I'm sick and tired of attending town meetings....

[zanana1]

With right-wing disruptors yelling and booing so that the speaker can't be heard. Why the hell can't we just throw the bums out? The representative from my district had another town meeting yesterday and instead of being able to discuss where we go from here, most of the time was spent "shushing" these Neanderthals who are intent on disruption and nothing else. We all had signs ready for when it happened that said "BE RESPECTFUL". It didn't do a bit of good.

Has anyone ever seen Democratic disruptors do this to Republican speakers during town hall meetings?

[crispini]

1. You can just throw the bums out.

Seriously, first have the speaker set the expectation of civility at the beginning of the meeting, and tell them that they will have a chance to be heard at the end during the public comment period.

Then give the offenders a warning.

If they repeat, get the master-at-arms or other security type presence to toss them out.

It's not free speech when you're simply shutting up everyone else's right to speak and be heard.

In regard to your question, I don't know. The only town hall meeting I've ever attended with an R was when they were trying to get social security privatization passed (remember that?) and his fellow republicans pretty much shot him down so we didn't have to. they were polite, though, but they definitely shot him down.

[tabbycat31]

2. they need a better way to run it

If I were the powers that be, I'd be handing everyone an index card at the beginning of the meeting, and have a staffer read the (written down) questions aloud. I'd also eject people who were unruly.

I went to my representative's town hell meeting this summer, and the leader of our DFA group, a councilman himself, had to have police protection.