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Specter: ‘We’re not gonna tolerate any demonstrations or any booing’

Specter: ‘We’re not gonna tolerate any demonstrations or any booing’

MSNBC is showing footage of Senator Arlen Specter’s town hall meeting in Lebanon right now. Trying to preempt the kind of angry demonstrations that have dominated such meetings in recent days, Specter told the crowd that such behavior wouldn’t be tolerated.

“We’re not gonna tolerate any demonstrations or any booing,” Specter said.

But soon he had to confront an angry man in attendance. The video isn’t exactly clear, but it looks like Specter first tried to get him to leave, and then tried to jump in before things got more heated.

“You want to be led out of here, you’re welcome to go,” Specter said.

As another man in attendance seemed to push the questioner, Specter stepped rifght into the fray, repeatedly saying “wait a minute!”

“You want to leave? Leave,” Specter said.

I’m trying to track down some video I can post (UPDATE—here’s the video).

UPDATE: Specter stood eye to eye with that guy. “One day God’s gonna stand before you, and he’s gonna judge you and the rest of your band of cronies up on the Hill…” the man shouted at Specter. Specter responded, “We’ve just had a demonstration of democracy.”

UPDATE: Specter gets booed for saying both the public option and single-payer should be on the table.

UPDATE: A man asks for Specter to “leave us alone.” Huh?

UPDATE: A woman says “I don’t want this country turning into Russia.” Yea, I wouldn’t worry about that one.

UPDATE: “The people Pennsylvania can impose term limits on me anytime they want to.” Good one, Arlen.

UPDATE: “I will not support a bill which gives the government the right to get the bank account information of a private citizen.” Oh good.

UPDATE: Someone calls for a referendum on health care. Specter says “Well, that’s a fascinating idea … we don’t have any mechanism for that in the federal government. … That’s one of the ideas I’m going to take back to Washington.” Yea, that’ll happen.

UPDATE: Interesting post on the GOP voting history of this county.

UPDATE: “I am opposed,” Specter says, “to anybody making a decision for you, or me, or anybody else, about what health care plan we will have.”

UPDATE, 10:49 a.m.—Well that’s it. I’d say Specter handled it all pretty well. Glad it’s over.

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August 11, 2009 at 9:56 am

--Dan Hirschhorn

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  1. David Diano

    Aug 11th, 2009

    These townhallers are just trying to disrupt the debate, not engage in one. They are spewing the anti-Obama “socialism” talking points and other right-wing distortions about the health care bill.

    It shows how the new Republican party is incapable of debating the merits.

  2. Kevin McKay

    Aug 11th, 2009

    Oh please David, where was your righteousness on debating on the merits when it was someone disrupting a Bush or a Santorum event? Or distortions about Bush tax cuts, or the patriot act, or Katrina response, etc, etc?

  3. Julia

    Aug 11th, 2009

    I was impressed with the whole town hall. Specter obviously, for standing his ground and saying single payer should be on the table in front of that crowd!

    But I was even impressed with the angry righties. Unlike some town halls I’ve seen, the people at this one were relatively civil. They booed many of Specter’s answers, but I didn’t hear anyone’s questions getting booed, even those who spoke in support of reform.

  4. David Diano

    Aug 11th, 2009

    Kevin-
    Dissenters weren’t allowed into Bush events. Audience members were required to sign “loyalty” oaths before being allowed to enter. If you had any kind of anti-Bush t-shirt, you weren’t allowed in.

    As for protesters that managed to get in, I though they should have asked their questions in a dignified manner. However, the Bush organizers planted “shouters” at the events to shout down anyone that that protested Bush, and generally treated any non-Bush audience members as trespassers who were “detained” by law enforcement, then released without charges. Note, the reaction of Obama and the Democrats is decidedly different.

    Umm.. these are the facts:
    1) Bush’s tax cuts were skewed disproportionally toward the wealthy (hence record deficits)
    2) The Patriot was a violation of the Constitution, and what few protections and safeguards it did contain were regularly abused or ignored.
    3) The response to Katrina was a disgrace. It might have been better if thousands of needed National Guard troops were here in the US instead of in Iraq.

    You sound like someone at the ready with distortions that support Bush.

    Julia-
    I think part of it is two fold:
    1) Specter handled the crowd well
    2) The right-wing is feeling some backlash from their “mob” tactics, so they are cooling it down slightly.

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