Senate Obamacare Repeal Hearing Overwhelmed by Protests

[DonViejo]

Source: Slate



SEPT. 25 2017 3:34 PM

By Jim Newell

The line to get into the one and only hearing on Graham-Cassidy, Republican senators' last-ditch effort to repeal Obamacare, filled two lengthy hallways in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Monday. Not "spanned" two hallways—filled. Wheelchairs, three-deep, clogged the corridor; police stood shoulder to shoulder to protect a narrow walkway for people to pass.

Several of the protesters at the front of the line told me that they claimed their spaces at 5 a.m. Monday morning. They were with ADAPT, an organization of disability rights activists. As one woman told me, it takes those in wheelchairs a little bit longer to get ready in the morning, so their wake-up call came at 2:30 a.m. About 10 to 15 of those in wheelchairs were able to get into the hearing room, nearly 12 hours after they woke up.

They weren't wasting any time. The second that Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch tried to begin the hearing, the ADAPT protesters began to shout, “NO cuts to Medicaid, save our liberty!” They are still, about an hour later as I write this, chanting it in the hallways of Dirksen. It took Capitol police about 20 minutes to escort all of those disrupting the proceedings out of the room.

Some protesters followed the police officers’ order to leave. Others didn’t. At least one man would not move and police could not figure out how to unlock his wheelchair. He was picked up and carried out by about half a dozen officers. Others just made it difficult for the police.

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Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2017/09/25/graham_cassidy_hearing_overwhelmed_by_protests.html

[underpants]

1. Well done

[BumRushDaShow]

2. Joe Madison's SiriusXM show broadcasts from D.C.

and he mentioned this morning that on his way to the studio (his show is on from 6am - 10am ET) that he saw this (and other groups) literally parading in their wheelchairs down Constitution Ave (I believe) in the dark @~4 - 5 am (with police escort) on their way to Dirksen.

Talk about dedication and bravo!

[riversedge]

3. Holding it in a small room was wrong.

[calimary]

4. God BLESS these people!

There's TRUE courage.

They're genuine red-white-&-blue American HEROES. Good Grief - they're putting their own lives and their bodies on the line - which sure is more than most of those pantywaists on that Senate panel ever have. They saved their health care - AND everyone else's, too. God BLESS every single one of them! They make me proud to be an American.

Guys - we can do NO less than make damn sure WE have THEIR backs, every single time! We can never let up, because the bad guys refuse to give up their evil, godless, cold-hearted, mean-spirited, just-plain-shitty objectives. WE CAN NEVER LET UP! And those of us who are able-bodied and have our health - have NO EXCUSE whatsoever.

[DeminPennswoods]

5. Gutsy for sure

The visuals of disabled people being forcibly removed by police were stunning. I'm sure nearly everyone who saw them was shocked and appalled.