Recess hasn't turned out to be too relaxing for very many Republican members of Congress. The crowds at home apparently aren't any less hostile to the Republican budget now than they were a few weeks ago, Rep. Paul Ryan's
messaging reboot aside.
Up above you see Rep. Ben Quayle getting openly ridiculed by his constituents for denying that oil companies get subsidies, but that wasn't all he heard about, and he's not the only one facing angry crowds, as this round-up from the DCCC demonstrates.
Congressman Quayle Takes Heat for Medicare Decision [KSAZ FOX10]
“Monday night at a town meeting in Anthem, it was Ben Quayle who got beat up a bit while meeting with his constituents. Many people in the crowd were fired up about about his stance on the proposed changes to the Medicare system. Quayle favors the Republican plan which would give seniors vouchers to buy health insurance on the private market.” [KSAZ, 5/16/11]
Congressman's Meeting Interrupted By Shouting [WPBF]
“Another town hall meeting organized by U.S. Rep. Allen West, R-Plantation, devolved into a shouting match Monday night. About 100 people came to hear the congressman speak. Police escorted one person out of the meeting. […] ‘I didn't agree with his explanation about Medicare. I'm very concerned about cutting Medicare and changing Medicare without looking at the revenue side,’ resident Dave King said.” [WPBF, 5/17/11]
Crowd pulls few punches at Herrera Beutler town hall [The Columbian]
“U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler faced a boisterous, partisan crowd Tuesday evening at her first Vancouver town hall, where she fielded sometimes hostile questions about her vote to restructure Medicare and her reluctance to support raising the federal debt limit. […] Several hundred people showed up at Skyview High School for the session. They passed a couple dozen protesters near the entrance who hoisted signs saying, “Save Medicare: Tax the Rich” and “People not Profits.” Several supporters of Planned Parenthood wore pink T-shirts to protest Herrera Beutler’s vote to end federal funding of family planning services.” [Columbian, 5/16/11]
Protesters Greet Paul Ryan in Chicago [Associated Press]
“Dozens of protesters carrying signs and chanting "Tax the rich" marched outside a hotel in downtown Chicago to protest a speech by Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan. Ryan is the architect of the Republican budget plan, which includes a controversial proposal to turn Medicare into a voucher program. […]The protesters carried signs that read "Hands off my Medicare," "Hands off my Social Security," and "Paul Ryan plan: Let them eat cat food." [Associated Press, 5/16/11]
Rep. Andy Harris takes Medicare budget debate to Berlin, Ocean City [Ocean City Today]
“Harris brought the budget battle to Worcester County Saturday when he spoke at the Clarion Resort Fontainebleau Hotel in Ocean City and at Showell Elementary School. […] Harris defended the fiscal 2012 budget proposal introduced by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wisc.) and approved by the Republican controlled House of Representatives. […] The auditorium was filled with senior citizens concerned about Medicare and, as with the numerous town hall meetings of 2009, the crowd reached pitched debate on health care issues. George Benton of West Ocean City was concerned about the costs for future generations and that costs could increase for existing beneficiaries within several years. “The Paul Ryan bill will kill Medicare as we know it,” argued Benton. “These good people want their tax dollars to go toward their grandchildrens’ costs. We’ve been borrowing all this money from China to pay for the Iraq War and for Bush-era tax cuts on the wealthy.” [Ocean City Today, 5/13/11]
Let's hope some of those bipartisan pony seeking Senate Democrats are also paying attention to this constituent anger.