Obama Heads to Montana for Healthcare Town Hall
The president might face tougher questions about healthcare reform than he did in New Hampshire
President Barack Obama is expected to take his healthcare reform message to Montana this afternoon for the second of three town hall meetings this week.
While Obama faced a mild-mannered crowd in Tuesday's town hall meeting in Democratic-leaning New Hampshire, the president could feel the heat this afternoon in Montana, a historically Republican state.
There, Obama plans to continue his criticism of insurance companies, who he says shouldn't be meddling in America's healthcare system.
As many as 500 protesters are expected to rally outside the Gallatin Field Airport hangar in Belgrade, Mont., where the event is being held at 2:55 p.m. EST.
Unlike at Tuesday's event, many of the tickets for today's meeting were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at the city halls in Bozeman and Belgrade. Under the usual system, people have to sign up on the White House's Web site, be selected at random out of thousands who register, and show up to receive the tickets.
Tickets to some of the most heated town hall meetings this week, such as that of Sen. Arlen Specter in Lebanon, Pa., and Sen. Claire McCaskill in Hillsboro, Mo., were distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.
While protestors have not confronted the president directly, many lawmakers have borne the brunt of angry outbursts that have disrupted town hall meetings nationwide. Near the end of a meeting yesterday in Kittanning, Pa., an audience member accused Specter of planting some of his questions and called him a "socialist, fascist pig."
The White House expects about 1,300 people to attend today's town hall in Montana.
Obama is expected to hold another town hall meeting Saturday in Grand Junction, Colo.
- See photos of healthcare town hall meetings.
- See a gallery of political cartoons.
- Follow U.S. News Weekly on Twitter.
Reader Comments
Fix healthcare by throwing self-serving politicians out of office
Why is it that when Barack Obama was running for President he attacked pharmaceutical companies and now he has teamed up with them to promote his health care plan? Why are all the tort lawyers big democratic supporters and multi-millionaires? Obama’s true intentions are so obvious that even the left is starting to express concerns. For example, on August 10, CBS Evening News correspondent Sharyl Attkisson filed a report stating that “the White House agreed not to seek price controls on drugs for seniors on Medicare and would not support importing cheaper drugs from Canada.” According to Attkisson, “The pharmaceutical industry is now so firmly in the President's camp it's developing plans to spend up to $150 billion promoting it with TV ads.”
According to the acting president of Public Citizen and founder and director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group, Dr. Sidney Wolfe, “An all sort of off the record deal was reached that is very bad for the American public.” Other experts say that for their cooperation, Obama is allowing pharmaceutical companies to charge $50 for a $2 pill and is assuring them that there will be no changes to the laws that make it near impossible for less expensive generic drugs to reach the American market.
Unless tort lawyers, the pharmaceutical lobby and other special interest groups like the AMA, ADA and the AARP are dealt with to preserves the Constitution and the free market system, while also protecting the medical provider and consumer, no healthcare plan can work.
Cybercorrespondent
http://cybercorrespondent.blogspot.com
in the Rockies?
He has to travel further and further to find seals to clap for a fish or two.
Obama Doubletalk On Health Care
Don't forget that a good number of the supposed 43 million people without insurance are illegal aliens and younger people who choose to go without insurance.
Bottom line: do NOT believe the lies and multi-million dollar spin campaign coming from the Obama White House.
One question that needs to be asked of Obama, videotaped, and put on YouTube:
If your big government health care scheme is so good for us, will you then publicly commit to enrolling yoursaelf and your family in the "public option" and force Congress and their families to do the same?
advertisement
