They've answered their master's call.

Once again, Obama has a chance to calm the nation and be ' post-partisan ', but noooo. Brocko the Chicago street organizer pours gas on the fire. His White House goons call on people to 'punch back twice as hard'.

It'd be nice if he acted Presidential; with some class and grace. Instead, we get abrasive campaign rhetoric.

The union goons are taking their cues from the White House and acting accordingly.

The Left thinks the shutting down and/or shutting out of voices that disagree with them is just fine!

NO ONE shut down their voices during the 8 years of Bush. They marched, shouted and said/did outrageous things...and yet NO EFFORT was made to quiet them in any way.

Scary times! At least the 2nd Amendment still exists!

This is all fine and dandy but until the MSM picks up on it and goes mainstream, I fear this will disappear and not gain traction. Anyone have a handy dandy list of SEIU supported companies that I can now go out of my way to avoid?

Lots of reports this morning of calm and productive Townhalls.

Our post-partisan President sure has a problem with those who disagree with him. Barry Thin-Skin should get another job.

I think you're confusing disagreement with misrepresentation, deception, and rumor. When you've got a spokesman for one of the healthcare front groups comparing reform to the Holocaust and Sarah "The Fighting Quitter" Palin's delusional ramblings about a death panel, you've left the fact based world behind, which is exactly the goal of the opposition, and they're succeeding pretty well from the looks of things.

For every time Obama clearly states that everyone can keep their current plan if the like it, there is a howling chorus of smears, name-calling and outright lying by the "we love America so much we want it to fail" crowd.

I think that's the only thing Obama and the rest of the mainstream reality-based community have a problem with

Does anyone remember Adrian mocking the Tea Party gatherings in almost every thread over the last couple months?

I guess now he'll bore us by mocking the Townhalls.

Guess those Tparties and Townies were more effective than the Left thought possible. It's really getting under their skin and causing legislators to pause.

The Carnahans are a local Kennedy or Clinton-like dynasty in Missouri. It should be no surprise they use such tactics. Our local politics are less droll.

Our local Town Hall on August 3 was full and open to all. The only out of towners were the staff and Democrat elected officials who represent the area who showed up to support the US Senator who came to speak. There were plenty of local Democrats who supported the Senator, mainly with strong ties to the local Party, who got picked to ask questions and all started out with "thank you's and you are doing a great job" but an equal number of folks upset with Health Care, mortgage and fishing legislation were allowed to speak. I didn't get picked to ask a question, but there were many others who also raised their hands who didn't get a chance either.

There was a strong showing of folks who have attended Tea Party rallies, but quite a few who hadn't but were still quite adamantly opposed to the current proposed "health care reforms" No goons or SEIU folks to be seen anywhere. There were many more folks than expected, so even with extra chairs there was standing room in the back. Folks with signs politely stood in the back to not obstruct the view. No shouting, swastikas or sarcasm. Loud applause after each questioner resonated after each question about problems with Health Care Reform, and softer but steady applause for the Democrat speakers (except for the hippie who wanted us to close all our overseas bases to pay for Health Care Reform.

Unfortunately, the Senator seemed unmoved by the many points made against health care reform and he spouted the party line gracefully. He did get to see that there was a large Grassroots Opposition locally, and I would guess he continues to get calls and e-mails at least from the organized Tea Party folks.

We can only hope the Obamalala minions keep this up for the rest of the summer. They are losing the debate and the groups that supported him in the election. It is to much fun watching the wacko left trip over itself trying to defend the indefensible by just being louder and rougher.

Groucho,
The reason people are upset at Obama's rhetoric about "if you like your healthcare you can keep it" is because Obama has been shown on tape saying he wants a single payer system. Further, people who he has worked with, been advised by, etc. have been shown on tape saying that this "first step" will be the death of private insurance, that the goal is to destroy private insurance. Hearing those things make people extremely upset. Why should people believe what Obama is saying NOW when we have heard, just within the past few years, he and his advisors/friends saying otherwise? There are many other things in the bill (which most of Congress admittedly hasn't even read) which are cause for concern. When these concerns are simply brushed off as being "scare tactics", it makes people angry. What it boils down to is, people do not trust Congress, and do not trust Obama, when they say, "Don't listen to what we said before, listen to what we say now."

Lots of reports this morning of calm and productive Townhalls.

Those would be the ones without the racist SEIU goons in attendance.

When did republicans start supressing free speech? I remember when they supported free speech, now they stifle it. Wow, the republican party sure has changed over the last 20 years.

Tina S...you DID mean to say "Democrat" every place you said "Republican" in your last comment...right?

because your question IS valid in that case: "When did DEMOCRATS start supressing free speech?"

The answer is that both Parties, hell ALL Parties engage it in from time to time. But the difference is that one Party is doing it now (Democrats) and the media is HELPING! That is where the biggest danger to our Republic lies!

Justrand,

Going to a townhall meeting with the intention of drowning out the speeker is supressing speech.

So, TIna, when SEIU goons go to the Town Hall meetings intending to drown out Health Care Reform protesters, they are Republicans?

Nobody should be drowning out anybody. Democratic politicians are trying to hold free public discussions on health care. Many republicans that show up are preventing the discussion from taking taking place by drowning out the speeker. Often in the form of group chants.

Didn't happen in my town. How about yours?

Dems coming completely unraveled - Scott D-GA screams at constituents http://bit.ly/joXAF

Tina, when I have read more of the health care bill than my representative, and he tells me something that I have read is not in the bill, I am not interested in discussing it with him as he is ignorant. What I am interested in is conveying my wishes that he vote a certain way. I want to know what part of no is it he cannot understand? This is the biggest change in our institutions in our time. I question the competence of those who say they have not read the bill yet intend to vote for it. Obama talks in circles and is not capable of explaining anything. It is not his bill, it is from the bought and paid for members of congress. Why SEIU is there at any townhalls at all is curious and unions will be exempt from most of the reform. I think people need to execise their 2nd amendment rights and dot the i's in SEIU. That way they would no longer need health insurance.

Hold onto your dream world Tina. No one except his apostles believe Obama no matter what he says. He has many lies under his belt in such a short time. ww

Tina S - "Nobody should be drowning out anybody. Democratic politicians are trying to hold free public discussions on health care. Many republicans that show up are preventing the discussion from taking taking place by drowning out the speeker [sic]"

The bottom lines is you get the respect to give.

When the "multi-party" Allen Specter can stand before you and use the excuse they have to do things "quickly" he deserves to be shouted down.

Whne another congress-critter can stand before you and deliberately lies about a CBO report he deserves to be shouted down and there are many more examples in the last 3 weeks.

You get what you give and these idiots are all handing out a healthy dose of disrespect to the very people that put them in office and pay their too high salaries.

As far as I'm concerned every one of them regardless of party should be shown the door and restricted from any gov job higher than dog catcher. [barring any PETA protests]

Justrand wrote - "The Left thinks the shutting down and/or shutting out of voices that disagree with them is just fine! "

The right tells repeated lies to anger their mobs into action. That's what is really at work here.

Example: "All non-US citizens, illegal or not, will be provided with free health care services."

Oft-repeated, and these swastika-carrying protester believe that if you shout the same lie over and over it'll be believed.

Don't believe it! It's a lie.

One of its most bizarre claims is the one about free health care for noncitizens, "illegal or not."

We read the bill and its legislative summary, and could find nothing about free health care for anyone, much less noncitizens.

To confirm our examination, we turned to Jennifer Tolbert, an independent health care analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan foundation that studies health care reform. Tolbert has read and analyzed all the major health proposals, including those of the Republicans, and the foundation provides point-by-point analyses of the plans on its Web site.

"No one's provided with free health care. That's ridiculous," she said.

Page 50, which the e-mail references, is part of Section 152, which includes a generic nondiscrimination clause saying that insurers may not discriminate with regard to "personal characteristics extraneous to the provision of high quality health care or related services."

The section says nothing about "non-US citizens" or immigrants, legal or otherwise. In fact, the legislation specifically states that "undocumented aliens" will not be eligible for credits to help them buy health insurance, in Section 246 on page 143.

Vic

victory is ours - "Oft-repeated, and these swastika-carrying protester believe that if you shout the same lie over and over it'll be believed."

I see you got your talking point email from pelosi.

Can you do better than she did in proving the claim? Shouldn't be too hard considering she made no effort.

Pretty funny stuff "vio," in a post deriding the "opposition" for telling lies you seem to be doing the same thing.

Try looking here marc:

http://thinkprogress.org/2009/08/07/pelosi-swastikas/

I guess the person holding up the Obama photo was comparing him to Moe Howard of the Three Stooges, right?

Personally, I think the whole Nazi thing is so Bush-era; it's become kind of meaningless when everybody goes around accusing everyone else of being Nazi-esque. Kind of like using fuck in everyday conversation. When Cheney let his f-flag fly in the Senate it was, like, WTF?

It's ugly, baseless, and both sides have done it, even though it may have been closer to the mark during the Bush years, and it's time to stop it and move to a higher level of dialogue, like where's the birth certificate?

Tina -- how did it get to be a question of going to a Town Hall meeting in order to listen quietly to a "speaker"? The Congressmen should be listening quietly to their constituents. If they won't listen to one constituent at a time and take notes, they'll end up listening to a lot of constituents chanting together. But these people came to make their wishes known, not to be lectured at my their representatives.

Considering Obama and the majority of the
congress has not read the bill, how can any
of them agree with or refute what the bill says?
Obama says those with private insurance would
keep it, in direct contrast of what is printed
on page 16 of the bill.
So who is right. The president who has not read the bill, or the printed word of the bill.

TinaS,
You have been to every town hall meeting where
there's been disruptions, and you have personally
verified that every suppressor was a member of
the republican party. You personally verified
that all of the angry shouting people attending
were not independents, or worse democrats.
Where is your proof of your accusation the
republican party is behind these disruptions.

Nice try groucho, I've seen the photos, show me where they occurred prior too pelosi making the charge.

That said, I find it HI-larious someone like you didn't bat an eyelash about 8 years of hitler refs to Bush, and or chaney, but now you get your panties spin tighter than pelosi's botox injections.

Not to mention the giggles you may have gotten over SEIU thugs beating-up an innocent bystander in St. Louis.

Groucho may be correct. Bush may be nearer to
a likeness to Hitler....just like him.

BTW groucho - "It's ugly, baseless, and both sides have done it, even though it may have been closer to the mark during the Bush years,"

Oh I don't know about that.

I suspect the car dealers that signed onto the gov website to participate in the CARS program and received a warning when doing so would result in their computer becoming gov property had flashbacks to many fascist regimes of the past.

Pictures is pictures. She said swastikas were showing up and there is the proof. Not such a big deal, as I said. If I was in the habit of wearing panties, they would not be bunched up at the present time.

I felt about the same when I'd see pictures of the Bush=Hitler signs, believe it or not. I think those comparisons are ridiculous and beyond the pale. Have you ever spoken with a holocaust survivor? Now "chaney"....that's a different story.

groucho - "Pictures is pictures. She said swastikas were showing up and there is the proof. Not such a big deal,"

Not unless they can be proved to be taken prior to pelosi's remarks, if not they prove nothing of what she said.

A second note for "vio," who quoted the following: "In fact, the legislation specifically states that "undocumented aliens" will not be eligible for credits to help them buy health insurance, in Section 246 on page 143."

You do know not making undocumented aliens eligible of health insurance credits does nothing to disprove the possibility of the legislation allowing them free health care under the bill don't you?

Or are you just willfully ignorant?

Let's keep Pelosi's astonishing statement in context. She said the protesters were "astroturf" and were showing swastikas. Pelosi did not say by this that she was offended by the swastikas; she said that the protesters are Nazis.

The suppression of free speech is a constitutional issue only when the government does it. SEIU thugs have been taped violently suppressing free speech in Tampa and St. Louis. Kathleen Sebelius, the head of a Federal Agency and a member of Obama's cabinet, has thanked SEIU for its "participation" in the town hall meetings and urged them to keep up their work.

http://michellemalkin.com/2009/08/07/sebelius-calls-her-seiu-brothers-and-sisters-to-battle/

SEIU goons, acting at the request of a cabinet officer, beating up citizens who disagree with Obama, is a substantially more weighty free speech issue than a bunch of elderly citizens shouting things like "Read the Bill" and "You Work for Us" at their elected representatives.

maggie, actually I'm taller and much better looking. (I think that's where you were going...it's a little hard to tell.)

Face it, there IS an astroturf smell about the protests, disbelieve it if you must. You have no problem with Limbaugh comparing Pelosi, the administration, and generally anyone he can't present a cogent argument against, Nazis? You have no problem with Glenn Beck joking about poisoning Pelosi? (scrubbed from the F**x website, BTW.) You have no problem with an Americans for Prosperity spokesgoon warming up the crowd at a rally by likening health care reform to Hitler's final solution?

You're an American, right?

The smell of astroturf?

Well, I guess that makes as much sense as anything Pelosi or anyone else on the left has said about this.

Private citizens say all sorts of stuff, but a line is crossed when someone like the Speaker of the House says that Americans who disagree with her are Nazis and/or unAmerican. Then Sebelius endorses the SEIU and its tactics. Obama tells his people to "push back" and says that he doesn't want anyone disagreeing with him to talk. There's a pattern here.

Contrary to what Obama, Pelosi, Sebelius, et al are blathering on the issue, Americans who are honestly concerned about Obamacare are showing up at places where they're supposed to be able to voice their concerns and are being assaulted for it.

groucho,
LOL

Marc, who is "vio"? Get your eyes tested, buddy.