Raucous crowd overwhelms Reed town hall meeting

[Cooley Hurd]

Source: Buffalo News



ASHVILLE -- A huge crowd of raucous progressives and quieter conservatives overwhelmed Rep. Tom Reed's town hall meeting in this Chautauqua County village Saturday morning, with the progressives repeatedly interrupting and shouting down the congressman's comments as he tried to defend Republican plans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

The crowd was so large that it was moved out of the senior center where it was scheduled and into the parking lot outside. There, Reed patiently worked -- but failed -- to maintain order.

"We do not always agree," the Republican Congressman from Corning told the crowd at the outset of the meeting. "As we have disagreement, let's make sure we have it in a respectful, safe way."

But decorum broke down as Reed described replacing Obamacare with a conservative plan that would include health savings accounts.

"How can the poor get savings accounts? How can the poor get savings accounts?" many members of the crowd replied in unison.



Read more: http://buffalonews.com/2017/02/18/huge-crowd-progressives-overwhelms-reed-town-hall-meeting/

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Wow! Western NY is quite red - go get 'em!

[bravenak]

1. Good!

[Hortensis]

9. Oh, Bravenak, I can just imagine you right in there.

Now me, given that this was NC, and that even Ashville isn't all that liberal, with some very deep cultural divides, I'd much rather hear that large numbers of people dressed as if they'd come from church, or at least sitting up straight and respectfully, set the tone for the meeting by asking lots of courteous--but enlightening--questions about concerns common to most people and just kept asking them until they got answers.

Fairy dream, perhaps, but what it might have started... Democracy can only function when people work together, after all. President Obama feared that a badly weakened center wouldn't hold, and it didn't. Divided we all fell, even if only we know it yet.

[bravenak]

10. Yep. I would try to hold my anger to get my answer

But I do realize that noone answers questions these days. I see this as being caused by the death of honesty and the idea of alternative facts and realities. It sure is a shame, because I do consider myself pretty far to the left. But I live in a red state and everything is a compromise. I think it may be all the lies that are causing folks to lose their cool.

[Hortensis]

11. And the need to defend undefendable lies.

Well, I didn't mean to sound like I'm against yelling at our so-called "representatives," just against driving the wedges in the audience deeper. They can all use some shaking up, though, and a lot more than this will be needed before that comes about. I'd prefer to go straight for rebuilding the center, but I'm also old enough to remember well an era when angry boogiemen made sitting down and hashing out some common solutions with church and civil group leaders seem like a really good idea. Whatever works.

[bravenak]

12. Yeah. It's sad to see that the responses have become so reactive.

Obama tried so hard to compromise and republicans gained from opposing him at all times. Now we are going to do the same thing but this time we actually have a real danger in the Whitehouse. I think it will have to be so bad that Republicans have to work with us to get rid of him for their own safety.
I have noticed this though, even though Trump and his side won, they are enraged about it, not happy. I think we are going to be in for an interesting and scary and painful time in this nation.

[Hortensis]

14. Agree 100%. Fortunately, most trumpsters did not ask for

or expect what they have brought down on us all. Our real differences are far fewer than our common interests.

Well, if we needed a common enemy for the center to reform against, hopefully we've got one now, or at least will after some painful times. Eventually...

[bravenak]

15. I actually think you are right and we do finally have someone to rally against

It seems like only the most insane of Donald's supporters are happy with his job so far. It's only been a month, and he is already at 39 percent approval. At this rate, he will be at zero by this summer. I see an impeachment in his future.

[moonscape]

17. It was Ashville, NY not Asheville, NC n/t

[Scarsdale]

2. Tea Party

used these practices, and the gop was fine with that. What would it take to get through to them that citizens DO NOT WANT to lose the ACA, just improve it? Take away their insurance, see how THEY would like savings accounts for their healthcare. Lobbyists would likely pay for theirs, so they do not care. If these "representatives" do not want to represent, then replace THEM.

[mpcamb]

4. Tea Party had $$$ Money, Koch money. We have numbers.

....numbers of citizens being screwed out of their future.

[zentrum]

3. Excellent work Progressives.

[flamingdem]

5. fantastic

[Squinch]

6. As you say western NY is red. But western NY is also poor. What the hell were they doing voting

for him?

Hopefully a side effect of these town meetings will prove to some people on a local level that they have voted to ruin themselves.

[Cooley Hurd]

8. Too much snow fucked with their heads?

[retrowire]

7. It's always so funny to hear these politicians try to quell an angry crowd.

They actually think that it can just be talked out. XD

Sorry pols, we've had enough time listening to you on the pulpit, now it's your turn to listen to us.

[packman]

13. SAVING ACCOUNTS !!!

Yah, $10 - maybe $20 a week - years savings - one trip to the emergency room - POOF -



These asswipes do live in an alternative reality - Why aren't they subscribing to that saving plan instead of their plush gov. insurance?

[mobeau69]

16. Complete Video of Reed's town hall here:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/18/us/politics/town-hall-protests-obamacare.html

[wordpix]

18. Thank you Asheville! Why should we be quiet/polite when R's are tearing US apart

and taking away the health insurance we need to PROTECT and STRENGTHEN?

[geretogo]

19. To get these Koch heads to listen to the people I still say have as many work stoppages in this

country as it takes to force these bastards to heel to the people .

[Ligyron]

24. Yes!

A General Strike is what is needed and enough people have to participate for it to have a real impact.

The ladies are calling for a woman strike 8 March, I believe, and I'm down for staying home too even though I'm a male.

I hope it's gigantic!

[geretogo]

30. Right on !

[blue sky at night]

20. I wonder aloud....

why in the fuck do you people, and this is my people too in O H I O vote for these fuckers???? WHY???

[Wounded Bear]

21. I've always figured that there were a lot of blue voters in red districts...

around the country. Nice to see them get motivated and get out and make some noise.

I just hope we can turn that into votes and congressional and senate seats in 2018.

There are a few test cases this year in special elections. They will be interesting.

[NBachers]

22. This is Paladino country. Maybe there's hope for Western New York yet!

[womanofthehills]

23. I love that the people chant the question when Reed won't answer it

The asshole Reed is doing a Kellyanne - smiling when he is being attacked.

[mobeau69]

25. "Trump's Taxes - Trump's Taxes - Trump's Taxes". That was vey good!

And the lady who said that congress spent 7 million investigating Mrs. Clinton so why won't they look into Comrade drumpf.

[Skittles]

26. WE'RE FED UP BEING COURTEOUS TO YOU FASCIST BASTARDS

WE'VE LEARNED OUR LESSON

[BobTheSubgenius]

27. My wife is from Chautauqua County.

She described the area as "white and uptight."

[guillaumeb]

28. A Republican Congress member in a Republican District,

explaining to Republican voters that they will lose their access to healthcare. Elections have consequences.

My guess is that this GOP Congress member will simply cease having open meetings.

[ailsagirl]

29. Excellent