Town Hall Protests: People or Puppets?

How can democrats defend this health care bill and the bailout while still saying they are upset Bush spent money he didnt have on healthcare? Enough with the double standards. More debt has been IMPOSED by this president than any other in history. I work hard for a living and I like my healthcare...I work for my own family, not anyone elses!

To bad everyone thinks FOX news has all the correct answers. They only have negative reactions about everything and must always have 3 reps to 1 dem. They think this bill must be all paid to the penny. Just look at the bill Bush put in for. Not only was it not payed for, but now our children must pay it off in their lifetime. It left the door open for employers to just drop all the employees and had to take another plan.

Republicans can't say a positive word for anything about our president. Just lies and people believe it. We have had enough
of that with eight years of Bush and Chenney.

I HAVE BEEN TO TWO TOWN HALL MTGS IN MY AREA. I WANTED TO SEE IF IT WAS THE REAL OR STAGED. I FOUND A MIXTURE OF AGES AND SEX AND OF PARTIES.NOTHING ORGANIZED.MOST FELT A NEED TO CONVEY THERE FEARS AND DOUBT THAT THE FEDERAL GOVERMENT COULD PULL THIS OFF .ALOT OF FOLKS SAID FIX MEDICARE FIRST,GET ME A JOB AND THEN WE'LL TALK ABOUT ANOTHER BIG FED.PROGRAM.
ONLY THE CONGRESSMEN FEEL THAT THE COST ESTIMATES AND BUDGET PARAMETERS WILL HOLD WITHOUT OVER RUNS FOR HR3200.NO COST TO US TAXPAYERS! ONE MAIN ELEMENT OF THE BILL WHICH HAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT IS THE SECTION WHICH HAS THE DRUG COMPANIES REDUCE THE PRICE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS. NOW LISTEN TO THIS! WHEN ASKED WHY DON'T YOU AND CONGRESS PUSH FOR THIS NOW AND WITHOUT CREATING A COMPLEX BILL? ..ANSEWER..IT'S ALL OR NOTHING! DEMS WILL NOT SEEK THIS BADLY NEEDED AID UNLESS WE BUY THE WHOLE BILL.
BOTH DEMOCRAT AND REPUBLICAN VOTERS SHOULD BE OUTRAGED AT THIS ATTITUDE.ALL ATTENDEES FEEL THAT REFORM IS NEEDED BUT ARE WILLING TO WAIT AND MAKE SURE WE GET IT RIGHT AND NOT RUSH IT THROUGH AS PRES. OBAMA WANTS.GIVEN THAT ,THEN WHY CANT WE PROCEED WITH R/X COST REDUCTIONS AND TORT REFORM NOW? YOU ALL SHOULD CONTACT YOUR SENATORS AND REPS. ASAP ABOUT THIS ISSUE.
WRITE,PHONE,E-MAIL N0W.
THE WHITE HOUSE AND PELOSI SAY THAT THERE IS NO SUBSTANTIAL OR LEGITAMATE NUMBER OF CONCERNED CITIZENS VOICING OPINIONS.
PROVE THEM WRONG! MAKE CONTACT.
REGARDS, JOHN R. 40 YR LONG REGISTERED DEMOCRAT ,NEW JERSEY

One of my daughters lives in Tennessee. In fact she was on a TV station down there. She went to one of the town hall meetings yesterday and after she had spoken about the health care system a woman spit in her face and a man grabbed her by the arm. I wonder what Pelosi and Reid think of this as being un-American. These people were paid to stop anyone from speaking against this bill.

The average citizen does not believe that the government can manage a national heath care plan any better than medicare, medicaid, welfare or social security all of which are complete financial failures. These people are not radical mob members prompted and organized by the conservative party they are the tip of a very large sword of average people who are finaly fed up enough to speak out. Do not underestimate the power of the grass roots movements. Once they gain momentum it will be very difficult to blaim anyone but liberal polititions try to advance a socialist agenda. Expect support for the democratic party to dimish in the next elections.

may i remind the public that MOBS under the direct personal influence of a mister samuel adams directly fanned the sparks into the flames of the revolution...take the mobs lightly not

also senators and representitives....beware.... highhanded gestures and scoffing at the people YOU WORK for is not overly wise

futhermore confusious say if the people FEEL threatened they will take up arms and fight

I am not a backwood hick and not a Natzi. I do not want anymore government take over in our once free country. I have doctors to look after my health and have much more faith in them than some Washington DC politician trying to dictate my health care or treatment. Get out of our face and listen to the citizens of this country. NO MORE TAKE OVERS---WE HAVE THE BEST HEALTH IN THE WORLD, SO LEAVE IT ALONE. wASHINGTON CAN'T MANAGE IT SELF MUCH MY HEALTH CARE.

I wish there was one dem that could explain to me why this government run insurance progam is good enough for "the people", but not good enough for congress ....

Help me prove my patriotism. Tell me where I can go to share my opinions and encourage others. The left cannot be allowed to get their way. Yes, the Sleeping Giant is awake!!!

From the White House website: "In 1931...President [Hoover] presented to Congress a program asking for creation of the Reconstruction Finance Corporation to aid business, additional help for farmers facing mortgage foreclosures, banking reform, a loan to states for feeding the unemployed, expansion of public works, and drastic governmental economy." Wasn't Hoover a Republican President? He still believed that people and their local governments should help each other. From PBS: "While they did not end the Depression, the New Deal's experimental programs helped the American people immeasurably by taking care of their basic needs and giving them the dignity of work, and hope." Wasn't FDR a Democratic President? He believed the government should help the people help themselves. My point is...many of us need help. Some of us have lost jobs,homes, incomes, and benefits. We want to be given options...I want to hear what my choices are without the name calling, fist-fighting and blatant distortions. I WANT TO HEAR...so please keep your noise down. I want to make an informed choice without fear for my life, without being disrespected and without being ignored. Thank you.

The bank bailouts, tarp 1 and 2, cap and trade, tax increases and now healthcare reform that will cost this nation a trillion dollars. ARE THEY INSANE. How much do they think we can stomach. Reform healthcare by reducing costs, eliminate waste, instead of taxing the heck out of us, instead of incurring the highest debt ever. We cannot do this to our children. FIGURE OUT ANOTHER WAY OR SAY KILL THE BILL.

I encourage everyone to download the 1,011-page healthcare bill that is causing so much controversary and actually read it. I have read the bill and it is truly scary. I will be going to a town hall meeting in my area on Tuesday and I will be exercising my right as a US citizen to voice my opinion against this poorly written bill. I am NOT a puppet, my anger has NOT been manufactured, and nobody is paying me to attend. I am going to this town hall as a concerned American who is terrified that my childrens' future is being taken away from them. I am going because I believe that this is supposed to be a government ran by the people, for the people and that our government is getting way too big for it's britches. I am going because I am an American and it is my right to be the voice of opposition.

I plan on keeping all of my freedoms~~~~President Obama can keep his change.

Give me a break. The people who are attending those Town Hall Meetings are certainly not paid by Conservative groups. They are concerned citizens who are finally waking up and realizing what is happening to this country. Obama's health care reform bill is completely unacceptable. For one thing, I don't want my tax dollars paying for abortions or medical coverage for illegal aliens. I am trying to find a Town Hall Meeting in Las Vegas that I can disrupt. Let me know if anyone knows of one. Also, if anyone is thinking of writing a comment, PLEASE use spell check. (especially you liberals out there)

The loud mouths (yes, loud mouths who shout people down) are obviously paid agitators. They are not at the Town Halls to gather info. Why do people put up with them? They are a waste of time.

The concern about out of control spending and the government interfering with health care and the auto industry is very real by average citizens. I know it is for me. I want a lot less government, not more. If our gov't representatives and senators want to follow Obama off the cliff they will pay the price at election time.

I have been looking at the thoughts that people have been posting. I see allot of misinformation and closed minds.

I have been watching the health care debate and town hall meetings.I like the ideal that a limited amount of questions were aloud. For all of the people who were not able too speak, be aloud too make a three minute video for review of there concerns. Jobs could be created for reviewing these video.

I just relaized that newsy is also owned by rupurt Murdock just liek Fix News wall street journal and Glen Beck

well just like the "protesters" at teh town halls all ive seen is a bunch of Glen Beck talking points which he made up. none of its true these are teh same people 8 years ago called the left Zealots Nazis socialist and unamerican for protesting the war in Iraq.
and now that a BLACK man is president Welcome to hateful redric to the mass idiots sponsered by FiX News

demicratic bloggers tend to use name calling for ther defence.Try something new,Like reading the facts from both side then try to use common sense to come up with whats best for our children and our selves.AND most of all dont party vote,vote on what your heart and common sense tells you.

hEY, dAVID, YOU IDIOT, yOU NEED TO MOVE TO rUSSIA, YOU WOULD BE MORE AT HOME THERE. cOMMUNIST PIG!

I hope that this is the change that the zelots wanted... Lets take 50 billion from the elderly (medicare) and give it to the illegals who will vote for us after we have Acorn count them in the census. Pelosi, Reed, TAKE YOUR MEDICINE. Well, you will be able to take it anytime since you won't be on the plan.

It's all those dumb Faux news watchers. They are brainwashed and told what to do.

They are people, and they have legitimate concerns about the health care plan that has been proposed. If these people were getting up there, yelling about Obama but had no actual points, that would be one thing. But they do and they should be listened to.

The only thing that I dont get is that if this health care plan is so good then why are people in congress and the house exsempt from the plan if its so good then it should effect them as well, but I think the reason there exsempt is because they now how bad it is going to be and they dont want it for them so they souldnt pass it for us.

Hey Canadian Jason!! Stay out of this. It is none of your business. How long do you have to wait before you can see a specialist for a serious illness? I can get in to see one within a week or less. Why is it so many people from Canada come to the U.S. for medical care? Did you even read the bill? When people from the left like you don't get all the facts or don't get their own way they resort to calling people names "sick". This shows everyone how uneducated you are because you can't debate the issue on real facts. People like you just want the government to take care of them from birth to the grave. If this bill passes many American's grave will come sooner than we think. People of the U.S. want the government to stay out of their personal life. We are the land of the FREE not the land of free health care!!!

I find it very interesting that liberals want health care reform to break the insurance "monopoly" but then they're silent on the topic of tort reform. What dems are doing now is protecting their own. Unions voted them in, so they'll support an auto-industry which should operate by open market principles (if you can't sell a reliable car, get out of the business). We're looking at socialism at its worst, and it's time to say no.

Asking Americans to snitch on others who don't agree on the Presidents agenda supports those of us that fear that Obama wants to take us down the road to socialism.
Obama and the Democratic mob keep talking out of both sides of their mouths. The rush to spend massive amounts of money on plans that they haven't read and that don't make sense is what has us speaking our minds. We're shouting because Washington is not listening.

All you idiot conservatives will be the first one in line when
you need to go on medicare. Your all a bunch of morons who elected a war criminal (stupid Bush) President.

This is actually Health Insurance Reform not Health Care reform. We need to put the biggest ponzie scheme out of business
the Insuance Companies.

GOV. HEALTH CARE WILL BE RUN LIKE THE POST OFFICE AND POOR HEALTH CARE

Hell yes they are concerned citizens Obama is fucking America over and taking away our freedoms

In the short time that these meetings have been been called, to think that all the angry people there have somehow been orchestrated, is just plain silly. They are just mad that a bill is being pushed through by one party.

Remember that McCain got 46% of the popular vote, and a lot of people who voted for Obama did so not because of his policies, but because they thought it was the right thing to do to show our nation wasn't racist. It was no different than my father voting for John Kennedy, because he wanted to see a Catholic become president.

So that still leaves a lot of people (probably more than 46% of the voters) who don't necessarily agree with Obama's policies, or the way he and his party tries to implement them in a such a heavy-handed way.

I think the anger at the town hall meetings is legitimate. If I had the opportunity to go to a Democratic congressman's or Senator's meeting, I'd be angry.

And I certainly didn't need anyone to come along and tell me to feel that way.

Current Polls show that more than 57% of our country's citizens are against a government run health care system. These people know that the government is not listening to their concerns and that makes them angry. We are being lied to about the details of the Healthcare changes to take place. The elderly are realizing that this will be paid for out of the Medicare fund. Medicare is already underfunded - so doesn't that mean that healthcare for the elderly will be rationed? We are told it is not that way, but it has to be with the plan as it stands. There are numerous problems with a government run system that need to be addressed. The plan does not need to be rammed through congress without careful consideration. That is another problem that many people have with it. The bill is 1100 pages in length and most of congress have not read it. This change for health care would not be reversable - so requires much discussion and consideration for everyone's point of veiw. We know that socialized medicine has not worked in Europe or Canada. We have the best medical care in the world.

The right wing are a sick bunch, in need of medical attention themselves. With this new healthcare reform they will have access to the mental health professionals they so dearly need.

Civilized nations, such as Canada, simply cannot understand how citizens would fight for the rights of large corporations who make money of the sick, elderly, and dying. Truly remarkable how they can manipulate the masses in such a way.

I'm amazed that the left screams these folks are puppets of insurance or RNC. It's ok for a bunch of potheads to get together with ACORN to protest a war or protest the police & that's Freedom of speech... but it's a conspiracy when Grandma & regular Joes actually get sick of being the silent majority. Don't push the silent to far. They are the real Americans!

I am NOT A MANUFACTURED CITIZEN or PLANTED or anything but a concerned citizen. I am 69 and retired. I and many, many folks in my community DO NOT WANT national health care!!

In regards to shout-downs at Town Hall meetings: Is this what it means to be a member of a political party

Being as loud as possible in a public forum covers for having nothing to offer to the discussion. If your ideas were worth anything you could whisper them and people would listen and understand.

Puppets.

When people act against their own economic interest there is usually manipulation involved. Some very wealthy interests have found a way to send less well off surrogates to what they believe is the front line.