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Town Hall Meetings

Obama Talks About the Rights of Children

Alexia Parks | Posted 11.17.2009 | Impact

Read More: Mentoring, U.N., U.S. Congress, United Nations, President Obama, Parenting, Town Hall Meetings, China, Shanghai, U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, Impact News
Alexia Parks

Of the 193 countries who have signed the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, only two countries in the world, the United States and Somalia, have refused to ratify it.

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Rep. Schauer Challenged from Left and Right at Town Hall

Chris Savage | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Mark-Schauer, Healthcare Reform, Mark-Schauer-Town-Hall, Mark Schauer, Health Care Town Halls, Public Option, Michigan, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
Chris Savage

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

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What is the "Message" Behind Increased Gun Sales?

Josh Horwitz | Posted 11.05.2009 | Politics

Read More: Gun Violence, Second Amendment, Insurrectionism, Insurrection, William Kostric, Gun Control, Founding Fathers, Constitution, Town Hall Meetings, Guns, Politics News
Josh Horwitz

Wayne LaPierre, CEO of the National Rifle Association, thinks Americans are stockpiling handguns, assault weapons and ammunition because they are going to be "attacked by politicians"?

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On Not Having Kids -- Because You Don't Want Them to Grow Up in a "Communist" Country

Colin Delany | Posted 10.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Glenn Beck Fox News, Barack Obama Health Care, Obama Fox News, Town Hall Meetings, Barack-Obama-Communist, President Barack Obama, Obama Communist, Politics News
Colin Delany

Somehow it came up that her own son and his wife were reluctant to have children, which in itself is nothing unusual, but their reason blew my folks' minds: it was because they didn't want their kids to grow up in a "communist" country.

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What A Real Town Hall Looks Like

Alex Green | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Town Hall Debate, Waltham-Massachusetts, Town Hall Meetings, boston.com, Christopher Hitchens, Waltham Daily News Tribune, Barney Frank, Politics News
Alex Green

Can this be done anywhere? Yes. Is it without difficulty? No. But is it easier than we think to organize 25 political figures over four weeks with a small group and no money? Yes.

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Why Majority Support Does Not Guarantee Health Reform (and Why This Isn't All Bad)

Elizabeth Rigby | Posted 10.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Fear, Public Fears, House, Health, Public Opinion, Congress, Health Care, Health Reform, Obama Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Senate, Public Option, Barack Obama, Politics News
Elizabeth Rigby

A full defense of the public option requires moving beyond the basic arguments for reform. It requires reform proponents to take seriously the fears of opponents, even if they make up only a minority of the American public.

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New York Review: The Blog (Preview)

The Huffington Post | Posted 10.14.2009 | Books

Read More: Nobel, Supreme Court, Dworkin, Books, Jonathan Raban, Nyr, Italy, New York Review of Books, Blogs, Garry Wills, Blog, New York Review, Book Reviews, Hillary Clinton, Town Hall Meetings, Reading, Blogging, China, Healthcare, Books News

The New York Review of Books, our content partner, Is teasing its new site by giving us a peek at their brand new blog section today. As usual it is f...

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"...And to the Republic for Which it Stands..."

Gary Hart | Posted 10.08.2009 | Politics

Read More: Government, Public Policy, Town Halls, Town Hall Debate, Pledge of Allegiance, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
Gary Hart

Shouting at town hall meetings may vent anger, but it is not sufficient to eliminate corruption in American government. Exercising popular sovereignty through constructive civic duty, though, would be a start.

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Inspired Democracy: The Debate Table

Alexia Parks | Posted 10.07.2009 | Living

Read More: Paul Simon, Town Hall Debate, Obama, Afghanistan, Town Hall Meetings, Barack Obama, Living News
Alexia Parks

"What have you done in your own community since Obama was elected president?" they challenged the audience. So I picked up the card and wrote down: "I hosted a Democracy Debate Table."

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Republicans' 2010 Campaign Message: Vote For Us Because Obama Can't Magically Fix in a Year What it Took Us Eight Years to Destroy

Andy Ostroy | Posted 10.06.2009 | Politics

Read More: Iraq War, Job Losses, Gop, Tea-Baggers, 2010 Election, President Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Afghanistan War, Republicans, Town Hall Meetings, Great Depression, Politics News
Andy Ostroy

So, what's the real 2010 Republican campaign message gonna be?: "Watch out Democrats, we're gonna be nastier, dirtier, more unethical and deceptive than ever.

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

Karl Frisch | Posted 10.06.2009 | Media

Read More: Health Care Town Halls, Greta Van Susteren, Dick Morris, 9/12 Tea Party March, Steve Doocy, Roger Ailes, Rep. Joe Wilson, Fox Business Network, Barack Obama, Republican Governors Association, Fox Business, Mike Huckabee, Gretchen Carlson, Sean Hannity, Tax Day Tea Parties, Joe Wilson, Health Care Reform, Rupert Murdoch, Fox News, Glenn Beck, Neil Cavuto, James Rosen, Independence Day Tea Parties, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Republican Party, Fox News Channel, Republicans, Media News
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.

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DNC Sued By Man Ousted From Town Hall

The Huffington Post | Elyse Siegel | Posted 09.23.2009 | Politics

Read More: Dnc, Thomas Quigley Jr, Health Care Debate, Thomas Quigley Jr Lawsuit, Oakley Town Hall, Dnc Sued, Health Care Town Hall, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News

In the aftermath of an incident that occurred at a health care town hall held by Rep. Steve Driehaus (D-Ohio), attendee Thomas Quigley Jr. is suing th...

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Secesh 3.0: Fear Of A Black President

David A. Love | Posted 09.29.2009 | Politics

Read More: Confederacy, Birthers, Obama Stimulus, Homeland Security, McCain Palin, Secession, Confederate Flag, Secede, Obama, Southern Poverty Law Center, Joe Wilson You Lie, Strom Thurmond, Stimulus, Rep. Joe Wilson, Obama Health Care, Barack Obama, Rob Miller, Department of Homeland Security, Tax Day Tea Party, Obama Stimulus Plan, Economic Stimulus Package, Hate Groups, Stimulus Package, Joe Wilson, Birther, Economic Stimulus, Joe Wilson South Carolina, Health Care, Tea Party, Southern Strategy, Town Hall Meetings, Race, Racism, Politics News
David A. Love

When the Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) disrupted the President’s health care address before a joint session of Congress, it was not the first time th...

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Am I Free to Speak?

Stephen Herrington | Posted 09.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Government, Freedom of Speech, Supreme Court, Russ Feingold, First Amendment, John McCain, Corporations, Freedomworks, Hillary Clinton, Constitution, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
Stephen Herrington

We have, for some decades now, been in an era that the framers did not anticipate, in which the reach and influence of money could shape the political landscape like never before.

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Help Heal Manhattan: How Health Care Will Impact New York

Nelson Montana | Posted 11.20.2009 | New York

Read More: Health Care Reform, Obama, Clinton, Town Hall Meetings, Democrats, New York, Public Option, Medicare, Republicans, New York News
Nelson Montana

When a congressman can actually heckle a presidential speech it's time to admit the political has been reduced to the same shouting and name calling that has become prime time entertainment.

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Immigration Reform Forum in Aurora, Colorado

Morgan Carroll | Posted 11.19.2009 | Denver

Read More: Immigration Reform, Education, Workers, Queen of Peace Church, Aurora, Town Hall Meetings, Denver, Colorado, Denver News
Morgan Carroll

Michael Bennet attended and said that it is unacceptable to have 12 million people living in the shadows of our laws and that we need comprehensive immigration reform.

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Billy the Kid and the Town Hall Meeting

Susan L. Travis | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Health Care Reform, Racism, Town Hall Debate, Town Hall Meetings, Obama Health Care, Health Care, Politics News
Susan L. Travis

Despite the political backdrop, our town hall meeting was mercifully spared the guns and swastikas of the six o'clock news.

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Discussing Gun Violence Prevention in Indiana, Ohio and Tennessee

Paul Helmke | Posted 11.18.2009 | Politics

Read More: Supreme Court, Gun Violence, National Rifle Association, Indiana, Tennessee, Concealed Carry, Ohio, Nancy Pelosi, Town Hall Meetings, Nra, Barack Obama, Guns, Illegal Guns, Politics News
Paul Helmke

My experiences speaking around the country about gun violence have been the exact opposite of the contentious "town hall" protests we've seen on television over the summer.

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Defending Unpatriotic Racism

Robbie Gennet | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, Msnbc, Hate, Bush, War, George W. Bush, Racist, President Obama, Obama, Democratic Party, Democrats, Barack Obama, Afghanistan War, Iraq War, Religion, Bush Administration, Patriotism, Joe Wilson, Jimmy Carter, Fox News, Racism, Glenn Beck, Hate Speech, President Bush, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Republican Party, African Americans, Republicans, Politics News
Robbie Gennet

They say the best offense is a good defense. Our only real defense against right wing insanity is to put them on the defense and keep them there.

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America, Then and Now

Athena Andreadis, Ph.D. | Posted 11.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Ronald Reagan, Challenger, Immigration, Glenn Beck, Right Wing, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Right-Wing Extremism, Barack Obama, Politics News
Athena Andreadis, Ph.D.

In the thirty years following Reagan, the Overton window steadily moved to the right and the bottom, resulting in today's baboon shrieks from talk show hosts, financiers and politicians.

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My Coffee with Rep. Jared Polis

David Thielen | Posted 11.17.2009 | Denver

Read More: Jared Polis, Lafayette, Town Hall Meetings, Barney Frank, Colorado, Denver, Denver News
David Thielen

I met with Rep. Jared Polis this afternoon at Canyon Mine Coffee in Lafayette. I swear, Jared has so much energy that if we could plug him in to the p...

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Obama and the Gun Lobby: A Policy of Appeasement?

Dennis A. Henigan | Posted 11.15.2009 | Politics

Read More: Gun Violence, Mexican Drug Cartels, National Rifle Association, District of Columbia, Rahm Emanuel, Nancy Pelosi, Gun Control, Harry Reid, Democratic Party, Town Hall Meetings, Nra, National Parks, Barack Obama, Guns, Politics News
Dennis A. Henigan

Is it a stretch to envision President Obama as the Neville Chamberlain of the gun issue? Consider the record so far.

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An Honest Display of Lying

B. Jeffrey Madoff | Posted 11.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Congress, Joe Wilson, President Obama, Associated Press, Health Care Reform, Cash for Clunkers, Socialism, Abc, 9/12 March on Washington, Health Care, Town Hall Meetings, Politics News
B. Jeffrey Madoff

What's the point of having a discussion with someone when you already know the outcome? "So, what did you think of your boy Obama's speech the other night?" I was asked on the train.

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Health Care Reform is the New Gay Marriage

Morgan Warners | Posted 11.14.2009 | Media

Read More: Tea Bag Parties, Tax Day Tea Party, Modernity, Tea Bag, Tea Baggers, Tea Party, Tea Bagging, Gay Rights, Evangelical Christians, Economy, Christianity, Globalization, Gay, Gay Marriage, Health Care Town Halls, Town Hall Debate, Tea Party Protests, Town Hall Debate Reaction, Town Halls, Town Hall Meetings, Media News
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.

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Stupidity Is Your Pre-Existing Condition

Erik Sean Nelson | Posted 11.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Obama Healthcare, Joe Wilson, Universal Health Care, Valerie Plame, Ambassador Joe Wilson, Healthcare Reform, Town Hall Meetings, Rep. Joe Wilson, Healthcare, Politics News
Erik Sean Nelson

I think the right to stay alive is as important than the right to free speech, because you can't say many words when you die at age 20 from a pre-existing condition.

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