Aaron Benedetti

During Congress’s August recess, Republican malcontents have escalated their attacks on health care reform—and that’s only to be expected. I anticipated some of the usual conservative grievances: complaints about the federal deficit, concerns over taxes for families and small businesses, claims that big government is more dangerous than Big Insurance.

But I was unpleasantly surprised by some of the tactics I observed. Many opponents to health care reform have resorted to rumor-mongering and dispersing outright lies, and they have occasionally become quite vocal, and even physical, at some representatives’ town hall meetings. At one Colorado rally, a car bearing an Obama campaign sticker and a flyer for SEIU, a service workers’ union, sustained $3,000 in damage. These disruptions appear aimed entirely at producing bad publicity—I really don’t see how claims of forced euthanasia (like those perpetuated by conservative commentator Betsy McCoy on Fred Thompson’s radio show) can stem from any existing provisions of the bills in Congress.

I have noticed, though, that those who choose to disrupt these meetings seem fully and completely convinced that their wild claims are true. They have been manipulated—whether by an individual, by an interest group or by an entire industry—to believe that their propaganda is unbiased and no-nonsense news, that those who disagree are just condescending or ignorant, that they alone know what is best for the nation.

Though these people are undoubtedly entitled to express their ideas (or, rather, to express someone’s ideas), I find this behavior worrisome, especially considering the ease with which some reformists can disregard it. There is quite a large difference between a freethinking and rational citizen and an unthinking vehicle for misinformation. It’s the difference between being civically engaged and being, well, disengaged—and not knowing it.