But I went to a kickass townhall with Representative Gary Peters tonight! Forgive my optimism, but I really feel like we are going to win this because WE ARE RIGHT!!
So, I got there 2 hours before it started like I was supposed to. At that point, the crowd was mainly pro-healthcare reform. I must say, the highschool band was practicing in the parking lot and that gave me a little apprehension at first sight from a distance. But surprisingly low on the teabaggers. Like none in sight. Went in to the venue. Waited a long time for everyone to get seated and for things to start. I began to see teabaggers scattered randomly throughout. They were easy to spot because they were bitching about how the questions were being collected. The questions were written on notecards and then the staff were sifting through to make sure all of the hot button issues were addressed. I would have to say that there was a pretty equivalent amount of pro and anti healthcare questions. I know some of us felt like there were more anti.
I was in a row sandwiched between a crazy, rightwing nut dressed from head-to-toe in the American flag, basically, and a couple of guys that were very cool. One of them had a laptop and was blogging right from the event. Once the event started, the flag guy continuously yelled to the guy behind him about every goddamned thing Rep. Peters was saying and any question that could remotely be perceived as healthcare reform-friendly. Apparently for the entertainment of all those around him (who kept yelling shush!) and his buddy who thought he was brilliant. I was steaming. I finally turned around and stared him dead in the eye until he stfu. When I turned back around, he said "you can look at me but I'm not gonna stop". I turned back around and said "we are trying to hear what he is saying!". And he yelled "propaganda!!!". LOL.
There were questions on "illegals", questions re: abortion, questions re: tort reform (lots of chanting tort reform, and one guy went ballistic about "cap and trade!"), taxes, costs, death panels. You get the idea. All the hot button issues of the day. I was worried at how the questions were being answered the first half because there appeared to be a deliberative avoidance of the term "public option". Instead "exchange" was being used. My fear was that we were talking co-ops. I was tensed up. But then a nice lady asked for clarification and Rep. Peters said that the "exchanges" would include private insurances and the public option. Whew!
One lady that works for a sort of on-the-road healthcare provider (literally) discussed the urgency of needing care now and told a story of a teenage girl she had worked with who would likely die due to inability to access the necessary medical treatment for her condition. Flag guy yelled "hold a fundraiser!". The guy in front of me turned around and I could tell by the look on his face that he was furious. He said "who yelled that?" and the guy said "I did!". There was quite a heated exchange about cruelty but afterwards, flag guy didn't yell as loudly.
Here's the thing. Their questions were re: money or their bottom line. Our's were about people. Wanting people to have a better quality of life. They got up and bitched about if EVERYONE has healthcare, there won't be enough doctors. Someone really said that. So, we should hope that the least among us are excluded from healthcare so that OUR needs are met, I guess. Some guy got up and basically said that if you don't have healthcare, you should get a job and support yourself. So glad Rep. Peters pointed out that we are primarily talking about people WITH jobs who either have shitty health coverage or their employers can't afford to provide it.
After all was done, I felt really good about this event. I think we got the message across and hope at least a tiny fraction of the wingers felt ashamed of themselves. Wishful thinking probably! There were a ton of people outside, both pro and anti. There were the obligatory Obama as Hitler posters, some guy dressed (horrifically) as a concentration camp prisoner, you know. But there were so many of us happy, smiling, feeling like victory was our's. I don't really know why. But it just feels like since we are so on the right side of this issue, we will be victorious. Let me have my moment of starry-eyed optimism. Then back to work tomorrow.
Best part of this pro-healthcare sign, supports public option, grandma lives!
I'm going to try another one. Don't know why the sizing stuff is on it.
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oy!
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I really wish this one was upright. this is the shit-for-brains that had the concentration camp prisoner uniform on.