My work makes me a frequent attendee of local Town Council and Village Board meetings.  When the politicians  are under fire they normally adopt one of two approches to escape the heat.
Approach 1 - Use a &amp;quot;lightning rod&amp;quot;.  A lightning rod stands up and takes the heat that the board is facing.  Often the lightning rod takes a very aggresssive stance on the issue, sometimes playing fast and loose with the facts but always diverting the public&#039;s attention from the politicians.
Approach 2 - Wear them out.  This technique involves letting the public yell and scream until they wear themselves out while the politicians appear to politely listen but say little.  The public often goes away discouraged thinking that they really can&#039;t fight City Hall.
Any of this sound familiar to anyone.  Either some have a natural talent for this sort of thing or they are being schooled.   I am amazed at their sophistication.  
Ladies and gentlemen, big city politics has come to our little tractor club.