Pamela D. Reed | Posted August 12, 2009 4:14 PM
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Am I the only one profoundly alarmed by the spectacle of the angry crowds at the widely reported town hall meetings on health care reform?
Have you seen any of the countless media reports in the last few weeks? No, I mean have you really seen the spectacle? And have you seen the wild eyes of many of these folks? One is left to wonder, just what some of these rabid people are so mad about...and to what lengths will they go.
Perish the thought...
Just yesterday, in a horrifying escalation, one lunatic was bold enough to wear a loaded gun strapped to his leg outside President Obama's health care reform town hall meeting in Portsmouth, NH. And amazingly, because the weapon was not concealed, he was not removed from the vicinity.
Indeed, allegedly standing on the grounds of a nearby church that granted him permission to do so, the man defiantly held a sign quoting Thomas Jefferson: "It Is Time to Water the Tree of Liberty!" The entire quote is this: "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants." His appearance on "Hardball" was chilling.
And, also on yesterday, I thought the rabble rousers were going to pimp slap Arlen Specter, the aging Pennsylvania Republican turned Democratic senator, a repeat cancer survivor. It's all enough to make one physically ill.
It begs this question: Why does something as benign and potentially beneficial as health care reform generate such bitter division? The only logical answer can be found by actually listening to some of the protestors.
Ironically, as they terrorize the nation, they say they're afraid. Isn't that rich?
Well, I want to know-- besides change--AFRAID OF WHAT? It's hard to tell because much of their vitriol has very little to do with health care. And those comments that are about health care have very little basis in fact.
The questioners rail about forced euthanasia, government-provided abortion, the Constitution, socialism, "illegals," totalitarianism, Hitler, and other straw-man arguments. Providing fuel for this wildfire are far-right media pundits, like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich. With no shame in his game, Fox News analyst Dick Morris said, in no uncertain terms, on live TV that Americans must "terrorize" Democratic members of Congress during this month of August.
And stooping to a new low, former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin even called the plan "downright evil", and she shamefully alluded to its mythical "death squads"--and this is all before the actual plan is even announced.
Truth be told, the only adequate comparison for the rowdy, irrational bunches of protestors--virtually foaming at the mouth--is lynch mobs.
That's right, lynch mobs.
This must have been what it was like leading up to the Civil War--and afterward during the Jim Crow era when hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan and Knights of the White Camellia were formed, with the sole purpose of terrorizing formerly enslaved Africans and their sympathizers.
And watching the self-righteousness of these increasingly volatile and violent hooligans, as they shout down elected officials and dissenters in the crowds, it is not hard to imagine some of these characters--under the cover of darkness--in sheets, brandishing burning crosses.
Moreover, I don't believe for a moment that this is really about health care reform, at least not for most of those thuggish detractors that the media seems to take delight in beaming around the world.
This is about the fear of change. And different groups have their own existential woes that bind them all together. Specifically, I think there are at least three distinct stakeholder groups at work.
First and foremost, some captains of the health care and insurance industries are afraid because they are making vast sums of money under our present health care system, and they will stop at nothing to protect their interests. Nothing.
Then, there is the Grand Ole Party (GOP). Where are the Republican members of Congress in the midst of this firestorm? Why are they so quiet? Here's my theory: they are silent because they are complicit. All they care about is weakening President Obama and the 2010 midterm elections.
And last, but not least--in the wake of the election of the nation's first Black president--there is a large contingency of Americans who are afraid that the days of white privilege and white supremacy in America are numbered. It doesn't matter that many of these persons would probably benefit from health care reform. They just want to lash out, and thus, are unwitting pawns of some avaricious politicians and health care/insurance lobbyists/executives.
The result is utter, organized chaos. And this raises the money questions: Who is pulling the strings? Further, who is providing the scripts that many of the questioners are reading from? And better still, why is the media rewarding and legitimizing this bad behavior with air time in every news cycle?
All I know for sure is that I am sick of it all. I am sick of the hate. I am sick of the macabre drama. I am sick of the misinformation and propaganda. Moreover, I am sick of the lack of an actual health care plan with concrete details--including funding sources--effectively leaving an information vacuum.
So, President Obama, if you're listening, it's time to put a real plan on the table.
Don't leave it up to Congress. Why not announce the formation of a White House blue ribbon health care panel, put them all in a room, house them in close proximity, consult with them daily, and not even entertain the idea of adjournment until there is a real plan? Mind you, it doesn't have to be in final form, but at least it will be tangible--and it will be a major step toward an actual bill.
Your presidential legacy is riding on this, sir. Remember, you won largely on the strength of your promise of health care reform. No one said this would be easy, but you must be strong and resolute. Whatever the case, please make it plain.
And, sir, whatever you're paying your Secret Service detail, double it. For I am really afraid for you...and this country.
Dr. Pamela D. Reed is a diversity consultant, cultural critic, and assistant professor of English and African-American literature at Virginia State University.
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