[Brandonmark]

"As much as Democratic leaders try to cast the protests as events manufactured by political groups or the Republican Party, it's clear that, when 1,500 people show up in Ybor City on a weeknight, there is plenty of grass roots anger boiling about the health care plan and perception of expanding government."

Wow! This from the liberal St. Petersburg Times!

[icwhatudo]

""It's a lynch-mob mentality out there. There is an ugliness to it," U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Washington, told the Olympian in explaining why, after holding more than 300 town hall meetings in the past decade, he would hold none on health care."

TRANSLATION: "I will only listen to my constituents when they agree with me"

[GVnana]

Saw my first “NO BIG GOVERNMENT” bumper sticker today.

[xkaydet65]

Interesting contradiction early in the article. The event was billed as a pep talk to pump up Obamacare. Later on it’s said that protestors were seen as shutting down open debate. It’s either a pep talk or an open debate event. Not both. Open debate was never the intent.

[Mark]

I am sick and tired of people who say that if you debate and you disagree with this administration somehow you’re not patriotic!! We should stand up and say we are Americans and we have a right to debate and disagree with any administration!

[Goldwater Girl]

I remember similar passion- from the left during Viet Nam war.Those demonstrations toppled a government.

[MortMan]

One CANNOT have a “discussion/pep rally”.

Discussion is antithetical to a pep rally, as is also true with the reverse.

Democrats are clearly the epitome of stupid, however.

[Prodigal Son]

"telephone town meetings" where people can call into a centralized number and punch in numbers to ask a question.

'To pay your taxes, press 1. To ask a question about how much you owe press 2. To leave a positive rating for your representative press 3. For All other options please hold. Your call will be placed in a queue and our constituent mediator will be with you as soon as possible. To hear these options again, press the star key on your telephone key pad now.'

And of course when you finally get the human it will be a call center in India because everything got outsourced to save money.

"It's great new technology,'' said Castor,

LOL, I am quite certain you like it.

The technology also allows the host to control the event and limit surprises.

At some point, we could just make a senator or rep post hereditary and then our leaders wouldn't even have to rely on pesky elections or fear angry constituents.

[RFEngineer]

“”It’s a lynch-mob mentality out there. There is an ugliness to it,” U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Washington,”

It is good that our Congress fear the electorate. They should never be sure that their constituents will not tar-and-feather them, or worse.

[happinesswithoutpeace]

And to think I was starting to lose interest in the political scene : )

[peggybac]

’ “It’s a lynch-mob mentality out there. There is an ugliness to it,” U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Washington, told the Olympian in explaining why, after holding more than 300 town hall meetings in the past decade, he would hold none on health care. “

I couldn’t decide on my mob name.

[lt.america]

“It's a lynch-mob mentality out there. There is an ugliness to it,”

I hate to admit it, but my own father was an Obama voter (we didn't speak for several months). About 2 months ago I essentially said the same thing to him about the toxic scene that we have. I mentioned that I have never seen such disgust from people who could best be described as a wine and cheese political crowd (vote and that is about it). Needless to say, he was completely oblivious, said he has heard grumblings but nothing more than that. I am firmly convinced that he along with all of these Democrats were literally shocked when they started getting lambasted at these town halls. They are completely tone deaf and are now in panic mode because the silent majority is starting to speak up.