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Tuesday, March 08, 2011

Belittling Civic Participation?

Fox News is often too easy a punching bag, but this was something I had to post.
The head line "Shrieking Leftist Mob Shuts Down Town Hall Meeting in Wisconsin" is posted on the "Politics" portion of the Fox News Website

There's a link to the full story from (and I'm not making this up) RightNetwork.com.

The story is about a pair of YouTube videos (embedded below) from a Wauwatosa town hall with a Republican politicians. 

I know the left was harsh when Tea Party protesters used much of the same tactics while the health care reform debate was raging.

My question is this: Why would either side belittle the people who are engaged enough to attend public meetings and voice their opinions? 

These people are doing more than just voting. They are participating in democracy in the most active way they can. It takes time, energy, and thought to do so.  

Neither side of the political spectrum (nor their respective media outlets) should discourage such civic participation. 

That headline sprinkled with insults not only offends the targets, it offends anyone who believes in participative democracy.