Last night we went to Adam Smith's (D) WA-9 town hall in Lakewood Washington. The event was held at the local high school football stadium with an estimated crowd of 2,000 people.
Adam Smith gave some introductory remarks that although health care needed to be reformed he could not vote for the bill as currently written because of fiscal concerns. The intensity of feeling between the opposing sides was striking. A loud "Health Care Now....Health Care Now" chant was punctuated by cries of "No" from the other side.
Judging by signs, audience response and volume, the pro health reform folks outnumbered the conservatives, possibly by a three to one margin.
It was puzzling, however, that the selection of questioners favored the conservatives.
Adam Smith sent several young staffers into the crowd with portable microphones to select people to ask questions. For whatever reason, the teabaggers had by one count three times as many questions/statements as the health care reform supporters. The consensus of health care reform supporters I spoke with was that the question selection process was unfair to our side.
My take away impression of the evening is that Adam Smith is a careful politician. He was for a public option that stressed prevention, rewarding best practices and would not bankrupt the budget. He stated that using the medicare formula, Washington State is penalized with lower rates of reimbursement. He said, the bill as now written will not be the bill that is passed. He tiptoed between conservative and liberal talking points.
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Then an incident happened that I will never forget.
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A young tough looking wingnut walked defiantly across the front of the stadium holding up a poster of Obama with a mustache. The crowd rained down boos.
Adam Smith tried to calm the crowd by saying, "just ignore him". The poster holder was on his way to hijacking the town hall.
And then an amazing thing happened.
The poster holder was surrounded by a pocket of gray haired elders. There was a scuffle, grabbing at the poster. A white haired man fell to the ground. The poster was then snatched away by the old folks and torn in half. The wingnut disappeared from the scene without further violence.
There was a fierce determination in the crowd to repudiate the hateful lies that shattered the stereotype of older folk being cautious and frail.
I have witnessed the power of elder courage. Foolish for certain, as the well muscled younger man with the Obama Nazi poster was clearly looking for a fight, but scuffling with a cluster of determined older people who then stripped him of his poster was not the fight he wanted to have.
I am not a supporter of violence, and this incident can be seen from several points of view. It raises questions. How do each of us stand up for what we believe in, and is the use of force ever justified? Is passively enduring those who promote hate and lies not also a form of violence? Wasn't Kerry's tepid response to swiftboating a warning that taking the high road isn't enough? But if we do act, how can we be skillful? What kept the spark from igniting a fight was their age, determination, unity, and their discipline in only grabbing for the sign.
Anyhow, an interesting evening and a memory to last a lifetime.... The night, when a gaggle of unstoppable geezers disarmed a wingnut of his Nazi poster, was also the night that we lost Teddy.
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Wow...Thanks everybody helping this make the rec list!
I'm changing my title, The night of the geezers, at the request made in a comment by We Want Change. Being a geezer myself, I mean no disrespect, but the point is well taken.
the diary title to "I have witnessed the power of elder courage." I never use the word 'geezer' when referring to elderly people. I know you probably meant it affectionately but your description about 'elder courage' recognizes this brave feat.
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Here's how the Tacoma News Tribune Reported the event. It's too bad they didn't notice it was pulled off by seniors.
The only incident occurred over a man carrying a sign that depicted President Obama with a Hitler mustache, which prompted outcry from several people standing nearby. Bystanders ultimately brought the man to the ground, crumpled his sign and discarded it.
During the scuffle, Smith’s attempt to answer a question about abortion fell by the wayside. Some people shouted words supporting sign bearer’s right to free speech.
The man with the sign left shortly afterward.