Political observers know Bristol, Virginia as the site of Barack Obama's first campaign stop after accepting the Democratic nomination. On July 28th, Obama chose a Kroger's grocery store for his first Presidential visit to this blue-collar Southern city. The purpose of the visit was a Town Hall Meeting on health care reform.
Bristol is an ideal location for such a meeting. Located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, Bristol stayed red while the rest of Virginia went blue, and it straddles the Virginia-Tennessee state line. The coal industry holds sway in a rural region where the love of God and country is a way of life, not a soundbite.
Health care is an important issue to the people of Bristol. So is the economic recession, which has hit this already disadvantaged area especially hard. These issues motivated dozens of protesters to picket the venue. They made a passionate, well-organized and vocal crowd. They were also angry.
"If you support this bill you're a communist! You're a communist and you don't love America!" a man shouted. He was one of several to carry a Gadsen flag, a symbol of colonial defiance that has been adopted by many protesters as a personal message to the President.
Some carried homemade signs that called for the President's deportation; others, for his salvation. But most prominent were the signs distributed by the Americans for Prosperity Foundation. Declaring that "Socialism isn't Cool," these signs identified the basis of the protesters' disagreement.
To Tea Party Patriots and Americans for Prosperity, Obama is a socialist. They oppose this alleged socialism with a fury that would do Joseph McCarthy proud. It is a fury that drove a man to pick a fight with a woman carrying her baby simply because she supported Obama. It is a fury that drove parents to put their children on the picket line, a fury that fueled shouting matches and insults. Its strength derives from the fear that feeds it.
According to Ben Marchi, director of the Virginia chapter of Americans for Prosperity, Barack Obama has one goal. "He's going to take your hard-earned money from you and give it to the folks who don't want work for it," he informed the crowd, and added, "Do you know what's going to happen if he's successful?"
He paused to allow the crowd to respond. "We're all in trouble, we're all going to die!" they shouted. Marchi did not correct them. "A whole lot of bad stuff's going to happen," he promised. "This bill is nothing short of evil."
In a town firmly entrenched in America's Bible Belt, the concept of evil has weight. Its use in conservative rhetoric affirms the belief that the struggle against the public option is a righteous one. If the rally in Bristol, Virginia is any indication, the powerful opponents of health care reform will not hesitate to play on the insecurities of average Americans. They were successful in Bristol. In a city where 27% of the children live under the poverty level, cries of "Crucify him!" greeted Obama's motorcade.
The environment encouraged by rallies like the one in Bristol make reasonable debate on the issue of health care reform difficult, if not totally impossible. Unfortunately, the protesters themselves are the true victims of such tactics.
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https://www.madashelldoctorstour.com/Mad_as_Hell_Video.html
These Oregon physicians are in the process of organizing a caravan designed to inform the public about the benefits of the single-payer option. At last count they will be stopping in approximately 23 states, on their way to demonstrate in Washington. They need volunteers and our support. Please spread the word.
Also, if it was non violent, and not intended to incite violence, then it was peaceful. When Gay rights protesters shouted to Mormons in the Castro "get out of our neighborhood or we'll kill you", that in an of itself was not an act of violence. It was an ugly attempt at intimidation yes, but it is not violence.
I think by distorting facts you only add to the fear and potential degeneration of a delicate topic. As far as immature protest goes, there were many caricatures of Bush as the devil, as a vampire, a monkey and other denigrating images. I dont know you, but id be curious to know if you protested those as vehemently as you do Americans for Prosperity. If you did, good for you. If not, then your words are pretty hollow.
My father had good insurance and from all the fancy ads, billboards, television commercials and infomercials I thought he was in the best (hospital) health care system in East Tennessee. Boy was I duped. His care was called "horrifying" by the state of Tennessee, but said it was perfectly within the parameters of what they deem, defend and support as "the acceptable standards of care" in E. TN. He had a nurse playing doctor who was practicing medicine as a physician without a physician's license. The man was showing all the signs and symptoms of internal bleeding and was going into shock yet the nurses prognosis was Sundowners Syndrome. They finally had a nursing instructor who teaches at The University of Tennessee who said the reason my father was going into (shock, was sweating profusely, confused, no urine output, blood pressure dropping 55/35, heart rate increasing 255,blood sugar was topping out around 600), it could have been caused by the room temperature being set too high. It's on record in Greeneville, TN Federal Court. Case no 2:04-cv-375.
See what is called quality health care in TN and VA. http://www.wisecountyissues.com/?p=62 He rotted to death for ten long months, his legs were amputated. He was begging for a gun, looking back I should have granted him that wish.
There will only be change when those unaffected are as outraged as those who are.
Or is he just in it for the occasional free beer?
I get the impression you are not seeking true understanding of 'these people'. Especially with insinuations that they are unfit to live. Some people just may not think the way you do. There is no crime in that.
Jesus healed tons of people...I don't recall Him ever asking to see an insurance card before healing someone.
These protesters are VASTLY outnumbered in Appalachia by a quieter majority -- I won't call them silent. ;) They're radicals and they come from mostly middle class backgrounds -- middle class in terms of the region not the US at large. They want for nothing but they pretend to represent "real America" when they do not. Also, a good portion of the 200 came in on chartered buses. The GOP is losing it's grip in places like this which why President Obama keeps working the area. There's progress to be made in "them hills," and those crunching the numbers are well aware of it.
Garry in Bristol
I am a Southerner as well as a resident of Bristol. It is certainly not my intention to portray Bristol as city of bigoted, ignorant racists. However, opposition to Obama and his health care plan is widespread in our town. This has been made abundantly clear by recent Tea Parties, letters to the editors, blogs and locally based organizations like the Tenth Amendment Foundation.
They actually said that?
The republicans are mad dogs, frothing at the mouth, backed into a corner. It's best to just let them lie.
It's time to act. I'm not taking this blatant racism anymore!!!
Isn't this the basic concept of the stock market, the fundamental basis of capitalism?
Give All of MY hard earned money - to Corrupt Wall Street Banksters and the War-Profiteers like Halliburton. Funny the teab_ggers did not seem to mind where the wasted tax dollars went at that time.
Can we round up all the Senior protesters in Tampa - and Take Away their Govt-Run MEDICARE. So more of MY tax dollars are Not Wasted on Those Seniors.
THis type of crowd is cutting off their nose to spite their face and the repubs/GOP are laughing as they'll be more than happy to guide the knife.