There has been a lot of talk about townhalls being held across the country with Democratic politicians holding townhall events so they could "speak to" their constituents, but they don't want to answer to them, nor hear what the constituents want to say, they simply want talk and shove Obamacare down the throats of the people that voted them in to represent them, the constituents.
Protesters across America are refusing to let them get away with it though as evidenced by report after report of protesters drowning out the Obamacare infomercials that these politicians thought they could get away with.
St. Louis County:
St. Louis County police say six people were arrested. Two of those were arrested on suspicion of assault, one of resisting arrest and three on suspicion of committing peace disturbances. Carnahan was gone when the ruckus started.
Kenneth Gladney, a 38-year-old conservative activist from St. Louis, said he was attacked by some of those arrested as he handed out yellow flags with “Don't tread on me” printed on them. He spoke to the Post-Dispatch from the emergency room of the St. John's Mercy Medical Center, where he said he was waiting to be treated for injuries to his knee, back, elbow, shoulder and face that he suffered in the attack. Gladney, who is black, said one of his attackers, also a black man, used a racial slur against him before the attack started.
Tampa:
Bitter divisions over reforming America's health care system exploded Thursday night in Tampa amid cat calls, jeering and shoving at a town hall meeting.
"Tyranny! Tyranny! Tyranny!" dozens of people shouted as U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Tampa, struggled to talk about health insurance reforms under consideration in Washington, D.C.
"There is more consensus than there is disagreement when you get right down to it,'' Castor offered, immediately drowned out by groans and boos.
She pressed on, mostly unheard among screams from the audience estimated by Tampa police to be about 1,500.
"Tell the truth! Tell the truth!" "Read the bill!" "Forty-million illegals! Forty million illegals!"
The spectacle at the Children's Board in Ybor City sounded more like a wrestling cage match than a panel discussion on national policy, and it was just the latest example of a health care meeting disrupted by livid protesters. Similar scenes are likely to be repeated across the country as lawmakers head to their home districts for the summer recess.
Thursday's forum/near riot was sponsored by state Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa, and the Service Employees International Union, who apparently had hoped to hold something of a pep rally for President Barack Obama's health care reform proposal.
Instead, hundreds of vocal critics turned out, many of them saying they had been spurred on through the Tampa 912 activist group promoted by conservative radio and television personality Glenn Beck. Others had received e-mails from the Hillsborough Republican Party that urged people to speak out against the plan and offered talking points.
An overflow crowd of critics was left waiting outside the building — and in some cases pounding on the meeting room doors — while health care reform activists complained that Democrats and union members were guided into the room for prime seats. Tampa police officers maintained control the entire night.
"They can't even run a meeting, and they want to run health care?'' scoffed Kevin Grant, a Tampa printing business owner, standing near someone wielding a "Shame on you America. You sold your soul to the Devil" sign.
Moderate in The Middle has some interesting photos, video and news:
Update: SEIU/ACORN video added..Team TOTUS recommended tactics already resulting in violence at townhalls…
SEIU & Castor organize a townhall and announce it at the last minute as to reduce opposition voices. The townhall was packed 1/2 w SEIU people.
When supporters of healthcare freedom (ie, anti-BigGovHealth demonstrators) were prevented access to the townhall they began to shout, bang windows & doors.
The previous protests have been loud, rancorous, but didn't end in violence and arrests, until now.
Gateway Pundit gets kudos for video of a thousand taxpayers locked out of the St. Lousi townhall, while organizers of the event sneak SEIU members in the side door marked "handicapped.
More... Inside the gym they roped off two sections. One was for the tea party taxpayers and quickly filled up when they opened the doors at 6:00 PM.
The other section was marked "reserved" and this section was saved for the union members.
The rest of the crowd was locked out!
UNREAL!
He has more photos, so click to see them.
Peggy Noonan at the Wall Street Journal about the Democrat's way of handling things so far:
What the town-hall meetings represent is a feeling of rebellion, an uprising against change they do not believe in. And the Democratic response has been stunningly crude and aggressive. It has been to attack. Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the United States House of Representatives, accused the people at the meetings of “carrying swastikas and symbols like that.” (Apparently one protester held a hand-lettered sign with a “no” slash over a swastika.) But they are not Nazis, they’re Americans. Some of them looked like they’d actually spent some time fighting Nazis.
Then came the Democratic Party charge that the people at the meetings were suspiciously well-dressed, in jackets and ties from Brooks Brothers. They must be Republican rent-a-mobs. Sen. Barbara Boxer said on MSNBC’s “Hardball” that people are “storming these town hall meetings,” that they were “well dressed”, that “this is all organized,” “all planned,” to “hurt our president.” Here she was projecting. For normal people, it’s not all about Barack Obama.
The Democratic National Committee chimed in with an incendiary Web video whose script reads, “The right wing extremist Republican base is back.” DNC communications director Brad Woodhouse issued a statement that said the Republicans “are inciting angry mobs of . . . right wing extremists” who are “not reflective of where the American people are.”
But most damagingly to political civility, and even our political tradition, was the new White House email address to which citizens are asked to report instances of “disinformation” in the health-care debate: If you receive an email or see something on the Web about health-care reform that seems “fishy,” you can send it to flag@whitehouse.gov. The White House said it was merely trying to fight “intentionally misleading” information.
Sen. John Cornyn of Texas on Wednesday wrote to the president saying he feared that citizens’ engagement could be “chilled” by the effort. He’s right, it could. He also accused the White House of compiling an “enemies list.” If so, they’re being awfully public about it, but as Byron York at the Washington Examiner pointed, the emails collected could become a “dissident database.”
All of this is unnecessarily and unhelpfully divisive and provocative. They are mocking and menacing concerned citizens. This only makes a hot situation hotter. Is this what the president wants? It couldn’t be. But then in an odd way he sometimes seems not to have fully absorbed the awesome stature of his office. You really, if you’re president, can’t call an individual American stupid, if for no other reason than that you’re too big. You cannot allow your allies to call people protesting a health-care plan “extremists” and “right wing,” or bought, or Nazi-like, either. They’re citizens. They’re concerned. They deserve respect.
The blogosphere is buzzing with this and below are the linked headlines, read them all.
RAW VIDEO!!.....TEA PARTY PROTESTERS ATTACKED from Gateway Pundit.
A black conservative was attacked by the Carnahan-supporting mob.
At least one SEIU member is arrested by St. Louis police in this video
SEIU and the “persuasion of power” from Michelle Malkin.
Now, the SEIU thugs are looking out for The Boss. In Tampa, Florida and St. Louis today, the Purple People turned out to give cover to members of Congress targeted by Tea Party activists and town hall protesters. For the first time, the town hall protests were marked by physical aggression. More on the St. Louis arrests of confrontational Obamacare activists here. (Just like Obama wanted: “In your face.”) This is no coincidence.
Angry Mob of Racist Extremists Beats Black Man at Town Hall Meeting from Patterico's Pontifications.
It’s every Democrat talking point you’ve read about in the last day or two, come to life in an ugly fashion.
With one twist. The black victim was a conservative
Reactions are coming out a mile a minute, so keep up with the news reports and blogger reactions over at Memeorandum.
The American people are demanding to be heard, they don't want their politicians showing up to give a speech, they want interaction, they want legitimate answers to their questions and concerns about Obamacare, they do NOT was Obama talking points and they are making it clear they will not tolerate their townhalls being turned into Obamacare infomercials.
Oh, and as to the violence being shown now, that might just be Obama's fault, since the WH has informed Democrats to "punch back twice as hard".... I am guessing they misunderstood and he didn't mean literal punches, but hey, perhaps they should have thought before opening their mouths.
.
