Barney Frank Lashes Out at Protester for Nazi Remark
DARTMOUTH, Mass. (AP) — Rep. Barney Frank lashed out at protester who held a poster depicting President Barack Obama with a Hitler-style mustache during a heated town hall meeting on federal health care reform.
"On what planet do you spend most of your time?" Frank asked the woman, who had stepped up to the podium at a southeastern Massachusetts senior center to ask why Frank supports what she called a Nazi policy.
"Ma'am, trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it," Frank replied.
He continued by saying her ability to deface an image of the president and express her views "is a tribute to the First Amendment that this kind of vile, contemptible nonsense is so freely propagated."
Frank, who chairs the House Financial Services Committee, sought to assure more than 500 people attending the rowdy meeting that the average taxpayer wouldn't be hurt by plans currently under consideration in Congress.
Some of those attending the meeting organized by the Democratic Town Committee of Dartmouth shouted and booed as Frank and others addressed the crowd.
At one point, Frank asked the crowd: "Which one of you wants to yell next?"
Several people wanted to know how the government would pay for the reforms without worsening a growing federal budget deficit.
At least two dozen protesters gathered in small groups outside, handing out pamphlets and holding signs criticizing the overhaul, Obama and Frank. Some of the posters read: "It's the economy stupid, stop the spending" and "Healthcare reform yes, government takeover, no. Tort Reform Now".
Audrey Steele, 82, from New Bedford, said she does not want the government to get involved with health care because "they just make a mess of everything," referring to the $700 billion bailout of financial institutions that was used to pay for lavish conferences and hefty executive compensation.
Others at Tuesday's meeting were more supportive of reform.
Dr. Sheila Leavitt, a physician from Newton, said she hoped for changes that would support primary care physicians who aren't paid as much as specialists. She said some of the rowdy critics at Tuesday's meeting appeared to be using the same "talking points" as those who showed up at similar meetings around the country.
Reader Comments
HELLth Care from the current Govt.
When Leadership steps up and joins all other American
Sr.'s and signs up for the Draconian rules proposed for
their counterparts around the country, then we may be
able to "trust" their assurances.
As it is, they have exempted almost everybody from their
special interest groups and placed this onerous plan upon
every one of the rest of us.
American grandparents, Veterans, Heroes...None of us
are worth the extra money to cover health care, as opposed
to health insurance, with no care and no health.
NO CHOICE, just the Govt. Mandate.
Of course we don't want it, and we will fight to retain
our Freedoms without Govt. interference.
We are the generation of NO BAILOUTS, Responsible, Tax
payers who played by the rules. (Proof no good life
goes unpunished)
If we become ill, not only will we be denied care, we will
not be allowed to seek it out independently.
UNLIKE, the "revered" on the left, TEDDY, we will
not have care for our ailments. UNLIKE all of our "honest"
and "fair" public servants who are cramming this down our
throats, we will have no care!!
National Health Care and The Government's Excessive Power
If you want national health care create an association and invite your buddies to pay the bills. Exclude those who oppose it.
Healthcare for all americans.
I think that it would be best for all of us if we could have a public healthcare system like the one our government provides for our veterans. The service that is provided to our vetrens is good and cost effective.
In the richest country in the world we do not live as long or heaalthy lives as those in other developed countrys, and in some cases even some third world countries.
I frequently hear the Obama healthcare system refered to as being sociolistic, Denmark has a sociolist government and public healthcare system and when surveys are taken to determine the happyest country in the world Denmark places first.
I think that many of the people who object to the Obama planare not well informed and aer opposed to a plan that would be in their own best interests.
Perhaps it is the insuernce companies that object to this plan, they would loose a lot of money and would not be able to make money every time any person in this country became ill or had an accident. I think that we should have a public healthcare system that would have high standards of care and would make every effort to prevent illness and accidents and to cure illnesses and not just treat them in order to get rich selling drugs.
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