Just got back from Pallone's Town Hall--Good God these people are nuts

[bklyncowgirl]

We are talking about rude, obnoxious and some of them clearly living on a different planet from the rest of us. My favorite was the guy who claimed that the Obama administration had ordered all Evengelical Christians put on the terrorist watch list.

There were 1500 people on line. The meeting had been moved from Red Bank Borough Hall (seats 100) to the Red Bank Middle School (seats 500). Pallone held three, count'em three sessions. We supporters were outnumbered around 3-1. We were reduced to shouting things like "Let the man speak" and "Shutup".

We got into the second group. My husband and I were on line surrounded by large numbers of rabid conservatives. I had my blue and white sign I got at the pro-health care rally--big mistake.

"How much you being paid." screamed one woman "Look they're sending paid organizers in to disrupt us."

"I'm not being paid." I said.

"Yes you are, you're on Obama's payroll."

"Sorry but no. I'm a concerned citizen just like you. I'll admit, your people are much better organized on this issue than us. We're just getting started"

"For once we are organized. The Left is always organized."

"Lady the so called left couldn't organize lunch." I said.

It went downhill from there.

I was handed a paper long list of scary looking parts from HR 3200 all with Sections and subheadings.

"What do you think of that? It says right here on Section 152 that all illegal aliens will be covered.

"Illegals aliens are not covered under this bill."

"That's not what it says here."

"Sir, if I had Internet access right now we could look at the actual bill. Since we don't It's my understanding of it against yours."

"But it says right here..."

We finally got inside. I've never been a big Frank Pallone fan but my opinion of his patience rose considerably.

"READ THE BILL" they chanted.

"I'm the committee chairman" he said at one point "I WROTE the bill."

"READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL"

I was really secretly hoping that Pallone would go all Barney Frank on them and start saying what he clearly felt but no. He was polite, professional and never missed a beat. This was not easy, I mean how do you discuss issues with someone who is grounded in a different reality than you are.

"READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL"

One woman quoted Margaret Meade. That got her a round of boos. Too bad. She was on their side but most of them were too dumb to pick up on it." The poor woman exited with a round of boos and catcalls while we befuddled liberals stared at each other saying "What was that all about."

Then there was they guy who was afraid he was on a terrorist watch list because he was a Christian.

I was going to be cool, calm, an observer don't you know. I ended up screaming my lungs out at this woman who kept interrupting the Congressman. She took our picture. I stuck my thumbs in my ears and wiggled my fingers.

I'm probably going to end up on some right wing blog. This is not good. I should have given her the universal American salute. Oh well, better luck next time. Congressman Holt is having a town meeting in Middletown tomorrow. Maybe I'll stop by when I get out of work.

[NYC_SKP]

1. "go all Barney Frank on them"!!!

:rofl:

Seriously, thank you for going and standing up to them!!!

:applause:

[Kerrytravelers]

2. After hearing all the accounts from the townhall meetings, I just can't go.

My heartrate won't allow for it.

[HughBeaumont]

45. My clean criminal record won't allow for it.

No group of old buzzards is going to hang with me on facts or altercations, so it's best just to stay away and allow them to shoot their feet all by their uneducated selves.

[Doctor_J]

62. Yep, and the terrorists have won. Again

I can't wait until we start hitting back

[Kerrytravelers]

64. Honestly, you don't want me there.

Having some crazed redhead get arrested for punching an old Medicare retiree would not a good image for our side make.

Some people just do better in volatile situations than others. I am not one of those people. I'll explode and you'll see me all over the evening news. And I'll look just as stupid as those townhall morans. Trust me.

[sasquatch]

3. Were most of these freaks white and over 60

[bklyncowgirl]

15. Quite a few were over 60, pretty much all white.

One older guy was ranting about socialized medicine.

"Well then, I suppose you must give back your Medicare to the government. After all that's socialized medicine"

"Medicare is not socialized medicine."

"Sir, Medicare is a single payer system. The government pays your healthcare bills. If you like Medicare you're going to love public option."

"I'm against socialized Medicine. Medicare is just a check"

Slaps head. Moves on. Can't do anything about it.

[Politicalboi]

28. OMG

Just unbelievable. Medicare is just a check. :rofl:

This whole ordeal reminds me of just about any episode of Green Acres. LOL!

[sasquatch]

30. I'm telling you that group of people are not the brightest group of humans

[HughBeaumont]

48. They all think trash goes to a magical vanishing facility when they wake up.

Water gets pumped in from the Endless Spring of the Water Nymphs, roads repair themselves, libraries are run by Borders and schools are free institutions of learning filled with willing volunteers to run them.

[sweetpotato]

56. Why Medicare isn't socialized medicine

Medicare isn't socialized medicine because your definition of "socialized" is TOTALLY different from their understanding of "socialized."

The freaked out folks on the right are freaked out over socialized medicine, because to them, it means that they won't go to their own doctor with appointments anymore.

Seriously - they believe it mean that all the doctors in the US would instantly become government employees making low wages. To see a doctor, one would have to get himself/herself to the free clinic and stand in line for who knows how long until a doctor - who will probably not speak any English - may see them.

They believe that they will have to wait in a massive waiting room like at the DMV for healthcare.

They believe that all the "good" doctors will leave the country and find someplace else to practice medicine where they can make lots more than the government will pay them.

They don't want a doctor who can't speak English, they don't want to stand on a line at the free clinic all day long with all those "other" people.

They don't get that it means that instead of getting your check from the insurance company, you get it from the same place that the Medicare checks come from.

Really - this is what they are afraid of - that government run "health care" means that you go to a GOVERNMENT office for doctor visits and treatment.

They are thinking about how the practice of medicine was portrayed in the Soviet Union - on American TV.

[HeresyLives]

4. Doesn't anybody own a gavel?

Doesn't anyone call the meeting to order?

Doesn't anyone ever get ruled out of order?

...Confused Canuck

[jwirr]

13. Robert's Rules only work with adults.

:sarcasm:

[HeresyLives]

22. Then toss em out.

[MadrasT]

35. LOL

True dat.

[imdjh]

5. I was watching some "town hall" today, where some guy quoted Conyer's bill.

HR Puff N Stuff or something, in which the language was to the effect that "residents will be covered" it may have said tourists as well.

We have got to stop giving these people material to work with. If HR whatever (conyer's amendment) actually does say something as illdefined as "resident" then we deserved to be slapped around for that- it's a blunder. ALL of our material must be SPECIFIC. It must clearly and precisely state "citizens and taxpaying legal resident aliens" or something like that. We really can't afford to assume that these people will use their brains.

[bklyncowgirl]

8. I've been going through the bill now that I'm back home.

There's a great deal of legalistic gobbledeygook that requires a reading level of at least 12th grade to get through. I with they'd simplified things a bit more too. You got to make it REEEEAAAAALLLL simple.

[MadMaddie]

29. That's the Repugs plan and it has worked dumb down America

but they only dumbed down their own supporters.

[Roland99]

10. HR 676 (Conyers, Kucinich, et al) has wording about covering non-citizens

but also includes wording on having them pay for it.

http://www.pnhp.org/docs/nhi_bill_final1.pdf

COVERAGE FOR VISITORS.—The Secretary shall
21 promulgate a rule regarding visitors from other countries
22 who seek premeditated non-emergency surgical proce23
dures. Such a rule should facilitate the establishment of
24 country-to-country reimbursement arrangements or self
pay arrangements between the visitor and the provider of
2 care.

[imdjh]

19. Thank you. I guess it would have been too much to expect McCain to have pointed that out to his fans

[nadinbrzezinski]

31. You mean like it is ahem done today?

They are just putting it in the bill

Now the country to country, perhaps is to cover tourists who come from countries with national systems

That means we get paid, we pay them... everybody happy. And that is the added part of custom.

Followers of the RW are just ignorant stupid fucks... yes I did type that.

[druidity33]

41. HR676 is being scored...

we'll see how "Puff N Stuff" does against HR3200. I suspect it will save in the neighborhood of $800 billion per year.

:shrug:

Did you know the bill that created Canada's healthcare system was only 11 pages long?

[imdjh]

52. No idea how old you are.

HR Puff N Stuff was a stupid Saturday morning TV show back in the 1970's.

[druidity33]

57. When i was in Britain

in the early 90's, i broke a tooth. I was at University, and all costs were covered, i was seen right away, there were no hassles. Tourists in other countries have for years been treated for free or at minimal costs with no expectation of recompense beyond the rate locals pay.

Of course if the language is somewhat vague, it will need to be refined. But there's no need to belittle what i consider our best hope at getting a good Health Care bill. It's 11 pages long. Find the pages you take exception to and propose better wording.

Let's be constructive.

:)

[Bozita]

6. Thank you for attending.

[Canuckistanian]

7. Insanity

If these people were REALLY concerned about being put on a "government terrorist watch list", why would they show up at a Congressman's town hall meeting, screaming and complaining?

[bklyncowgirl]

9. Because they're nuts.

Of course on the left--at least I think he was on the left--there was this guy who started talking about wellness care. OK that's cool, then drifted off into something about Chinese medicine and something that has existed since the 1930s that can cure all diseases.

I was waiting for him to give out his website.

[gauguin57]

11. You should have showed them your ass when they took your picture.

But "I stuck my thumbs in my ears and wiggled my fingers" is still pretty sweet.

Thank you for going there and standing up for us.

[Lorien]

12. They accused YOU of being paid?? What insurance company paid THEM??

That's what I'd want to know.

[Roland99]

14. No kidding. One thing the right-wingnuts do well is projection!

[EFerrari]

16. Well, I 'm sure you did better than I would have done.

Good for you for taking on these nutcases.

[jberryhill]

17. I'm kind of dumb

But I don't know the names of everyone in Congress.

What part of the country might this Pallone be from?

[bklyncowgirl]

20. That would be the great state of New Jersey--Monmouth County that is.

Monmouth tends to have alot of redneck and wallstreet types but somehow we ended up with two very progressive Congressmen, Frank Pallone and my guy Rush Holt (he of the "My Congressman IS a rocket scientist" bumper sticker.

[jberryhill]

27. "the great state of New Jersey"?

I didn't know there was more than one. I was thinking of the one between Philadelphia and New York.

Where is this other one of which you speak?

[JerseygirlCT]

60. Hey...

lay off my Jersey!

[jberryhill]

63. I Would, But You Have To Pay To Get Back To Delaware

I dunno... it was free to get in.

Just kidding.

If it wasn't for New Jersey, nothing would hold up the southern end of Goethals Bridge!

[JerseygirlCT]

65. It's the beaches that I love

Though even Monmouth Cty, where I grew up, has gotten just way, way too crowded now.

I'd say it's too many New Yorkers moving in. ;)

[JerseygirlCT]

59. That's funny

I bet my (Republican) dad hates having Holt... Me, from what I've seen of him, I'd be happy!

[tabbycat31]

26. central NJ

I'm in his district.

[BattyDem]

18. Thank you for attending and for standing up to them.

:hi:

The next time someone asks, "How much you being paid?" simply say, "I'm not paid - I'm just informed." :evilgrin:

[IDemo]

21. "grounded in a different reality "

You're way too nice.

:crazy:

[babylonsister]

23. bklyn or nj? I had to look this guy up, but thanks for your account,

and props to you for 'screaming your lungs out'! :hug:

[bklyncowgirl]

24. Born in Brooklyn now a resident of New Jersey. nt

[tabbycat31]

25. I was there too

what were you wearing? Maybe you saw me. I got in early and could not take it anymore. It seemed the wingnuts outnumbered us about 10-1

Luckily Pallone won't deal with their bullshit.

[bklyncowgirl]

33. I was way up in nosebleed territory wearing a light green t-shirt and khaki pants

When they were chanting "No We Can't" I started a counter chant of "Yes We Can" which at least for a few minutes in the area I was sitting in drowned out the disrupters.

Yup, our side was not as well represented. I'd like to go to Holt's meeting tomorrow but have to work. Maybe I'll stop in afterward. If he's going to do what Pallone did and hold more than one session I might get in.

It's hard to listen to but I felt I had to tough it out.

Pallone by the way should get a medal.

[nadinbrzezinski]

32. Thanks for going

and these people are just fucking insane.

And yes, they do live in a different planet, why this scares me... it is the pattern, not a good pattern.

[bklyncowgirl]

34. As painful as it is, progressives should go to these "meetings"

For one thing, it's nice to know what you're dealing with.

[MadrasT]

36. This bit speaks *volumes*

"READ THE BILL" they chanted.

"I'm the committee chairman" he said at one point "I WROTE the bill."

"READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL, READ THE BILL"

Un-fucking-believable :rofl:

Thanks for taking one for the team.

[Skidmore]

37. Out of curiosity, did you see any LaRouche signs there?

I've heard that Lyndon LaRouche cultists have been serving as disruptors.

[proud2BlibKansan]

38. "I WROTE the bill."

:rofl:

Good lord, these people are stoopid.

[Vinca]

39. Where, exactly, was this? Must put it on my "places not to visit" list.

[bklyncowgirl]

40. Central New Jersey

We have our share of rednecks and Wall Streeters here but we have consistently elected two of the most consistently progressive Congressmembers i.e. Frank Pallone and Rush Holt.

No doubt Pallone will win election and these people will be chewing their shorts.

[tabbycat31]

46. are you going to Holt's tonight

I was going to but I'm not prepared to deal with these nutjobs two days in a row. BTW what part of Monmouth County are you in?

[bklyncowgirl]

53. I have to work until 9 tonight but I may drive out and see if they're going to do a second shift

It's painful but someone has to do it.

[tabbycat31]

58. did you end up going to Holt's?

I didn't because I did not want to put up with all of the bull especially after Kennedy's passing. The RW was probably dancing on his grave, which I think is terribly inappropriate and would have completely lost it.

Pallone's doing another town hall, but a phone one.

[lunatica]

42. Hey! Thanks for attending and thanks for yelling your lungs out!

Way to go bklyncowgirl! You've got spunk!

[bklyncowgirl]

44. We should all be doing this. Hanging out in our little liberal enclaves does not help.

It's not so bad. So you get yelled at, so what.

[lunatica]

51. I live in Liberal Oakland and work in UC Berkeley

I'm very far from the maddening crowds. It's like a whole different country here. Barbara Lee, a Progressive is my Congresswoman, and the Mayor is former US Senator Ron Dellums who followed Jerry Brown. We're as blue as it gets. And we're just a bridge away from SF with uber liberal Gavin Newsom, famous for, among other things, flinging the doors of the Alameda County clerk's office wide open for gay marriage. Newsom is running for Governor next year.

The idiocracy class wouldn't be caught dead in our neck of the woods. If they're here, which I'm sure they are, they keep themselves well segregated and probably live under some rock somewhere or in the closet.

:rofl:

[sufrommich]

43. The nuts aren't there ot listen to reason, they are there

to make sure no real debate takes place.

[adamuu]

47. Thank you for fighting for us.

Brave!
:patriot:

[LeftHander]

49. Were they throwing feces....?

Idiot GOP monkeys.

[bklyncowgirl]

55. No, the cops were on duty in the hall. When people got too ugly they moved in.

Most of these people were loud and obnoxious but not violent.

[Adelante]

50. "Lady the so called left couldn't organize lunch."

Ain't that the truth :D

[bklyncowgirl]

54. ...on the other hand we're really good at organizing circular firing squads!

We don't do the lockstep thing too well.

[JerseygirlCT]

61. I guess

it's the difference between herding cats, and watching sheep go where they're told!