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Morning Roundup: After the Snowfall Edition
By DCist Contributor Ryan J. Reilly
A high-school gymnasium was the perfect forum for a town hall meeting on health care reform hosted by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) in Reston last night, which at times took on the atmosphere of a match between bitter rivals. Howard Dean's appearance attracted crowds on both sides of the debate, a large pool of local and national media as well as vocal protesters vying for their attention.
Moran and his staff were prepared for the crowd, handing out copies of George Washington's rules of civility and requiring questions to be submitted on index cards. He introduced a rabbi who opened the meeting with a prayer, then a boy scout troop who led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. But even the Pledge was politicized, with each side emphasizing a particular phrase they believed supported their side. Health care reform opponents shouted the "under God" portion, while supporters hammered home "justice for all."
The congressman told the crowd that "dissent is as American as apple pie," but said that the constitution "doesn't provide the right to shout down or interfere" with another person's point of view. Then Moran launched into an hour-long presentation meant to dispel myths about health care reform, with Moran frequently speaking over shouts from vocal opponents.
When Moran introduced Dean, a group of anti-abortion rights activists led by Randall Terry disrupted the event.
While there were a large number of opponents of health care reform, one holding a sign of Obama with a Hitler mustache outside the gym and another with a photoshopped image of Obama as a witch doctor, the crowd of over 2,500 was dominated by supportive signs distributed by Organizing for America.
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this makes me embarrassed to be american right now.
re: video -- McDiggin sister-girlfriend on the left's neck snaps and eye bulgerations during "we won't pay for murder".
one holding a sign of Obama with a Hitler mustache
Too bad Godwin's Law isn't applicable to townhall meetings.
Says who? Why not make "flaming" literal?
Howard Dean has a bitchin' spray tan.
Seriously, the witch doctor pic is so racist it is unbelievable.
Deamn, the health care protesters shouted "Under God"! Smackdown! That means that they, like, totally, uh, think God is on their side. For you fools who believe in health care reform, don't you know that God doesn't care about you?
You want to call yourself a cripple asshole? I'll give you a reason.
What Ryan did not mention:
-The rabbi's prayer turned into a shouting match a couple of times before he said "Amen."
-Before the doors opened, Randall Terry and two followers ran skits in the parking lot depicting Obama as a baby and grandma killer.
-Moran nearly lost it when an elderly LaRouche follower impersonated a questioner (they drew index cards, and the author was given a mike) and tried to get him to answer something nutty about Hitler or something -- I really couldn't hear her.
-Three different people asked Moran if he would sign his family up for the public option, despite his answer of "yes" after the first time.
-I'm in that video!
Crap. It looks like the right has taken a page from Code Pink.
(Ok, really, Code Pink was never close to this level of wingbat. But the whole "disruption as political speech" thing, all around, is escalating in a crazy ugly way.)
"Ok, really, Code Pink was never close to this level of wingbat."
You don't know Code Pink!