The Mass Strike Explodes Congressional Town Meetings

August 9, 2009 (LPAC)—Democratic statesman Lyndon LaRouche's characterization of the U.S. population as in a mass strike against its government is borne out by the Aug. 8 Town Hall meetings held in Congressional districts nationwide, where huge numbers of angry Americans turned out:

—Rep. Mike Burgess's (R) Town Hall in Denton, Texas was packed with 500 people. The youtube footage begins with a woman shouting at Burgess, "I can't believe you voted on something you hadn't read! That's an outrage! You are threatening my two young daughters by doing that!" "You're right," replied Burgess, "and your outrage is justified." Next, a 40 year old man, with his 8 year old son, spoke at a microphone, "We are having our future taken away from us... What political activity is equivalent to standing in front of a tank in Tianamen Square? Why can't we get our representatives to do that? The people in Iran are not going through the system to change things. You guys must find some way to stop this—I mean, put your political career out there... Tell the Democrats there will be people marching to their front door if they don't listen." Burgess responded, "My [GOP] leadership does not appreciate the emotion you've just showed..."

Another woman stood, and, very worked up, presented a pages-long "Letter to our Leaders," saying: "I get angrier every day. They are passing bills in the middle of the night. What do we do—vote every single person out of office? The Republicans have left us; the Democrats have left us; what do we do?" [youtube]

—Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) held a town hall meeting in Skagit, Washington in a room holding 150. About 500 more sat on the lawn outside, listening on loudspeakers. The 2-minute youtube shows signs... then LPAC signs, and the narrator says, "The Lyndon LaRouche PAC brought Obama as Hitler signs [Obama 'stache]. They were also passing out pictures of the two world leaders [Obama and Hitler picture on front of LPAC pamphlet—excellent closeup] chumming it up. This picture was probably taken at the 1936 Summer Olympics." Larsen angered constitutents when he said he did not support the single payer plan. [youtube]

—Rep. Steve Cohen's (D) Town Hall in Memphis was set to discuss Social Security and Veterans benefits, but people jammed it to discuss healthcare. Bloggers report that children held up signs saying "Don't kill my gigi [grandmother]." Cohen assured everyone no one would be killed (sic). The Memphis Commerical Appeal reports, "Most people in the crowd of close to 500 were in loud opposition... Within 15 minutes of the start of the event, a nearly nose-to-nose confrontation of people with opposing views became so heated they had to be separated as Shelby County sheriff's deputies and Memphis police officers called for reinforcements."

—Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D) held a town hall at King Grocery store in Brighton, Colorado. Photos show a crowd of 200-300 in front of the store. The blog Mount Virtus reports that Perlmutter "immediately went into a roped-off area of the portico, announced he'd be there for two hours, and then retreated to the even more isolated alcove with a half-dozen (apparent) constituents and bodyguards. At which point he was taunted by the non-Democrats in the crowd for being a coward for hiding in the portico—and yes, it was blatantly obvious that that is what he was hiding—isolating himself in a controllable space so as to avoid having to interact with the crowd directly..." http:bendegrow.com

—Freshman Dem Tom Perriello had 300 people pack into the Bedford, Va. elementary school cafeteria for what he called the "most heated and liveliest" of his town hall meetings. The Roanoke Times reported, "Flustered and frustrated faces filled the crowded room, and while some thanked the congressman for coming... it didn't stop some from heckling and yelling at him and one another. Identifying themselves as veterans, retired nurses and caregivers of elderly family members, a majority of the speakers were against the same thing: a health care system run by the Federal government...Concerns included increased red tape, mandatory end-of-life plans with government counselors, and the government's access to personal bank accounts to ensure payment for services." One sign said: "If Obamacare is so great, sign Congress up for it FIRST." Periello said that as the bill stands now, he's leaning toward voting against it. [Roanoke Times]

—Rep. Diana DeGette (D), of Denver, Colorado, who ran negotiations with the Blue Dogs to get a markup done in the Energy and Commerce Committee, held only one town hall on Aug. 6 by telephone, and that meeting was billed as covering "everything" of concern to the district. Facethe state.com reports that DeGette "is not scheduled to meet in person with constituents during her month home...Town halls conducted by telephone...virtually eliminate the possibility of disruption from angry protesters and are often tightly scripted...U.S. Repps. John Salazar and Betsey Markey, both Democrats, and Mike Coffman, a Republican, have not yet scheduled any town hall meetings for the August break." [http.face the state.com]

—Rep. Scott Murphy (D), of Saratoga Springs, New York, has found a new way to hold meetings for constituents. Murphy announced that he held a small business roundtable to discuss healthcare reform—on the previous day. He was last seen fleeing from his senior constituents when he tried a "Congress-on-your-Corner" availability in Saratoga Springs. www.the nextright.com

Democrat Joe Donnelly was mobbed by constituents at his town hall in Mishawa, Indiana.