A show of hands later revealed that this meeting, held in Adrian mind you, had its fair share of health care reform supporters as well.
Many questions directed at U.S. Rep. Mark Schauer during an appearance Monday were hostile to the recently passed health care legislation, but a show of hands revealed much more support for the bill than was obvious from those questions.
Schauer, D-Battle Creek, appeared before about 100 people, mostly senior citizens, at the Lenawee County Human Services Building to discuss the recent health care overhaul legislation.
Some audience members and Schauer went back and forth about whether the bill would help or harm Medicare, whether it would reduce the federal deficit or help small businesses provide health insurance, and whether people in the country illegally would be covered by the bill.
The AP reports that some seniors left when things turned "contentious", perhaps an indication that some people are getting tired of those who come to these things to just to display anger and shout down others. They reported a 50-50 split in the audience. Schauer held his ground, and some members of the "silent majority" came up and thanked him for his vote afterwards.
Roger Roback of Madison Township said he supports most aspects of the bill but wasn’t taking much away from the meeting because other audience members “never let (Schauer) finish explaining what he wanted to tell us.”
Schauer said he was not surprised by the prevalence of questions clearly hostile to the legislation.
“There’s no surprise to me that there’s a (group) of people who are strongly ideologically opposed to the bill,” Schauer said. However, he said, half a dozen people approached him after the meeting to thank him for voting for the bill.
“A lot of people who are helped (by the bill) have been silent,” he said.
They probably don't want to deal with the monster-shouters, and who can blame them. Meanwhile, Tim Walberg, rather than explaining what he would do about health care, was sending out fund raising e-mails that not only were striking in their redundant use of the word "conservative" - he highlights that some of the most extreme shouters in the US House are his buddies.
Among conservatives in the U.S. House, there is a renewed energy and passion to win a conservative majority in the U.S. House in November. In conversations with proven conservatives like Mike Pence, Michele Bachmann, Paul Ryan, Peter Roskam, Joe Wilson and with the support of leading Michigan Members Dave Camp and Candice Miller, they have assured me they want me back in the U.S. House working with them on behalf of our nation.
Bachmann and Wilson, not exactly the shining beacons of civil behavior there. Interesting how he separates Camp and Miller from the real "conservatives" as well. Time to remind everyone how those congressional Republicans fared in the recent health care debate:
The standing of congressional Republicans is more negative. While 26% rate their work on health care as good or excellent, a larger group, 34%, say it has been poor.
While there may be division on the health care issue, it doesn't mean that people are buying what the Republicans have to sell - mainly because they don't have anything to sell but their hostility and extreme behavior. That certainly won't solve the health care issue, or anything else for that matter.
Stay classy, GOP. Keep driving those independents and moderates away. A grateful nation thanks you.