By Tom Mulkeen, Contributing writer
Two freshmen GOP Congressman from Pennsylvania, Lou Barletta and Pat Meehan, have been in the national news spotlight over the last week after they were challenged aggressively by constituents at town hall meetings. Lou Barletta’s picture was in the headline story on Politico over the weekend after he was targeted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Moveon.org following his vote on the Ryan budget. Meehan was also featured in the same story.
Democrats in D.C. are well aware that they lost the communications battle with the GOP after the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – more commonly known as ObamaCare – was passed in March of last year. It would seem Democratic groups are determined not to let that happen again by going on the offensive against Republican members in swing districts like Barletta’s seat in the Northeast and Meehan’s in suburban Philadelphia.
Meanwhile, a town hall conducted Tuesday by Freshman Dan Webster (R-FL) quickly spiraled out of control with constituents interrupting the Congressman and shouting after his remarks. It was picked up by Politico and will certainly receive more national news. (The video posted by Politico was edited by the liberal group Think Progress and it is also difficult to hear some of Webster’s responses).
No Keystone State town halls have been that disruptive, though Chris Matthews had some fun with a clip from Meehan’s event on Hardball (begins at 5:46) last Monday. In the section of the clip broadcast on MSNBC, Meehan tells a constituent that the Ryan budget did not “abolish” Medicare. The clip cuts away before Meehan is seen explaining what the budget does do – perhaps an early incarnation of the approach that Democrats and left-leaning organizations will take over the next 18 months in campaign commercials dealing with GOP support for the Ryan plan.
Already, the DCCC has also put together this commercial in which Meehan, speaking during a debate with Bryan Lentz last fall, promises he would not vote for privatizing social security and turning Medicare into a voucher program. “Pat Meehan voted to end Medicare” reads a caption emblazoned with a red “x.”
US News does a good job of outlining the basics of the changes to Medicare, which Ryan argues is not a voucher program and would not affect Americans over the age of 55. Democrats insist the plan effectively shuts down Medicare.
So much for political discourse.
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3 Responses
since when did town halls become pep rallys for members of Congress?
i thought they were a forum for constituents to approach their representatives and ask questions, gather information, etc.
Oh, come on!! The tea partiers were given detailed instructions to be disruptive-and they were trying to prevent rational discussion. Demicrats going to their Republican reps. meetings are asking questions and voicing opinions-and being yelled at by tea partiers for exercising their right and obligation to participate.
NOT the same thing AT ALL
Enough of the “he said she said” reporting. This is a voucher system, and it does destroy Medicare. What else do you call it when the elderly can’t have treatment because they can’t cough up an additional $5000? It’s throwing the old and sick to the insurance company wolves, it’s not a mere difference of opinion that can be solved by “discourse.”