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Posted on 08/14/2009 5:12:49 PM PDT by Steelfish
AUGUST 14, 2009
Arkansas Rep. Ross Faces Restive Crowd on Health Care
STEPHANIE SIMON
ARKADELPHIA, Ark. -- Arkansas Democratic Rep. Mike Ross has been getting an earful on health care from his constituents for months – at the supermarket, at church, even when he's out deer hunting.
More than 700 people crammed a university auditorium here Friday to continue that conversation.
And it was a restive crowd, shouting at the congressman -- and often, at each other -- interrupting questions and drowning out speakers with jeers and boos.
Mr. Ross, a former drugstore owner, has emerged as a key figure in the House debate on health care. As a leader of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats, he forced a delay in the House vote so members could weigh the issues over the August recess.
"How can you vote on something you've never read?" one man yelled.
"Can we have your word that you'll read the bill?" a woman shouted.
Mr. Ross repeatedly said he is neither for or against the bill because there is no final bill; it's still being amended. But he laid out principles he will insist on before any bill gets his support: No rationed care, no federal funding for abortions, no coverage for illegal immigrants, subsidies to make insurance affordable to the working poor -- "and if there is some kind of government-run health care, the first to sign up for it should be the president and every member of Congress," he said, to raucous applause.
Mr. Ross seemed lukewarm about a public option, saying it was "50-50 at best whether it will be included in the final bill."
But he sought to reassure the crowd that if a public plan is included, "it won't be forced on anyone" but would be just one option...
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Why do newspaper reporters use words like Restive and Temblor when nobody talks like that.
We are all in and they dare not call.
“As a leader of the fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrats”
Why don’t they call these Democrats what they really are, Democrats from red districts who lie to get elected and then go to DC and vote however Pelosi tells them (with a very few exceptions).
Because they are writing for their peers not for the reader!
[But he sought to reassure the crowd that if a public plan is included, “it won’t be forced on anyone” but would be just one option...]
So is he a liar or stupid?
“So is he a liar or stupid?”
Bare-faced liar!
He is a Dem RAT. He is gonna vote for it. These people need to vote him out.
Why are they called blue DOGS? Cuz they LIE like 'em!
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It’s worse than that! He’ll probably vote against it, just like he did cap-and-trade, but ONLY after Pelosi has found enough RINOs to let Ross off the hook.
Then he will tell his stupid constituents (of whom I am one): “See, I voted against this pig.”
At the Town Hall today in Arkadelphia, he kept repeating, “Hey, I’m only one out of 535!”
You’re right: Mike needs to go back into the pharmacy business in Prescott.
No to the whole damn thing.
Why is it these elected officials say they will work for the people, but end up playing ball with their cronies?
sw
I saw how the “blue dog” game is played a couple of years of years ago when they were trying to pass amnesty for illegals. The tactic that the Democrats use is to count the Democrats from the blue areas first. Then if they do not have enough votes to pass a controversial bill, they will go over to the turncoat Republicans to get some political cover from then. If they still don’t have enough votes to pass the bill, they will pick the Democrats that are the least likely to lose. They know the voting records of all the states and towns and they can use polling to see how people are reacting in all the different districts. They have this down to a science.
Sorry about the delay in this response, spectre. I was out-of-pocket. I agree with you completely. Ross gets a lot of money from unions (his district is NOT heavily union). I think that Cradle of Liberty hit the nail on the head about the nose-counting in the reply just before this one.
I should have written “Cradle of Freedom” rather than “Cradle of Liberty.” My bad, cradle.
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