It was an overwhelmingly pro health care reform crowd tonight and when - "An Arlington woman asked why Kerry and other Democrats weren't pushing for a single-payer system..." she got an ovation from the crowd. One "... Somerville woman accused Kerry and his Democratic colleagues of launching a "big government" takeover with the current reform plan..." She also disclosed that she was 66 and on Medicare..," prompting catcalls from many in the auditorium."
"...White House officials have complained [that] media coverage has been skewed toward troublemakers." Here is what we saw... the - vocal- and- very- fringe- could- not- wait- for- a- turn- to- speak- loopy- woman ( did she HAVE to say she was an artist and a feminist?) was immediately accosted by the press who took her picture and interviewed her! Why her? Why not the primary care doctor who spoke for reform? Why not the woman from Arlington who called for single payer, universal health care? Out of 2400 people at Town Hall in Somerville tonight, about 12 were vocally AGAINST health care reform --- Help me with the math people - isn't that only 0.5% ? Why do these people get so much attention?
Maybe it is because without this "astroturf grassroots" opposition, it would be the Dems backpedaling on universal health care with no one pushing them back except the GOP and the insurance companies and that would be, well, embarrassing?
Although he gave a great speech showing how much we needed reform Kerry kept grand standing with his "promises" that we would not lose what private insurance we had and that the most egregious abuses of insurance companies would be regulated. Big wooop. You done whipped that straw dog, John. Well done.
