Comments on: Scenes from a town hall

By: Penny_Esq

Penny_Esq — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 21:19:03 +0000

Holy Moses, I would have had a panic attack. I thought the county caucus was bad enough and we were all Democrats there. Thanks for going, I don’t think I’d be able to face it.

Isn’t it interesting that people compare Obama to Hitler, then shout obscenities at JEWISH CLERGY in the same breath? Not that the Hitler trope isn’t already a logic fail, but JESUS H, people!

By: tallgirl-in-heels

tallgirl-in-heels — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:34:55 +0000

SarahMC, thanks for the report. It makes me feel a little better to hear that there were more pro-reformers there than what the news generally shows (you’re right, the media focus tends to be on the bat shit crazy people). That said, it disheartens me that you went to a town hall meeting ostensibly meant to foster dialogue on freakin’ heath care, and you felt uneasy or anything less than 100% safe; that shouting and fanaticism dominated. It’s hard sometimes to cling to the hope that factually based discourse can prevail over the mentality of “I say it and therefore it is true.” Legitimate debate about health care reform is good; allowing this country’s political and social policies to be guided by lies and stubborn ignorance is not. I have to keep reminding myself that, as dismal as Bush’s approval ratings got, there were still people out there who thought he was doing a good job right up until the bitter end. It’s likely those folks who are coming out of the wood works now. They were relatively quiet while their guys were in office for 8 years, and now they’re ranting and raving.

By: TVille

TVille — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:23:35 +0000

Oh…to be in the same room with Randall Terry. He gave a talk here in my little VA hamlet a few months ago (2 days after Tiller was murdered) actually, and when I found out about it, my husband actually had to talk me down. Fortunately, I also understand that I would have tried to rationalize with him and there ain’t no rationalizing with zealots.

Speaking of zealots…too many crazies screaming about evil in this health care “debate.” Can’t make any sense out of all the noise.

I’m seriously on the fence about the proposed plan. I think, unequivocally, that health care needs reform. I have worked in it as an administrator and unofficial patient advocate for years and believe, without a shade of doubt in my mind that the only people NOT getting screwed in the equation are the insurance companies. I want to be firmly in Obama’s corner…but I don’t see enough that is tangible in this bill to make me comfortable.

By: PhDork

PhDork — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 20:03:31 +0000

I was reading the New Yorker today as I subwayed around the city, and there’s a pretty good piece by James Surowiecki about just the thing that BearDown mentions. Definitely worth a read: http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2009/08/31/090831ta_talk_surowiecki

By: JessMess

JessMess — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:10:27 +0000

I’m glad we had one of our own there, SarahMC!!!
I have to admit that this whole kerfuffle is extremely agitating to me and it makes it hard to concentrate on the issues. It’s reaaaaal easy to get emotional about this stuff.
But that’s where we differ from those dingbat antireform morons. At least we’re (mostly) open to dialog and we ask constructive questions. We’re not the ones screaming obscenities and propaganda to try and further our cause. And yet, they’re the ones who get all the press.
It’s another form of silencing–drowning out the rational to focus on the irrational.
I can’t BELIEVE that they heckled a rabbi!!
Disgusting.
That’s my generalized take

Great piece, Sarah.

By: bluebears

bluebears — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:22:08 +0000

@BDCB: but was he having fun in that line? you know, like a kid?

By: BearDownCBears

BearDownCBears — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:11:54 +0000

@BeckySharper: True, yet my point was it was a little too obsequious for me too. It was creepy in that it was a prayer, too, at a public forum (but not nearly as much as the Pledge, which I caught myself mumbling out of habit, which is weird because I don’t think I’ve said it in years).

What’s frustrating is out there exist middle-class people with what they consider suitable health insurance, but they’re worried about this public option approach because they’re either afraid their costs will go up due to the repeal of the tax benefits exemption (which is popular with economists lefty and conservative alike) or because they’re scared a public option will drive what they have out of business. When the crazies get really vocal these folks are drowned out, even though they’re the opposition that’s at all worth listening to. I won’t line up with them, but I think they should be able to vent their legitimate worries.

The problem I had with the recent analysis by a certain guest editor at a site we all frequent is that I felt she implied that all citizens who opposes a public option on a fiscal basis are rich and selfish and hate poor people, whereas I suspect many of them are union workers without a ton of disposable income who are defensively looking out for their own nest egg. When the Dems do recognize these folks, they attempt to dismiss them by equivocating the cost per taxpayer of funding emergency-room-care-as-health-care with its replacement, the cost per taxpayer of instituting preventive care and expanding subsidies and entitlements. Uh, I’d really like to see the numbers on that (but hey, maybe my skepticism is misplaced).

Like I said, if these modest-income insureds end up having to pay some more to expand Medicaid and subsidize people so they can buy into a public plan, fine, but I think more of us should realize and register that they were compelled to make a sacrifice. If we can engage their worries over the next couple of months in good faith then perhaps we’ll have more luck selling the plan. Unfortunately, last night didn’t give me much hope for that.

@bluebears: You know, speaking of the NFC North, I saw Favre show up to the little shindig. He got in line, then he got out of line, then he got back in line, then he left again until finally he ran out of time to get in and he had to attend a town hall he didn’t even want to play for, er, I mean, go to.

By: BeckySharper

BeckySharper — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:05:24 +0000

@SarahMC: I completely agree with you. I mean, I’d like us to have Canada’s health system (or France’s or Sweden’s or Israel’s), but I know that much change at once is simply not possible. So we have to start out with this. Hopefully when when people see that health care reform doesn’t result in the end of the world, we can move on to enlarging/improving it.

By: SarahMC

SarahMC — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 16:03:50 +0000

NefariousNewt, I get the feeling a lot of antis think that everything is just fine with their own health care and they don’t care about anyone else.
I think others have legitimate concerns about the reform efforts but they are few and far between.
I am not super enthused about the plans myself, because I consider them band-aids that don’t go far enough. I don’t think the solution to the health care crisis is to give insurance companies more business, you know what I mean? But I support Obama’s effort because I think it’s better than nothing.

By: NefariousNewt

NefariousNewt — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:53:52 +0000

I have to wonder if the madness will ever end. Those against reform seem hell-bent on drowning out any and all attempts at rational dialog. This is not how problems are solved — do they really think everything is just fine with health care?

Randall Terry makes my skin crawl.