You've got to be kidding:

"However, it is now evident that an ugly campaign is underway not merely to misrepresent the health insurance reform legislation, but to disrupt public meetings and prevent members of Congress and constituents from conducting a civil dialogue," the two leaders wrote. "These disruptions are occurring because opponents are afraid not just of differing views -- but of the facts themselves. Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American." They point to a series of protests at congressional-district hearings held by members of Congress this summer, including one where the likeness of a Maryland congressman was hanged in effigy, one where the tombstone of a Texas congressman was displayed and meetings where protesters shouted down opponents with "Just say no."

One salient difference between the inexcusable Kratovil effigy and the fake lynching of Sarah Palin during the election: the health care opponent didn't try to hide behind the facade of being oh so ironic. Another salient difference: the conservative launched his stunt in the context of a policy disagreement, while the Palin death fantasies - along with the Palin rape fantasies and the Palin assault fantasies - were motivated by the pathological hate that leftists proudly and explicitly brag about.

For the last week I've been thinking this is a "can dish it out but can't take it" dynamic, ala Kos strutting about how the nutroots should "have some fun" with the Michigan primary and then demanding legal action against Rush for Project Chaos. That would certainly explain how liberals who absurdly complained that Bush was stifling dissent are now really trying to stifle dissent.

But that doesn't account for the surreal tone deafness of mainstream Democrats. Telling constituents to shut up and get out of the way? Really? So now I'm beginning to think that they're so deluded that they really believe they survived 8 years in the darkened basements and dispersed gulags of the Bush-Cheney regime, and now they're merely giving back in kind. This is getting borderline pathological.

References and previously after the jump...