Andy’s take on Dr. K’s take is on the money.

Krauthammer’s assertion that the boisterous town halls are a gift to supporters of Obamacare because they will create a backlash against conservative/Republican opponents is, at least thus far, wholly unsupported by the polls. We’ve been seeing videos of the raucous town halls for nearly two weeks and yet support for government health care continues to plummet. The latest Rasmussen has support for Obamacare at its lowest point ever.

Perhaps the behavior of some of the attendees will eventually reverse Obamacare’s eroding support. But that would be a peculiar dynamic. The drop in support is a result of more and more people focusing on the probabilities that the plan will decrease the quality and availability of care while blowing a titanic hole in the federal budget. Seeing video of a few energetic people shouting at congressmen is unlikely to cause the average voter to say, “Okay, that does it. Because of that loud guy I now support high taxes, mediocre health care, and an irreparable budget deficit.” Rather, it’s more likely that ordinary Americans who see a video of their fellow citizens confronting out-of-touch, spendthrift politicians will be reinforced in theirsuspicions that something is seriously wrong with the bill.

Frankly, it would be disconcerting if town-hall attendees were quiet and dispassionate. Politicians are proposing to dramatically alter the relationship between citizen and state, remake nearly 1/6 of the American economy, expand the federal deficit and debt to science-fiction levels and assume control of some of the most important and personal aspects of our lives — all without even reading the bill. And all the while we’re supposed to behave as if this were no different than some sleepy Board of Zoning Appeals meeting?

If Americans can’t get energized by something of this magnitude then our national character has changed radically — and not for the better.

The last time politicians pulled back from the brink before ramming through an unpopular measure was during immigration reform in 2007. Only a loud, impassioned, and tenacious citizenry stopped enactment of a bill that seemed assured of overwhelming passage. Videos of enraged Americans didn’t increase support for that bill. But surely, had Americans been timid and quiet in opposition to immigration reform, it would have been crammed down our throats.