Posted on 08/09/2009 11:16:55 AM PDT by TaxPayer2000
Lawmakers battled Sunday over whether demonstrations against health care reform legislation at town hall meetings across the country are real or contrived.
One prominent Democrat continued to assert that scenes in which protesters are interrupting and shouting at reform proponents are "clearly being orchestrated," while the top Senate Republican said it's "absurd" for Democrats to criticize members of the public for being organized.
The fresh round of debate over the heated summertime sessions comes after a meeting in Des Moines with Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin was interrupted several times by critics in the audience. He drew outrage Saturday when he told the crowd there is a "nationally coordinated effort" to disrupt the town halls.
"How dare you claim that I'm part of a conspiracy," one man yelled, claiming he sent himself to the meeting.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell, Ky., told "FOX News Sunday" that it's not clear who's organized and who's not but that Democrats' efforts to "demonize" the protesters reflect weak spots in the substance of their plan.
"I think attacking citizens in our country for expressing their opinions about an issue of this magnitude may indicate some weakness in their position on the merits," McConnell said. "And I also think it's particularly absurd for the Democrats, who have over an $8 million e-mail list over at the DNC called Organize America, to be criticizing citizens for being organized."
He said concerns over how the plan will be paid for are probably triggering a lot of the passion and tempers at the meetings, and predicted the tension will not slacken -- with dozens of other town hall meetings scheduled throughout the month of August.
However, McConnell said neither side should be trying to disrupt the meetings. Rather, he said they should be focusing on the issues.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin was interrupted several times by critics in the audience. He drew outrage Saturday when he told the crowd there is a "nationally coordinated effort" to disrupt the town halls.
"How dare you claim that I'm part of a conspiracy," one man yelled, claiming he sent himself to the meeting.
Amateur video captures two men in an altercation as a crowd shouts "You work for us!" and "Hear our voice!" at the entrance to a health care town hall meeting in Ybor City, Fla.
Sounds like Ahmadinejad complaining about the election protests.
I believe some of it may be but for the Democrats to claim it all is they do at their peril
Losing the argument, change the subject.
Who is going to be able to pay all this debt?
and — How are we going to insure 47 million more patients, including illegals, with no additional doctors, and save money. Why not just buy them insurance rather than destroy our healthcare system in the USA ...
In the end, these asshole politicians and those spouting claims of ‘organized’, ‘orchestrated’ and ‘astroturfed’ on the part of the opposition to Zer0’s death plan will come to know. They will know by the numbers and the power of the votes represented by such.
We just Chapter 11 and offer China Taiwan....simple....
I’ve got some bad news for the buffoons in the House and Senate. No one told ME to be pissed off about the country taking the road towards communism. I got that way by myself. However, I’ve always hated the slavery of socialism and communism. I’m an “old school” freedom guy.
Newsflash: The anger is real.
The “counterprotesters” are contrived
Guess they will find out come voting day.
Got it.
Maybe people will start learning to research those they are planning to vote for.......BEFORE.........they vote.
First they ignore you,
then they ridicule you,
then they fight you,
then you win.
— Mahatma Gandhi
Real or Contrived? Lawmakers Argue Over Nature of Health Care Protests
The true answer is that this is a genuine case of productive Citizens saying “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to “take it” any more”.
and as the last poets claimed.....the revolution will not be televised.....
I know this is serious, but I cant help but laugh at these critters. Congressional hearings are often carefully orchestrated theatre, yet RATS have the audacity to accuse ordinary citizens of conspiracy for exercising their First Amendment rights to assemble, express opinions, and demand accountability of their elected representatives.
Democrat are “projecting” their tactics on everyone attending the Townhall Meetings, because that’s what they do and that’s what they want to believe. IMO, they truly want to believe that these are Republican organized protests because, to accept that these are spontaneous protests by the owners of this government, would force them to accept the fact that they did NOT get a “mandate” on November 4th and the people DO NOT WANT their marxist agenda!!
Politicians are, in general, pretty arrogant and elitist. For far too many decades, they have never heard from the owners of the government the way that they are hearing from us now nand it is rattling them. However, after they return to their relative peace and quiet in Washington, they will resort to business as usual and all of these townhall meetings will be forgotten.
IMO, FWIW, we will have to show them that we are serious in a way they can’t ignore. I believe that the next phase will be spontaneous acts of civil disobediance and, when they ignore that, we will have to take even stronger measures. They aren’t listening.
Well put!
I wonder if these fools look out of their windows in DC and saw a couple of million people with pitch forks, If they would ask the same stupid question.
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