Posted on 08/17/2009 7:39:20 PM PDT by MindBender26
Disgust and Loathing – Report From Congressman Grayson’s So-Called “Town Hall Meeting”
I have just returned from Congressman Alan Grayson’s so-called Town Hall meeting on healthcare. I can not tell you how much disgust and loathing I have for him and his system. 1500 citizens were turned away, so 95 pre-selected Dems could fill a room with 126 seats. When the questions were too much for him to handle, he called them off, saying his children in attendance had to go home and to bed!
I’ll keep it simple. It wasn’t the answers that were so bad, it was the fraud and deceit that were the very foundation of the whole meeting.
Grayson arranged the meeting in a local union hall. He represents 550,000 people in Central Florida and he says he couldn’t find a hall to accommodate more than 126 people for his ONLY Town Hall on the issue. His reason? The meeting room was “free!”
The line to get in stretched past 4 blocks. There were at least 1500 people. There were young people, old people, Republicans, Democrats, vets in wheel chairs, and more. At about 7:30, those of us in the line were asked to show proof of residency in Grayson’s 8th CD. Fair enough.
We were told it was “first come, first admitted” but when the doors were opened 95 out of the 126 seats had already been taken by local Democrats who had been called there early for a 7:00 Democrat County meeting in the same room. Other Dems were seen being admitted through the back door at 7:40. The bottom line is that only 31 people out of 1500 attendees were admitted. Many of those 1500 had waited in the August Florida heat to get in. I was number 20 to get into the room. Only 11 followed.
The Q and A went as expected. The local Dems clapped and cheered every time Grayson said anything. He claimed to have read all 1007 pages of the bill, but could answer no specific questions.
If anything could be worse than the stacking of the room, he brought his three of his children to the meeting, and when the questioning began to get a bit pointed, he called it off because it was getting past their bed time!
He has no shame. I am more than angry. I am full of disgust and loathing for our so-called Representative, and very frightened and embarrassed for my country.
I knew there was a plan B.
Obama Doctors Taking Tonsils Out For Money Instead Of Diagnosing It As Allergies
Yeah, he couldn’t find another, bigger meeting room here in Orlando! The convention destination of the US! Any of the big resorts would have donated the room for the town hall.
Or the Arena, or the Bob Carr auditorium, or the UCF theater, etc.. Heck, most of the churches in town seat over 300 !
Orlando? He should have held the town hall at the Hall Of Presidents in Walt Disney World. He could have deferred questions to the Obama animatronic. Then the Obama robot could ignore the question that was asked and just prattle on, like the real life Obama.
Can't expect CongRats to lie in churches now. Plus there's that separation of church and state. /sc
They don’t use churches unless they are black and there is a fundraiser or a campaign to get out the vote for them!
If he walked into a church he would burst into flames.
“Post an ad in the paper to the 1500 turned away at his townhall. Tell them you are hosting another healthcare townhall. Invite him to join you.....”
Excellent idea. I am sure that an adequately large hall can be made available, and the cost for the one event could be covered with traditional American volunteers......like pass the hat or some other voluntary form.
Until now, the public has allowed their Representatives to call the shots as to when, where, and how these Town hall assemblages should take place. Screw ‘em. Set up your own Town hall and invite your Representative, and of course anyone who has announced or thinking of running against the incumbent.
The more I think of your idea, the more I like it.
Mahalo
It would be well worth calling around to several possible hosting sites in the immediate vicinity of the chosen location to inquire whether the congressman’s staff contacted them regarding availability of their facilities.
This could be a very news-breaking way of putting the lie to his public statements, and thereby publicly embarrassing him and further sullying his reputation...exposing his motives further!
A view from outside, showing the crowd who wanted to get in, encircling the entire block.
And a local news report with views of the crowd from their traffic chopper. The reporter saying that it's the only way to show the size of the crowd who couldn't get in.
Are you all going to organize and support whoever runs against him?
... never mind.
Jo did mention that there were only 17 people at last years meeting.
http://blogs.tampabay.com/buzz/2009/08/vp-biden-raising-cash-for-grayson-kosmas.html
August 17, 2009
V.P. Biden raising cash for Grayson, Kosmas
(snip)
Grayson’s event, however, has turned into a bit of a PR disaster because one of the hosts is a federal lobbyist. Florida hospital lobbyist Dick Batchelor stepped down after questions were raised but first engaged in e-mail war with Andy Sere, regional press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee. (see the exchange below)
**
Aug 12. Mr. Seré, Just a moment ago I was provided a copy of your GOP statement attacking Congressman Alan Grayson for having a “fat-cat healthcare lobbyist” as a co-sponsor of his upcoming fundraiser where Vice President Joe Biden will be the guest of honor.
This “fat-cat healthcare lobbyist” does and has since 1993 represented Florida Hospital on a number of matters in Washington during both the Clinton and Bush administration. Let me hasten to point out that the client is not much of a “fat-cat”. On the contrary, I would suggest they might be a “lean cat” inasmuch as they are a faith-based, not for profit hospital (Florida Hospital).
However, when reminded of President Barack Obama’s commitment that federally registered healthcare lobbyists, including those who might lobby members of the National Republican Congressional Committee, should not participate as co-sponsors in campaign fundraising, I readily agreed and communicated to Congressman Grayson’s staff that I wish to withdraw my name as a co-sponsor.
In that Congressman Grayson was not aware of that fact when I was asked to co-sponsor this event and out of the deepest respect for the policy of the Obama administration, I certainly will not participate as a co-sponsor nor raise any money or attend the event.
However, in that the National Republican Congressional Committee, whose sole purpose is to raise tens of millions of dollars for congressional incumbents and Republican challengers, has raised this issue of federal healthcare lobbyists being involved in congressional fundraising, I would like to ask for a reciprocal commitment. Will your Republican committee take a position that no one who is currently a registered lobbyist in Washington be invited or allowed to raise any amount of money (including bundling) for any Republican congressional candidate?
This would go a long way to advance President Obama’s policy to dissuade such participation by registered lobbyists and I am confident that your committee and the Republican campaigns for which you raise money will be more than happy to take the same principled stand as the Administration. As you probably have heard, there is an old saying in the South, “this dog won’t hunt” – let’s see if your fat-cat will! I look forward to a prompt response.
Aug. 13 Dear Dick,
Thanks for your press release/letter.
Since you seem to be Congressman Grayson’s new spokesman and chief defender , I’m hoping you can address some unanswered questions.
1) All invitations to events featuring White House officials must be approved by the White House. Did the White House approve the invitation with your name on it, or did Grayson send the invitation out without White House approval? In other words, who messed up here?
2) You pledge in your letter below to “not participate as a co-sponsor nor raise any money or attend the event.” That’s all well and good from here on out, but please answer some questions about what has already transpired :
A. When was the invitation with your name on it mailed?
B. To whom of your friends and business associates was the invitation mailed?
C. To whom did you make fundraising phone calls on Grayson’s behalf for this event?
D. How much money has Grayson raised for the event and how much of that is attributable to your efforts?
E. Who, specifically, has contributed money to Grayson as a result of your efforts?
3) In today’s Sentinel article, you claim to have “never…spoken with Grayson about health-care issues.” Quoting from the boast on your website : “July 2005: According to Orlando Magazine ‘s 2nd Annual ‘50 Most Powerful People,’ ‘ Dick Batchelor is one of those lobbyists with enough clout to get to anyone .’ Moving up the list to #14, ‘ he’s got plenty of friends, and they owe him plenty of favors .’”
A. Have you “gotten to” Grayson yet?
B. What “favors” does Grayson “owe” you?
4) You also claim in both your letter and today’s Sentinel article that “Grayson was not aware” that you are a federal lobbyist. Since you are widely recognized as the “city’s top lobbyist,” as you point out on your website, why didn’t Grayson think to ask if you were registered with the federal government? Or did he just not care about White House ethics rules?
5) Referring back to #2D, is Grayson willing to donate to a worthy cause (and no, Willie David’s “Florida Civil Rights Association” is not an option) all monies he has received and will receive as a result of your efforts on this event?
6) You distributed your press release within an hour of this news breaking. Did you use a media list provided by Grayson’s staff, or did you use your own?
7) Why did it take this episode to finally shame Grayson into coming before voters and hearing their concerns about the healthcare takeover he supports? Has a time and place been set yet? By the way, do you plan on attending and yet again serving as Grayson’s chief defender when it inevitably becomes clear that Central Florida families and seniors don’t appreciate the congressman’s support for government-run healthcare and Medicare cuts?
Thanks for your attention to these questions. One final thought: the request you made for a “reciprocal commitment” in your letter below is nothing more than an attempt to distract from the central fact in this controversy: the White House imposed on their events a ban on the participation of federally-registered lobbyists, and Grayson broke that rule.
It’s not your career as a lobbyist that’s the problem – it’s the hypocrisy, Dick.
Sincerely,
Andy
Carefull, pup. Don't put my woman down .......... FRegards
I was there and got into it with Todd Jurkowski, Grayson’s aide.
He claimed to us that Grayson held a healthcare townhall 3 weeks ago and it was fully advertised and “not one person showed up”! Unbeleivable. We called him a liar every which way over that. He said the townhall as at 6am at the Lynx bus station. Claimed up and down that they had it on the news and website...yada yada yada. He said Grayson has 750k constituents but felt this would be a good venue as no one showed up to the last one so he didn’t want to overbook!
They are ALL evil losers.
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