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Mr. Lowry:
Loved this line from your An Empire of Liberty quote:
“In January 1817 a chastened lame-duck Fourteenth Congress met to debate the issue of exactly what representation meant, and by and large it determined that the people had every right to instruct their congressmen.”
I think that’s the same exact disconnect that is occurring today. The servants have come to think of themselves as the sovereigns.
I do object to your characterization of the interruptions and chanting as rude and uncivil. Rude and uncivil is congressmen organizing Potemkin town halls, and then objecting when people take them at face value.
What option, beyond interrupting and chanting do opponents have when questions must be submitted to censors, attendance is strictly limited, no follow up questions are allowed, supporters of the congressman’s position are given preferential treatment when it comes to attendance, seating and asking questions. These are not private meetings but purported public meetings with constituents. But for the rudeness and incivility you can be sure that the congressmen would be touting the town halls as proof of overwhelming support for health-care reform.