August 2009, The summer when the American People got their groove back.

Posted by raconte Published in Healthcare Reform Town Halls, Politics

They thought we’d be like sheep lead to the slaughter, easily corralled and lead off in whatever direction they wanted; at least that’s what Speaker Pelosi and the 111^th Congress thought until they tried to ram HR 3200 the Health Care Reform Act down the American’s people throat. It’s not often that one experiences such a seminal moment as the August town halls and the call to arms that “We the People” instigated.

You’d have to have been living in a cave these past several months if you hadn’t read about in the newspapers or watched on TV the unfolding drama that are the August 2009 Town Halls. The main subject of most if not all of these town halls is HR 3200 also known as the Health Care Reform Act or Obama Care. Having both watched numerous clips of town halls and having attended one in person I find myself amused at the pro-HR 3200 supporters claims of racism, fascism, ignorance, falsehood-spreading, place the invective of your choice here used to describe the hundreds and in some cases thousands that have shown up to have their voices heard. Instead of having their participation acknowledged with grace or fairness elected officials and their lap dogs have chosen instead to attend to demean and marginalize them with labels such as right-wing extremists, militia supporters, Brown Shirts, NAZIS and so forth; and much to their surprise this tactic has done little to send those opposing the “plan” crawling back into the shadows as it so has done so reliably in the past. This month Americans have stood up, instead of behaving like the sheep the pro-HR 3200 supporters expected them to behave.

As one of the original members of ACT-UP LA, I can recall the activism we exhibited in the past, the numerous demonstrations and disruptions and I cannot recall our elected officials (Democratic or Republican) treating us with the same disdain and dismissiveness as so many elected officials have of the “No to HR 3200” have been treated. When I heard Speaker Pelosi and others refer to these activists as Brown Shirts and NAZIS I felt my skin crawl, because having grown up in war-torn France and having had two brothers interred in German work camps I know the real meaning of the phrase Brown Shirts and NAZIS and these activists are neither! If anything I’ve seen more attempts of repression from Democratic law makers, including my own Congressman Schiff, against Americans’ exercising their First Amendment rights than the other way around.

I can’t think of any group of Americans who have been so demonized and marginalized as those protesting HR 3200. They have been characterized as “Astroturf”, protestors for hire, misinformed, and even accused of racism. Many of the supporters of HR 3200, especially those in our Nation’s legislature and the “intelligentsia” have been quick to try to suppress the outcry. The tactics of suppression have included a call by the White House for folks to send the White House so-called fishy emails so the good folks at the White House could help “sort things out” and not long after this Gestapo like tactic flag@whitehouse.gov was disabled the White House officials issued a lame excuse that they weren’t trying to collect names, they were just trying to help folks fact check – just like the good folks of the now infamous McCarty hearings were just trying to do. And if you don’t think this isn’t the first tenuous step towards the dark chasm of Fascism then one only needs to watch the protestors that have launched their vitriol at Mr. John Mackey, co-Founder and CEO of Whole Foods Market. What has Whole Foods done to deserve a boycott, have they employed slave labor? Been an unjust corporate citizen? No! Then what is it that has elicit the anger of many of the supporters of HR 3200 and health care reform is that he dared to stand in opposition to the President and his many supporters and cronies and express his opinion in a well thought out op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. It’s those who wish to punish Whole Foods and Mr. Mackey are the real Fascists and when our President stands silently by and allows such censorship his actions, or lack of actions allows Fascism to flourish.

What people like Pelosi, Dodd, Frank, Reid and others don’t seem to grasp is that when asked most Americans would probably agree that our nation could use solid healthcare reform, but the anger that they are encountering has more to do with a populace that has come to realize that those they elected to represent them have long ago stop representing them and have deemed their constituents more of a bother to serve then a privilege to serve. In a recent Town Hall meeting Senator Specter announced to an angry audience that “I don’t get paid to come to these meetings”, and the audience angrily reminded him that it was his job to do just that. Others have stood at podiums and scolded angry attendees making comments such as “am I going to have to use my mother voice”, or “what planet are you living on” and showing anger and disdain at a poster depicting President Obama as Hitler and yet when Frank saw President Bush depicted as Hitler he said nary a word, because of course Frank liked equating a President he didn’t much like with Hitler but when it was his ox being gored it wasn’t so much fun. Even my own Congressman orchestrated a mock Town Hall where he changed the venue at the last moment so folks would have to wait outside for hours without shade or seating. The few seats that were offered were almost all reserved for the handicapped, which turned out to mean for a bus load of “pro-HR 3200” supporters (not handicapped). He then had a panel of so-called experts – NOT, to pontificate for nearly 45 minutes on the benefits of healthcare reform leaving the audience, his constituents, with time for three whole questions to get asked and to be answered. I think Congressman Schiff should go back to school to learn the meaning of the word town hall before he holds another one. I’ve provided some photos of the event. Amazingly, not all Town Halls have been raucous, but those have been few and far between but appear to be the results of Congressmen/women that have taken the time to acknowledge that people have real disagreements with what has been proposed in HR 3200, they have created an atmosphere where attendees are not deemed or made to feel as though their elected official is granting them a special favor by showing up. It too bad far too many elected officials have chosen to behavior in an imperious fashion in regards to the frustrations of their constituents, as in the case of one New York representative that was taped making the statement that he would vote in opposition to what his constituents wanted if he felt it was in their best interest. Its this type of behavior that has touched of this fire storm, first with the refusal to listen to the majority of the Americans will on the Stimulus package, and then on Cap and Trade. HR 3200 was simply the last straw, just as our founders had their last straw with the decision of England to levy a tax on tea that sparked our Revolution. Perhaps HR 3200 will spark a renewal in Americans’ desire to be participatory in our Democracy rather then being content to watch from the sidelines as they have done for far to long. Such activism is good for our Country and our elected representatives, including the President, should take heed of Americans when they speak up so loudly on a matter of such importance. This may well be the Summer where the American people got their groove back!