Health Care Town Halls

Rep. Schauer Challenged from Left and Right at Town Hall

Chris Savage | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics


Chris Savage

Schauer, who narrowly defeated the very conservative Tim Walberg in 2008, represents a swing district.

GOP Desperately Trying To Gin Up New Town Hall Anger

Politico | MANU RAJU | Posted 11.11.2009 | Politics


Republicans are looking to resurrect the angry town halls of August in the last few weeks of November. Senate Republican Conference Chairman Lamar ...

All Aboard! The Right's Fox News Gravy Train Rolls On

Karl Frisch | Posted 10.06.2009 | Media


Karl Frisch

Perhaps it's the rallies or the fundraising or the demonstrably false attacks that have kept Obama from appearing on Fox. Regardless, the right's gravy train rolls on undeterred, facts be damned.

Health Care Reform is the New Gay Marriage

Morgan Warners | Posted 11.14.2009 | Media


Morgan Warners

Gay marriage and our increasingly obvious interconnectedness present threats to traditions and ways of doing things that many of us think should change. In that regard, health reform is the new gay marriage.

"Yes We Can" Returns: Obama Leads Campaign-Style Health Care Rally

The Huffington Post/ AP | Posted 11.12.2009 | Politics


MINNEAPOLIS - President Barack Obama assailed critics of his health care initiative Saturday, seeking to grab the megaphone from his opponents and boo...

Anxiety in America: Behind the Health Care "Debate"

Ruth Bettelheim | Posted 10.23.2009 | Politics


Ruth Bettelheim

Appeals by politicians or pundits for protesters to be "reasonable" and pay attention to the actual facts fall on deaf ears. The only scenarios that seem plausible are those commensurate with their level of anxiety.

400 Former Obama Staffers: Don't Demobilize the Troops Before the Battle With the Insurance Industry

Mike Elk | Posted 10.22.2009 | Politics


Mike Elk

It has become clear that Obama's supporters are beginning to lose faith and the desire to fight for the president if he drops the public option.

The Republican Death March on Health Care

Susan J. Demas | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics


Susan J. Demas

Thanks to the town hall turmoil from bigots, birthers and assorted miscreants, Republicans can savor a sugar-high on health care -- a decadent and ultimately short-lived victory.

Wheelchair-Bound Woman Shouted Down At New Jersey Health Care Town Hall (VIDEO)

Huffington Post | David Weiner | Posted 10.18.2009 | New York


Congressman Frank Pallone (D-NJ), the man who recently "let it be known" that he'd step in should Gov. Corzine drop out of the New Jersey gubernatoria...

Progressives Carry the Day at Loebsack Town Hall

Trish Nelson | Posted 10.18.2009 | Politics


Trish Nelson

Someone shouted, "Socialism!" and the crowd applauded ... then laughed. So chill, conservatives.

Culture Wars Give Way to "Policy Wars" at Massa Town Hall

Tim Ellis | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics


Tim Ellis

Despite an impressive showing by Congressman Massa and activists on both sides, I walked away from this event convinced that the town halls are nothing more than sideshow theatre.

Attack of the Town Hall Zombies

Matt Osborne | Posted 10.17.2009 | Politics


Matt Osborne

The town hall protests are a form of undead politics, and these are the necromancers who have raised it.

It's Time to Really Engage Americans in Health Reform

Daniel Yankelovich | Posted 10.16.2009 | Politics


Daniel Yankelovich

Research shows that Americans, when they have a chance to work through the choices in health care reform, are far more willing to make tradeoffs than town hall meetings would suggest.

Sound and Fury: The Health Care Town Halls

Bill George | Posted 09.26.2009 | Politics


Bill George

Debate is only possible when other side will pause and listen. An argument without a counter-argument is just a lot of yelling.

The Tyranny of the Tantrum

Terrance Heath | Posted 09.25.2009 | Politics


Terrance Heath

What we're seeing from the health care town halls and what we've seen from the "birthers" is essentially what I call the Tyranny of the Tantrum, which many parents encounter during the "terrible twos."

EXCLUSIVE: Rejected Town Hall Rally Posters

Ben Wyskida | Posted 09.25.2009 | Comedy


Ben Wyskida

Lobbyist and special interest groups have spent a fortune packing health care town halls with paid stooges and Republican Party operatives. But manufacturing a grassroots movement isn't easy.

"Protester Does Shocking Thing": The Tyranny of Anecdotal Evidence

Stefan Sirucek | Posted 09.25.2009 | Media


Stefan Sirucek

How many town hall meetings have gone peacefully, constructively and without a hitch? We don't know. What we've heard about again and again are these scattered incidents cherry-picked for their shock value and presented as genuine and meaningful patterns.

Hundreds Pack Kirk-Led Town Hall, Police Turn Away Dozens More

Daily Herald | Madhu Krishnamurthy and Deborah Donovan | Posted 09.25.2009 | Chicago


Hundreds of area residents packed the Arlington Heights village hall boardroom this afternoon to debate health care reform at a town-hall meeting led ...

What Can We Do to Help?

Steven Weber | Posted 09.23.2009 | Politics


Steven Weber

It's not enough to elect someone and trust that he, she or they will fix things while we continue on our merry, consuming way. A movement is a myth without the people asking: What can we do?

Obama is Stalin! And a Cartoon by Lyndon LaRouche

Chris Kelly | Posted 09.21.2009 | Politics


Chris Kelly

The problem with Stalin's Soviet Union wasn't too much access to end-of-life counseling. The problem was systematic homicidal neglect. Sort of like what America's uninsured have now.

At Sen. DeMint's Town Hall: Lies, Damn Lies -- and "Jewish Spokesman" Ben Stein

Greg Mitchell | Posted 09.20.2009 | Politics


Greg Mitchell

The lies and misinformation at a town hall held by Sen. DeMint that came both from the crowd and the stage probably exceeded what many might have imagined.

I Want My Country Back! The Country That Elected Barack Obama

Linda Bergthold | Posted 09.20.2009 | Politics


Linda Bergthold

I want the focused, goal-oriented, real grass-roots supported, campaign mode for health reform.

Our Insane Summer: Is There a Way Out? Plus an Open Letter to the Secretary of Education [UPDATED]

John Milewski | Posted 09.20.2009 | Politics


John Milewski

As we enter the back-to-school phase of the calendar, I want to share some good news and offer some unsolicited advice to our nation's education top cop.

Conservative Black Bishop Calls Universal Health Care 'Reverse Classism'

Huffington Post | Matthew Palevksy | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics


A hat tip to Jon Nicosia from Eyes & Ears' Media Monitors for this scoop. On Tuesday, Conservative Bishop Harry Jackson from Hope Christian Church ...

Would You Want To Live To Be 100?

Dr. Judith Rich | Posted 09.19.2009 | Living


Dr. Judith Rich

Can you imagine yourself as a really, really old person? I'm talking really old, like 100 years or beyond? In fact it's not only possible you could ...