U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer's Decision Not To Have Town Hall Meeting Fuels Plans for Rallies (MI)

MLive - Jackson Citizen Patriot ^ | 08/09/09 | Chris Gautz

[Kieri]

U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer's decision not to have town hall meeting fuels plans for rallies by Chris Gautz | Jackson Citizen Patriot Sunday August 09, 2009, 10:54 PM

Members of Congress across the nation are getting lambasted over health-care reform, and U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer is no exception.

Three protests, organized by the Jackson County Republican Party, are scheduled to take place outside his Jackson district office this month. The party's chief complaint is Schauer's decision not to have a town hall meeting this month.

Schauer's office maintains he's more than available — he's had 17 town halls in the past few months and five public forums on health care across the district recently. Two teleconference town halls are coming up.

"We can't help it if the Republican Party was unable to turn our previous health-care forum into a screaming match, or if they are unsatisfied by the fact that Mark will be hosting office hours across the district and talking to over 100,000 constituents about this issue on the phone," Schauer spokesman Zack Pohl wrote in an e-mail.

Pohl said his boss is doing exactly what he was elected to do: studying the legislation and listening to the input of his constituents.

"He intends to have a serious discussion about health insurance reform with the people of Michigan, but he won't allow the Republican Party and the insurance industry to turn this critical debate into a political food fight," Pohl wrote.

Ray Kuzminski, spokesman for the county Republican Party, said the rallies will not be like town hall meetings we've seen in recent weeks, where angry constituents shout down their members of Congress and boo them as they try to answer questions.

Such meetings have at times turned physical, with audience members shoving each other.

At one protest, a Congressman was hung in effigy outside his office and another received a telephoned death threat.

"There has to be some reservation on the people protesting," Kuzminski said.

Kuzminski said the goal is to bring awareness to the public about the health care bill.

They anticipate attendance to be upwards of 100.

"There has to be health-care reform, but it should not be as it's presently proposed," he said.

Libby Brown, a Jackson High School Advanced Placement government teacher, said she does not agree with the way recent town halls meetings have degenerated into name-calling and orchestrated disruptions.

"I think that's ridiculous," she said. "I strongly believe in civil discourse."

She said she teaches her students that it's OK to agree to disagree.

"We still respect each other and dignify each other's opinions," she said.

Brown said she has attended some of Schauer's town hall meetings, and they've been mostly civil. When there have been differences of opinions, she said, the audience members discussed them and Schauer responded in a dignified way.

"Because of the climate, it's unfortunate we can't have town hall meetings," she said. "That's a sad statement about America."

[Kieri]

The first protest is this Thursday at 4:30. I heard about it on the radio and I'll be there.

[netmilsmom]

Ping

[netmilsmom]

>>At one protest, a Congressman was hung in effigy outside his office and another received a telephoned death threat. <<

Don’t ya think we would have seen this on the news?

[cripplecreek]

They anticipate attendance to be upwards of 100

Make that 101.

[tbpiper]

At one protest, a Congressman was hung in effigy

I'm all for it as long as Effigy is a small town in that congrssman's district.

[unixfox]

>>At one protest, a Congressman was hung in effigy outside his office and another received a telephoned death threat. <<

They're lucky their houses haven't been burned down. They just keep pushing and sooner or later they will feel the rath.

[bigbob]

In addition to the usual signs and banners, I suggest RUBBER CHICKENS be prominently displayed to show what we think about Congressmen who are too CHICKEN to face their constituents!

Now just don’t go hanging any rubber chickens in effigy or we’ll have PETA all over our butts!

[MrB]

Don’t hang them in effigy.

Tar and feather them in effigy.

[silverleaf]

Sad statements from an “AP” teacher of government.

Condemning the anger instead of dissecting it for what it is.

to a liberal, civil discourse is democrat’s acting out street theater while opponents stay silent and stay home

[cripplecreek]

He’s a clueless lying moron. He says things hoping that no one will check the facts.

About a month back he said that Jackson had made the Forbes list as one of the best small cities to live in. Unfortunately what the forbes list said was that Jackson was the number one small city where it was hardest to find a job.

[Sgt_Schultze]

You know, when there isn’t an opportunity for interaction, the presentation is referred to as a lecture. It’s one thing to be lectured to by an expert, but when the lecturer isn’t even familiar with the topic of the debate, it quickly becomes a waste of oxygen.

[Redleg Duke]

The "Telephone Town Hall Meeting" is the RAT method of avoiding embarassing videos of people exercising their rights to free speech.

Each and every Congressperson and Senator who uses this method or avoids town hall meetings should be shown the door at their next re-election bid.

[Doofer]

Don’t hang them in effigy.

Tar and feather them in effigy.

Bump....

[KarlInOhio]

and another received a telephoned death threat.

Actual death threat or just someone expressing a desire that the Congressman live under his own socialized medicine? Oh, wait, those are essentially the same.

[AuH2ORepublican]

“U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer’s decision not to have town hall meeting fuels plans for rallies by Chris Gautz “

---

I hope we get more than just one person at the rally. : )

[AuH2ORepublican]

“At one protest, a Congressman was hung in effigy outside his office “

---

The correct phrase is *hanged* in effigy. I hope Chris Gautz is better at planning all of these rallies than he is at writing.

[gimme1ibertee]

You know, i've been reading and listening to all the AARs from various sources regarding these "hijacked" Town Hall meetings-and if the thugocracy thinks that the way to shut concerned Americans up is to bully,besmirch and intimidate them into silence and acceptance,they couldn't be more wrong.
I pray the rallies continue unabated and in addition to it, flood those offices with emails and faxes until all of their machines shut down.
I pray that You Tube is so inundated with these videos that it crashes from the weight.
I really believe that if we all keep screaming and shouting it WILL drive this healthcare bill in its present form off of the table and out the door.
TURN UP THE HEAT....
and THEN,in 2010....GET OUT THERE AND VOTE THESE BASTARDS OUT!!!!!

[Kimberly GG]

PLEASE CHECK THIS OUT!! With so many cowarding out of Town Hall Meetings, here is an opportunity to take a Town Hall to them!! TeaPartiers are organizing to protest at local offices on August 22!! Also, I hope that we can encourage our local (R) congresscritters to hold Town Halls, like Vitter did, to get the TRUTH out to those uninformed and listening only to MSM. DIMS should NOT be the only leadership out there trying to get their (lies) message out.

August 22: Join the nationwide Recess Rally; Dems performing CPR on Obamacare

By Michelle Malkin

We have the momentum to kill Obamacare.

The congressional recess period is critical.

I’ve joined many grass-roots groups in a nationwide coalition holding a Recess Rally on August 22, 2009.

The Tea Party revolt and the grass-roots counterinsurgency against the health care takeover have taken congressional offices locally and Washington, D.C. by storm.

Now, more than ever: Crank it up, spread the truth, raise your voices, and tell Washington…

Hands Off Our Health Care.

Go to Recess Rally to get organized."

Here is the link for Recess Rally...find your locale and join in on LOCAL teaparties against Obamacare!!!

http://recessrally.com/

[grellis]

If you would like to be added or dropped from the Michigan ping list, please freepmail me.

[netmilsmom]

*shakes head*