Lawrence O'Donnell Exposes Clueless Town Hall Protester Katy Abram

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Run time: 08:50 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVlZEoQ5a2Q   Posted on YouTube: August 13, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: August 14, 2009 By DU Member: Amerigo Vespucci Views on DU: 4122

 

Hardball: Lawrence O'Donnell Exposes Clueless Town Hall Protester
By Logan Murphy Thursday Aug 13, 2009 1:00pm

http://crooksandliars.com/logan-murphy/hardball-town-hall-protester-exposed

Lawrence O'Donnell filled in for Chris Matthews on Hardball Wednesday, and somehow managed to avoid savaging clueless town hall protester, Katy Abram. Abram went on a moronic tirade at Senator Arlen Specter's town hall meeting on Tuesday, telling him she was afraid that America was turning into Russia and that he had awakened a sleeping giant.

This wasn't like shooting fish in a barrel, it was like shooting the broad side of a barn with a bazooka -- at point blank range. O'Donnell toys with Abram, and you can tell he just wants to cut loose. Granted, Abram isn't a professional pundit, but when questioned it became clear that she is the poster child for the entire undereducated, under-informed mob that make up the right wing town hall protesters.

When asked about taxes, Katy admits that she has no idea how much money she and her husband make. When asked about Socialist programs like medicare and social security, she had this to say:

...You know, yeah, I mean, there are programs in place that the founders did not want to have here. I know there are people out there that can't afford health insurance, that can't afford a lot of different things, and, you know, with the founders, they thought and hoped that the goodness of the people would allow the people to take care of those who are doing without. And I know that may seem naive in today's, you know, world...

Okay...umm...so she's against a public option that would allow the goodness of the people help those who are doing without? There are many more displays of stunning ignorance in this segment, feel free to document them in the comments.[/div[

[hlthe2b]

1. She is so distressingly ignorant (and too stupid to even know it)

This makes me cringe in so damned many ways.

[rocktivity]

2. Dupe

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=385&topic_id=353430&mesg_id=353430

:headbang:
rocktivity

[SunDrop23]

3. Poor thing....she got a perm for her big TV debut and got completely destroyed (nfm)

bukkaked actually

[nichole51]

30. perm

Why the hair comment, Sun Drop? If we are going to fix this thing, we've got to stop the sarcasm. How is that going to start a conversation? As I wrote to Doc, “The healthcare bill is written in language that makes it incredibly difficult to read. That's part of the frustration. I have read it. If anyone in office right now would set up a website and literally go through each provision in the bill and state in plain English what it meant, imagine how much anger that would diffuse. And how much faster things could move forward and how much more trust could be re-instated. We are all out of middle school now. Just a thought”.

[elleng]

4. I disagree with c&l that he wanted to cut loose;

O'D did a BEAUTIFUL job questioning her in such a manor that her thoughtlessness would become apparent.

[Blue Belle]

10. He should get his own show...

I'd rather watch Lawrence O'Donnell than Scarborogh or David Gregory.

[PSzymeczek]

14. I'd rather

watch Lawrence O'Donnell than Tweety!

[elleng]

16. NATURALLY!

Haven't watched matthews in years; know I'll NEVER learn anything from him. O'D, on the other hand, has the experience and insight that makes for excellent analysis and reporting.

[dflprincess]

5. And the tirade she went on at Specter?

She appeared to be reading most (if not all) of it off a card.

I really liked her answer to O'Donnell that she didn't know what her family paid for health care because her husband "pays all the bills and takes care of all of that sorta thing". Ten or fifteen years from now she will be in for a world of hurt when he dumps her for a younger woman and she has no clue about their assets.

[doc03]

7. I can't believe she would have no idea how much money

they make, nobody could be that f----g stupid. She doesn't even have a clue if her and her husband make over $250,000 or not, give me a break. O'Donnell should have asked her what her and her husband do for a living and just what part of the Constitutional Obama has shredded. I thought Arlen Specter had a pretty good comeback when he actually told her how GWB had violated the Constitution.

[Blue Belle]

12. She doesn't know how much money she makes....

But she knows all the intricacies of her health insurance. How many people don't know what they make a year but they know they can't afford the taxes and they know what their health insurance deductible is? I call shenanigans.

[nichole51]

34. Of course she knows

Come on. Of course she knows her income. Would you give out that personal information on national/international TV? I don't think you would. I wouldn't. I would have told him that it was none of his business rather than say I didn't know, however. O'Donnell lost credibility by trying to get personal information. He could have easily made his point without going for the "gotcha" moment. Cheap shot.

[Blue Belle]

35. If I were going on National TV...

I would be prepared to make my case for my argument, and I would be prepared to defend my point. Clearly she failed in both cases. O'Donnell has immense credibility because he didn't let her out of it and spin needless crap. He exposed her for the idiot she is and she walked right into her "gotcha" moment when she agreed to be Glenn Beck's talking-point repeating minion. It wasn't a cheap shot - it needed to be done.

[Stand and Fight]

41. Sigh....

:eyes:
I wouldn't have a problem with it. It's hardly a cheap shot. It's sticking a glaring on in her argument and the exposing her obvious disconnect. Who the fuck are you, her agent?

[elleng]

17. I suspect she knows, but doesn't want to share;

they may be 'shy' or hoping to hide from the 'joneses.'

[nichole51]

29. Wise up

Wise up, Doc. Of course she knew her family's income. She did not anticipate questions about her personal finances or her parents' healthcare. She didn't owe that information to O'Donnell or anyone. I know I would not like to announce personal information to be broadcasted across the globe and I am figuring you wouldn't either. Whether you are to the left or to the right, setting up your guests to look like nervous idiots just looses credibility with me. I don't like it when Hannity does it or Matthews or O'Donnell. Groups from both sides are at these town halls, some even beating up people that don't agree with them. We are way out of control and calling people names or demanding personal information doesn't get us anywhere. Katy was nervous and it showed.

The healthcare bill is written in language that makes it incredibly difficult to read. That's part of the frustration. I have read it. If anyone in office right now would set up a website and literally go through each provision in the bill and state in plain English what it meant, imagine how much anger that would diffuse, Doc. And how much faster things could move forward and how much more trust could be re-instated. We are all out of middle school now. Just a thought.

[WinstonSmith4740]

6. I'm sure she made sense to Sarah Palin...

I thought for a minute I was listening to Palin.

First of all, the concept that a woman today has no idea (as she claimed) as to what her family income is, is just plain silly. She may not take care of the income taxes, and may not know to the penny, but she has to sign that return, and I'll bet she has a real close idea. She was just playing stupid. I also especially enjoyed it when she could only stammer as to whether she would tell her parents to refuse Medicare. I really think she, and the Medicare recipients who are screaming about keeping the government out of health care really are ignorant. But then again, look at their hero. Remember when George Bush stated in one of the debates that "Social Security is being run like it's some big government program or something"? What really blew my doors off is she said they have a $5,000 deductable on their policy. And she's fighting to keep this?

Clueless, but are we surprized?

[shraby]

8. She's been tagged over at DailyKos...she was a plant and has

been hosting Glenn Beckian 9-12 meetings at her home....

http://lebanonpa912project.ning.com/...

At 11:52am on May 7, 2009, Katy said…
Hi Sandra,

Welcome to the Lebanon 9-12 Project! Please take a moment and check out the website. We have had one meeting so far and are having a second one this Saturday at my home in Creekside (North Cornwall Township.) If you are interested in attending please go to the Events section and RSVP. I look forward to meeting you.

Katy Abram

<http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/8/13/766517/-Katy-Abram-is-a-9-12-Organizer>

[PSzymeczek]

15. So she's just like the wench

that said she was not political (a mom from down the road or whatever) and turned out to be the former VP of the county RP.

[Uncle Joe]

33. Nonetheless, maybe Lawrence O'Donnell's provocative questions served to educate

the plant.

I guess will time tell as to whether her ignorance is willful or not.

[Don1]

9. Yeah, we are not supposed to be a socialized country!

or a civilized one!

Paid for by Citizens Against Socializing

[lovepg]

11. Funny how she had NO interest in politics before this but at the end of the segment

claims to have had tons of political debates with her friend at the other end of the spectrum.
There you go folks proof positive another liar gets on TV.

[niceypoo]

13. At the town hall she read her question from a card

And on hardball she decried her 'right' to keep her rip off health savings plan with its ripoff 5k deductible, which isnt insurance at all. She was planted or coached by the insurance industry.

[Larkspur]

40. Bet her insurance company drops them next year because they cost

the insurance company too much money or maybe they will jack up the premiums to be more than her mortgage payment. O'Donnell should check in with her next year to see if she still has health insurance.

[bjobotts]

18. "I'm smart...not dumb like everybody says" Just cause I don't know what I'm talking about

[bjobotts]

19. Reading from innuendo talking points the crowd cheered & appluded her ignorance

[bjobotts]

20. She's one of us...democrats bad...repubs good.Socialism bad...I think

[bjobotts]

21. FOOL= Too stupid to know how ignorant you are but can't keep your mouth shut even if you did

[motorcityliberal]

22. Damn that was painful

Really now the right wing or whomever supplied that lady with her talking points should took some time and trained her to deal with non Fox News outlets, she admits she didn't follow anything up until now but she knows what the founders did or didn't want. She's the poster child of the town hall movement million dollar lungs to scream with a 5 cent brain.

[Turborama]

23. What's that phrase about fools opening their mouths?

:kick: & R

[WhoIsNumberNone]

24. Palin/Abram 2012

What a dream ticket.

[dhpgetsit]

25. Yet another poorly informed zombie from the religious right.

O'Donnell did a nice job. She was sauteed with just the right amount of butter and seasoning to expose the full depth and breadth of her political awareness: 0 on both counts.

[ScottLand]

26. She doesn't realize it but

by saying the founding fathers knew we'd eventually help those who don't have anything, she's contradicted her initial protest.

[silverweb]

31. I noticed that, too.

I think what she was going for was the typical Libertarian position of disapproving of "forced charity" in the form of taxes (redistribution of wealth), but encouraging "voluntary charity" through churches, etc.

She didn't quite get a chance to finish that thought, but it sounded to me like that's where she was headed.

[ScottLand]

36. Well, I know this is going to sound unrealistic,

but I find it unfortunate we've let it go this far that we have to be forced in order to help each other out. It's no secret that people are going without their needs being met in this country.

As O'Donnell said, this lady has been an adult through a lot of human suffering but she didn't wake up until someone told her that her taxes were going to go up. That's why she thinks the country is falling apart.

[silverweb]

37. You're right on target.

People like her (and many others) only know what they see and only believe what they experience, and are oblivious to anything beyond their personal realm.

I know someone who still denies that there's a crisis in the economy or job market because she has plenty of money and "because I see a "help wanted" sign in the gas station every time I go downtown" (in her insular little upper-class town).

The lady O'Donnell was interviewing was starting to say something about her church or community with relation to people taking care of each other. We've seen how miserly and exclusionary "Christian charity" can be, and nearly all the charities in the world are struggling to meet just their most basic goals.

Voluntary charity simply cannot meet the immense needs that there are and most people just can't comprehend it. Therefore it's up to government to control how its "civilized" society takes care of everyone's most basic needs, and that starts with financing (taxes).

The bottom line: Voluntary just doesn't cut it, so "forced charity" is necessary to form that "more perfect union" and, among other things, "promote the general welfare" by establishing (and financing) basic humanitarian standards and care for all of our people.

[ScottLand]

38. I'm familiar with how the Christian charity can work.

Years ago, a friend at work asked me to give her my empty soda cans because her church collected them. OK, no big deal, I started doing it. Another woman, who was very religious, made a point of loudly volunteering to do the same thing. After several months, my friend told me she hadn't seen the first can from her.

Oftentimes, Christian charity is done so that the Christian can say to everyone - Aren't I good?!! See what great things I'm doing?!!

I know that's not always the case, and they are some fine Christians, but some of what the interview lady started to say struck me that way. Sort of like putting a bumper sticker on your car and telling everyone how much you're helping the troops.

[silverweb]

39. Yup.

And it just proves that those "Christians" don't even know the one they claim to worship. If they did, they'd know what he said and heed his words:

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

From the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:1-6), which contains basically the essence of all goodness in all religions.

So many "Christians" conveniently and routinely ignore what they claim are the actual, literal words of their God. Considering that is so, how can anyone take them seriously when they so flagrantly violate the letter and the spirit of those words?

I didn't mean to sidetrack this into a case against pseudo-Christians or any other brand of hypocrites, but we are definitely on the same page.

The bottom line is this: Voluntary charity is grossly insufficient for the task, for whatever reasons. Therefore, in order to achieve for its members security in the most basic human decency, a just society must step in and direct its government to do the job.

[WhoIsNumberNone]

27. 3 times he asked her about medicare-

-and each time she just babbles without actually answering the question. And boy is she dumb as a box of rocks.

[Ka hrnt]

28. Let me get this straight...

She just got into politics but has had political debates with her friend "millions of times over"???

[silverweb]

32. You got it.

Another plant, another liar. Who'da thunk?

I think I'm seeing a bit of a pattern here....