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Friday, August 28, 2009
News Last night at the town hall meeting
Posted By Rhiannon Fionn-Bowman on Fri, Aug 28, 2009 at 10:05 AM
Glenn Burkins, editor of Qcitymetro.com, offers a fresh perspective on last night's Gaston County town hall meeting with Rep. Sue Myrick. Read a snippet then read the entire post here.
The meeting was held at 7 p.m. inside the Gaston Day School, 2001 Gaston Day School Road, Gastonia. Even by the standards of Gaston County, this was no easy drive for someone leaving Charlotte.
Myrick’s other two town hall meetings were in equally remote locations – one at Weddington High School in Union County and another at J.V. Washam Elementary School in Cornelius. I couldn’t help but wonder as I drove for miles along narrow, winding roads why Myrick had chosen to ignore Mecklenburg, the state’s largest and most diverse county.
When I arrived, five minutes late, the parking lot was full. So was the 540-seat auditorium. Myrick’s staff was setting up overflow chairs out in the lobby. Being a member of the press, I was given access to the main room. The heavy police presence could not be missed.
The audience inside was decidedly north of middle age. A few carried protest signs, but not many. I counted two African Americans.
Myrick was standing behind a large wooden podium on a large stage, explaining why she opposes President Obama’s efforts to reform health care: the proposals cost too much, they amount to a government takeover, might eventually rob families of choice, could lead to health care rationing…
...
For two hours I listened, one speaker after another, all praising Myrick for fighting the good fight – for her anti-abortion stand, for opposing health care reform, for supporting the military -- and all lambasting Obama as a danger, a menace or both.
Only two in the audience rose in support for health care reform, and both were booed or shouted down to various degrees. (One said she’d like to hit Myrick with a tomato and got the expected reaction.)
Next time: The legitimate concerns I heard. Plus, what these town hall meetings really say about America.
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