One question, though, is whether the unseemly horse-trading that to many voters seemed to characterize the process has tainted the final product—and voters’ trust of Congress.
When Shea-Porter referred the health care legislation at one event as a bipartisan effort and noted 200 amendments by Republicans, several in the audience jeered, “What a joke! You have got to be kidding me!”
When she said there was growing support for the legislation, even within her congressional district, a heckler taunted her, yelling, “How are your polls doing, Carol?” Another shouted, “That’s a lie! That’s a Pelosi line!”
Her statement that “the bill is paid for” led to a hearty round of laughs that made it seem like she had delivered a joke.
Of the 12 questioners who got a chance to speak inside the Bedford High School cafeteria, nine made it clear they flatly opposed the new law. Shea-Porter acknowledged there was strong opposition.
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