Democratic members of Congress have been taking their plans for healthcare to the voters with a series of “town hall” meetings. Protesters have disrupted these events, shouting down speakers, waving insulting posters, even hanging one congressman in effigy. It is not quite the exercise in deliberation one had hoped for.

The US administration’s critics can hardly complain that they are denied a chance to engage with their representatives if, when the opportunity arises, they howl and stamp their feet. Their behaviour is a political miscalculation too. Rage has become the story, relieving the reformers of the obligation to defend their proposals. The focus of attention is on the shrieking, and the nightly video clips do not flatter the protesters.