Protesters Trash Health Care Reform

[Mark Mentzer]

Democrats Met With Anger over Prospect of Higher Taxes, Government-Run "Obama-Care" on Eve of August Recess
By Wyatt Andrews

(CBS) The debate over health care reform has been raging in Washington for weeks. But outside the nation's capital, this healthy discourse has grown loud with vocal protests.

Is this just some less-than-polite heckling or political maneuvering? CBS News correspondent Wyatt Andrews reports.

It's happening almost everywhere as Democrats try to defend their plan for health care reform.

Angry protestors in Philadelphia shouted down both Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Sen. Arlen Specter.

On Saturday in Texas, demonstrators against what they called government-run health care surrounded Democratic Rep. Lloyd Doggett and followed him out to his car, shouting "just say no."

The crowds are partly the result of conservative Web sites asking for turn out at town hall meetings - including three tonight in Virginia, Mississippi and South Carolina. Hundreds of events by both Democrats and Republicans are being targeted in every state.

But the turnouts also reflect the real fear over the increased taxes and government controls that are part of the health bills being considered in Congress.

"They know that that means somebody's taxes are eventually be used to pay for this - and they are worried that that's their taxes," said Max Pappas of the conservative Web site Freedom Works.

Political analysts say Democrats face a very tough August recess. Beyond the shout-downs, anti-reform forces have also mounted phone campaigns

"It's all the calls that are flooding in to the district offices of members of Congress," said CBS News political consultant Marc Ambinder. "And I bet that a lot of these calls will be negative."

Avoiding this kind of uproar is why Democrats wanted to pass health reform before August recess. Democrats are going out without a final bill to defend - and facing opponents trying to kill what they call "Obama-care" with this show of August heat.

But Nobody Reports it Like Keith Olbermann

Click here to see Keith's coverage. It's the #5 story: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3036677/#32276805

[Timothy Platt]

Marj,
They would argue it was partially your fault. You did not have to walk out in front of a moving vehicle regardless of how slow it was going or who you thought had the right-of-way. Also, it was your personal decision to go to the store when you did; had you chosen 5 minutes later or ealier, you never would have encounterted that driver.

[Madhatterat60]

And the worst...as it was a STORE parking lot...it's PRIVATE property...which adds a wonderful complication to this whole mess.

[LyndaAndLab]

I am a Keith fan, but I'm loving Rachel Maddow's coverage of these planted obnoxious screamers destroying our right to a fair and equal discussion. I understand that now these screamers actually have the endorsement of the Republican Party. Sure, if the lobbyist groups funded by all the insurance companies that have been screwing us for years. I am fighting lupus, 4+ additional autoimmune diseases, and another half dozen other chronic diseases. I was stunned when everything started to fall apart approx. a dozen years ago. You can not image our medical bills. These are chronic conditions, a few that are very serious, there are constant specialists, tests, and retests, and tests again because they have to see what's changing. Medications? 30 pills on a good day + oral chemo on Sat. & Sun. mornings. Non-medical insurance employees continually try to dictate to my doctors what medicine I should take. We are in debt only because of my health. Bless you if you are in good health, trust me, my family has been screwed big time, and I just turned 50. So if by chance people are smart enough to question the ads by the insurance company lobby groups, they can go to a town hall meeting and witness a Republican staged drama played out, where the pubic are denied the right to hear about a plan for public insurance and to ask their questions.

[Vernon Windsor]

I think it very important to those who want a truthful debate on healthcare to first watch, and then distribute this episode of Bill Moyer's Journal. Wendell Potter is the guest. I think it is very enlightening.

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/07312009/watch.html

[cynthia Hunter]

The whitehouse must be very afraid of the people who don't want the health care bill the way its written now. One of Obamas czars is wanting people to forward emails and or webs sites on anything that looks fishy! Talk about our rights being trampled on ! Hell Ill' Save time I will send my own name to them.

[Westerly_2]

Lynda, the congresspeople on hiatus should think about gaining control of their own meetings, in order to answer citizens who are actually serious about having a real debate about real questions. I think being forewarned is a plan in itself, and as expecting the unexpected becomes the norm, the speakers will have better luck in refusing the bait, jumping over the noisy bump in the road, and calling on the sane-looking guy in the back of the room.

It's beginning to happen already.

[Mark Mentzer]

Hey gang. Check this out: http://recessrally.com/. Thank you jacquin. I re-watched Rachel and this is the right site.

[Vernon Windsor]

Please peer behind the curtain. Things are not always what they seem. This is obvious to anyone who pays attention, but it is still nice when Rachel pulls the curtain back and reveals the hypocrisy.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32323732

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32323814

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26315908/#32323918

[Mark Mentzer]

Rachel has such an entertaining way of revealing hypocrisy.