Free Republic

The article is a bit of a long read, but I tried to fit it all in at the end of the day.

Last night, Congressman Jim Moran (D-VA) hosted an anti-gun townhall panel event at Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA. With the help of the Arlington Falls Church Young Republicans club, hundreds of constituents from Virginia’s 8th congressional district-mostly Second Amendment activists-came to the event to express their dismay with Congressman Moran’s support for anti-gun policies. The event, “Preventing Another Newtown: A Conversation on Gun Violence in America,” featured five gun control speakers: Omar Samaha – Advocate with the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence; family member of gun violence victim in Virginia Tech tragedy David Chipman – ATF Special Agent (retired),...

Saturday Night Live Cold Opening: Town Hall Debate

Do you remember what happened the last time CNN was in charge of a high-stakes “town hall” style campaign debate? I do. Flashback: CNN/YouTube/plant debacle. Refresher: Concerned Young Undecided Person “Journey” = John Edwards supporter “Journey” Concerned Undecided Log Cabin Republican supporter David Cercone = Obama supporter David Cercone Concerned Undecided Mom LeeAnn Anderson = Activist for the John Edwards-endorsing United Steelworkers union LeeAnn Anderson Concerned Undecided Gay Military Retiree Brig. Gen. Keith H. Kerr = Hillary/Kerry supporter and anti-”Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” activist Keith H. Kerr

Rich Noyes of the Media Research Center penned an analysis today, which detailed how liberal questions are favored in such debates by a 2-to-1 margin. The MRC has analyzed every townhall style debate since it debuted twenty years ago.

The U.S. population clock is currently showing 314,583,682 [1] residents as of October 2012 and yet we are about to hold a “town hall� debate for our presidential candidates.How quaint. (The first town hall meeting was held in Dorchester, Massachusetts, in 1633.)How completely and utterly phony.Let’s begin with how the audience–those town hallers–are chosen. According to Gallup, the organization that selects them, they are “uncommitted� voters. But how do we know that is true? And to what degree are they really uncommitted? What finally does “uncommitted�–the term used by Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport [2] on this video–mean anyway? How...

The most important event at either national convention was the "vote" taken by the Democratic delegates on a last-minute resolution to reinsert the words "God" and "Jerusalem" into the Democratic Party platform. Regarding God, since Karl Marx, the aim of the left, everywhere on Earth, has been a godless society. And the Democratic Party has evolved over the last half century from a liberal party into a leftist one -- so much so that it is now indistinguishable from any of the leftist parties in Western Europe. Yes, Franklin D. Roosevelt was a left-wing president -- as concerned the size...

ObamaCare Town Hall Meeting, Aug 15 at 7PM This meeting will focus on the effects of ObamaCare on taxes, spending and medicare. We’ve lined up health care experts, legal experts from the Pacific Legal Foundation and Igor Birman, Chief of Staff for Congressman Tom McClintock to help you understand this massive takeover of our healthcare system. Mr. Birman emigrated from Russia and will speak about his experience with government controlled heath care programs. There will be plenty of time for Q&A after the panel discussion. Location: Lakehills Covenant Church Address: 7000 Rossmore Lane El Dorado Hills, CA Date: August 15...

Governor Christie is holding a townhall in Brick, NJ today at 3 PM. I signed up to go, and got a confirming call from the Governor's office yesterday.

Mayhem is the best word to describe what happened at the latest townhall meeting held by Allen West at the Mae Volen senior center in Boca Raton. Protesters, who West addressed at the onset of his presentation, were told that they would be leaving Florida with a “gator whooping.” Although some of the protesters making a scene were escorted out in the middle of the event, others stayed and picked fights with West and his supporters when it was over. Not one to back down from a fight, West said, as he was surrounded, “I’m gonna stand right here.”

It was a chaotic scene with tempers flaring at the latest town hall meeting presented by Congressman Allen West. Driving into the Mae Volen senior center in Boca Raton, you got a sense of what was coming as the driveway was lined with protest signs against the outspoken freshman. Inside the building were the people behind the signs, and before West even began to speak, the arguing between West supporters and protesters began. (video)

Since it’s Friday, and there is a Facebook IPO scheduled to go off today, I feel obliged to write the standard “Why I hate the latest IPO” column. Don’t get me wrong. I think IPOs are great. They are great job creators, first of all. Lots of the money raised by IPOs goes into hiring lots more people. And an IPO’s liquidity event- where early stage investors get to cash in on the open market- is the reason why those investors took the risk in the first place. One of the major benefits of having stock markets like the New...

Newt Gingrich held A Town Hall style event at Louisiana Tech Student Center, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, Louisiana.

A popular column on Townhall.com – the self-described “leading conservative and political opinion website” – discussing Barack Obama’s eligibility to serve as president has unexplainably disappeared. Earlier today, the column “Sheriff Joe Exposes Forgery of Obama’s Selective Service Registration” by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown of The Western Center For Journalism was Townhall.com’s most emailed and eighth most read column. But then … it was gone. Even after WND alerted Townhall.com’s managing editor that the column had been deleted from its site, it remained listed as “cannot be found.” And despite multiple contacts with the site’s editorial staff, no one...

Hey, good news everybody. Remember that $23 billion that the US government –a.k.a. you- is never going to see back from General Motors? Well, General Motors has done so well this year- in fact, they have enjoyed record-breaking $9 billion profits- that next week they’ll be giving out $7,000 in bonus checks to 47,500 UAW workers who already make about $116,000 dollars per year in total wages and benefits (with about $58,000 of that in just wages and the rest in benefits). It’s good to be the 99%: You get a fat $7k bonus, plus $100k+ a year. Too bad...

Rick Santorum struck the right note with conservatives when he attacked Obama on his phony liberal theology. This is the red meat that conservatives have been waiting for. They want someone who will take the fight to the enemy, exposing the false religiosity of the liberal left. “I just said that when you have a world view that elevates the Earth above man and says that, we can't take those [energy] resources because we're going to harm the Earth by things that frankly are just not scientifically proven- for example, that politicization of the whole global warming debate,” Santorum told...

Welcome to the real ObamaCare, whereby a handful of leftists in Washington, D.C., impose the views of their big-money donors on more than 300 million Americans. If the Obama mandate for contraception remains intact, then liberals will next demand that Americans pay for other objectionable items that are not really medical care. We can expect future mandates, under the guise of "health care," to include sex-change operations, late-term abortions, embryonic stem-cell use and a variety of other procedures that many Americans do not support and certainly do not want to be compelled to foot the bill for. Obama's directive for...

As mentioned in a feature earlier this week, February 17 marked the third anniversary of President Obama’s signing into law of his infamous economic Stimulus. The ceremony took place in Denver complete with an Air Force One grand entry, a plethora of television cameras and adoring media reporters.  While this Denver appearance didn’t include gargantuan Greek or Roman marble columns, he did pick the Museum of Nature and Science to give a timeless perspective to $825 billion of government extravagance he promised would bring “real and lasting change for generations to come.”  Three years later it is obvious that history...

GOP presidential candidate Newt Gingrich hosts a town hall-style meeting in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

Someone attempted to grill New Jersey Governor Chris Christie at a town hall again, and thanks to that brave (or some would say, attention-seeking) soul, the media has a new viral video of the Governor getting sassy with a constituent. This time, the town hall attendant asked whether the governor planted questions at town hall meetings, citing a situation where he saw someone ask a question at another event who claimed to be a friend of Christie’s. After scolding him for “wasting time,” Christie asked, “if I plant questions, why the hell did I call on you?”

October 28, 2011 1:00 P.M. Cain Goes Big His top advisers plot a path to the nomination. Mark Block and Linda Hansen, Herman Cain’s senior advisers, tell National Review Online that Cain will soon hold a series of “major town-hall meetings” in early primary states.

IMHO....Totally planted and staged Question.

Tim Scott Hosts Gov. Rick Perry Live Live Stream Be sure to slide the volume up on the video.

Daily Caller roving video correspondent Kelly Maher follows politics in Colorado, camera in tow, and captures the darnedest things on video. Last week Kelly visited a town hall forum held by Colorado Republican Rep. Mike Coffman. MoveOn.org put out a call for activists to attend the event, and one who did was an emeritus political science professor at the University of Colorado Denver. He came armed with a middle-school level of maturity. Watch as Kelly covers a bizarre display of crybaby politics.

I just came from the John McCain Yuma town hall. I got to the event 20 minutes early. The room was almost filled. I believe most were Colorado River Tea Party folks, because quite a few had the tea shirts on, and I recogized many of the others that were not wearing tea shirts. I sat in the front row and Senator McCain spoke to us and with us from just a few feet away. Much of the time he was less than six feet from me. I was impressed with his command of the facts and his ability to...

Using ambush tactics and perverting political protest into a beast more akin to anarchy, liberal activists, most of them from outside of Carroll County, turned U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley’s town hall meeting at New Hope Village Monday into a hostile environment, a showcasing of the rock-bottom worst contemporary America inspires in far too many of its people. Not content to interrupt and hurl insults at the senator during the public forum, the mob that is Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (CCI) crowded Grassley, 77, in the hallway, blocking his entrance to a post-event media interview, and later, used physicality to...

(snip) McCain said he is aware of the perception of Congress at the moment, noting the current approval rating of 10 percent and adding, “I’ve yet to meet anyone in that 10 percent at these meetings.” He said he has heard time and again from people who want him to reach compromises with the other side of the aisle, that Washington is polarized and unproductive. “Folks, I’m ready to compromise,” he said. “But not on principle.” (snip)

Sen. John McCain to hold town hall Tuesday in Goodyear Tuesday, August 23, 2011 3 pm Goodyear Justice Center 185 North 145th Avenue, Goodyear, Ariz. McCain town hall here Monday Monday, August 22, 2011 Noon First Congregational Church 216 East Gurley Street, Prescott, Ariz.

The small river town of Cannon Falls had to wait 83 years between presidential visits, so it was no surprise that there was pent-up demand for tickets to see the commander-in-chief. Between 1,300 and 1,500 people -- in a town with a population of 4,000 -- showed up Sunday for a chance to attend Monday's town hall meeting with President Obama. "I've been doing this for 20 years, [and] I have not seen an event where people were so happy and exhilarated about this opportunity," said Police Chief Jeff McCormick. Obama will speak at a town hall event at Lower...

St. Mark's United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall 1431 W. Magee Road Tucson, Ariz. 10 am local time

GILBERT - Arizona Sen. John McCain held a town hall in Gilbert this morning and the economy took center stage. The town hall was focused on the nations' economic troubles and McCain said the on-going financial problems would be much greater had Congress not passed a bill to keep the country from defaulting on its debt. McCain said he is very concerned with the recent S&P downgrade of the United States' credit rating and views it as a wake-up call to the nation. "It will cost more to borrow money and it is a very serious situation," McCain said. McCain...

Local tea party activists felt that Sen. John McCain had some explaining to do. As a result, McCain, R-Ariz., spent some of a town hall meeting at Gilbert Municipal Center on Monday defending his comments last week in the U.S. Senate, where he read from a Wall Street Journal editorial referring to "tea party hobbits." McCain said he quoted the editorial to make a point about some Republicans' insisting on a balanced-budget amendment to the Constitution in exchange for agreeing to raise the nation's debt limit. "What apology is in order?" McCain responded when asked if he would apologize. "What...

Speaker Boehner, please take a break if possible, and have all the Republican House members go home and have town hall meetings.

When the White House announced that President Obama would hold a "Twitter Town Hall" in July by answering questions posed through the social media site, Republicans in Washington jumped at the opportunity, inundating the platform with questions, snarky comments and calls for action. The president answered a series of questions, not all of them total softballs, including one from Republican House Speaker John Boehner, who posted dozens of questions for Obama on his page.

Too-long answers, questions from familiar foes instead of regular folks—the president’s much hyped social-media meeting was even less interesting than a regular town hall, says David A. Graham. The hour-long event proved to be even less interesting than the average town hall. Just like Obama’s April 19 town hall with Mark Zuckerberg, the event featured the president facing a younger entrepreneur; this time, however, there was the added annoyance of Twitter as simplifying middleman. It all started off well enough. After brief remarks by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, the president ambled in, stepped up to a laptop adorned with a...

Obama: I Underestimated Magnitude Of The Recession        Advertisements [?]   Source: Talking Points Memo President Obama openly acknowledged underestimating the length and magnitude of the worst recession since the Great Depression in a response to a question during his Twitter town hall. Always a tough question to answer, Obama was asked what mistakes he made in handling the economic crisis and what he would have done differently looking back on his first months in office. Obama freely admitted that he would have tried to do a better job explaining "to the American people it was going to take a...

Wednesday’s so-called Twitter town hall meeting conducted by President Barack Obama was certainly unprecedented. But was it a sign of trouble at Obama reelection headquarters in Chicago? Over the past few weeks, Democrats in Washington, D.C., have been driving the message of “shared sacrificed” as it pertains to the federal government’s fiscal policy going forward in dealing with record deficit and debt issues. But in an appearance on Wednesday’s “The Laura Ingraham Show,” National Journal congressional correspondent Major Garrett explained there were some unresolved questions, especially when it comes to the question of what Americans are getting for their sacrifice....

Barack Obama will hold a Twitter townhall today where he will field and answer questions with the #AskObama hashtag. Recently, Obama indicated that he will regularly tweet himself from his Twitter handle, @BarackObama. Obama and his team are late to the game. And though he will never admit it, Obama would not be tweeting or having Twitter townhalls if it weren’t for the way former Alaska Gov. and potential presidential candidate Sarah Palin became Twitter’s trailblazer. In fact, I have said Palin should be properly referred to as “The Great CommuniTweeter.” On April 29, 2009, Palin, then using the handle...

American Grassroots Coalition SPECIAL INVITE You are invited to a Tele-TownHall with Senator Jim DeMint (SC) to discuss the US Budget/Debt Ceiling and the Cut, Cap & Balance Pledge. When: Wednesday, July 6th Time: 9:00 PM EST / 6:00 PM PST Conference Number: 712.432.3100 Code: 160992 Please join us for this special tele-townhall with Senator Jim DeMint (SC). This call is not just for leaders, but for all activists.  Please share this with others so that they too can hear what Senator DeMint has to say about our financial crisis.  He has volunteered to do this call because he wants...

The President of the United States will be taking your questions about jobs and the economy on July 6 at 2 p.m. EDT over Twitter for what is being billed as the first Twitter town hall. Those interested in asking him a question can use the hashtag #AskObama and follow @townhall to hear his answers. While we don't yet know how the president will choose which questions he answers or how long the tweeting session will last, check out Twitter's special page dedicated to the event for more information.

Team Obama is looking more desperate these days. The signs of desperation are clearly visible—Obama playing to a half-packed house in Miami, Obama using increasingly shrill arguments that his job creation efforts are working, Geithner’s threats regarding the debt ceiling and the Democrat-influenced mainstream media’s increasing criticisms of the Republican slate of presidential primary candidates. If Obama’s policies are so successful and if the country is doing so well, why do Americans see this growing desperation in Team Obama? Team Obama’s desperation seems to stem from a fear of the unknown—how will it be possible for them to win congressional...

Congressman /Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy Talks About the Debt, Fields Questions from Bakersfield Tea Party Patriots at Bakersfield Townhall Meeting (Video). On Saturday, June 11, Kevin McCarthy joined the Bakersfield Tea Party for a Townhall meeting. About 75 patriots were on hand for breakfast and an opportunity to ask direct questions about the budget, debt ceiling, energy dependence, our nation's continued involvement in Libya, and other current issues and concerns. As the Majority Whip, McCarthy is the person who is tasked with gauging and building consensus within the Republican House. His unique role in Congress afforded the Tea Party an...

Tim Pawlenty facebook twonhall meeting. Please join. http://www.facebook.com/TimPawlenty

Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, delivered a vintage performance Tuesday — full of confidence, never backing down — even when facing a somewhat restive audience posing sometimes hostile questions. Judging from the applause, most of the town hall audience of about 300 at the Pompano Beach Civic Center was supportive of West. And when several people who didn't like the congressman, what he was saying, or the format interrupted with shouts from the floor, the majority's displeasure was clear. Anne Deon, of Fort Lauderdale, repeatedly yelled out a demand that Congress increase taxes on big corporations and people in the crowd...

Join us as we kick off the Tea Party Cyber Tour on May 18th from 2:00 – 3:00pm EST with presidential candidate Herman Cain. This tele-forum, townhall style event will be moderated by nationally syndicated radio talk show host, Rusty Humphries, and gives you the opportunity to ask questions. To participate in this event, please submit your information below, and we will call you around 2:00 pm EST next Wednesday, May 18th. Join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag #teacyber http://theteaparty.net/tea-party-cyber-tour/herman-cain/

Dan Webster would be hard-pressed to make himself heard in a library. So the soft-spoken congressman didn't have a chance Tuesday when his town-hall meeting turned into a political food fight. It seems liberal activists learned a lesson from the tea party. They came; they shouted; they disrupted. It worked for the tea party in attacking Democrats over ObamaCare. And it is working for liberals in attacking Republicans over RyanCare. The Webster town hall was covered by National Public Radio and reported not only on our front page but also on the front page of The New York Times.We love...

The left will have to do better than this. Not only is West predictably unperturbed by the heckling but the crowd is overwhelmingly on his side. You’d think progressives would be out in force to try to embarrass a tea-party all-star, but no. In fact, see the woman being hauled away by security at the end? That’s Nicole Sandler, formerly of … Air America. When the big dissident presence at a rally is a host from a defunct radio network, you’ve got yourself an optics problem.Read this Andrew Stiles post at NRO arguing that the public might be more open...

Local police arrested a woman who appears to be former liberal radio network Air America host Nicole Sandler while she was disrupting Rep. Allen West’s Tuesday town hall event in Fort Lauderdale and harassing the Congressman’s wife. According to video obtained by Florida blogger Javier Manjarres, known better online as The Shark Tank, police charged Sandler, who revealed her name on camera, with trespassing after they removed her from the event and she “continued her tirade and used an expletive to address a police officer.” With Air America now defunct, Sandler hosts a self-described “progressive talk radio” show at RadioOrNot.com....

A town hall meeting held in Orlando by U.S. Rep. Dan Webster degenerated into bedlam Tuesday, with members of the crowd shouting down the freshman Republican congressman and yelling at one another. It was the last of a series of town hall meetings Webster has hosted during Congress' spring recess, which ends Monday. While the others were civil and largely uneventful, the 300 people at Tuesday's meeting were so raucous they were scolded by a police officer to act "like grown people." Webster tried to go over a series of charts showing growing levels of federal spending and debt, and...

Obama Facebook Event Goes 'Unavailable' After Conservatives Flood It With ‘Repeal Obamacare’ Posts Thursday, April 21, 2011 By Fred Lucas (CNSNews.com) – On Wednesday, President Barack Obama’s town hall meeting on Facebook was “unavailable” to viewers for 39 minutes after it was flooded with comments by a conservative group’s “online army” demanding that the president “repeal Obamacare,” the administration’s health care reform law enacted in March of last year. For 39 minutes during the president’s “Shared Responsibility and Shared Prosperity” Facebook event, a screenshot displayed the message: “Event Unavailable. We’re sorry, this event isn’t working right now. Please try again...