I had thought (hoped?) that the ugly anti-reform mob thuggery being played out at Congressional town hall meetings for the benefit of the You-tube cameras was not happening in Massachusetts.
Sorry, but it’s happening here, too.
Tuesday’s Worcester Telegram has the story of the disruptive heckling and vile Nazi imagery being flung at Congressmen McGovern and Neal at an event at UMass Medical School.
U.S. Reps. James P. McGovern and Richard E. Neal were heckled and booed after trying to rally support today for President Barack Obama’s plan for a comprehensive national health insurance program.
The two Worcester-area Democratic lawmakers were shouted down several times by people attending a packed “town hall” meeting at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
UMass officials threatened several times to end the gathering because of the raucous behavior, which occurred despite a heavy police presence.
At one point, Mr. McGovern was likened by an attendee to Josef Mengele, the Nazi officer who performed experiments on concentration camp survivors.
This blog post from change.org is one of the best analysis I’ve seen on the manufactured protests at these events. These protests are not about health care; they don’t have particular talking points or issues of concern. As the post points out, they kept on booing Senator Spector even when he agreed with the mob.
We urge supporters of health reform to find out when their local member of Congress is doing events, and show up to support health reform and rational discussion. HCFA will be emailing people in the appropriate districts when we hear of meetings.
-Brian Rosman
You show your ignorance. The proposals say that if you qualify for Medicare you must take it. If you lose your insurance for any reason, you must move into the public system. At present many of us have other options which we take advantage of, such as medical insurance in retirement, private insurance, etc.. The proposals also includes taking 500 billion dollars out of Medicare as all of us not using it move into it and all who are uninsured, 30 to 50 million, also move into the system. Baby Boomers by the tens of millions will become Medicare qualified over the next 20 years. We may me old, but we read and we can add, subtract, multiply and divide. Rationing of care is the only logical deduction one can make.
As to my wishes for the end of my life, I share those instructions with my family my doctor and my lawyer. They are certainly not the business of the collective. The president is not providing me with anything and you are naive if you think the visits from government “end of life counselors” are there to tell me about new life sustaining treatment. The president has been all too clear on that point. Can you say “Hospice”?
Please read the proposals. Prove me wrong with fact. If after you read them, you still think you are comfortable using the public option, let me know. If you are someone who thinks they will be able to opt out, I don’t think you have any right to tell the rest of us what we should do, though the president’s eventual wish, on the record before the AFL-CIO, is a single payer plan for all Americans.
Lin Huhn -
Government took over the medical system for Seniors 40 some years ago! It’s called Medicare. Nothing will change for you! Except that the President may provide a way to make clear YOUR wishes for life sustaining treatment at the end of your life.
Since when is it regrettable that people gather to let their thoughts and feelings be known? Is the President not a “community organizer”? We seniors are not easily organized by anyone, particularly not Republicans, but we are showing up in these meetings because we know what the proposed bills say. We read. The bills are posted. Have you read them?
Seniors have the most to lose if the Federal Government takes over (and they intend to) our medical delivery system, and all of you will some day soon be seniors. When you need the medicine, the operation, the procedure, you will not be worth it. This is a Ponzi scheme that puts Social Security to shame. You will pay for it all your lives while you are well and then you will be told, as President Obama said recently on prime time, perhaps a (pain) pill is better for you.
Stop thinking that you elites in your Ivory towers know what’s best for everyone else. Those of us who left the college campus when our formal education was complete are disturbed by your arrogance.
I know that none of the general population has read the proposed bills because if they did they would be frightened with the proposals. This is going to be jammed thru Congress with no concern over future budget and deficit issues.
A public plan will always be less expensive than private options. When the public plan is losing money(See Medicare, Medicaid, VA and Social Security) taxes will be raised to cover the shortfall.
Read the plan before you determine whether this will be worthwhile. This is a very expensive option to cover a minimal amount of people. Please do not bring up comparisons with other countries. The US is by far one of the least healthy countries due to the diet and lack of exercise of the population. This is why other countries can spend less per capita on their care than we can.
This program, as currently half constructed, will sink our economy. Taxes will rise, which will burden the upper class and crush the middle class.
Notice from a self identified conservative republican web site. http://www.redmassgroup.com
Congresswoman Niki Tsongas announced
today that she will be moving the location of her Congress on Your Corner program in Chelmsford on Saturday, August 8 from 10:00 am to
12:00 p.m. to the Chelmsford Town Hall gymnasium located at 50 Billerica Road.
We need to show up. EARLY
Get to Chelmsford Town Hall by 7:00 AM and wait in line. The Democrats and leftists are going to be at this town hall. The President has sent out organizing emails asking people to attend. We need to be there in large numbers.
by: EaBo Clipper @ Thu Aug 06, 2009 at 08:30:16 AM EDT
More from the notice
The Congress on Your Corner had previously been scheduled to occur at the Market Basket in Chelmsford but due to heightened interest
it will now be located at the Chelmsford Town Hall gymnasium.
Congresswoman Tsongas is very grateful for the generous hospitality Market Basket has afforded her office by allowing fifth district
constituents the opportunity to meet with their Congresswoman at dozens of Market Basket locations throughout the district since she was elected in 2007.
The program is part of the Congresswoman’s constituent outreach service and offers the opportunity for Fifth District residents
to share their thoughts with Congresswoman Tsongas regarding health care reform or other legislation in Congress and happenings in their
community, as well as to seek assistance with any problem they may be having with a federal agency.
“Accessibility and accountability to the families of the Fifth District allows me to provide you with the best constituent services possible,” said Congresswoman Niki Tsongas. “I want to make it as easy as possible for people to come see me and share their opinions, ideas, and talk about their needs – especially when we are debating such transformative legislation like health care reform.”
I’m not sorry it’s happening here now. Gets us off our butts.
Understand that the goal of this series of these simple “stop attacks” all across the country is to convince enough Members of Congress that their seats are in jeopardy if they do not pull back from supporting our President’s goal of getting a good health care reform bill passed this fall.
How many Stop the (fill in the blank) War!! have we all attended? And are still attending, come to think of it.
For those of us who want to support our President and his goal of getting health reform done this fall, our job is to organize our friends and neighbors to go to these events, in large numbers, with as many large people as you can to stand in key spots with large supportive signs.
If you can’t go then organize a support petition among friends and neighbors send it in to your Congressperson.
I actually have no problem with anybody organizing anybody to participate in recess public hearings on anything. Been doing it for years.
It’s a public education tactic for every one involved, including the “target” Congressperson.