Last night at a very hostile meeting in Midlothian, Dave Brat made every effort to explain why he voted for the American Health Care Act. The 700 people at the event were roughly 80% Democrat members of Resist and Indivisible. Congressman Brat established that at the beginning of the Town Hall when he asked questions of the audience such as “How many here voted for Clinton”? The majority of the crowd had supported either Clinton or Bernie Sanders. State Senator Amanda Chase was the host of the meeting and Clerk of the Circuit Court Wendy Hughes was asking the questions the audience had provided. But the people in the audience constantly booed and shouted down the Congressman. From the Washington Post:
“Everybody asks for town halls so we can have civil discourse,” a frustrated Brat told more than 700 people at a suburban Richmond church on Tuesday night. “That’s what I’m trying to do. If we go this route, it’s going to be very hard to have rational civil discourse. I’m trying.”
Senator Amanda Chase tried to control the crowd:
“You may do this at other people’s town halls, but you’re not doing it at mine,” she said at one point. “This is my town hall now.”
The audience never stopped jeering.
More from CNN.com:
The situation grew so tense at points that obscenities were shouted both at Brat and at other members of the crowd. One man jutted out his middle finger at some Brat supporters when they tried urging others to be quiet. A few people held up red signs of disapproval when the opening prayer was being delivered at the beginning.
For an hour and a half, Brat tried to address 35 questions that were submitted on yellow index cards and read on stage by a moderator.
The congressman voted for last week’s health care bill and defended it with lengthy, in-depth policy arguments, but he hardly expressed any enthusiasm for the legislation, which is now making its way through the Senate.
…
The most passionate sat in the front, right in front of Brat. One man repeatedly called him a “liar.” Some jumped to their feet over and over, yelling and gesticulating with their whole bodies at the congressman.
For Brat’s part, he occasionally expressed frustration with the near-constant interruptions. “Sir, enough on the volume level. I got it,” he said to one man in the front row.But he largely stuck to his tone of knowing confidence, using professorial mannerisms.
Take a look at the whole video and decide for yourself if this passes as civil discourse.
29 comments
I’ve read several comments with claims that TEA partiers had shouted down/threatened/committed violent acts at town halls back in 2009. Unfortunately, the facts show that the pro-socialized medicine crowds were the violent ones, attacking those who opposed them. *Just like they do now!*
Do you wonder how many of these dissidents were bused in and/or paid to create a disturbance?
This is all by design to create a false reality. Republicans better get their game on…the progressives are well organized and well funded and they’re dealing with an “unaware and compliant citizenry”, according to Pedestal.
The democrats have learned how to act like uniformed morons in public now just like the tea party. Expect this to only get worse.
The Tea Party never behaved this way. Never.
There are literally tons of articles on the web that tells a different story. Here is just one of them. What say you now?
http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2013/08/07/209919206/5-memorable-moments-when-town-hall-meetings-turned-to-rage
NPR? No thank you.
Ok, how about politico?
http://www.politico.com/story/2009/07/town-halls-gone-wild-025646
What media outlet would you like to read about the 2009 townhall riots by the other side? They all reported the riots. 2009 makes the Brat townhall look like a church meeting. I flipped on Brat when he lied about SS being insolvent. I defended him until he became just another one of “them”. Just another liar in congress.
In both articles, that you gave links to, were there any mention that those protesters or the ones disagreeing with the Representatives, were actual Tea Party members. So you have jump to your own conclusion that you want the facts to be without the proof.
Read the first paragraph of the NPR link.
Yes. Why use a respected organization with its own reporter when you have a crazy lady from lovettsville who get her news from the many voiced in her head
Huh? I guess if you ignore the tea party’s whole existence you are correct.
Maybe not all TEA partiers.
Republicans yes look no further than the Campbell County Mass Meeting where Boyer cried foul.
And for the Tea party those folks mist sit back and think the Republican Party just allows you folks to be the out spoken. When one of yours has support the Republicans are as always bringing up the rear (Ted Cruz), dragged kicking and screaming to the polls.
Republicans lack the embodiment of My President, that is to do what you were elected to do.
Brat Build the Wall
Stop Santurary employment in Va.
Build the Wall
Congressman don’t stop cheaters at all.
Build the Wall.
Trump did not come down the escalator speaking of ending ACH it was illegal immigration.
Build the Wall.
Had I been at Garrett Moneta meeting , I would have dumped a wealth of Va. violations issued to illegal aliens on his lap. Thus letting he don’t exhibit any knowledge on illegal employment , employee misclassification and this form of Santuary Employment in his District of the 5th.
Don’t just come see graduation this weekend , stop by all the new subdivisions in this part of the 5th that provides the ability for illegal aliens to drive and contract without a license , yes the home of Congressman Garrett.
The sore loser libs are contemptible. My Congressman Tom Garrett has unfortunately experienced the same illbred tantrums at his Town Halls too.
We must not tolerate their anarchists actions.
And what about the town halls that the T Party showed up at just 6-7 years ago? What tune were you singing then? You been lied to by the Republican Party, they are not repealing Obamacare. However, what the Republicans do repeal, is their own promises. Buckle up, we got almost 8 years of Democrats paying back the Republicans.
Those of us who despise both parties are stuck in middle, watching ignorant fools from both political parties screw this country into the ground. We can no longer compete on the world stage as the country is divided and run by a bunch of idiots.
The Tea Party did not shout down speakers, not once, at any of the 100 or so meetings I attended.
Then who were those people on the news back then at the town halls all over the country? Because I remember the same behavior from the other side about 2009.
Never happened when the Tea Party went to Washington and it never happened at the 100+ Tea Party meetings I attended. And no one’s life was threatened as it now happens to every Republican Congressman.
Not Tea Party meetings, but congressional town halls. I have provided links that tell the story. The Republicans started it, the Dems are just following with more of the same.
There is no difference between the two parties. Both suck. You loose credibility trying to sugar either party’s below childish behavior.
Here, what is this?
http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/08/11/specter.town.hall/#cnnSTCVideo
You were not paying attention
Here is a 2009 link from your beloved Fox News. Violence, arrests, assaults, etc.. Brat is a sissy. He should be glad he wasn’t at a 2009 townhall when the Republican T Party thugs thrashed them. What was that Connie said, “we must not tolerate their anachist actions”? But, when the T Party lugheads trash a townhall, you people call them “patriots”. Bunch of sissy’s and cry babies. Now, we got the Trump press secretary liar hiding in the WHite House bushes. Here is a Fox News link to the Republicans trashing townhalls.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/07/health-care-town-halls-turn-violent-tampa-st-louis.html
The people who were arrested for violence…had attacked TEA Party people. Read the link you posted.
And your Congressman has had his life and family threatened, so much so that the police are now investigating. Childish tantrums are one thing, death threats and mobs are another.
Life threatening no need for that.
Just remember folks like me when you loose close elections. Dying an electoral slow death is the proper execution.
I had no one darn problem voting for Herring. I did and it wasn’t on his policies. My vote was cast with the knowledge that the last elected Republican AG & Governor allowed illegal aliens/unlicensed contractors to be classified as bona fide independent contractors.
How does one broaden the base when you create an underground economy?
Isn’t Brat a economics Professor?
The disabled don’t need to be threatened , or be elected to a Representative welfare system. STOP electing the legislative welfare recipients , the genuine Americans that don’t want to work.
Garrett I will never vote for you, what they hell did you do in defending Va. from illegal commerce as Santurary Employment while you were State Senator?
Threaten them , hugh funny.
I would like to work them just a 40 hour work week , that would litterally kill them.
Exactly what you’d expect from HilLIARy’s “Gang of Despicables”!!
We have elections, and Brat has been chosen by voters – that is what we do in a democracy. Not rule by the angriest, loudest, mob.
I was there. While I am not a Brat voter, I do live in his district and I want to know his thinking. I need to say that not everyone was loud, rude, etc….perhaps not even most. However, I was unlucky enough to sit in front of two very loud, very rude screamers. Therefore, I did not hear everything he said. I don’t like being put in the same bucket with the angry screamers.