American political culture

Abstract

If “by vast majorities Americans believe that every citizen should have an equal chance to influence government policy and to hold public office,” then the protests occurring in congressional town hall meetings across the country are perfectly acceptable, and indeed, are to be encouraged. I believe that with the protests, the issue is not of propriety, but of reason and sensibility.

It is widely agreed upon that the protests are examples of some of the most heated civilian political activity as of late. Stories of startling disorder have circulated around the internet, particularly on Youtube. That rowdy behavior ran rampant is undeniable—some went so far as to carry weaponry, such as the man who carried a handgun strapped to his leg to Obama's town hall meeting in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. What was not so much unsettling as it was thoughtless was that while most town hall constituents raised fair and legitimate concerns, some others ignored the issue completely and chose instead to personally insult the hosting congressperson or senator.

Senator Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, for example, was particularly unfortunate in attracting such attendant persons. One man at a Specter town hall meeting stood up just to heckle—damning Specter to hell before asserting that “God's going to stand before [him], and he's going to judge [him] and the rest of [his] damned cronies up on the Hill.” It is those kinds of people who, however unfortunately, negatively branded the protests and protestors.