The bitter divisions over an overhaul of the health care system have exploded at town-hall-style meetings over the last few days as members of Congress have been shouted down, hanged in effigy and taunted by crowds. In several cities, noisy demonstrations have led to fistfights, arrests and hospitalizations.
Democrats have said the protesters are being organized by conservative lobbying groups like FreedomWorks. Republicans respond that the protests are an organic response to the Obama administration’s health care restructuring proposals.
There is no dispute, however, that most of the shouting and mocking is from opponents of those plans. Many of those opponents have been encouraged to attend by conservative commentators and Web sites.
Let’s see:
Representative Brian Baird (Dem, WA) can refer to his opponents as Nazis and folks who wear “Brown Shirts” and he will not appear in person at Town Halls (rather he calls folks AT RANDOM at their homes soliciting comments).
We should send “fishy” comments–those QUESTIONING
Whoops–
That sent off too soon!
What I wanted to say is that the White House is requesting that folks send “fishy” comments to them so they can keep track of them and respond to misinformation. But every e-mail to the White House is archived–making access to opponents’ comments and concerns quite easy.
Sounds like it is OK to be a Community Organizer if you are running for President as a Democrat but Republican/Conservative “community organizers” mobs–or worse, Nazis.
I’ve been watching what one can see of some of those “town hall” meetings. The problem is, the representatives, and senators have little or no idea what they are there to explain.. Usually things go pretty well for the first few minutes, then the “representative” breaks into the talking points, and in one case the crowd just burst out in laughter.
It went downhill from there.
If indeed the rep/sen had any idea what he was talking about, and could explain, indeed there might be dissent, but when they even admit they have’nt read the stuff, but just have a canned speech, what do they expect?
Unfortunately for the average politician, people are NOT as dumb as they think, and that realization has come as a tremendous shock.
Grandmother in SC
Well, you have the administration and Congress calling out the unions to help “handle” these meetings – and that is why a conservative in St. Louis ended up in the emergency room, beaten up by a group that included union members. There had been no violence until then, just people exercising their constitutional rights, until the rhetoric was racheted up by Congress. Somehow, war protesters when Bush was president were patriotic, but healthcare protesters with Obama as president are “political terrorists,” as called by Steven Pearlstein, business writer for the Washington Post.
I don’t condone rude behavior at the townhall meetings. On the other hand, Congress members have come unprepared to discuss the health care bills and disdainful of questions and dissent. Also, since a call went out to leftist organizations to push back at these events, there have been several instances of violence against constituents who oppose the plans in and outside these meetings.
Based on my own urge to attend one of these events, which I would do if my Representative weren’t declining to have any, I would say this is genuine grass-roots outrage, not paid crowds.
Katherine – my family and I attended one of the first “Tea Party” events a few months ago. We found out about it online and had a thoroughly fun time – lots of music, signs, a few speeches, and people genuinely concerned about rushing legislation through that balloons our national debt. There are no paid crowds – there don’t need to be because regular people are trying to get information on a major piece of legislation that our representatives tried to rush through in a few weeks! There is some fear among some that they will wake up one morning to find their healthcare very different from what they thought it was if the government tries to control it – and I think that is where the “rude” behavior comes from – they want answers and they’re not getting any, just spin.
Check out the anger in the [url =”redstickrant.blogspot.com/2009/08/i-will-never-belong-to-aarp.html]video linked here [ /url ]
I didn’t pay much attention at the beginning, but I will be an active Tea Party supporter from now on. The dishonesty of the Democrats on what they are trying to do to healthcare is breathtaking.
For a good summary of what the healthcare proposal is going to do, please look at this article from CNN Money / Fortune Magazine (not a “rightwing front organization†by any means). It details exactly how the bill will destroy private healthcare and force people to use the public option within 1 to 5 years:
“Five Freedoms You’d Lose In Health Care Reformâ€
http://money.cnn.com/2009/07/24/news/economy/health_care_reform_obama.fortune/
The fact they tried to pass this without any public knowledge and input, and now still vow to enact it despite majority public opposition, shows that these people should not be in Congress.
This all reminds me so much of the deception and dishonesty that has destroyed the Episcopal Church. People looking at you, telling you they are not trying to do something, and then it becomes obvious that was their agenda all along.
[blockquote] Democrats have said the protesters are being organized by conservative lobbying groups… [/blockquote]
Wait a minute – when did “organizing” become a sin?
It seems to me they are just following the advice of the President:
[blockquote] I need you to go out and talk to your friends and talk to your neighbors. I want you to talk to them whether they are independent or whether they are Republican. I want you to argue with them and get in their face.[/blockquote]
-Barak Obama
What a two-faced hypocrite.
Again, I apologize for voting for this guy.
Hey Sulik — did you really vote for Obama?
I promise not to castigate — I am genuinely interested in learning more about why. I understand if you don’t want to share, but I am most interested in *learning* from people who did about their reasons.
Apologies for intruding and don’t again feel as if you must share this if you’d rather not — I’m just letting you know that I am curious.
Yes – although just in the February primary – by the time of the general election, I was very worried about his very divisive politics that I had observed in the meantime. When I voted for him in February, I really thought he was a post-racial, post-partisan candidate – something I think we really need right now.