Why Obama’s town-hall appearances won’t help
posted at 9:30 am on August 11, 2009 by Ed Morrissey
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The unexpected furor over the administration’s plans for revamping the nation’s health-care industry has forced Barack Obama to hit the campaign trail again. Obama plans to visit three town-hall meetings this week in order to lend his star quality to Democrats attempting to sell the plan to a hostile electorate. Given the President’s history with town-hall forums and the stakes involved, it’s not likely to help him much at all:
President Barack Obama, moving to counter noisy opposition to his health care overhaul proposal, will hold three public town hall meetings this week as his advisers push back against what they describe as false “scare tactics.”
Obama is scheduled to appear on Tuesday in Portsmouth, N.H. at 1 p.m., at an event expected to draw roughly 1,800 participants. His goal this week, advisers said, is to address the concerns of people who already have health care and to illustrate how those people would benefit from adjustments to the current system.
Along the way, Obama will address specific health care topics — none of them new, but each important, advisers said. On Tuesday, he will talk about people who are denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. On Friday, he will hold a town hall meeting in Bozeman, Mont., to discuss the plight of people dropped from their health insurance plans because of an illness. And at a third session on Saturday, in Grand Junction, Colo., Obama will raise the subject of high out-of-pocket costs, such as co-payments and deductibles.
First, anyone expecting a real town-hall forum to occur with Obama in attendance is deluding themselves. Even the press — even Helen Thomas — criticized Obama the last time he held a “town-hall meeting” on health care. Each of these three meetings will carefully screen attendees and get the questions in advance, to minimize embarrassment to Obama.
Beyond that, town-hall meetings won’t solve the problem of national rejection of ObamaCare. People want insurance reform, but they don’t want a government takeover of the system. The big problem is the legislation itself. If Obama wants to fix that, then he needs a meeting with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, not the people of Bozeman and Portsmouth.
The legislators who have to hold town-hall meetings without Obama won’t get to use the Secret Service to screen attendees. They need to connect to their constituents in order to get re-elected in 2010, and their constituents are angry at an overspending, overreaching federal government that doesn’t know its place. Even if Obama could be in all of these and screen out the dissenters, they’d still be in the districts — and ready to replace ObamaCare-supporting Representatives next year.
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Did he agree to that? I must have missed it because I know when the first guy brought it up, the IT guy, I thought, “Should be interesting to hear his thoughts on THIS since he just told us how he defended the Constitution by opposing the PATRIOT Act.” I don’t understand why this issue isn’t getting more play, as it’s an ideal tool for calling out the barking moonbats and the ACLU on their hypocrisy. They screamed bloody murder when the PATRIOT Act was passed, but I’ve heard not a peep about either the snitch list, or this latest attempt by this administration to gather intimate, private details about ordinary citizens.
NoLeftTurn on August 11, 2009 at 12:03 PM
good to see you out there swinging, nana. Let’s get in the game
ted c on August 11, 2009 at 12:14 PM
Rush is congratulating chuck norris right now. page 838 HR 3200
ted c on August 11, 2009 at 12:15 PM
“Adjustments to the current system” is all that is needed, not a complete socialist gutting of everything healthcare from horizon to horizon.
Trouble is that’s all this idiot is interested in, nuking the current system so badly that the only option will be what the Brits faced in the 1940’s. It’d take even longer than it’s taken the Brits to realize how bad that option is (because just under half our population is pure idiot apparently) and start crawling out from under a behemoth of government control.
Lets just not go there. I am all for tort reform though, I’m sick of people scamming the system and lotto style lawsuits that are raising the premiums out of sight. I’m sick of the government manipulating the FDA decisions about drugs that on one hand allow craptastic medicines that end up being recalled in 5 years while keeping the good stuff that will actually help locked up in a vault.
There is plenty to be done to improve the current system, but not one single thing that actually needs doing has to take the form of government control and socialist corruption. If our gov’t thinks their way is the only way, then it’s time to replace the gov’t.
…and the loud mouth thugs in the SEIU…it’s time to give them a reason to need to see the doctors…
Spiritk9 on August 11, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Hey, Mike — I sympathize. When my mom had cancer, she was transported to the hospital via ambulance because she was short of breath. We also got billed for it. I continued to fight them on it after she passed away — I mean, how is it that an ambulance isn’t necessary when a person can’t BREATHE? Ultimately I had to come to an agreement with the ambulance company; Medicare was unwilling to cooperate. I might also add that my mom first started having symptoms in August 2006. Her GP sent her for a chest CT and it wasn’t scheduled until January of 2007 — five months later. Now, it seems to me that when you have a lifelong smoker with shortness of breath, it’s probably something to be taken pretty seriously. I can’t say for certain that the fact that she was a Medicare patient (albeit with Medigap coverage) had something to do with the ridiculous wait time, but let’s say I wouldn’t be surprised. Esp. after dealing with Medicare in the aftermath of her passing, and in taking care of my grandmother who, in her 90s, came to live with me after Mom was gone. They are a nightmare, you can never get a straight answer — even if you know who to call. To think we might all be subjected to this level of incompetent bureaucracy.
NoLeftTurn on August 11, 2009 at 12:20 PM
Barack’s Dog & Pony show is coming to a town near you. Step right up and win a cigar—Every Body wins a prize.
Herb on August 11, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Why set the bar so low for O? Let’s raise expectations. Let’s say he’s attending townhall meetings to set things right. Then we can feign shock that he continues to mouth the same platitudes he has for months (a series of clips of him yapping about health over the last six months would reveal no evolution in his thinking, but just the same platitudes).
EMD on August 11, 2009 at 12:32 PM
I thought Obama was on vacation? He can’t stay away from those cameras, can he? Well, if he wants to keep overexposing himself and giving us soundbites, fine by me.
But he’s now hurting his own cause every time he opens his mouth and puts his foot in it.
RadClown on August 11, 2009 at 12:35 PM
So, Drudge has a big deal up about “Danger” and an allusion to the Rasmussen Daily Tracking on The Boy Kings yet his net “stronglies” has only a net negative of minus seven. He tracked down as low as -12 on 7/30 and -9 a couple of days ago.
But the interesting thing is these numbers get more negative the more he opens his big bazoo and when he is out of sight they become more “docile”.
So, like many have said above, I hope cement head shows up at every townhall, supermarket opening, and swap meet from now until November 2012. By that time, he’ll have a total approval rating of around 20 percent.
VoyskaPVO on August 11, 2009 at 12:39 PM
cmsinaz on August 11, 2009 at 12:44 PM
Obama could hold a meeting with himself and he’d still come off like a boob.
This new tact of calling Obamabcare “health insurance reform” doesn’t hold water either. If the problem truly is to help people who can’t get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, that can be fixed almost literally with a stroke of a pen. You don’t need MegaMedicare to do that. Eligibility rules today are almoste entirely regulated by the states. State legislatures and departments of insurance should change their rules first and see if it works.
Another possibility, if eligibility and out of pocket costs are truly the issue and the Obama administration insists on a heavy handed federal approach, is for Congress to simply amend ERISA, HIPAA, or any of the other federal laws that regulate health insurance and employee benefits. That they apparently are not considering these possibilities indicates to me that their publically stated goals are a lie.
RobertE on August 11, 2009 at 12:44 PM
“BEWARE OF AN ANGRY AMERICA”
rone5847 on August 11, 2009 at 12:48 PM
Are they gonna let the moron who thought it was a swell idea to show up with a gun strapped to his leg inside? Of course its legal and he has a right to carry it…but WHY would he consider doing so where the President is going to be?
beekiller on August 11, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Town Hall MeetingZombie Clap-on-Cue Starefest
fogw on August 11, 2009 at 12:54 PM
The Obama folk are claiming the audience and questions are not being screened….If you believe that I hav a health care proposal to sell you cheap….only $1,600,000,000,000…
JIMV on August 11, 2009 at 1:02 PM
Okay, puke time!
misslizzi on August 11, 2009 at 1:08 PM
There’s nothing more stage-managed than an Obama primetime press conference, and he still managed to screw that up. I’m guessing we’ll have another “Acted stupidly”-level gaffe before the week is out.
Jim Treacher on August 11, 2009 at 1:25 PM
The Precedent finds the only crowd that is mostly pro his un-American ideas. What a surprise.
This is beyond a parody.
progressoverpeace on August 11, 2009 at 1:34 PM
Is anyone watching this?! It is TOTALLY pre-planned. The little girl in her pretty dress asking about the people with the “mean signs”?! I’m gonna puke. Is anyone going to buy this? Good Lord this man thinks we’re all idiots.
Rational Thought on August 11, 2009 at 1:34 PM
No one is “denied coverage because of pre-exisiting conditions. For the majority of people who get insurance through their employer, it’s not an issue at all. For those who seek individual policies, they can be covered for all care other than the pre-exisiting condition. Fair enough, because lots of them are people who chose not to pay for coverage for years until the condition arose and now want other plan members to pay.
In 25 years of negotiating and administering health insurance plans for employers of all sizes, I’ve never heard of anyone being dropped from a plan because they developed an illness. Just a scare tactic to terrify the ignorant.
This one appeals to the “i want free everything” crowd. They want to be able to stroll into the emergency room or doctor’s office every time the have a sniffle and pay zero for it. The whole idea of co-pays is to discourage abusive over-utilization of the system.
Nevertheless, it’s a smart tactic on Ogabe’s part. These issues are tailor-made for the ignorant; even among people who are generally satisfied with the plans they presently have. That’s why Ogabe shifted from “healthcare reform” to “health insurance reform”.
He might make some dents in the opposition to his plan with this strategy. But it’s probably too late at this point.
guntotinglibertarian on August 11, 2009 at 1:35 PM
Too late? Are you watching this faux town hall right now? It is completely pre-packaged with all Obama supporters, it will lead all the news shows tonight and tomorrow morning. The story will be: the opposition is gone; Obama explained everything and it’s all good now. See all the happy, applauding people?
Rational Thought on August 11, 2009 at 1:38 PM
Just be aware that that “stroke of the pen” is going to substantially raise the premiums for you and everyone else covered by those insurers.
As I previously noted, in my experience, a substantial number of the people with pre-existing conditions who apply for individual plans are people who chose for years and years to go without coverage and now want everyone else in the risk pool to pay for their condition.
It’s called “adverse selection” in insurance lingo.
guntotinglibertarian on August 11, 2009 at 1:40 PM
I gagged when he called on the little girl. Also wonder about the two African American gentlemen in the back row, dressed alike. Are they Secret Service, ACORN, or SEIU? What a joke this is.
jintrabar on August 11, 2009 at 1:41 PM
Let’s hope you’re wrong. I think he’s lost his mojo among independents.
guntotinglibertarian on August 11, 2009 at 1:41 PM
and he’ll still say “I Won”
ted c on August 11, 2009 at 1:43 PM
he’s losing the media war.
I’d like to see a YouTube video of a few Patriots firing their questions at a brick wall, because they’re sure not getting through to the President.
ted c on August 11, 2009 at 1:45 PM
Nation of Islam?
coldwarrior on August 11, 2009 at 1:47 PM
Well I’m reading that the union thugs are busting some heads of the anti-Obamacare protesters outside, so maybe that’ll be the story instead of this artful, fictitious “town hall” meeting.
Rational Thought on August 11, 2009 at 1:48 PM
Who wants insurance reform? I don’t. I am perfectly happy with what I have. I worked for it for 30 years and I want to keep it.
The only people who bitch about insurance are people who bitch about other peoples insurance.
The self employed who hate the fact that they have to pay their own premiums and so resent those of us who were smart enough to get jobs that included medical insurance as part of our benefit package.
The idiots who have fallen for the myth that people who can afford it get “free” health care. The only people who get free health care in this country are the poor and indigent and that will never change.
The nanny staters who despise smokers and fat people and think we cost society money. Wake up people, we die younger. It’s you health fanatics who live to old age who cost the most money so stop complaining about me and my stench. If I want to smoke and eat 20 donuts a day I will. It’s none of your business.
No, the real reform that’s needed is the notion that everyone is entitled to see a doctor every time they get a twinge or the sniffles. Giving free blood pressure and cholesterol screenings to idiots like me who smoke and drink and eat too much. What person in their right mind who smokes 2 packs a day, eats 4 cheeseburgers in one sitting, and drinks a six pack in an hour would bother finding out what their bone density is and then expect a pill to stop bone loss? And get it.
I’ve posted some pretty nasty things here about how I’d demand abortions for any pregnancy that will cost me money. Pretty rotten, huh? Yeah.
I don’t care what other people do. I don’t want to pay for it.
These bills are not about providing for the needy, it’s about taking it away from the haves who worked and paid for it their whole lives. And both sides are guilty because both sides are willing to throw up their own sacrificial lambs as an example who isn’t worthy. Smokers, drinkers, fat people, the handicapped.
When medicine gets back to treating the sick instead of fooling people into believing they can live forever, costs will go down.
And treating the sick does not include free scooters and power chairs so Grandma can have “freedom”.
Jaynie59 on August 11, 2009 at 1:49 PM
Where are u reading that?
guntotinglibertarian on August 11, 2009 at 1:50 PM
where is that information at?
ted c on August 11, 2009 at 1:51 PM
He’s making it up. Please.
Grow Fins on August 11, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Notice once again that he has filled the stage with a strong majority of white people. During his campaign, it was a gorgeous mosaic up there. But now that his internal polls show it’s white independents who oppose his healthcare scheme, the backdrop needs to be more, um, congenial.
guntotinglibertarian on August 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM
Gateway Pundit, for what it’s worth. But if the folks locked outside are getting any kind of glimpse of the leftist theater going on inside, I’ve gotta believe it’s getting pretty heated up out there. Something tells me the people opposed to Obama’s nationalized health care scheme aren’t just going to slink away because he managed to pack a room full of Obama supporters and exploit a cute little girl to shove his message down people’s throats. In fact, something tells me that his little foray into propagandist stagecraft here is akin to poking a stick into a hornet’s nest. By the time that third Obama “town hall” rolls around later this week, these will be beyond parody.
Rational Thought on August 11, 2009 at 2:00 PM
I have noted something that anyone who has read any of these events must see…
The plan Obama is defending and pushing is not the same as any plan actually on paper in Congress
Think about that… ObamaCare will not have waiting lines, rationing, greater costs and will not add to the deficit yet every single plan written in the House and Senate does…all 5 of them
There is a major disconnect between what TAO sees as the plan and what Congress has actually put together…perhaps Obama needs to talk to his bill writers. It is why so very many can wave actual bills in his face and yell ‘lie’ when he says things that just are not so…
JIMV on August 11, 2009 at 2:50 PM
Is this one staged?
Gee, hum, lets see, How many kids show up with their question written on 2 x 3 indexed cards?
And the question is about the people THAT DAY that were outside protesting?
Who carries around blank 2 x 3 indexed cards around with them, writing down what the see around them just in case they may get asked some thing?
DSchoen on August 11, 2009 at 3:12 PM
SET UP! That’s why it won’t work. They’ll be stacking teh deck for sure!
CynicalOptimist on August 11, 2009 at 3:18 PM
At this point, Barry wishes he was even as popular as Levi Johnston.
ChrisB on August 11, 2009 at 9:38 AM
Hee Hee
NJ Red on August 11, 2009 at 3:24 PM
More likely Obama is lying thru his teeth. In fact he is lying.
Keep in mind he wanted to SIGN this bill BEFORE the Aug recess.
Obama, with a supper majority in the Senate, 60 plus votes, and a near supper majority in the house 59% to 41%, Obama should be able to pass a blank piece of paper calling what ever and claiming what ever he wants.
Actually this is the same as passing a bill that no one had read, which is exactly how Obama has governed so far.
None of this should be debated until a “real bill” has been written, THEN take it to the PEOPLE.
DSchoen on August 11, 2009 at 3:49 PM
How bout this
I’m not against health care reform! I’m against STUPID health care reform!
DSchoen on August 11, 2009 at 3:51 PM
So far from his latest “town hall” scripted meeting, Obama has said, “I have never said I’m for a single-payer system” (in direct contradiction to what he said in 2003: “I am a proponent of a universal, single-payer health care system.”
He said he’s not looking toward govt. bureaucrat making decisions about senior care (in contrast to the statement he made last week about telling Grandma she should take a pain pill instead of having surgery.
In his “town halls” he’s like a car salesman who says he’s selling a Cadillac, but when you go look at it, you say, “Wait, that’s a Yugo!” but he says, “No, it’s a Cadillac!” And you look and say, “The insignia says right here: Y-U-G-O!” Obama’s lies would make a used car salesman blush!
Christian Conservative on August 11, 2009 at 3:55 PM
Ahh, but in Obama’s way of thinking, a Yugo is the Cadillac of Balkan-made cars.
coldwarrior on August 11, 2009 at 8:59 PM
And this years Grammy awarded to ………………………
bluegrass on August 12, 2009 at 9:08 AM
Unfortunately, people would show up armed. Secret Service screening is absolutely a necessity.
Hopefully, it’s only about that danger.
AnninCA on August 12, 2009 at 12:56 PM
His townhall was a complete joke. What a staged event! It makes me trust him even less (and I don’t trust him at all).
micmac on August 12, 2009 at 5:30 PM
I understand the point about the obvious Obama tactic of getting questions in advance. But I’m not sure I understand the point about whether attendees are carefully screened. It would seem to me that it is the President’s prerogative to screen attendees at town events. My understanding is that attendees were carefully screened beforehand at town meetings held by the Bush Administration, for example the meetings concerning President Bush’s plans for Social Security.
Frog on August 12, 2009 at 5:48 PM
The media is completely dismissing the people who are outraged at this ObamanationCare.
I wrote my congressman and told him if he votes for this crapulous care package – he will not be serving another term in office. Votes are what THEY really listen to…more people need to send THAT message in town hall meetings!!
whatzit2u on August 12, 2009 at 8:38 PM
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