Senate Democrats could be facing yet another obstacle this week in their efforts to pass health care –Â in this case a purely physical obstacle in the form of Tea Partiers staging a “die-in” at the Capitol offices.
Tea Party organizer Mark Meckler writes on his site: “The intention is to go inside the Senate offices and hallways, and play out the role of patients waiting for treatment in government controlled medical facilities. As the day goes on some of us will pretend to die from our untreated illnesses and collapse on the floor. Many of us plan to stay there until they force us to leave.”
The “die-in,” set to take place tomorrow, could be yet another example of Tea Party groups appropriating protest tactics formerly associated with the activist left. The tactic has formerly been used by anti-war groups, or by groups demanding more government action on AIDS. In this case, it’s being done by a group demanding less government action on health care.
“We know it’s a sacrifice to do this right before Christmas,” Meckler writes. “But throughout history American Patriots have made far greater sacrifices than this to protect our liberty. Now the burden (and the honor) falls on us.”
