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.