Legislation

Sen. Ben Cardin's hour-long healthcare town hall is over after 23 questions and a great deal of hostility directed at the Maryland Democrat.

The Washington County audience of about 450 - filling the Hagerstown Community College theater to capacity - peppered Cardin with boos and jeers repeatedly, although supporters were evident at times too.

Cardin stayed late and took several extra questions, but appeared to make little headway winning over vocal opponents.

-J. Taylor Rushing

The loudest rounds of applause, cheers and boos at Sen. Ben Cardin's (D) town hall Wednesday came over the cost of the health reform bill, the need for tort reform and whether illegal immigrants would be included.

Cardin has repeatedly indicated openness to tort reform, although he noted it isn't included in any current congressional version, and has also pledged to oppose any bill that covers illegal immigrants.

Opponents continue to be loud, shouting down those questioners who express support for Cardin or health reform.

-J. Taylor Rushing

Sen. Ben Cardin's (D) town hall is veering towards hostility, with audience questions becoming increasingly confrontational.

One man charged Cardin with "usurping authority" in pursuing health reform, while several others peppered Cardin with jeers and boos.

A moderator has asked for calm twice, and Cardin has vowed to keep his answers brief but opponents have little patience, often shouting down questioners before they can address the senator.

-J. Taylor Rushing

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) on Wednesday wrote a letter to a man who disrupted his healthcare town hall meeting last week.

The man, Mike Sola, interrupted the meeting last Thursday and pushed his wheelchair-confined son Scott to the podium where Dingell stood. He asked why Scott, who has cerebral palsy, would not be covered under the new health reform plan.

In the letter, Dingell wrote "As a father I understand your concern. We all want the best health care for our children and loved ones" and explained that the bill would help his son get care.

"I attempted to explain an amendment which was adopted by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, but sadly before I was able to give the details of that amendment, the crowd became disruptive," Dingell said to Sola.

"In my more than 50 years as a member of Congress I have always worked to represent my constituents, the great people of Michigan's 15th Congressional District, well," he added.

With regard to Sola's son, the long-time proponent of healthcare reform wrote that he proposed an amendment to the bill that would create a "voluntary national insurance program for adults who become functionally disabled."

Dingell also explained that under health insurance reform, individuals would not be denied coverage due to preexisting conditions.

"If your son ever had to buy insurance on his own, he would be guaranteed coverage," he wrote.

Photo of Mike and Scott Sola approaching Dingell at town hall from linked Detroit Free Press article:

An Iowa "Tea Party" organizer is encouraging supporters to fill the seats at Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) health reform town hall meeting on Wednesday.

The goal: encourage Grassley to break off negotiations with Senate Finance Committee Democrats on the bill.

"We want to remind him that he's representing us and we don't want [healthcare reform] and we'll remember come November," organizer Ryan Rhodes told Radio Iowa. "Some people are more fired up about one portion. Some people are more fired up about another, but overall there's a consensus of a strong desire that this is not the way anyone wants to go."

Rhodes said that he expects "hundreds" of people to show up.

The fifth-term senator and lead negotiator in the Finance Committee's "gang of six" has previously defended himself against charges that he supports the current healthcare reform proposal.

He tweeted late last month that "Misinformatio accuses me of supportin ObamaCare NOT TRUE I M at table making sure Govt takeovr doesn't happen,protect patience,and taxpayers."

The Senate Finance Committee's ranking member is holding his meeting in Adel, Iowa, a suburb of the state capital Des Moines.

Grassley said in a separate interview that he does not have any qualms about holding the meetings.

"I've found the town meetings, whether people that agree or disagree with me come, as very, very important instruments in the process of representative government," he told Radio Iowa.

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said on Tuesday that she believes Congress will pass healthcare reform legislation "one way or the other" by the end of 2009.

"I believe its going to happen and I believe it's going to happen one way or the other we're going to try very hard to get our Republican friends to help us," Boxer said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

The junior senator reiterated that Democrats would try hard to secure bipartisan support on the health bill in the Senate.

But she also said that with the myriad problems facing America's healthcare system "we have to act, otherwise I don't belong in the Senate."

The Senate broke for recess without finalizing a floor version of the healthcare reform bill. A bipartisan "gang of six" senators has engaged in lengthy negotiations over the bill's funding in the Senate Finance Committee. Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) set a September 15 deadline for the committee to bring a bill to a vote.

Senators return to work on September 8.

Video of Boxer's comments:

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Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.) took to Twitter Tuesday afternoon to say that his tumultuous town hall this morning represented "real democracy in action."

He tweeted:

Lebanon County Town Hall was real democracy in action.

Specter's town hall turned into a television event, with cable news channels airing the meeting live. Many of his constituents in Lebanon, Pa. leveled criticism of the healthcare reform legislation.

At one point, one audience member tried to physically remove another who was delivering a impassioned critique of Specter because he was not one of the 30 individuals selected to ask a question.

The fifth-term senator said of the speech "we've just had a demonstration of democracy."

Cross-posted to the Twitter Room

UPDATED [2:07pm] Specter added that "1000 people came to tell me what was on their minds and I have a message to take back to DC loud and clear."

President Barack Obama on Tuesday refuted a "rumor" that he favors so-called "death panels" that "will basically pull the plug on grandma."

There's a misinterpretation that "somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we decided that it's too expensive" to keep her alive, Obama said.

"Somehow it's gotten spun into this idea of death panels. I am not in favor of that," he added.

Obama made the remarks in response to a question from a young girl at a town hall meeting he held in Portsmouth, N.H.

"I saw a lot of signs outside saying mean things about health reform," she said.

The president explained that the measure originated in the House and was designed to provide Medicare reimbursements for seniors who hold end-of-life consultations with doctors.

Yesterday, Briefing Room reported that protesters on both sides attending Sen. Ben Cardin's (D-Md.) town hall would not be permitted to bring signs into the protests and would be restricted to sidewalks outside the event.

Many attendees who oppose the healthcare reform legislation secured seats to the first-come-first serve event on Monday and voiced their opinions to Cardin.

WBAL Radio Baltimore captured videos of the protests outside the event and the town hall meeting itself. View them below.

Protest:


Meeting:

Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) said that if Democratic healthcare reform becomes law, it will engender the "largest largest expansion of abortion in the United States since Roe v. Wade."

Franks made his remarks while touting an alternative bill sponsored by fellow Arizona Republican Rep. John Shadegg that was introduced in mid-July.

The bill provides refundable tax credits to defray medical costs amongst other reforms, but is not expected to receive further consideration.

"You know, one of the side issues that nobody pays any attention to, this healthcare plan will be the largest expansion of aboriton in the United States since Roe v. Wade, " Franks said on Fox News on Sunday. "Only this time it will be paid for taxpayer dollars."

"People don't see that as healthacare," he added.

The fourth-term Republican also claimed that the Democratic health insurance reform bill would strip people of "control" over their healthcare.