Senator Claire McCaskill (D): open forum in Hillsboro - photos

A Question or two. (0.00 / 0)

Thanks for the post Michael, great pix and commentary.

The question I have for you or anyone that was there is, what is your guest-o-mation of the percentage of people at the forum that were the trouble makers, shouting and disrupting the meeting?  I ask this because the Insurance lobbys lying lackeys (Freedom Works, etc.) would have us think that these people are just part of this great uprising across the country that is against healthcare reform.  Just trying to get a grip on what the real story is.

Secondly, in the "got it" or "didn't get it" category, the sign "Keep Government out of the V.A.!", what are they saying?  Is the sign stateing something clever that I don't get, or is the person saying "I'm stupid and to prove it, I made this sign".  If it is the latter, "God Bless her".  V.A. does still stand for Veterans Administration, right!      

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by: DW @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 08:05:10 AM CDT

"Keep Government out of the V.A.!" (0.00 / 0)

It was a sarcastic sign carried by a pro-health care reform attendee.  

I suppose it was intended to be an absurdly ironic commentary on the right-wing position that government can't successfully handle health care.

The fact that you could think the sign was made to express a legitimately held view says a great deal about the plunge in the current level of discourse, i.e. No right-wing position is so idiotic that we can rule out the possibility that some anti-Obama protester holds it.

-- MrJM

Dulce est Desipere in Loco

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by: MrJM @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 08:52:31 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

One young man carried a similarly sarcastic sign (0.00 / 0)

that said "Keep govt. out of my medicare." That was especially confusing since he couldn't have been over 25.

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by: hotflash @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:10:14 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

The jaw dropping exercise... (0.00 / 0)

...was when Senator McCaskill asked how many were currently on Medicare (several hundred) and then asked how many would drop it (a handful). The howls and catcalls and jeers from the angry crowd were stunning in their intensity. I believe it actually made them insane for her to point that out.

I couldn't guess the percentages. The pro-reform people were there, but they were quiet. It's as if they were letting the right wingnuts reel out all the rhetorical rope they needed.

The veins popping on their foreheads anger was intense to the point of unintentional comedy. I had to be careful not to break out in laughter a few times.

543,895 votes

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by: Michael Bersin @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:01:50 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oh, yes! (0.00 / 0)

The sign was definitely satirical.

543,895 votes

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by: Michael Bersin @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:06:36 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

Oh good! (0.00 / 0)

I didn't get it.  

The fact that you could think the sign was made to express a legitimately held view says a great deal about the plunge in the current level of discourse, i.e. No right-wing position is so idiotic that we can rule out the possibility that some anti-Obama protester holds it.

-- MrJM

Good point!

Thanks all.

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by: DW @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 11:19:48 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

You can't wake somebody who's only pretending to be asleep (0.00 / 0)

Michael,

Claire handled the Teabaggers with all the thoughtfulness and class that we could hope for.  She was masterful.

While I have confidence that Sen. McCaskill will do right by the people of Missouri, I am concerned about the political calculus of other moderate Democratic lawmakers.  

They are facing townhall goons who are very (perhaps even honestly) concerned, scared, angry and motivated by fears that are utterly baseless.  

Which variable will carry the most weight: a) the invalidity of their concerns, or b) the protesters degree of passion?  

I would hope that the Dems have the sense to properly discount protests that are based on self-evident lies  (what if some very loud and angry voters were really worried about the threat of the Atlantean Illuminati?), but I suspect that they will use the protests as an excuse to put off meaningful health care reform, e.g. "We need to take some more time to convey to the voters what we're trying to do here."  

Democratic lawmakers need to face the facts: These protesters would oppose every and any possible health care reform presented or supported by President Barack Obama.

You can't wake them up -- they are only pretending to be asleep.

-- MrJM

Dulce est Desipere in Loco

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by: MrJM @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 08:42:32 AM CDT

You got two of 'em. (0.00 / 0)

In your picture with the caption about all the jeers and yelling, you caught two of the six people within thirty of me who were doing a lot of the yelling--the guy in blue and the one in red.

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by: hotflash @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:15:41 AM CDT

The guy... (0.00 / 0)

...in the tan shirt with the short haircut and goatee sitting a few rows in front of them was particularly vocal. He left early, too.

543,895 votes

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by: Michael Bersin @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:19:44 AM CDT

[ Parent ]

McCaskill's twittering post-forum analyses: (0.00 / 0)

I've watched some of todays public forum, and I think at times I sounded condescending. My apologies for that.
08/11/09 8:38 pm EDT

and

Today was another great day.Tough, yes. Democracy,yes. Proud of our ability to do democracy in America? You bet. Wornout? Yup but that's ok.

(found on TPM)

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by: WillyK @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 09:43:05 AM CDT

To paraphrase H.L. Mencken: (0.00 / 0)

The only way for someone to look on a Teabagger is down.

Dulce est Desipere in Loco

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by: MrJM @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 13:13:25 PM CDT

[ Parent ]

The Level of Ignorance was Stunning. (0.00 / 0)

I was there too.I was sitting on the bleachers that are out of the picture,next to the man in the yellow shirt holding the ,Don't Tread on Me, flag.I was sitting with a group of Jeffco politicos. When the man with the flag kept yelling liar everytime Claire talked I told him to pipe down. If looks could have killed I would have been dead as he yelled at me to shut up! Ha! a man sitting behind me, one of the politicos got right in his face and said,F***You! They started the man thing...you want to take it outside back and forth and some Jeffco officers materialized out of nowhere and calmed it down.But he was allowed to stand and hold his little flag.

Another incident was interesting. I was sitting behind the line of press people who were standing at the back of the people in chairs, there was a moment when a camera bag was sitting alone,with no one around. I left for awile,I am willing to walk my talk but I am not willing to get blown up in the process.When I came back the police had a sniffer dog in the same spot. I was happy to see that they were realistic and prepared.

I would say people for healthcare reform were outnumbered 3 to one. I also think many of the people there had been ( figuratively)driven there by their churches. That was confirmed to me this morning when I went to a resale shop run by a Penticostal couple. It was early and all the staff was chatting. One of them said,"Wow it really worked,McCaskill was really rattled",and the pinched face preacher said,"there is a party in heaven this morning." Well I spoke up and said,"I was there too and I am for healthcare reform....before I could get another word out the preacher told me that I was interruping their morning prayers and the whole staff immediately got into prayerfull positions.I am still steaming about it! This staff are all alcholics and drug addicts that he has "saved",all vulnerable people,all anxious people.Their livers might be in better shape but their souls are being poisoned!

Lake Lady

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by: Lake Lady @ Wed Aug 12, 2009 at 13:05:19 PM CDT