So, the tables have turned. This time it’s the Republicans getting hammered by angry crowds at town hall meetings.
During their first recess since voting to overhaul Medicare, House Republicans are getting a none-too-friendly reception back home, similar to the collective public outburst of August 2009 regarding health care reform that chastened congressional Democrats.
McClatchy Newspapers is reporting that reactions have been mixed but many attending public forums want to know whey their representative to change Medicare to a voucher system. And if the intent is to cut the deficit, why does the Republican budget plan offer tax breaks for the wealthy?
In New Hampshire, a state known for a fiscally conservative streak, Rep. Charles Bass painted a doomsday picture for a crowd of constituents, saying the country would be “basically ruined” if it did not curb the growth of government, according to McClatchy.
But a group of gray-haired constituents quickly pushed him back on his heels. He struggled to defend the GOP plan vigorously, once mischaracterizing the tax cut for wealthy individuals as a benefit only for corporations. By the time he left, he seemed less than wedded to the details.
“If there are certain facets of the budget that are manifestly unpopular, I think that should be taken into consideration, but it’s too soon,” he said. “This is the beginning of a long conversation.”
Across the nation, some Republicans heard core supporters urging them to hold fast on the next big budget fight — the debate over raising the federal debt limit.
But in many places, Democrats (and some Republicans) turned out to express opposition — rebelling in particular against the GOP plan to turn Medicare coverage into vouchers — much as Republicans did in the health care debate of ‘09.
In Pennsylvania, one man was escorted out of a town hall by police. In Wisconsin, Rep. Paul Ryan, the architect of the Republican plan, was booed in his own district as he outlined the proposal.
Republicans repeatedly sought to reassure older voters that their benefits would not be touched — the plan would not kick in for 10 years and would not affect people 55 and older. Some voters found that to be of little solace.
Shortly after freshman Republican Rep. Lou Barletta fired up his slide show in an aging pocket of his Democratic-leaning eastern Pennsylvania district, 64-year-old Linda Christman rose and interrupted him.
“You seem to think that because I’m not affected, I won’t care if my niece, my grandson, my child is affected. I do care,” she said. “You said nothing in the campaign about ‘I’m going to change Medicare.’ Now you voted for a plan that will destroy Medicare.”
