Comments on: Scene At Tampa Health Care Town Hall Crammed With Protesters Reportedly Turns Violent

By: Paul Krugman Sees Racism Among Town Hall ‘Mob’ Protesters | linkthe.com

Thu, 13 Aug 2009 21:41:35 +0000

[...] Scene At Tampa Health Care Town Hall Crammed With Protesters Reportedly Turns Violent (themoderatevoice.com) [...]

By: troykdawes

troykdawes — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:23:48 +0000

I was very angry when I saw Obama call the town hall meetings “astro turf”. What did they think? That we were going to just roll over belly up and let them take everything away from us and say nothing? I propose that we get organized and march on Washington!! and if necessary take back our country if they wont lissen to the very people that put them there. Like the above comment says. “The money being put out for the stimulus bill has not even started for the most part” and “We as a nation are sick and tired of the taxation and cover ups this administration has allready done in the short time it has been in office”.”we are not looking for handouts” “teach a man to fish and so on…Look at CA. IT's bankrupt! and This administration with the Dem majority congress and house are doing the same thing that CA. did. and yes “This is causing our nation to reach hyperinflation” If we do not take back our country we are not going to have a country. People ask why is Obama in such a rush to pass these bills? Because they know they have a short 4 year window to get all of this stimulus,cap and trade,health care and God only knows what else through congress and on Obama's desk so he can sighn it!! Is this the change in America that WE THE PEOPLE want?? I pray Im not the only one that feels this way. I know all of you have to work and dont have time to do what must be done. I know I dont have the time because I have to work but if we dont do something now about this ridiculous 3 ring circus in DC. YOU TELL ME? respectfully Troy k Dawes VA.

By: Leonidas

Leonidas — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 09:15:34 +0000

Problem is, these really are not townhalls. These are salespitches. If Congressmen went to them and just said. “Thank you all for coming, who has the first question?” rather than trying to open with a big sales pitch they would be way ahead of the game, they are there to listen, not to talk unless its a direct and short answer, if they can't manage that they should promise to post the question and their answer within a couple of day on their website. The public wants answers not a sale pitch. Answer with specif details not rhetoric.

By: SteveK

SteveK — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 05:05:08 +0000

I'm not sure why you directed your comment to mine but since you have… Phooey!

By: gntlcrct

gntlcrct — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:40:18 +0000

It is so interesting that Paul Krugman seems to be able to make personal judgments about what drives the people protesting Obamacare. How does he know enough to judge that they are essentially racists? Has he talked with these people in depth? Has he really listened to what is bothering them and why? Perhaps it's just because they actually read the bill and are frightened by what they see. Not only does Krugman seem to read these people's deepest inner motives, but he then builds what amounts to a conspiracy theory, run by opportunistic conservative puppet-masters behind the scenes, and going all the way back to the Nixon administration. Wow. Perhaps they are just upset and scared because of what the bill actually says. Could it be that every day American citizens have actually done their homework and have a legitimate beef to voice? The woman speaking in Tampa didn't seem to be interested in a “nuanced discussion”. She seemed like she was there to give Obamacare the hard sell. Tough for her if her constituents don't agree with her. Her job is to represent them, and in fact to listen to them (democracy), not just to ram through whatever Obama, Polosi and Reid say they want (tyranny). When they were shouting, sure they were angry, but I didn't notice any legitimate listening on her part. Finally, Obama said just last summer that “dissent is patriotic”. These protesters at the town hall meetings are thus patriots by his own standards. Yet now they are being portrayed as “an angry mob”? Double standards come out when the dissent is aimed at you.

By: Rudi

Rudi — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 04:39:18 +0000

Based on this Detroit Freep article it appears the Detroit town hall was an open forum. Seems a Republican operative sent out 18,000 emails to his mob:

The news release announcing the town hall wasn't issued until Thursday morning, but by 6 p.m., when U.S. Rep. John Dingell's meeting in Romulus began, the word was out and hundreds of people showed up, many intent on disruption.

Scott Hagerstrom, the Michigan director for Americans for Prosperity -- a group opposing President Barack Obama's health care initiative -- said that after he learned about it, he sent an e-mail alerting 18,000 members in southeast Michigan.

http://www.house.gov/apps/list/press/mi15_dinge...
http://www.house.gov/dingell/Dingellcast.shtml
http://www.house.gov/dingell/dingellcast17.shtml

By: Lit3Bolt

Lit3Bolt — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:40:00 +0000

A bit off-topic, but may be related to who can get into town halls or not…I'm curious about this…do political parties have “spies” within each others' ranks? Like aides and staffers who secretly work for the other party? I'm certain there are but it's interesting that you never hear about this or the possibility of it in the press.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 22:29:50 +0000

I honestly don't know how they decide who can attend, lurxst- but there's definitely been a high degree of orchestration, with a fair percentage of questioners turning out to be operatives in various activist and special interest groups that favor Obama's agenda.

By: lurxst

lurxst — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:27:30 +0000

I agree that a presidential town hall is much more organized and orchestrated when compared to a small district's offering. If you have a citation about Obama's handlers screening out people based on what they are wearing I will glad to consider it.

Still it comes down to the civil discourse that should be practiced at these events, discourse that is being drowned out by overzealous citizens scared silly on preposterous falsehoods like forced euthanasia and equating healthcare with socialism.

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 21:00:33 +0000

lurxst, Obama's townhalls appear to be just as regulated and staged. I think you are also comparing apples to oranges when you compare Congressional townhalls with Presidential ones. I don't know that we've ever had Presidential townhalls that weren't Potemkin villages.

By: lurxst

lurxst — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 20:02:53 +0000

Ace of Spades article has some notable omissions.

Anti-war protestors at an anti-war rally is apples to a general public townhall meeting's oranges.

During Bush years,townhall crowds were routinely screened and profiled, supporters got in and potential agitators were either barred from entering or very quickly escorted out when they got disruptive. So far I haven't seen that these recent example townhall meetings have barred anyone from participating, there's just as many birthbaggers getting in as normal citizens and "union thugs". So which party is more tolerant of free speech?

I can't wait to go to the Republican townhalls to hear them take comments and inform their constituents about their alternative healthcare proposals.

Oh wait...it appears that Republican legislators aren't doing town halls. is it because they have nothing to offer? Are they afraid to face their constituents and hear what they want?

By: AustinRoth

AustinRoth — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:19:37 +0000

lurxst – I agree. But that doesn't invalidate the pictures and other links. But she herself is a bit loopy.

By: jwest

jwest — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:08:00 +0000

Ace gives us a recent historical perspective on protesters.
http://minx.cc/?post=290660

By: imavettoo

imavettoo — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 19:07:52 +0000

It is amazing that AustinRoth & JWest would be on any site with “moderate” in it's name. HAR, HAR, HAR!

By: jwest

jwest — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:54:43 +0000

Lurxst,

Let’s review this together so that everyone can understand what happened.

“Standing just inside was a union member that is affiliated with my employer. He saw me and took my picture. The man standing next to noticed and I explained the situation to him. Within moments I had several people ask me if I would be "okay" and I assured them that I would be.”

A union member who is affiliated with her employer took her picture. This would lead reasonable people to believe that the intention of the union member was to try to impact her employment in some negative fashion.

When she explained to people near her, they asked if she would be okay. Don’t you think they meant with her employer? I’m pretty sure they weren’t asking if she was physically okay from the trauma of having her picture taken.

Of course, you can report this act of subversion to flag@whitehouse.gov. I’m sure they have little medals by now for informers that turn in dissenters.
Norman Mattoon Thomas (November 20, 1884 December 19, 1968) was a leading American socialist, pacifist, and six-time presidential candidate for the Socialist Party of America.

The Socialist Party candidate for President of the US, Norman Thomas, said this in a 1944 speech:

"The American people will never knowingly adopt Socialism. But under
the name of 'liberalism' they will adopt every fragment of the Socialist
program, until one day America will be a Socialist nation, without
knowing how it happened."

By: CStanley

CStanley — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:38:44 +0000

Medicare requires a lot of paperwork unrelated to billing, but related to reporting on QA programs, patient eligibility for medical equipment, diabetic equipment, oxygen, wheelchairs, scooters, physical therapy, etc, etc, etc.

Yes, those administrative costs that conveniently don't show up on the government books, because the burden is borne by the providers.

By: pt4067

pt4067 — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:35:29 +0000

I find the name of this blog laughable. Since when is posting a Paul Krugman column moderate or independent.
Why are you supposed moderates afraid of tax payers being outraged at the thought of our country being bankrupted by Democrats? Were you all appalled by the unwashed anti war mobs during the Bush years? I recall those thugs being call Patriots because they were practicing disent. Can anyone say double standard.

By: lurxst

lurxst — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:33:37 +0000

AR, thanks for the link to Carol's Closet. I like seeing her viewpoint on the townhall, but I fear, after reading some of her other blog entries, that she is a paranoid who is listening to too much Glenn Beck.

After someone took her picture at the event, people were asking her, “Are you alright?” Like it was going to steal her soul? But then I read on and found out that she is worried that Obama wants people to report their neighbor if they hear them criticizing “Obamacare”. Thats a new conspiracy I hadn't run into yet.

By: Rudi

Rudi — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:23:07 +0000

JWest I hope yuo aren't abusing Oxycontin with your Fuhrer the Limp One…

By: Rudi

Rudi — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 18:17:09 +0000

And here is another viewpoint on the Tampa "riot"
AR I don't think your blogger is from western Florida.
http://www.blogger.com/profile/1789243309472939...
Love her reading material...