Steve LaTourette Calls Town Hall Question "Bullshit" (VIDEO)

Republican leaders have defended rowdy town hall protesters, saying people should be allowed to speak their minds. But it was Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette (Ohio) who called a question "bullshit" -- twice -- at a town hall in Chagrin Falls.

After agreeing with an audience member that everyone should be civil, LaTourette responded to a question about whether he would ever vote for reform by saying, "That's a bullshit question."

LaTourette also reacted to the outbursts at other town hall events by saying, "Sometimes chickens come home to roost."

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Comments

[LiberalInTexas]

We're better than this, folks. It WAS a B.S. question.

"You're not voting for health care reform under any form, are you?"

It is asking for a definitive evaluation of something as yet unknown. No reasonable person would answer this Yes or No. It is like asking, "You won't like next movie you see, will you?"

All the blogger needed to do was change his wording a little, such as: "What specific form of health reform would you vote for?"

[Tulka2]

Tourette..­.??? Really?

[albar]

One by one they are showing their real faces.....­ugly, hateful, despicable. Keep it up, my friends

[LorinM]

It was a bullshit question.

It was also bullshit to conflate George Soros with MoveOn. But I don't think it does health care supporters much good to have the first video up there. It's just a straight hatchet piece.

[Zen0469]

Republican Rep. Steve LaTourette is the only bullsh*t at the townhall meeting. His refusal to answer the question concerning healthcare tells us all we need to know.

[vascopyjama]

This has nothing to do with health care reform. Its Republican political theater and the people doing all the yelling and disrupting the town hall meetings are being used but don't know it. Hitler's crowd did the same when he first started out.

[darker]

REPUBLICAN DRAMA QUEENS doing "their bit" for CORPORATE LOBBYISTS'
re-election $$$$$$$$$$­$$$$$$$$$$­$$$. Corporate profiteers "uber alles".

[Meggie]

I hope that retired nurse stays away from Medicare if she doesn't like public health options for all citizens. I couldn't tell, but just saying she'd be pretty hypocritical to take it if she wants to make sure nobody else has a chance.

[Chazmania]

People are angry at all the lies from both sides. Americans are suffering and taking out there anger on what they perceive as the enemy. People need to stop being blinded by party affiliation.
reject the two parties and be angry at liars and support honorable men or we get more of the same.

[Tulka2]

Please name some lies about health care reform coming out of the Obama Administration. Please.

[Jack78]

Here you go;
http://businessandmedia.org/46millionmistakes.asp - How many people are without insurance

http://city-journal.com/2009/eon0805sp.html - The CBO costs
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/08/08/cbo-missed-obamacare-cost-by-1-trillion/ - another

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2009/08/05/obamas_war_on_health_insurance_97767.html eliminating insurance

http://www.factcheck.org/2009/07/obamas-health-care-news-conference/ - Myths

http://blogs.reuters.com/james-pethokoukis/2009/08/04/5-reasons-why-obama-will-hike-middle-class-taxes/
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/01/us/politics/01taxes.html?_r=1
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162009/news/regionalnews/dem_health_rx_a_poion_pill_in_ny_179525.htm
http://cboblog.cbo.gov/?p=293

I have files of more links when you're done with these. I'll check back later when you're done educating yourself.

[Passenger57]

So what? He was right!!
He answered the question ; the guy just kept going, trying to get him to say something he'd REALLY regret.
I hope LaTourette does NOT apologize for what he said!

[Kzb]

The name of the town that the town hall was in "Chagrin Falls", now that's some bullshit alright.

[BetterDeadThanRed09]

Republicans are republicans regardless of where hey are geographically located.

[Liza DiSavino]

Dear Dennisrs: I don't think anybody with sense wants the current health insurance companies involved with their health decisions. Anytime someone stands to make money from not paying me what they owe and letting me die, I question their motives.

As per parity, the loudest objectors to the Bush gang was Code Pink, mostly old women dressed in pink. Hardly what I would call a mob. And when they did open their mouths, they were often arrested.

In fact, I seem to remember a couple of people getting arrested at a Bush rally in 04 for wearing Edwards t-shirts.

I remember the march against the war a few years back, where Iraq Veterans Against the War were arrested for just lying down on the sidewalk outside of Capitol Hill in a "die-in."

Apparently, we have a disparity of what constitutes a threat. Republicans can carry guns to Democratic events, no problem. Democrats are a threat just by wearing a t-shirt or lying down.

Something's wrong with this picture.

[cheeriogirl]

Don't forget the Democrats who got arrested before the Republican convention last year.

[KayDGee]

Bcause the Republicans had them rounded up - by virtue of the signs they were carrying..­. as they came into town. Republicans were out in force to protest at the Democratic convention and were allowed to do so in accordance wtih the provisions of the Constitution.

[SteveDenver]

Sounds like LaTourette's Syndrome

[Nofsdad]

That was EXACTLY the first thing that entered my mind.

[gatogato]

Yup!

[slippery pete]

If only the elected Dems had the guts to be saying the same thing to the mobs at their town hall meetings we might be getting somewhere.

[dennisrs]

Can't you figure it out yet? There is just not that much support out there for this plan in its' present form. I don't think anyone with any sense wants the government so involved in their private health matters. They all need to go back to square one and start over with something new.

[KayDGee]

Square One is a luxury we cna no longer afford. How many people who have been turned out on the street by big corporations will fall through the cracks of this broken system in the meantime? You must be very young... When you hit 65, your private insurance coordinates with private policies anyway - Just like Obama is talking about - Works pretty well, too. And his plan has always had good ideas for improvement on what is already in place.

[brendanm]

Can you name a more popular health insurance program than Medicare?

[MuseScavenger]

Not that much support? Only something like 80% of all Americans favor reform.
P.S.: I think you spelled "dinosaurs" wrong.

[mapleaforever]

Sounds like someone has health care? Too bad for the 47 million who are not so lucky.

PS Before you get all jingoistic, I pay into Medicare every year..

[WeCanDoMore]

Wrong. The repubs are feeding these protestors propaganda, and this group is only looking at this warped data. Most but not all people are bright enough to realize the current system is fixed to make the execs richer, and the heck with us.

Obamas town hall was free of protestors, probably because the right wing machine was not set up to get their goons in there. Instead, it was a lottery, a true, honest mix of regular repubs, dems and others.

I believe the support for reform is huge, and the snarky repubs are trying to fix the data and media.

[JustDee]

I'm sorry, but I have to agree - it was a loaded question. The interviewe­r/question asker may have the right "tone" of things base on his personal views/bias - but its based on a loaded, pre-supposed notion of the Congressman's agenda. IF a conservative reporter/asker had done the same (with the obvious bias) of a Democratic Congressman, I would guess most of us here would not have any problem bellowing loudly about the fact that it was a BS question.

Can't cherry pick - being unwilling TO talk and really LISTEN to both sides isn't right - no matter what side of the political or ideological line you land on.

[slippery pete]

The difference is a Dem would've bobbed and weaved around the question instead of calling it what it was...thus giving it credence. I am the biggest liberal you'll ever find, but the Dems inability to stand up to the utter lies and nonsense is what is tanking the health care reform

[dennisrs]

I don't even think the interviewer was legit, maybe he was sent out by Howard Stern or such nonsense.

[Imago]

I totally agree with JustDee that this was a bit of an ambush and Rep. LaTourette responded with justifiable irritation.

However, dennisrs, I think your comment is indicative of why so much misinformation swirls around in so-called "news" settings.

If you'd bothered to actually track down the video, you'd see that it was done by a private blogger.

But you're too lazy to actually go look for it, and so you just make things up.