Durbin, Schumer: Town Hall Protesters Are "Birthers" "Tea Baggers," And "Fringe"

The angry-mob style protesters who have infiltrated town halls around the country are the non-organic product of "tea-baggers," "birthers," and the conservative fringe, two Senate Democratic leaders said Tuesday.

Speaking outside the White House after meeting with President Obama, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Chuck Schumer of New York both dismissed the significance of boisterous protesters who have been interrupting Democratic lawmakers' events.

"It is a small fringe group," Schumer told the Huffington Post, "and if we let a small group of people who want to monopolize the conversation and not listen to the facts win, you may as well hang it up."

"These town hall meetings have been orchestrated by the tea baggers and the birthers to just be a free-for-alls, make a lot of noise, go on YouTube and show discord," said Durbin. "I mean that is what they are determined to do. But that is not going to accomplish what we need to accomplish: real health care reform."

The most recent example: A news conference held by House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.)'s at Utica, New York's Union Station was interrupted on Tuesday.

"You're lying to me," said Don Jeror as he loudly interrupted Hoyer. "Just because I don't have sophisticated language, I can recognize a liar when I see one." [...]

After yelling from the same group of people about corporate taxes being too high, Hoyer said those numbers were just as high during the Bush administration. [...]

Finally, after about five minutes of interruptions, Hoyer finished his address.

Durbin was asked if he was worried that the protests would have the desired effect, namely persuading vulnerable lawmakers to buck the president's health care agenda. He projected calm. "Most of them are grown-ups in politics, and they know that when they look at a crowd and say: 'these folks aren't even from here' ... A handful of folks are determined to disrupt these meetings," Durbin said. "That shouldn't stop us from what most Americans want to see us doing."

The remarks made by the two Senate Democrats reflect the overall message coming from the White House and Democratic Party. Asked during the press briefing on Tuesday whether he thought the town hall protests were fabricated chaos from the insurance and private health care industry, Press Secretary Robert Gibbs responded: "Some of it is, yes."

"In fact I think you have had groups today, Conservatives for Patients Rights, that have bragged about organizing and manufacturing that anger," Gibbs said.

 

 

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Comments

[mmonarch]

Truthers, Birthers. Nuts in both wings, people.

[MarcoMax]

Those right wingers are such tea baggers. I wonder if they prefer green tea and organic sugar.

[Shacked]

Schumer and Durbin don't know about those guys.

[imfedup]

LMAO. They expect us to believe these schmos are concerned about CORPORATE TAX RATES??? Wonder who's paying them to show up and blow out their vocal chords. . .

[TheKurgan9]

They should be concerned about corporate tax rates...you should too. If corporate tax rates go higher like Obama wants (we have the 2nd highest corporate tax rate behind Japan) then corporations are going to take their businesses elsewhere.....as well as their jobs! You see it is a domino effect.

[imfedup]

Corporate tax rates and what corporations actually pay are totally different things. They pay people a lot of money to minimize the taxes they pay to almost nothing if not nothing. Sorry if I don't feel sympathy for corporations. They are destroying this country.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/08/12/news/economy/corporate_taxes/

[thaggas]

Domino effect? I doubt they're going to make pizzas overseas.

How will they get to my house in under thirty minutes?

[DestinationsUnknown]

on medicare and all white

what does that tell you

[NedroidPrime]

that you apparently have a problem hiding your r@c1sm?

[anthead]

american fools

[zapper502]

so when moveon and code pink stage protests its a healthy american right. but when a conservative group does it, its dangerous for the country. i cant deal with that type of hypocrisy

[EvoMan]

Name one Code Pink corporate sponsor.

[DestinationsUnknown]

Do you know who RIck Scott is?

Answer this - know it all

[imfedup]

We have a Constitutional right to peacefully assemble. PEACEFULLY. If Code Pink and MoveOn aren't peaceful, they should be arrested, just like these doofuses.

[mmonarch]

You know, I've noticed your posts have a common thread. You like to insult people. You insulted Nascar, Paul Newman and now you call protesters doofuses.

Glad to see you have no problems with self esteem. It's just everyone else that is a doofus.

[dimplesmile7]

The republican party is headed to the history books. The angry white southerner and rural area bigot will be the only things left. I won't miss them.

[DestinationsUnknown]

that is exactly who they are

on medicare and all white

what does that tell you

[TheSpecter]

FOR PROFIT health care is a CON GAME, and anyone defending it is either a RUBE or a SHILL.

[TheSpecter]

A Birther goes into a hardware store and tells the sells clerk "I need some 4 by 2's." The sells clerk asks, "Do you mean 2 by 4's?" The Birther says, "Hold on a second." He goes outside for a moment then comes back in and says, "Yes, that's what I need, some 2 by 4's." The clerk asks him, "How long do you need them?" The Birther says, "Hold on a second." and goes back outside for a moment upon returning he says, "We need them a long time. We're building a house."

[rigmoten]

Huffpo app needs a fan option.

[TheSpecter]

The Birthers were getting really pissed off about people telling all these Birther jokes so they decided to stage a march on Washington. When last heard from they were 10 miles out of Seattle.

[TheSpecter]

A Birther decided to commit suicide by hanging himself from a tree in the park. A few days later, a man was walking his dog and spotted him hanging from the tree. He asked the Birther what he was doing and he replied,"I'm hanging myself." Your supposed to put the noose around your neck not your waist." said the onlooker. "I already tried that," replied the Birther, "but I couldn't breathe."

[lewmanbubba]

Do you want to stop these people from riding in bus's to your town hall meetings think ice pick and tires
when they have to sit in their bus waiting for the tires to be fixed they will stop

[Samlas]

The GOP is taking us back to barbarism and Midevil times. Pretty soon they will start dragging the Dems by their feet and parade them in the streets of our 'Real America' towns.

[Teritt]

I think the GOP believes in 'divide and conquer', prey on the uninformed and fearful, and act more like the Nazis. They are playing the odds, and anyone that is rational will suffer. They are still sticking with the 'with us or against us' and instead of getting their followers to buy ribbon magnets for their cars that go to their coffers, they are getting them out to tea parties to be seen and heard. It worked for them against Kerry, they're hoping they can score again.

[mollyjackson]

The first thing you have to understand is that it is impossible, according to the left, for conservatives to have a legitimate protest. Only liberals have "authentic" grass roots so the idea of the right demonstrating against anything is a political trick. We are a "Brooks Brothers Brigade" or, "radicals" or "mobs." The demonstrations at Town Hall meetings on health care reform are "astroturfing" - planned and paid for by insurance industry lobbyists. Of course, this is absurd. The protests at congressional town halls are certainly authentic in that they represent the views of millions of people, if not a majority. And anyone familiar with the Tea Party movement knows that they oppose any top-down direction fiercely. In this way, they are a true "grass roots" opposition and not Soros funded Moveon minions.

[speakyourmind]

Your comment was truly entertaining. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. Thanks!

[militarymomforobama]

Really? Just like the guys protesting the recount in Florida? Turned out they were all congressional aides and RNC staffers?

[EndRacismNow]

Most conservatives want nothing to do with the Republican hacks that helped ruin the country the last 8 years. There were protests in Texas where they booed and went after GOP hacks who thought these people were supporters. Sen Cornyn was booed for supporting the Wall Street thievery back when Bush was President.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/07/06/cornyn-booed-called-trait_n_226110.html

[MadeInAmerica]

HE'S AN ARAB!!!

[imfedup]

When pressed, these people admit they don't live in the districts where the meetings are being held. Authentic, my *ss.

[mmonarch]

Oh, just like the people voting for Obama in two states. Which district were they in? Please, get a grip here libs. You do it too. You're just offended when others use your tactics. It is not illegal to protest in a district other than where you live. It IS illegal to vote in a state where you do not live.