Specter hears more of the same at town hall on health care
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Sen. Arlen Specter fields a question from John Phillips of North Apollo during his town hall meeting in Kittanning, Mr. Phillips said that Washington, D.C., has lost touch with the American people.
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John Phillips, one of 200 constituents who came to advocate their side of the health reform debate to Sen. Arlen Specter yesterday in Kittanning, only wanted a voice.
"I don't mean to be disrespectful," he said, after accusing Mr. Specter of being out of touch. "But I am adamant, and I am frustrated that I haven't been able to vent."
Those who arrived early enough to score a seat in the hall and hundreds more shouting competing chants outside the Belmont Complex did plenty of venting as Mr. Specter, for the fourth time in three days, faced rowdy citizens, taking 30 questions in an hour and 15 minutes.
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Many members of Congress have been met with demonstrations and hostile crowds during this August recess, and the Pennsylvania Republican-turned-Democrat, who faces a tough re-election fight next year, has been among the most high-profile legislators to get a public grilling.
When Mr. Specter protested Mr. Phillips' comment, saying that he is not out of touch with his constituents, many in the crowd started shouting him down. Mr. Phillips did an about face to address them, face reddening as he yelled, "Be civil to this man!" And the crowd quieted.
It was a moment emblematic of yesterday's boisterous, but not out of control, affair.
The majority of the audience was clearly against the various plans for reform that await Congress' return, and they often shouted down questions and answers with which they disagreed. Thirty people toward the front of the line -- who arrived several hours in advance of the 3 p.m. meeting -- were given the opportunity to ask questions, according to a Specter spokeswoman. The questioners were more or less split along ideological lines.
In the only significant disruption, a man approached and confronted Mr. Specter toward the end, loudly accusing him of planting some of the questions in the audience.
"You're a socialist, fascist pig," the man said as he stormed out, with security personnel in close proximity, prompting applause from many in the crowd.
"Let the record show the man left on his own," Mr. Specter said.
The senator injected humor at times and mostly deflected criticisms by saying people will be able to keep their own insurance plans if they like them and reminding his constituents that no definitive bill exists. Some audience members decried the efforts to insure all citizens as socialism and equated it with other expensive government-expanding measures of President Barack Obama, such as the stimulus package.
"I don't think this gathering has anything to do with health care," Paul Ambrose, 63, of Canonsburg, said outside the hall, where signs with slogans such as "Restore the Republic: Revolt Against Socialism" were in abundance. "It's nothing but a power grab to create dependency and assure the Democratic status quo stays in power."
Nearby stood Toni Yates, 60, of Ford City, who campaigned for Mr. Obama and said she received e-mails urging her to attend from Organizing for America, which is using the contacts and tactics from the Obama campaign to build support for his policies. She said she's in favor of a health care overhaul and was pleased to see many pro-health care demonstrators in attendance as well.
"It's time we got our message across, too," she said.
The pro-reform message was carried by demonstrators from the AFL-CIO-affiliated Working America, Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN), Consumer Health Coalition and Health Care for America Now, among other groups. They were more organized, but outnumbered.
"There was obviously a little bit of a fiery crowd for both sides, which in a lot of ways I find a little unfortunate, because then there's no real good discussions about the content of the legislation," said Ted Zimmer of the Consumer Health Coalition.
Several questioners inside the hall used personal stories of inaccessible health care to explain their support for universal coverage. A large majority of those in attendance yesterday seemed happy with their personal coverage and wary of possible disruptions to it, or an additional tax burden to pay for the uninsured.
Mr. Specter told the forum that he will take their concerns back to Washington with him as debate continues on the bill, and speaking to reporters afterward he said the main message he will bring is the public anger toward the way business is done in the nation's capital.
But he does not think the tide has turned against reforming health care this year, especially since a final proposal isn't even on the table.
"I think it all remains to be seen," Mr. Specter said. "The jury's not out. We haven't even found the jury yet."
First Published August 14, 2009 12:00 am
