.
After the protesters are through the rep should:
1–ask are you anger with the bill or the ideas? ask for a show of hands and have someone recording the count
2–ask, have you read the bill–show hands and a count
3–ask where they got their information that they are basing their objection.
4–ask if they believe that bill is socialized medicine–show hands and count
5–ask who here has Medicare–show of hands and count
6–ask are you happy with your Medicare? show of hands and count
Once the count has been taken and the questions asked, reps should then begin explaining the bill, always have a copy of the bill with so that sections can be read out loud or copies made for anyone who wants to have them.
The reps can fight the misinformation and they can win the argument if they treat the people with respect even if the people cannot do the same. The rep must realize that people, most notably the elderly, are afraid and confused….every opportunity should be made to reassure them that there is nothing hidden or deceitful in the bill.
The Dems can win this argument but they must have a unified plan not a bunch of willy nilly comments on television or radio. They must talk with one voice with one answer to the questions that are plaguing the people in their districts.
Interesting ideas – I have been hoping to find ways for rational discussion myself, and this is certainly a start.
My worry is that the townhall disruptions will just continue right over the attempts to have rational debate – but anything is worth a try.
I have to admit, though – I liked what Barney Frank did – someone had to call these people out and put them in their place.
What the dems really need to do to win this argument, though, is to have some guts and take some political heat and pass the bill despite the protests. That is what they were elected to do.
— hippieprof
Hello hippieprof and thanx for the visit…..first, I agree that Frank was great, but unfortunately it lead to more BS from the Right…..second, the Dems own Washington and yet they let the discredited party set the agenda…..they have lost their spine….please visit often I appreciate the participation.