My WTF? Moment Last Night: Crazy Town Hall Meeting with My Repug Congressman Dean Heller

[Emit]

So I get this call yesterday inviting me to stay on the line to participate in the Town Hall with Dean Heller. I did. The first thing I hear is a poll question being asked: "Do you think it's wise to spend 1.1 Trillion dollars on energy efficient golf carts, funding for the NEA and ACORN, and to prop up welfare by reversing all major welfare reform?" or something to that effect. I'm like, huh?

Then Heller proceeds to rant about these golf carts, and callers start calling in, like Ed: "These liberals who want to spend this money on their special projects, what can we do, they're in power now ... they want to allow illegals to have this money, too?" And Molly, "How come Puerto Rico gets 340 million of the Stimulus Package. They don't pay taxes."

And Thomas, "The government got us into this mess and liberals think the government is the answer." To which Heller again noted that the stimulus package will reverse all the major reforms of welfare from the 90's, including food stamps and medicaid.

Then Delores rang in, "I don't want illegals taking my Social Security money ... The stimulus package didn't include a border fence - I'll tell you how to build a fence. Dig a ditch, fill it with water, drop the fence down in it, put alligators in it..." I'm like, wtf? So I try to ring in, and get put in line behind a bunch of asshats, who rant on about illegals taking Social Security and welfare, Heller ranting on about how SCHIP includes funding of social services to illegals and how 90% of illegals are responsible for crime - he read that on the front page of the LA Times, how the e-Verify program was taken out of the bill because liberals want illegals to take American's jobs, blah, blah, blah.

Darren chimes in, "Congressman Heller, I don't have a question but I just have a big compliment for you. I appreciate all you are doing, and I just want to tell you that the Washoe County Social Services really did me a favor and I want to commend you for that. I didn't have health insurance and needed assistance, and they were so helpful, I want everyone to know where they can go if they need help."

"Well, thank you Darren for that, and I will be sure to pass on the good words to the folks at Social Services."

WTF?! :banghead:

[HowHasItComeToThis]

1. SEDITION BY THE REPUBS

LET'S START TALKING ABOUT THAT

[KansDem]

2. Sounds staged...

I remember a Dick Armey town hall meeting on CSPAN soon after the 1994 Repub takeover of Congress. I remember these "constituents" getting up and voicing their "concerns" which, coincidentally(?) aped the "Contract With America" of Newt Gingrich.

Two such "concerns" still stick in my mind:

1) One fellow got up and complained about the "death tax." He was concerned that he was going to inherit a certain amount and he didn't think it fair for the government to take any of it. I remember the figure he threw out as an example and thinking that amount wouldn't not be taxed at all. I remember this because I had just buried a parent and received an inheritance that was similar in amount, and I wasn't taxed. I thought Rep. Armey would correct him and assure him that that amount wound't be taxed, but no...Rep. Armey sided with the "concerned citizen" about the need to eliminate the "death tax" that would rob him of his inheritance.

2) Another "concerned citizen" complained about health care. Rep. Armey sympathized and informed her that Americans need to know how much their health care costs (this was a neo-con ploy at the time: make Americans "aware" of how much their health care costs by making them pay more of it, therefore offering them a chance to "manage" it better :eyes:). Anyway, then Armey makes the most asinine statement: He says he is "forced" to accept the health-care coverage foisted on him as a member of the US Congress and that he and his wife are beyond child-bearing years so why does his health care policy have to cover childbirth? :crazy: I thought, "You mean, Rep., that only those folks who want children should carry insurance to cover childbirth? Isn't that like saying they'd be paying for each other's childbirths? How does that spread the risk around?"

Then the ensuing years revealed to me just how the media is used for propaganda by the right-wing...

[Emit]

3. Perhaps

the callers did a lot of odd rambling on, repeating some of the same old Repug talking points, so it's hard to tell if it was staged or if these folks were just repeating what they hear on Fox, and from Hannity and Rush.