Will Lakeland town hall on health care reform be a repeat of Tampa?
August 11, 2009 at 9:20 am by Wayne GarciaPro-reform AARP has planned a town hall meeting for Wednesday afternoon in Lakeland, and the big question is: Will it feature the same kind of testiness, shouting, shoving and calamity that has befell other town halls, including one last week in Tampa’s Ybor City?
Organizers don’t think so. A Florida AARP spokesman told March on Politics that the organization has already held some of these town halls (part of a grassroots-TV ad blitz to support the president’s initiative) and while some got heated none reached the level of the Ybor event. UPDATE: Florida AARP spokesman Dave Bruns tells me this afternoon that while the AARP events have seen some “very pointed exchanges” (and, in Leesburg, one woman who came forward and dumped her cut-up AARP card in front of the speaker) that they have not seen the kind of disruptions that have plagued other town halls. “There’s been some backlash about what happened in Tampa,” Bruns said.
The town hall is on the radar screen of the Lakeland 9-12 Project, an offshoot of Fox host Glenn Beck’s right-wing fomenting. But RedCounty — a conservative blog that chronicles various counties across the nation, including Hillsborough — is urging civility:
Before attending this meeting or any other, keep in mind that calling people names and screaming will get you nothing more than bad publicity. Many Democrats have flooded politics with incorrect attacks and have often demonstrated their bad manners in public forums over the years. That is no reason for those against their current plans to act like them. They should have plenty of room inside a church to have a sizable crowd. It’s great to have signs and even be a little loud outside. Decorum and civility should always be in mind while inside the meeting.
Be polite and read up as much as you can about the health care legislation, from credible sources, before attending a town hall. Make sure your words are defendable and clear. If Democrats and their allies really want to debate, then lets give them a real debate!
It is likewise on the radar screen at Conservatives for Patient Rights, which is also urging civility from its members who want to attend.
My best guess is that they will be testy but violence-free. Two reasons: the lack of a congressperson on hand to direct anger at, and the lack of the SEIU, which is always a target of conservative criticism and stereotyping (yeah, we know, all union members are goons, thugs and mobsters, just like everyone who is against the current health care reform bills are knuckle-draggers and naysayers.)
The town hall is set for 1-3 pm at Faith Lutheran Church, 211 Easton Drive in Lakeland.
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