COMMUNICATIONS vs. communications

One thing is clear about the town hall meeting hecklers dominating coverage of the health reform debate. They make for delicious satire.

But today’s town hall shouters are far from unique. For years, interest groups on the left have recruited their own screecher creatures, which makes it a bit embarrassing hearing the left whine about the right, gasp, recruiting and orchestrating.

The only real difference is that the left’s screamers have seemed to be younger and more of the lone wolf variety than the right’s current pack of Old Yellers. The right’s geriatric jihadists remind me of the neighbors who used to scream at me when my basketball or dog turds accidentally landed in their yard.

But whether on the right or left, I wonder whether those tapping into their inner Ralph Kramden are more effective than those using their inside voice. Many feel that the screamers are ineffective, because they make the viewpoint seem extreme, fringy, grating and irrational. That’s how I’ve felt when screamers have appeared in meetings supporting my point-of-view.

But then again, the defeat ‘em with decibels strategy does have undeniable advantages. The screamers on the right and left are extremely effective in grabbing the news media limelight, sometimes where the issue would have otherwise gone uncovered, and sometimes to the near exclusion of their opponents’ viewpoints. And they can discourage the participation of others who have a distaste for melodrama and flying spittle, so they have the stage to themselves.

Moreover, the strategic shriekers make the issue at hand seem to the politician to be controversial and “too hot to handle,” even when the screamers are actually in a distinct minority. That heat can make skiddish politicians run for the hills. While the pro wrestler act may be distasteful to many of us, it has proven effective in the political arena.

Questions abound. Will the current crop of town hall hecklers help or hurt their cause? Is this phenomenon a symptom of a healthy democracy or an ailing democracy? Is the tactic going to grow into a constant staple of political debate? If it does, will that make the citizenry more engaged in public issues, or more withdrawn? Is the inability to have a real two-way dialogue going to cause the demise of the town hall meeting format? Most importantly, will the constant use of CAPS soon become the most certain way to prevail in blog discussions?

– LOVELAND