MSNBC: After 100's of interviews @ Obama town hall no evidence WH hand picked audience

[sabra]

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/

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*** Obama’s town hall vs. the others: One question we’re getting: Why was the president’s town hall so staid compared with all the other town halls we’re seeing? Our theory is the Secret Service. One of us interviewed hundreds of folks who were in the town hall and outside, looking for ANY evidence of town-hall packing -- and we couldn't find any. Perhaps the White House should have attempted to distribute tickets through some GOP groups, like the state party, or Sen. Judd Gregg's office etc. In fact, it seems as if the White House was a tad disappointed they didn't get a moment for the president to confront a critic. The closest the president got was the question from the Maine Republican, who told NBC News that he did NOT vote for Obama. But this man seemed more nervous asking his question about the public option to the president than he did speaking to reporters afterward when he said he wasn't convinced on the public option. What this suggests: How people treat a president is MUCH different than how they'll treat a senator or a member of Congress. It may be a tough reality for a member of Congress to deal with, but it's where we are.