WASHINGTON (CNN) - Top Senate Democrats Thursday lashed out at conservative protestors for disrupting health care town hall meetings but said Democrats would not be deterred from promoting the emerging health overhaul over the August recess.
“We’re not going to be sidetracked by people trying to sabotage a civil process,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV.
“These are nothing more than destructive efforts to interrupt a debate we should be having,” Reid said. “They’re doing this because they don’t have any better ideas.”
Top White House aides, David Axelrod and Jim Messina, huddled with Senate Democrats in the Capitol Tuesday to strategize about how best to talk to their constituents about health care when they return home. During the meeting, senators watched videos of recent town hall meetings during which protestors shouted down lawmakers.
Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the number two Senate Democrat, suggested health industry groups were backing the protests.
“They are the groups that are making a fortune off the current health care system. They want to keep their profit margins protected. They want to stop change. They are supporting this effort to disrupt town meetings and create the wrong impression about health care reform.”
Despite the high profile protests, which have been posted on You Tube and played repeatedly on television, Democratic leaders said they are confident their members will be able to handle the pressure.
“The Senate Democratic Caucus is full of professionals with a lot of experience,” Durbin said.
“Our view is to ignore them. We’re going to go forward and explain to the American people what we’re trying to do,” said Sen. Charles Schumer of New York. “The false information will just die away.”
Durbin said for the first time in his career people are calling his office “begging” him to hold town meetings. Health reform opponents want to create scenarios where it appears lawmakers can’t defend the reform bills moving through Congress, he said.
Durbin vowed not to let the protestors get the upper hand with him.
“We’re gong to have meetings but they’re not going to be the kind of meetings they’re looking for where they can take them over,” Durbin said. “I don’t have to set up a stage for their political theater.”
From CNN Politics
© 2011 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
| Advertising practices | Advertise with us | About us | Contact us | Work for us | Help
No reporters were present at the event? Typical for Palin and NRA's view of democracy. ....If only they could get rid of those pesky reporters and let the public know what they choose for them to know, what a wonderful democracy this would be for these gun-toting "freedom" lovers.
Let me remind you again: They can pass any bill they want any time they want. Conservatives can scream their heads off at these things and there’s not an ounce of good it’ll do if Democrats are united. This whole partisan “war” Obama and Axelrod have concocted is kabuki theater against an enemy they’ve already (momentarily) defeated; it’s the Blue Dogs’ fear that they’ll be thrown out of office if they vote for this travesty that’s put the left in the predicament they’re in. The cowardice they’re showing in not wanting to face their constituents is actually obscuring the deeper cowardice of the the party stalling on a landmark bill they finally have the numbers to pass for no better reason than that doing so will jeopardize their hold on power next year. They want ObamaCare and they want their permanent majority, and if the only way they can get both is by calling conservatives Nazis then that’s what they’re a-gonna do.
Tell the idiot protesters , you will pay them $5 more than the GoP and see how quick the picket signs go down.
First ammendment, FREE SPEECH. How come Democrats last year did not complain when ACORN, moveon.org muscled voters and poll watchers during primary election? Protestors has the right to voice their own opinion, this is a free country. We're not China or we have a dictator in the Whitehouse. Or maybe I am wrong, we have a dictator in the Whitehouse.
Don't forget to tell the public, Schumer, about the great liberal plan you and your comrades have for this nation. No change is better than what you are trying to shove down our throats. We want the freedom this country was established for and your liberal Socialist party is eroding it.
Tax the heck out of us to support your lifestyle and keep you in power? Cater to your base and pay them off with taxpayer $$ to keep their votes. There will be more than a little grumbling when enough of the people find out what obama is really up to.
But without political theater, the GOP has nothing. Wait, even with theater, they have nothing. It just seems to me that the Christian way of the GOP is, "I got mine, and I don't care if you just lost your job or have a pre-existing condition, you are on your own."
Government by who screams the loudest.
RNC and the Insurance industry strategy is If you have no ideas of your own and want to protect your turf then scream as loud as you can.
Just want to know why we can't comment on Obama getting a C on the economy?
Seems the only discussions steer towards bashing Repubs.
"Durbin vowed to not let protesters get the upper hand with him." So what now Durbin? send out your thugs and silence them???
The republican party has turned into a mob rule party. No new ideas just yelling and president bashing at these so called town hall meetings. They are a party of thugs The new tammany hall crowd. This kind of mob rule attracts every nut job around. How can any civilized person have a discussion about health care under these circumstances. They are nothing but home grown terrioist,hiding behind the banner of being patriotic. What a sham and what a sorry bunch of morons the people that follow this kind of behavior are. Keep it up and the only people that willvote for you are the nut jobs. you are a disgusting bunch of politican profiteers who only care about lineing your pockets and keeping your jobs. You care nothing about the American public and how health care effects us.
It is time for Obama to tell Blue dog Dems either your with us or the party of no!. also remind them that they need him for reelection.
Give me proof that insurers are behind this. you can't because they are not. As far as being upset about the protests, what the hell do you think ACORN is all about I would wager that Dirty Harry or Chuckie Schumer could not answer 3 questions about healthcare reform that did not involve the terms single payer, crisis and insurance company villians. I would also wager that most of the people coming to town hall meetings HAVE insurance. They are not among the ficticious 45 million I hear about. Any bill from Washington that says they can acess my medical records, my bank account, and have me subjected to a 5 year quality of life review to determine my treatment options can't be good news. Come on people, read the bill before you fall in step
Are they also going to lash out at us for protesting the new jets they just ordered for themselves that we the taxpayers are forced to pay for? We aren't suppose to protest? What on earth is wrong with these democrats????
During these uncertain economic times the extremists on the right are using fear an many Americans to help further the Right Wing cause of doing nothing for Obama, of course unless it means doing something for their own right wing interest.
I think the American people and voters have been here and seen these actions from the right wing thugs previously. Americans will need to stand up and be heard. Any discussion especially in town hall meetings are important to American values. These type of discussions being held for Health Care issues where never held for the 2nd Iraq war because the GOP is not interested in other American opinions except for the Right Wing input.
THEY ARE NOT LISTENING! They think this is a conspiracy but reality is we are ticked off! Egg on their face and Obama is getting voted out in 2012 for sure after this debacle. NO RESPECT for 50% of this country's opinion. Offering zero substance in town halls and not doing anything to answer REAL QUESTIONS FROM REAL PEOPLE.
What is this 1940's Germany?
They need to take a hint that most of the people are not for the health care "overhaul" that they are pushing. We need to fix heath care, but this particular one seems to be poison.
Wow! Congress just doesn't get it! You are going to vote on a healthcare bill that you haven't read, don't know what's in it, and won't sign up for yourselves. This should tell you something. If you try and shove this healthcare bill down the throats of the American people, be prepared to look for another job. WE WILL VOTE YOU OUT OF OFFICE! You all have forgotten that you were elected BY THE PEOPLE – FOR THE PEOPLE. Mr. Schumer if you choose to ignore us be prepared to find other employment. Oh, and let me make myself perfectly clear, I am not a Republican, not a Democrat, and not part of a mob. I am, however, an American Citizen who doesn't want this administration or any other in my business. Don't turn our healthcare system on its ear because a small portion of Americans have no healthcare. There are programs out there for people without insurance but they are not using these programs. Help people without insurance to get insurance and leave the rest of us alone!
Medicaid is going broke. Medicare is going broke. Social Security is going broke. And yet Obama still insists that the Government Plan will be deficit nuetral. What a joke..
What else can they do....they know they are wrong..They know the people do want this health care bill to pass. They know that CNN, NBC, and the rest of the liberal media will protect and pass this protest off as nothing more than die hard GOP people. I think they are in for a rude awaking in 2010 however, if they can not see that this protest is from all of America, all backgrounds and all political branches.
Ignorant fools, dont they see that the king O is wearing a magnificent gown.
This is an ideal situation of not letting the public speak their concerns. If the democrats do not want to hear the news, then they are not responding and representing their people in their diostricts. They are a bucnh of Obie followers and can not think for themselves. Why do they even go to DC . . . they could vote by absentee ballot.
Democrats want to debate like this :
1. They make out a list of questions the people can ask.
and a list of people that can ask them ( make sure they are democrats)
2. Make a list of answer for the questions on the list, and some
double talk answers in case there is a mistake made and someone
who is picked does ask an honest question..
Democrats aren't "promoting" their health care insanity, they're trying to cram it down the throats of American citizens.
Everyone except the idiots in Congress know the country can't afford the multiple trillions of dollars their grandstanding is going to cost.
The Harry and Nancy show think they are above listening to what middle Americans want. They're "going to save the world", even if it bankrupts America.
President Obama had better cancel the town hall meetings.
The redneck knuckle draggers carry guns and believe "god is on their side".
Angry racist white people with guns and a black President, not a good a good combination.
After all, one of them did kill an innocent doctor in his church.
The Democrats have to absolutely stand up to the Republicans who are fostering these hate-filled meetings with lies and misleading information. The entire country is being lied to and are being stirred up into bigotted behavior. I can't believe that people are buying into their lies AGAIN! These town hall disasters have turned into nothing but meetings for racial and ethnic defamation! They're not even concerned with the healthcare bill, just venting because a man they don't like is the president. Get over it people. He was voted in by a landslide, so grow up, act like decent human beings, and deal with it! Don't let the likes of Rush Limbaugh and his kind influence your lives.
The politicization of the Oval Office (a la Evil Karl Rove) continues. You know, that which the left despised so much. Looks like Axelrod is the new Rove and is calling the shots and checking Obama polling data by the hour.
So, by Durbin's definition, if anyone disagrees with the proposed legislation, they're a shill for "Big Insurance"?! What a cowardly tactic to avoid any kind of substantive debate or discussion!!!
Durbin: "Let's have a discussion...unless of course you disagree with me...in which case I will label you as a Big Insurance operative, and question your character rather than your ideas.".
Durbin's pathetic response to valid criticism really shows how bereft of merit the proposed legislation truly is. Change you can believe in.
Charlie.
Durbin along with other top House dems, need to stop whining and remember they work for We The People and not the other way around. So, please do ignore the peoples opposition voice, it will be your demise in 2010 and 2012 elections. Were not going to allow congress dems to stampede healthcare reform upon majority of Americans opposing it. We The People demand line by line transparency before any and all bills are voted on the floor.
During these uncertain economic times the extremists on the right are using fear on many Americans to help further the Right Wing cause of doing nothing for Obama, of course unless it means doing something for their own right wing interest.
I think the American people and voters have been here and seen these actions from the right wing thugs previously. Americans will need to stand up and be heard. Any discussion especially in town hall meetings are important to American values. These type of discussions being held for Health Care issues were never held for the 2nd Iraq war because the GOP is not interested in other American opinions except for the Right Wing input.
Yeah, God forbid anyone has a dissenting voice, that would be un-American, now when Reid said that we had lost the war in Iraq, he was not being un-American, but whatever, socialist
So what exactly is the plan for these town meetings if they think they can suppress freedom of expression? I wonder what they think is being suggested if all they are experiencing is opposition to their health care reform? It's not rocket science here, if all you hear is opposition then it stands to reason your constituents don't want it to happen. Geez, when exactly did this administration forget who they work for?????
As long as it isn't against the demo's it's okay to protest but when it's against them they start to whine like little babies
How funny they are LOL
Not going well between sessions, is it? Could it be that they are trying to sell a clunker health care program without letting anyone look under the hood, look at the price tag or see the financing plan?
Go back to the drawing board. The American people are not as stupid as they were in November. You have sold too many lemons already!