Recess hasn't been relaxing for a lot of Republican House freshmen. The hostility at town meetings over their vote to abolish Medicare and give the wealthy more tax breaks just isn't letting up. Here's the latest, courtesy the DCCC.
Freshman Rep. Cravaack defends Medicare vote [Associated Press]
“The freshman Republican showed the 50 people at the town hall a number of slides in a Power Point presentation. They contained detailed financial information on Medicare, Social Security and U.S. debt. […] Terry Bell, 62, of Cambridge, criticized the slides for being inaccurate. He asked Cravaack to point out the last time Republicans produced a balanced budget. "Your party has added to the deficit ever since the Ford administration," Bell said. "The only time you get the least bit concerned is when the Democratic Party gets in." [Associated Press, 5/18/11]
Heck town hall meeting sparks passions [Las Vegas Review Journal]
“The crowd didn't just argue with Republican Rep. Joe Heck at a town hall meeting in Boulder City on Wednesday. The 50 people in attendance often shouted at each other, indifferent to whether the Republican federal budget Heck was there to discuss would hurt or help Medicare and the job market. Heck repeatedly spoke over the vocal crowd just to get a word in. […]"I'm not saying it's the best idea, but it's the only one and the best being proposed now," Heck said, emphasizing that the government needs to cut back spending to reasonable, sustainable levels. [Las Vegas Review Journal, 5/18/11]
Black addresses debt, Medicare at town hall meeting [The Tennessean]
“She supports a proposal that will privatize the system for those who are 54 years of age and under, which she referred to as a premium support program. This structure, according to Republicans, would allot higher payments for the sick; smaller payments for the wealthy; and help seniors with out-of-pocket costs, according to the proposed budget plan. […] Black was frequently interrupted during her presentation and her responses during the question-and-answer session that followed. Some challenged her attempted responses, particularly on matters of taxation. [The Tennessean, 5/18/11]
Knox County Progressives rip Medicare voucher plan [Galesburg Register-Mail]
“Instead of fulfilling his obligation to every American, Mr. Schilling voted to replace the Medicare program — that provides healthcare and debt relief to millions of seniors and disabled Americans — with a plan that would unduly burden them and their families,” Joel Ward told those gathered. “In addition, the plan Congressman Schilling voted for would have a disastrous effect on healthcare — because out-of-pocket healthcare costs would more than double for seniors and the disabled.” […] As he left, Galesburg resident Gary Ellenberg said he attended the Progressive Party event for a simple reason.“I’m here because I don’t believe people like Paul Ryan have any point of reference to draw on,” he said. “They don’t remember the time before President Johnson made these programs law. They don’t remember things like old-age poverty and when older people couldn’t afford even basic healthcare. [Galesburg Register-Mail, 5/18/11]
Fun times. Hopefully every House Democrat having a town meeting this week is on message: "We have a plan. It's called Medicare."