Pictures from McCaskill town hall in KC today - great signs!!

[proud2BlibKansan]

This woman needs an award for bravery:




You tell em, Granny!




Hmm, wonder if they will listen?




Check out the gigantic flag on top. What is it with the wingnuts and the flag? Sheesh!!




No signs allowed inside but they were everywhere as we walked in and when we left. And I saw some of the most creative signs I have seen to date on this issue.

As I reported live from the event, http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=6382727&mesg_id=6382727 the wingnuts were loud, rude and way outnumbered. Every time Claire paused, they yelled out at her. I couldn't make out everything they were yelling but what I did hear was more of the same stupid comments we have been hearing all summer - not worth repeating once again. And they yelled "WE DON'T TRUST YOU" several times.

They seemed to be congregated mainly in the back of the gymnasium. You can sort of see some of them in this picture in that yellow 912 shirt they like to wear.



They let us write down questions before Claire came out. They put them all in a container and when Claire came out she asked for the people who were opposed to health care reform to raise their hands. There were not many hands, maybe 20 (out of probably 1000 there in all). She picked one of the hand raisers out of the crowd, asked her aide to give him the container and he pulled the questions out one at a time for Claire to answer.



One of the first questions was did she know how many illegals were uninsured in the country. (This is one of the right wing talking points, that there really aren't 48 million uninsured in this country since 20 (sometimes they say 30) million of them are ILLEGAL!

Claire handled this one beautifully. She said there were about 47 million uninsured who would be covered under a couple of the bills proposed and another 12 million or so who wouldn't be covered since they are undocumented. This answer of course drew some rowdy remarks from the wingnuts.



At another point, Claire asked everyone on Medicare to raise their hands. Then she asked if they wanted to give up their Medicare to keep their hand up. Every hand went down except one. I couldn't see but Claire said the guy with his hand up looked to be about 20 and obviously wasn't on Medicare. LOL

[Lifelong Protester]

1. Good reporting....and the person with the "WE have the best

health care" sign.... I'd like him or her to define WE

[liberalhistorian]

33. They sure as hell don't mean hubby and I. We don't have

insurance right now, despite being hard-working and responsible, so we're screwed financially for forever if one of us gets sick or injured right now. But that doesn't matter to such people. As long as THEY have THEIR health care, they don't give a shit. And they're the firt to scream bloody murder if something happens that THEY don't have health care.

[MadMaddie]

2. Claire handled them perfectly!

[Kansas Wyatt]

3. She needs to stick with the Medicare question, and ....

Tell other Dems to ask the same question in their meetings.

[deaniac21]

4. What about female gun nuts?

[gratefultobelib]

5. I was there and she was awesome! She is so darned smart and answered

the questions ably and with assurance. I seriously thought some of the doubters should have been persuaded otherwise.

I didn't think the yelling out was bad, and when it did occur, it seemed to annoy many. Claire smoothly ignored them for the most part. I'm in the first crowd picture, by the way. Left side, 4th or 5th row from the bottom, blue Obama shirt, kind of sitting alone. I agree with you that the bad guys were badly outnumbered, but they were obnoxiously loud especially when they were stomping on the bleacher seats.

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. I thought they were awful

Maybe not as loud as some town halls or as rude as that idiot woman at the Barney Frank event last week.

But they certainly didn't reflect our midwestern values or manners.

[chollybocker]

6. "I'm the forgotten man"

I defy anyone to explain what that sign means. It's like freeper-glyphics.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. I gave up trying to figure out their twisted bullshit a long time ago

[dana_b]

28. "I'm a

white middle-aged-to-older man who has been catered to my entire life. What about ME???!!!"

[lib_wit_it]

31. Well, I have no idea what the freeper-glyphics part is trying to say, but the Forgotten Man part I

can shed some light on. What I know about it comes from the Frank Capra film, Meet John Doe. However, in the film, though there is a movement to get citizens to care more about each other, outside of government, I see its message as being the opposite of the RW philosophy. I think the Forgotten Man would have come out against Bush.

Here's a relevant article: http://www.thirteen.org/sites/reel13/subpages/classics-subpages/capras-parable-fascism-in-meet-john-doe/1044/#high_3

Looks like you can download or watch the film here: http://www.archive.org/details/meet_john_doe

[chollybocker]

32. Thanks for the info and links.

I love that movie, but the reference in this context left me blank... :wtf:

[lib_wit_it]

35. Most of what the RWers do and say has the same effect on me. Nonsensical dolts!

[lib_wit_it]

36. Another great one is Mr. deeds Goes to Town. Excellent RW roast.

[BrklynLiberal]

8. Great signs. you are right!!!

[havocmom]

9. Thanks, as always

Your reports from the heartland are very helpful.

[proud2BlibKansan]

15. You are so very welcome

[thread-bear]

10. claire has my respect (so far)

I don't trust politicians and certainly don't worship any,but McCaskill strikes me as more honest than most. Knowing Washington,she won't stay that way. And since the subject of size was brought up,the gun grabber with the sign,should remember that size is relative. Compared to her,King Kong has a tiny penis. Just saying. While I agree that the guys walking around with guns are idiots,accusing them of having tiny penises is a little? childish. Let's keep the discussion on the merits,please. Nevertheless,good for Claire.

[Lex]

11. "Let's keep the discussion on the merits"

If only the misinformed right wingnuts would be so courteous as well.

[thread-bear]

12. agreed

There a lot of misinformed people now-a-days,and yes,most,not all,are right-wing. I live among them and have been attacked by them. I don't consider my views right-wing or left-wing. I believe what I think is right. I welcome good intellectual argument to sway my opinions.

[lib_wit_it]

13. I hope you'll also welcome suggestion that you use the correct format and put a space after your

commas. Good intellectual arguments lose impact when the reader is distracted by such glaring errors in basic writing mechanics.

There's another political discussion group online in which such errors are common. Hmmmm, can't think of the freeping name just now...

[proud2BlibKansan]

14. LOL

[thread-bear]

34. suggestions

Actually, I do welcome your suggestions. What did you mean by correct format? I was a little angry when I wrote the reply and it's usually not a good idea to post anything while you're angry. I overreacted and typed something I shouldn't have. By the way, I think the group you're trying to remember is Free Republic. I apologize for insulting the woman, that was clearly wrong. I don't apologize for defending the Constitution. I don't think that the sign is humorous or original, but it is defiant. I do admire defiance.

[lib_wit_it]

38. Apology accepted. As I said, the correct format is to put a space after a comma. Elementary school

stuff. No offense.

And I never forget who the freepers are. Not every piece of sarcasm gets the gif.

[thread-bear]

40. Thanks

Elementary school was many years ago for me. I got angry, I screwed up. I thought turn about was fair play, but I ended up doing something I dislike in others. I wasn't really angry with the woman,I was angry at shit-stirrers and the whole situation. I don't go around insulting people in real life, but there is something about internet postings that makes you forget yourself. I think the best solution is to just quit posting. It doesn't make a difference, anyway. I just went through a short story I am writing making sure there was a space after every comma that warranted it. By the way, I knew you were being sarcastic, I have a very dry since of humor. Some love it, most don't.

[thread-bear]

41. in my defense

Before you conclude I'm just another dumb, uneducated idiot, let me provide the following facts: I was top of my class from first grade til graduation,voted most scholarly, most likely to succeed my junior, senior year, in the math contest my senior year in high school at the local college, I entered 4 math contests, I received a first, third, and two fourth place finishes. As a junior in high school, I won first place in the math science project at that college,(I tried to do the impossible, and came infinitely close.) After hauling hay until 1 a.m., I got up at 4 a.m. to take a test to enter college. I scored in the top 7% of the nation. My junior high school year, they said my I.Q. was 142. I have a short story published, a poem, and cover art,(very recently). I never attended college because of financial reasons. My problem is not intelligence,it is memory. I have noticed a lessening of my memory since my 30's. Since I've started writing,and creating art again,my memory is improving considerably. Yes, I'm uneducated,but I'm not dumb. For what it is worth.

[barbtries]

19. bingo

their protestations are so out of left field that the observation may very well be straight to the point.

[proud2BlibKansan]

16. And my perspective is that it's about time we injected a little humor in this debate

[barbtries]

18. thank you for reporting back on this

and for going. love the tiny penis sign, that's what i always think when i see men strutting guns...

[Bandit]

20. And all this time I believed you all that "size doesn't matter"

LOL

[barbtries]

21. lol

let's keep that under our hat, or they may start shooting...

[66 dmhlt]

22. I, too, attended Claire's KCMO Town Hall

I'm deaf, and they had no signers so I did leave early. But I got there two hours before it started and had time to actually do a chair count. There were ~ 650 seats on the floor and ~ 400 in the bleachers - so your 1,000 count is spot on.

Judging from the standing ovation Claire got (versuses those that sat on their hands) I, too, would put it at 90% pro healthcare reform and 10% ... well, let's just "others".

[proud2BlibKansan]

23. Thanks for counting the chairs!

I tried but it was too crowded.

Love that 96.5 sign!

[livetohike]

26. I'm sorry there were no signers there

Is there someone you could call to make that suggestion for the next meeting? Thanks for posting the pics too. Love the radio station sign :-).

[proud2BlibKansan]

30. I forgot to include this in my OP

As we were walking out a woman next to my friend and I pointed to the stickers we had been given as we went in that said HEALTH CARE FOR ALL. She asked "Does that include the unborn?" I said "Well, it does say 'ALL'" And she said "What about aborted babies?" And I asked her "What kind of health care would an aborted baby need? Wouldn't that baby be dead?"

My friend laughed and the woman said "Do you think a government health care plan should pay for abortions?" Before I could respond, my friend said "Ma'am, I can tell you are trying to start a conversation we are not going to have with you."

Then she walked away.

[butterfly77]

37. I love the first sign..

[bridgit]

24. This is part of what needs to be done, make them read spell checked signs that say something...

They'll drift and doze off like sleepy Dimetapp babies in no time - cool pics thanks for posting :kick:

[livetohike]

25. Thanks for the report! Looks like Sen. McCaskill knows

how to hold a constructive town hall meeting. Wish they could all turn out that way.

[bermudat]

27. Senate needs more women like McCaskill

[proud2BlibKansan]

29. Yes good point

:)

[avaistheone1]

39. Not really.

McCaskill is against single payer.