Schakowsky Town Hall

SEIU hired gun.
Homegrown, homemade.
From one of my friends who attended: Socialism on the March.Schakowsky Town Hall meeting after action report.

Yesterday a whole row of enthusiastic NTRO'ers, and HOP'ers showed up to boo the SEIU organizers, whining lefties for whom life is all about what they are "entitled to" and the lies of Comrade Jan Schskowsky, who represents those of us cursed to live in the 9th C.D. While we may have been out-numbered by the paid shills, Schakowsky staff, her friends and plants, we made enough noise that the Trib articles (scroll down) at least reflected the passion and dissent in the room.

Arriving nearly 2 hours before the meeting was scheduled was key. All signs were banned from the school grounds, so several of us stood roadside for a while with our signs. Nancy has both her own and Larry's sign (with Anita in the far background). As you can see in the pix, the bussed in paid goons from the SEIU (purple shirts) were out in force. As far as I could tell (cause I asked) none were from the 9th C.D. Also, apparently none actually stayed for the Town Hall. (Probably because Union Rules provided they quit promptly at 5:30)

Being there so early (proving Woody Allen's maxim that "90% of success in life is showing up") allowed us to be near the very front of the eventually huge line. The doors opened at 5 pm (30 to 60 minutes before what Schakowsky's office told you, depending upon who you talked to). As we entered, her staff wanted (well really demanded) that we "register". I.e., provide name, address, email and lots of other info for her data base. Modestly, I was in the front of our group of ~ 8 and said, "I'll just attend, thanks", walked right by the sign-up table followed by the rest of the good guys and entered the empty auditorium. The 40 or so in front of us in line, were "signing up."

So we ended up in the first row of civilian seats, behind two rows reserved for of Schakowsky staff, plants and shills. (Denise, Nancy, Linda, Kim, Julie pictured- scroll down). The meeting started with Jan making a 5 minute presentation of lies about Health Care, some of which were just straw men set up to be knocked down to the cheers of the 9th district Dem faithful.

The rest of the meeting consisted of all questions. She selected the questioners. Some were hostile. Some were almost fawning in their worship of Schakowsky's "constituent service" and seemed to be clearly plants. Several started off with "Jan, its 'so and so.' We talked before and I want to say.......... followed by either praise for Schakowsky or how important it was that EVERYONE (U.S. citizens?, U.S. residents? anyone on U.S. soil, anyone on earth?) get the VERY BEST health care without ever thinking about paying for it. These pie in the sky wishes were met with cheers from most, but boos and catcalls by our brave little band, and some others in the audience.

During the entire evening, the cost of health care, or paying for it was never mentioned by Schakowsky or any of the friendly questioners. Schakowsky seemed quite flustered at times. She couldn't find sections in the bill referred to by hostile questioners, and it was plausible that she had never read it. There were several speeches from the floor by more or less deranged, or over-medicated questioners, who clutched the mikes like life-rings. They droned on and on. Jan just didn't seem to know what to do.

Schakowsky had imported some severely disabled people in wheelchairs as poster boys for Universal "free" Health Care. They were rolled right to the front, displayed like trophies.

She also wanted to read letters about sob stories of how people's lives were being destroyed by the health care system and health insurance companies. That idea was so enthusiastically booed by so many, that it was abandoned before she started. The contrast between the barely controlled chaos in the auditorium and Kirk's political skill at managing the similarly high passions at his Town Hall last Monday was marked. I'm not talking about the fact that Kirk is supporting free market oriented reforms for health care and opposes HR 3200, while Schakowsky is on the record supporting single payer and "socialized medicine." Passions for and against ran high at both meetings. Schakowsky had MUCH higher proportion of people friendly to her ideas at her meeting. She had clearly packed the house to slant to her side, and had planted shills to be called on by her to ask softball questions and praise her. As far as I could tell, Kirk did none of that.

His better controlled more orderly meeting was a function of: 1) Kirk led off with a 30 minute fact filled power-point presentation of hard info. All true, and educating many in the audience. This seemed to calm the room and was listened to in near absolute silence.

Schakowsky led with an inflammatory 5 minutes attacking insurance companies and asserting the "right" of everyone (undefined as to who "everyone was) to "health care." This just stirred up the passions on both side. (Admittedly all of our group were at pretty high boil before we even got inside.)

Kirk was standing on the floor, up close and personal, just a couple of feet from the audience, hostile and friendly. The setting was intimate. Schakowsky was on a high stage, 6 feet over our heads, looking much more "above it all." This literally and emotionally distanced her from the crowd.

Kirk had a much better command of his facts. He has always faced tough elections and has had to stay on top of his game fact-wise. And he is running for Senator. Schakowsky hemmed and hawed. She is in the definition of a safe seat, and perhaps accustomed to sycophantic audiences. The loud and persistent catcalls of "liar" and "socialist" rattled her. (Thanks Kim!)

Kirk did a better job of controlling the crazies (on both side of the health care issue or operating in alternative universes) whom always show up at public meetings and often LOVE to get an audience. These questioners are almost instantly recognizable to everyone in the room when they start to talk. Kirk seemed more "empathetic" and seemed more able to gently get them to yield the floor. Schakowsky had set a shrill tone, and the questions from residents of other galaxies droned on and on while almost everyone looked at the floor and wanted to be somewhere else. Kirk did have a much more intimate setting (150 on one level, low ceiling vs 1200 in a huge auditorium) which may have helped him.

On the way to the parking lot we passed some of the hundreds that could not get into the hall. The vibe I picked up (non-scientifically) was that the excluded late-comers were more opposed than the crowd who did get in.Tribune here. AP here. P.S. Schakowsky openly contradicted herself in the Trib story:

Schakowsky said her goal was to listen to her constituents, but she also wanted to stress that the public option -- which she supports -- would be just that, an option, not a requirement.

"I'll have the opportunity to make people very clear that this is one of the choices they'll have," she said.

You might say she's a liar, bigtime: UPDATE: More lies. Daily Herald:

Schakowsky said the legislation will not reduce Medicare benefits, will not lead to "rationing" of health care, and will not divert federal dollars to abortions. She also stressed it will not provide health care to illegal immigrants.

Well, you know she's lying without even checking the bill, as she's a huge pro-abort flaming liberal feminist and wouldn't support the bill without that measure included, explicitly or otherwise. The public knows the Dem bills would reduce Medicare benefits. Rationing is a given.

UPDATE: Marathon Pundit's eyewitness Schakowsky town hall report.