Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) launched a tirade at a town hall meeting about a highway project in his district on Friday, accusing audience members who asked about healthcare reform of being outsiders who "hijacked" his meeting.
"Those of you here who have taken, who have came, who hijacked this event that we're dealing with here," Scott said.
"I'm listening to my constituents. These are people who live in the 13th congressional district, who vote in this district," he added.
In fact, Scott directed his remark at Dr. Brian Hill who is a resident of the 13th district. Hill asked why Scott "voted for" healthcare reform "that is shown not to work in the state of Massachusetts."
Scott's outburst came during the meeting's question and answer session in which constituents were allowed to ask questions on any topic. A local NBC affiliate in Atlanta captured video of the meeting.
The Georgia Democrat became increasingly enraged after some in the audience disputed his remarks.
At one point, Scott stood up and pointed to the audience, shouting "you want a meeting with me on healthcare? I'll give it to you!"
Barack Obama's official Twitter account sent out a message on Friday, encouraging supporters to call their district congressional offices to plug the administration backed healthcare reform plan.
Obama's twitter, which the Democratic National Committee (DNC) operates, does not tweet frequently especially compared to the @whitehouse account.
Yet the DNC used it to reach out to its 1.9 million followers, showing the extent of the national Democrats' effort to win the healthcare message battle over August recess.
Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill (Mo.) on Friday rejected her party leadership's characterization of healthcare town halls as outbursts of phony outrage abetted by special interest groups.
I disagree that the people showing concern over some healthcare proposals are "manufactured" Real folks, strong opinions.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called protests against healthcare reform legislation at district town halls "astroturf," implying they are not truly representative of the "grassroots."
The Democratic National Committee also blamed Republicans and special interest groups for inciting "angry mobs" of "rabid right wing extremists" at the local meetings.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) fired back at Republican "lies" on health insurance reform, releasing a new website called healthcarefactcheck.com on Thursday chronicling a series of "myths" and "facts" related to the healthcare debate.
The creation of the site on the cusp of Congress' recess demonstrates that national Democrats believe winning the message battle in August could lead to quick passage of healthcare reform legislation when Congress returns to Washington after Labor Day.
"Republicans are trying to poison the debate on health insurance reform with lies, misleading ads, and scare tactics so we're launching healthcarefactcheck.com to set the record straight and empower our supporters to fight back with the truth," said DCCC Executive Director Jon Vogel in a release.
The DCCC's site takes aim at hostile town hall audiences, labeling them "lobbyist-run...extremist mobs."
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) on Tuesday first accused Republican organizations and lobbyist groups of inciting "mob rule" by organizing protests at town hall meetings held by some Democratic lawmakers already home for recess.
House Majority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) dismissed the protests as "astroturf," implying that they are orchestrated by special interest groups and thus are not truly grassroots action.
Despite Democratic efforts to discredit the protests, Republicans have continued to stand tall against their accusations.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) called Pelosi a "puppeteer" today for attempting to sway centrist Democratic House members who are wary of healthcare reform proposals.
Also, Republican National Committee (RNC) staffers played a trick on people prompted by a DNC ad urging supporters to call the RNC and ask Republicans to stop encouraging unruly behavior at town halls. RNC staffers re-directed their calls back to the DNC's own swtichboard.
"Don't sit there and think you're going to direct a bunch of angry liberals to call the RNC when I know full well what that's all about. I get the joke. My response was, talk to your own party, because they're the ones ginning this up," RNC Chairman Michael Steele said.
Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) wondered aloud yesterday if the White House was attempting to collect the personal information of healthcare reform opponents. Today, Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) asked the White House to edit or remove the blog post that started the controversy.
"I would hope that this element of the website was either taken down or they made it clear that this is not an effort to collect information," Pence said on Fox News on Thursday.
Pence is chairman of the House Republican Conference.
On Tuesday, White House new media director Macon Phillips made a blog post entitled "Facts Are Stubborn Things" that asked healthcare reform supporters to send the White House "[suspicious] email[s] or...something on the web about health insurance reform that seems fishy."
"We have laws on the books that prohibit any agency of the federal government from collecting information on Americans in the excercise of their freedom of speech," Pence added.
The Los Angeles County GOP sent out an e-mail on Thursday to its members, encouraging them to attend an "impromptu 'pep rally'" before an August 11 healthcare town hall meeting that Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is holding in the L.A. suburbs.
Yet the announcement gives "kudos" to Schiff, noting that he's the only L.A. County congressman holding a town hall.
"If you can, please join us at 5:30p in front of the library for lively discussion and perhaps an impromptu 'pep rally,'" says L.A. County GOP chair Jane Barnett in the e-mail.
The "pep rally" is also organized by the San Gabriel Valley Tea Party Coalition.
"Get your questions ready!" beckons the e-mail.
"So let's heed the President's caution and do our part in dispelling any 'misinformation' and make sure EVERY citizen knows EXACTLY what's in this Healthcare bill," said Barnett.
Full text is below:
From: Republican Party of Los Angeles County <
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
>
Subject: Healthcare Townhall with Cong. Adam Schiff
To:
Date: Thursday, August 6, 2009, 9:26 AM
Dear *****,
This coming Tuesday, August 11th, Rep. Adam Schiff is conducting a Townhall to discuss the Obama Healthcare Plan.
Townhall with Rep. Adam Schiff
Get your questions ready!
"Blue Dog" Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff is taking time out of his August recess to host a special Townhall on Healthcare Reform. Please join Congressman Schiff and the San Gabriel Valley Tea Party Coalition on Tuesday, August 11th from 7p to 8:30p at the Alhambra Civic Center Public Library for an extremely important discussion.
President Obama recently stated in one of his ORGANIZING FOR HEALTHCARE emails:
"Over the next month there is going to be an avalanche of misinformation and scare tactics from those seeking to perpetuate the status quo."
So let's heed the President's caution and do our part in dispelling any "misinformation" and make sure EVERY citizen knows EXACTLY what's in this Healthcare bill.
We encourage everyone to arrive early as this event is expected to be heavily attended. If you can, please join us at 5:30p in front of the library for lively discussion and perhaps an impromptu "pep rally".
Tuesday August 11, 2009
Alhambra Civic Center Public Library
101 S. First Street
Alhambra, CA
5:30pm - 7:00pm: Rally in front of Library
7:00pm - 8:30pm: Townhall Meeting with Rep. Schiff
Kudos to Rep. Schiff for having a Townhall meeting to discuss this most important issue. None of the other Congressmen from Los Angeles County are having one.
Let's make sure we get a lot of people out to let Congress know how we feel about the Healthcare plan that has been proposed. Please try to attend.
Sincerely,
Jane Barnett
Jane Barnett
Chairman
The Republican Party of Los Angeles County
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) on Thursday called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) a "puppeteer" seeking to "pull Betsy Markey's strings on healthcare and defend failed economic policies."
Markey, a freshman Colorado representative, has three Republicans vying for her seat in 2010.
The NRCC highlighted remarks Markey gave in late June expressing concerns that healthcare spending will spiral out of control if Congress does not find a way to tamp down costs.
"As Pelosi ventures to Colorado, she will surely attempt to take control of Betsy Markey's strings and convince her to jump on board with the Democrats' plan to take over the healthcare industry," said an NRCC release.
On her visit to Colorado, Pelosi plans to tour a healthcare clinic that received federal stimulus dollars to create electronic medical records.
"It is obvious that Pelosi is using the stimulus as a pawn to direct attention away from dwindling support on healthcare," said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain in the release.
"With 12,500 jobs lost in the state from May to June, Coloradans should now have even more significant concerns with trusting their healthcare with the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Betsy Markey," he added.
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said on Thursday that he remains uncertain if the Senate will vote on a healthcare reform bill this calendar year.
"I don't know if it ever will, this year get to the floor," Wicker said in a local radio interview.
The second-term Republican's comments come at a time when great confusion surrounds the fate of healthcare reform in both the House and the Senate.
Just yesterday, Senate Republican Conference chair Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) said that President Obama and Congress "could pass a bill today."
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) had set a September 15 deadline for his committee to present a bipartisan version of the legislation. Finance Committee Republicans and Democrats have been locked in intense negotiations over how to pay for the reforms.
Finding appropriate funding sources for healthcare reform programs has been a very sticky subject in Congress.
Wicker decried the current legislation for helping fund the cost of a new public health insurance option by shifting Medicaid expenses to the states and cutting Medicare.
"This is the mother of all unfunded mandates," Wicker said, quoting Tennessee Gov. Phil Bresden (D).
In addition to the obstacles facing the Finance Committee, high-profile Democrats, including President Obama, have urged the Senate to work quickly. Some Senate Democrats vowed to force a party line vote on the bill if the Finance Committee skips its self-imposed deadline.
On the other hand, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) called the deadline a bluff, saying that bipartisan negotiations would continue past mid-September.
In the House, Democratic leadership and centrist Blue Dog Democrats struck a bargain to move the legislation through the Energy and Commerce Committee, but the floor version of the bill is still unknown.
Senate Republican Conference chair Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) said on Wednesday that healthcare reform legislation could pass through Congress "today."
"I think it's possible. I mean, [Obama] could pass a bill today," Lamar told Fox News' Trace Gallagher. The host asked Alexander if Congress could ratify the health bill by the end of the year.
"We'd like for him to start over and come up with something that we can join with him and support," he added.
The Tennessee Republican suggested the bipartisan Wyden-Bennett bill, which calls for private providers to serve as primary suppliers of universal coverage, as an alternative.
Alexander's remarks come at a time when healthcare reform faces obstacles in both the House and the Senate.
Senate Finance Committee chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) had set a September 15 deadline for his committee to present a bipartisan version of the legislation. Finance Committee Republicans and Democrats have been locked in intense negotiations over how to pay for the reforms.
Some Democratic senators have indicated they would move the bill through the upper chamber with a party line vote if delays continue. On the other hand, Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) predicted the deadline would pass without the Democrats forcing a party line vote.
On the other side of the Capitol, House Democratic leadership cut a deal with Blue Dog Democrats to move the bill through the Energy and Commerce Committee before they broke for recess last week. With three forms of the bill passed by different committees, the final form of the House legislation is still unknown.
A White House blog item posted on Monday issued a warning against "disinformation" being spread around the internet on healthcare reform. White House new media director Macon Phillips requested that readers report to the White House anything online regarding healthcare reform that seems "fishy."
Reason Magazine, a libertarian publication, followed suit by turning in one of their own. Well, sort of.
Reason.tv produced a web video ridiculing the White House's plea. In the video, the narrator says "some might think that seems a bit big brother-ish, but not us and now now. The government takeover of healthcare is too important."
The video "targets" Reason Associate Editor Peter Suderman for "spreading lies and misinformation about the Obama administration's healthcare plan."
In a mock interrogation scene Suderman denies "spreading lies," to which the narrator retorts "nice try Suderman, you're lying through your teeth you tool!"
As dreary, spy film-like music plays in the background, the narrator "excoriates" Suderman:
It's not just that you have a principled, intellectual disagreement about incompetent bureaucrats controlling 15 percent of the economy through state-run healthcare. Or that you write regularly about the fact that more than 88 million could potentially lose their private, employer-based coverage. It's that you're using reliable sources, data from the CBO, and cold hard facts to scare people.
Most Viewed RSS Feed »
