Posted on 09/03/2009 10:37:48 AM PDT by nutmeg
Congressman John Larson (D-CT) held a town hall meeting on Wednesday, September 2 in deep-blue West Hartford, CT at the Town Hall Auditorium. My husband "zelig" and I arrived about 45 minutes before the town hall started. As expected, there were two distinct groups rallying outside the Auditorium.
Just like every rally we've ever attended, it was easy to find the folks on "our side": They were the ones with the American flags, the yellow Gadsden flags and the red and white-striped First U.S. Navy Jack flags... AND the homemade signs.
The pro-ObamaCare crowd had their professionally printed full color signs (provided by SEIU and AFSCME and, of course, Organizing for America). Most of them wore very large professionally printed "Health Care For All" (something like that) stickers. Groups that I saw represented there were Organizing For America, SEIU, AFSCME, Planned Parenthood and SustiNet (the Connecticut Universal Healthcare advocate group).
The pro-ObamaCare moonbats had positioned themselves strategically on the steps of the Town Hall Auditorium, so they could be the first into the forum. As we arrived, they were singing one of many Kumbaya-type songs, accompanied by a guitarist. You can see 'em singing in the video below during the early part of the rally (this is actually a pretty good video by the locally famous "Palin Smith". It was filmed during the early part of the outside rallies, before the bulk of the crowd arrived):
**The Health Care Song** West Hartford, CT Sept. 2 -- Video by Palin Smith - runs 4:18 minutes (Don’t miss the end of the video! LOL).
Whenever our group started a chant, we were drowned out by the moonbats with chants of - you guessed it - "Yes We Can!" (barf)
We tried to counter with "No You Won't", but we were drowned out.
Although our anti-ObamaCare patriots were positioned away from the building, on the front lawn of the building near the street, at first my husband and I decided to hold up our signs near the moonbats on the steps of the building. One older woman told me I was in the wrong place... "your people are over there" she warned me sternly.
Then, some of the union types (women) started their usual tactic of jumping directly in front of us, holding their signs on top of ours, so no one could read them. I kept putting my sign back in front, it went back and forth for awhile until a bona fide shoving match went on between me and this one union woman. Then she hit me with her sign, and yelled to me "Don't YOU dare hit me!" I just laughed and said: "You people really have that tactic down cold, don't you?" She said "What tactic?" then backed away, wide-eyed, to the comfort of her comrades... they all stared back at me as if I had two heads.
A so-called doctor then came up to me and said - in the most condescending tone you could imagine - "You're very misguided." I told him HE was misguided. We went back and forth for a few minutes, then I brought up the subject of tort reform. Suddenly he had somewhere else to be... he couldn't get away from me fast enough. He had NO interest in even discussing the subject.
My husband questioned one Obama supporter about illegal aliens who would be covered in the bill... the guy basically called my husband a racist for even daring to call these "immigrants" illegal!
The doors opened to the Town Hall... my husband was one of the first in, as he had kept his perch on the steps. He assumed he'd get a prime seat in the front row. NOT the case... he walks in and the place is already full... NO seats available. He saw Larson's toadies letting pro-ObamaCare people in through the side doors. The place was stacked with pro-ObamaCare people, from all the organizations listed above (especially Organizing For America). We were supposed to leave our signs outside (which everyone did), but the OFA, Planned Parenthood and union types were all decked out with those "Health Care For All" stickers, buttons and T-shirts. I think most of our patriots stayed outside to continue their rally, or they just couldn't get into the building.
Rep. Larson's "panel" was an absolute joke: A total lovefest for the pro-ObamaCare crowd. Representatives were from the Center for Medicare Advocacy, AARP, a pro-universal healthcare doctor and some guy who started "Small Businesses for Health Care Reform". If you wanted to ask a question, you had to write it on an index card, and one of Larson's assistants would pick the cards out randomly. There was to be no give and take between the Congressman and his constituents.
My husband and I stood at the back of the room (I'm guessing there were 500-700 in attendance) and figured there would be no dissent. However, there turned out to be a pretty vocal minority (about 25-30% of the crowd) who were clearly anti-ObamaCare, so Larson wasn't going to have such a smooth time of it.
I had never really heard Larson give a speech before... he is truly awful... he comes across as a dullard, actually. "Not the brightest bulb in the box" as my mother often says... LOL. His opening speech consisted of "We've all got to get along, work together... blah blah blah..." putting everyone to sleep, then - as if someone pushed a button - he'd lead up to an algore-like crescendo of: "And America is the greatest country in the world!" to loud applause... it was idiotic. Oh, and Larson blamed the financial mess we're in now on - who else? - BUSH, but he didn't mention him by name... just "the previous administration" and “those bigwigs on Wall Street”. More wild applause from the moonbats.
Larson kept saying: "the President's healthcare plan is revenue-neutral". He used the terms "revenue-neutral", "competition" and "once everyone is in The System" over and over again. He lied and stated that "when President Obama says 'you can keep your private health insurance', it's the truth: We can keep our private health insurance and our doctors". (That’s not what HR 3200 says)
One question was: Won't there be a big loss of jobs in Connecticut, “the insurance capital of the world”? He stammered for a moment, then mumbled something to the effect that the 'RAT's healthcare plan 'would create more jobs' (huh?), but he didn't elaborate.
He did claim that he supported the "Abercrombie amendment" regarding tort reform. I admit I'm not familiar with this... but Larson claims he's for tort reform. Whenever tort reform was brought up, both Larson and the lib woman doctor on the panel kind of swept it under the rug. They gave pretty skillful non-answers. I honestly don’t think most in the moonbat crowd even understood what tort reform was.
The patriots in the crowd absolutely ROARED with disapproval when Larson stated how Obama has "reached across the aisle numerous times" to Republicans (locking out the Republicans during the crafting of these HC bills is 'reaching across the aisle'?). He then went on about how Boehner and other Republicans are the Party of No. He got a roar of approval from the moonbats with: "The status quo of Just Say No hasn't been working!”. (Moonbats just adore rhymes!).
A really telling moment was when Big Catholic Larson was asked if taxpayer-funded abortion would be covered in the bill. He turned beet red, and hemmed and hawed for quite a while. He asked his assistant to repeat the question, danced around the subject, then gave some mumbling non-answer... it was incredible. I wish I had a video of that.
The panel got their brand-new talking points from Obamamessiah... they rolled out one sob story after another about the uninsured who have gone bankrupt over medical bills, and horror stories of people who couldn't afford medical treatments. They all claimed that insurance companies ration healthcare already, and complained about the CEOs and big profits of the insurance companies. The small business guy weirdly discussed how he might have to go out of business if ObamaCare isn't passed "this year", and how he felt OhSoGuilty about not providing his employees with health insurance. The AARP woman stated: "we have many new members", to which a woman in the crowd shouted out: "Not anymore!" LOL
Their talking points all consisted of sob stories and how Medicare and the VA health care systems are government programs that "are excellent, and have worked for decades". (Our side really needs to get up to speed to counter those arguments, IMO, particularly regarding Medicare.) Medicare in particular was fiercely defended and promoted, yet there was no mention of any cuts to Medicare.
The militant Medicare advocate waved a copy of the Constitution to the crowd and read the first paragraph... her emphasis in bold:
WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
She honed right in on the phrase "promote the general Welfare", stating that the Constitution DOES mandate that the government provide 'healthcare for all'. This was met with wild applause from the moonbats.
I admit that there was pretty much adequate time alloted for questions, and Larson said that if anyone's question wasn't answered, he would personally answer our questions privately (via e-mail, I guess).
No minds were changed at the town hall, so we all left the building and continued shouting across the sidewalk at each other for another 30 minutes or so until the West Hartford police told us to break it up. The moonbats’ final wimpy chant through their bullhorn: “Save humanity! Healthcare for all!” Someone on our side yelled back: “Nuke the baby whales!” ROTFL
We spoke to several patriots on the way out of the rally and were heartened to see so many age groups represented. Many of the younger people plan to attend the March on Washington on September 12. Just about everybody we talked to plans to be in Hartford on Friday, September 11 at 10:00am to meet the Tea Party Express.
I don't know the exact date of this interview of Rep. John Larson on Fox News, but it took place before the August recess. Video runs 4:33 minutes.
She honed right in on the phrase “promote the general Welfare”, stating that the Constitution DOES mandate that the government provide ‘healthcare for all’. This was met with wild applause from the moonbats.
easily parried:
it says promote, not provide.
and its general welfare, not healthcare.
idiots
The Tea Party needs to pick up the chant “Failure is no Option”. Obama is going to use this in his speach to Congress. Use it before he can start it.
Great job by you, your husband and the other folks opposing Hussein’s DeathCare.
excellent details Nutmeg! Your “front lines” report is very much like others I’ve seen on free republic and in the media (thank you, Fox news!).
You really held your temper in not smacking that woman back with the posters—can’t know if I’d have been so calm.
You should have asked the doctor who was taking care of his patients while he was there at the townhall meeting—would have loved to have seen his response!
Guess we patriots and TeaPartiers need to make our own buttons, banners, and t-shirts so we can be properly outfitted against the moonbats. Kinda resembles the early colonials forming against the British troops doesn’t it? They had the snazzy red and white uniforms and the marching and the weapons...the early patriots had to be quick, cunning, and wise. Dear God, please let us be like those early patriots!!!
My report (at the top of the thread) is rather long, but here's a short video by the locally famous "Palin Smith" of the pre-town hall meeting rallies outside the West Hartford Town Hall Auditorium. It was filmed during the early part of the outside rallies, before the bulk of the crowd arrived:
**The Health Care Song** (by Aging Hippie Moonbat ObamaCare Supporters) West Hartford, CT Sept. 2
Video runs 4:18 minutes (Don’t miss the end of the video! LOL).
and its general welfare, not healthcare.
Yep, look out for the 'RATs on this one... this is one of their new crusades apparently. Using our Constitution itself as their clarion call to PROVIDE government-run healthcare "for all". Sickening.
idiots
OH yeah...
Yeah,,,but thats not what it says.
And she is the one claiming it says what she wants it to.
I think it might work.
It has for me anyway in other settings.
WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
She honed right in on the phrase "promote the general Welfare", stating that the Constitution DOES mandate that the government provide 'healthcare for all'. This was met with wild applause from the moonbats.
Somewhere on FR, I noticed you two were discussing how the 'RATs were going to try to use the Constitution to claim that the US government is mandated to provide healthcare for everyone. Thought you'd be interested in the above...
Obama himself is promoting "Failure is no Option"? I hadn't heard that.
I admit I can't keep up with all the crap this administration has been throwing thru that big fan. A fan on the highest speed imaginable...
Who is that in the pic? My husband picked that name because of the Woody Allen movie "Zelig", a fictional character who always seems to find himself in the front row of history. If you check zelig's posts on FR, you'll see he doesn't post here much... LOL.
This will be his theme when he talks to the House and Senate next week....it may be in two weeks. If the people use it first, it won’t mean a thing when he uses it.
Thank you. The rallying part outside was fun, but the town hall itself was both boring and infuriating.
In any event, I'm glad we were able to finally attend at least one town hall event in our area. We missed a couple of others...
Well, she DID hit me, but it was just a tap by a cardboard sign. However, she accused ME of hitting HER! Just incredible. This is where those video cameras come in real handy... too bad I'm a Luddite and don't have a modern-day video camera! ;-)
You should have asked the doctor who was taking care of his patients while he was there at the townhall meeting—would have loved to have seen his response!
LOL, but when I mentioned the term 'tort reform' it was like thrusting a crucifix in the face of a vampire... he couldn't get away from me fast enough! Who knows if he even was a REAL doctor?
Guess we patriots and TeaPartiers need to make our own buttons, banners, and t-shirts so we can be properly outfitted against the moonbats. Kinda resembles the early colonials forming against the British troops doesn’t it? They had the snazzy red and white uniforms and the marching and the weapons...the early patriots had to be quick, cunning, and wise. Dear God, please let us be like those early patriots!!!
Wow, you make some very good points here, Sassy. I never thought of that!
It was an eye-opening tea party rally yesterday. We had what I call the battle of the protesters to see who could shout the loudest. What suprised me was too doctor interns who once they become doctors will have a LOT to lose. From what I have seen, the battle has gotten even tougher.
promote the general Welfare
This, and the next part of the Preamble, are the culmination of everything that came before it — the whole point of having tranquility, justice, and defense was to promote the general welfare — to allow every state and every citizen of those states to benefit from what the government could provide. The framers looked forward to the expansion of land holdings, industry, and investment, and they knew that a strong national government would be the beginning of that.
Ah but providing health care is promoting the General welfare she would reply; so that is not the argument to make. She was reading from the Preamble of the The Constitution of the United States, the Constitution's raison d'être. The articles and amendments establish what the Federal Government is and what it is authorized to do or how the words of the preamble are to be achieved. No where is welfare mentioned within the body of the Constitution.
Jimmy, you make excellent points here. However, like Adder, I do fear the 'RATs might get away with twisting that phrase "promote the general Welfare" into whatever they want it to be. They're gonna try, that's for sure...
Maybe I'm dense, but how does our side use "“Failure is no Option” to our advantage? We want it to fail. Maybe chant: "Failure IS the Option!"? ;-)
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