I always think of it when I post this about Congressman Rostenkowski of Chicago.
From an ancient time.. Before Obama
In the summer of 1989, Mr. Rostenkowski, then a congressman from Illinois and the powerful chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, was besieged by a crowd of 50 senior citizens in Chicago . . . the protesters -- shouting "coward," "recall" and "impeach" -- forced him to sprint through a gas station to his car. . .
The protesters were angry about [a new Medicare law] . . .That law was soon repealed. But the television images of Mr. Rostenkowski under assault struck fear in the hearts of politicians . . .
"Politicians were traumatized by the Rostenkowski episode," said Henry J. Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.
Thanks again for that Kilroy. I've been posting this reminder of Rostenkowski's encounter with seniors for years and each time I was reminded of Kilroy but did not have a link.
I recall TV newsreel of Rostenkowski, surrounded by irate geezers (like me now) carrying signs and banging on the vehicle. The Congressman was in the rear of his government limo (or large sedan) peering out the side window with just his face showing from the nose up. At least that's what I remember of him.