Mickey Hepner
The Edmond Sun
EDMOND — Growing up, my parents taught me the old saying that “you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.” After seeing clips from some of the health care town halls across the country, it is clear that some Republicans never learned that lesson.
Every year during the August recess, members of Congress head back to their home districts and host a series of town hall meetings where they can both speak and listen to their constituents.
This August, members have often been greeted by raucous, vitriolic and at times even violent crowds expressing their displeasure over President Obama and his health care reform efforts. In one extreme case protesters outside Maryland Democratic Rep. Frank Kratovil’s office hung an effigy of the congressman to illustrate their displeasure.
It is one thing to express one’s opinions. In fact, there is nothing more American than sharing one’s views with one’s elected representatives — especially the unfavorable views.
All Americans should be encouraged to attend these town hall meetings and to write to their elected representatives. But all too often the protests at these health care town halls have gone too far. Instead of providing a forum for a diversity of views, too many protesters are only allowing their perspective to be shared.
Instead of winning minds with a dazzling use of facts, these mobs are resorting to threats of violence. Instead of persuading others with information, these thugs are using intimidation. The town halls have become, in short, infested with bullies.
This is unfortunate because there are many good Republicans, and good conservatives, who are also good people. These are the Republicans who are both kind and considerate, who while confident in their own ideas, are also respectful of the ideas of others. These Republicans are the antithesis of the bullies dominating the debate right now. Yet the influence of these good Republicans is waning.
Of course, Democrats have had their share of bullies through the years — those protesters willing to disrupt an opponent’s speech and out-scream the opposition. But the Democratic majority we see today came about not because of those Democrats … but in spite of them.
After all, in order to win elections, Democrats had to gain voters’ trust. As most of us learned way back in kindergarten, you don’t win friends by being rude.
Likewise, Republican success in the health care reform debate will come not by embracing the vitriol spewing from conservatives like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Ann Coulter and the town hall mobs. Instead, Republicans’ best hope for influencing the health care reform debate is by renouncing such people.
It is interesting that despite all of the criticisms, centrists still side with President Obama — even in Oklahoma. This last week the Gallup organization released a new poll showing that 53 percent of Oklahomans approve of President Obama’s job performance, compared to only 34 percent who disapprove.
These numbers should set off alarm bells for Oklahoma’s Republican leaders. After all, in order to achieve a 53 percent approval rating in Oklahoma, one must be very popular among centrists. Thus, even in one of the reddest states in the nation, centrists still like President Obama.
The Republican Party, with its trust in free markets and distrust in powerful government, can help make the eventual health care reform proposal much better. Therefore, it is time for Republican leaders to stop inciting anger and start working for a solution.
It is time for Republican leaders to stop appealing to extremists and start appealing to reason. It is time for Republican leaders to work with this president and this Democratic Congress to improve this health insurance reform bill.
Or, Republican leaders could choose to continue on their current path. In the end, though, Republican leaders need to recognize that bullying behavior will not help them regain the trust of voters. Instead, it only serves to remind us why we didn’t vote for you.
MICKEY HEPNER is an associate professor of economics at the University of Central Oklahoma
