[PHOTOSHOPoem]

"... and then brave, brave Sir Robin moved to Washington and became a Tea Party Republican..."



This is actually textbook conservative-political-think. Do something outrageous and even offensive to your opponents (the lobbyist-funded and Fox-endorsed tea party protests that spread a host of lies about health care reform) and revel in the outrage, even wrap it in the flag.

Then, when people begin to act the same way to you (because you've made confrontation part of the political discourse), act as though your confronter has gone way over the line and you must be protected because you're now being oppressed.

They do it with the press (how dare you quote my own words back to me - bias! bias!), and now they do it with their own constituents.

And it's also cowardly, but there's a certain mob mentality on the far right that almost dictates cowardice.

TPM: http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2...cs.php?ref=fpb

Starting in 2009, the current Republican Congressional majority rode into power on a wave of voter frustration voiced through organized protest at town halls. So it's perhaps out of fear that the same thing will happen to their majority in 2012 that Republicans found new and novel ways to stifle the voices of constituents who might criticize them.

In Florida, Rep. Daniel Webster (R) distributed a sort of blacklist of local activists that aimed to tear down those who might criticize him at his town hall meetings. The tone of the list was almost comically paranoid, with photos next to big warnings that activists once worked for the "Barak [sic] Obama Presidential Campaign" in 2008.

In Ohio, Rep. Steve Chabot (R) ordered police on scene at one of his August town halls to confiscate the video cameras of progressives in attendance, a step up from his overall ban on constituent cameras in his meetings that he's had in place "since at least June," according the the Huffington Post's Amanda Terkel.

...

The easiest way to avoid town hall criticism is, of course, not to have a town hall at all. And that's exactly what Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) -- who is a prime target for progressive and Democratic protesters -- has done. Instead of public, open meetings, Ryan opted for visits with civic groups that charged the public admission to attend.

Gabriela Schneider, communications director for the Sunlight Foundation -- a non-partisan group focused on government transparency -- says the decision by members of Congress to flee their critics this August is bad for democracy.

"What's so dangerous that they have to ban cameras?" she said. "The members of Congress are reneging now on their responsibility to hear from their constituents. That's why they go home."

[DadaSeeva]

The motives are so transparent, but our fellow citizens are not paying close enough attention so this move to suppress dissident voices, will work. Truly sad and pathetic.

I really like the move to charge people to get into the town hall meetings, WOW have times changed.

[uwJzsM8t]

Maybe that's the new Democratic angle - we'll beat 'em on price. Our democracy is free. Theirs? Not so much. They'll charge you to talk to your lawmaker and they'll make you buy a new state-approved ID card if you want to vote in a state they control.