Georgia congressmen hold health care town hall meetings

By RHONDA COOK

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The unruliness that has plagued several health-care reform meetings hasn’t occurred here yet, but several Georgia Democratic representatives are taking note nonetheless.

U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson is preparing for the possibility that his Monday meeting in Clarkston could be dominated by angry and loud protesters opposed to the effort.

John Lewis has decided his meeting on the subject will be conducted on the telephone.

And in South Georgia, Friday was another day for the “freedom line” to assemble for an hour outside the Thomasville office of Democrat Rep. Sanford Bishop.

As in other states, people from groups such as the Tea Party Patriots have packed the so-called town hall meetings of U.S. Representatives, many of which have been convened to discuss health care legislation pending in Congress.

For the most part, Democrats are drawing the crowds that include vociferous opponents of the White House’s proposals, often resulting in chaotic scenes.

In Ybor, Fla., U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor, Democrat and a strong supporter of the proposal, left a town hall meeting Thursday after trying unsuccessfully to speak for about 15 minutes. The crowd drowned her out by chanting, “You work for us,’’ “Tyranny, tyranny,’’ and “Read the bill.” Some attendees got into scuffles and shoving matches, and videos of the meeting were played repeatedly on news broadcasts and the Internet.

Similarly, six people were arrested in St. Louis Thursday at the town hall meeting that Democratic Rep. Russ Carnahan had called to discuss issues of the elderly, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In New York, Congressman Tim Bishop left a town hall meeting with a police escort. Maryland’s U.S. Rep. Frank Kratavil, also a Democrat, was hanged in effigy. And Brad Miller, a North Carolina Democratic congressman, received a death threat over health care reform.

“We have seen what’s been happening at other town halls and we’re going to do whatever we can to make this an open and fruitful dialogue,” said Andy Phelan, spokesman for Johnson, whose Fourth District includes parts of DeKalb Gwinnett and Rockdale counties. Monday’s meeting is scheduled for 7-9 p.m. at Georgia Perimeter College in Clarkston.

“We will try to open it to the public as much as we can,” Phelan said. “We’re not going to be deterred by these town hall crashers. This is ... the most important legislation in a generation and it’s our duty to communicate what’s going on to the public.”

Johnson’s office said about 20 police campus police officers would be there and other local agencies would be on standby.

Congressman David Scott of the 13th District has one planned for Aug. 15 in Jonesboro.

By comparison, the atmosphere at most Republican meetings has been docile. About 60 people came to the meeting last Saturday at American Legion hall in Mableton that featured Rep. Tom Price of 4th District. A spokesman said that meeting was organized by the Tea Party Patriots, a group that staged tax rallies last winter and are behind many of the protests at town hall meetings on health care.

Spokesman Brendan Buck said Price, a physician, would have some “sit down” meetings with constituents but he would do additional group sessions via telephone. Price most likely will have another in-person town hall meeting, Buck said.

The staff of Rep. Jack Kingston, another Republican, had to quickly find a larger room for a town hall meeting at Valdosta State University last week. And even that space was not enough for the crowd.

So far, there has been few incidents at metro Atlanta meetings.

Last Saturday, 300 people came to a town hall meeting with Lewis, who represents the Atlanta-centric 5th Congressional District, and a panel at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Some of those at the three-and-a-half-hour meeting were friendly, and some were not.

But, said Lewis communications director Brenda Jones, “I don’t think there were plants in the audience.... [But] I don’t know if we’re going to do another one [anytime soon].”

Like Price, Lewis most likely will conduct the next town hall meetings via telephone, where about 50,000 constituents can participate at a time, she said.

In South Georgia, a growing crowd has gathered each of the past few Fridays for an hour outside the downtown Thomasville district office of Congressman Sanford Bishop to “rally against the health care bill,” said organizer Kimberly Wekert, a 43-year-old mother of three. People standing in the “freedom line” on the sidewalk in front of Bishop’s office wave homemade anti-health reform placards and ask for signatures on petitions that are eventually given to congressman’s staff.

Bishop has four town hall meetings planned for Aug. 19 and 20 in his district.

Wekert said she started the weekly protests after attending a Tea Party Patriots meeting. She advertised the gatherings on her Facebook page. The first one attracted 20 people and within two weeks their numbers had increased to 106, she said.

“We are very peaceful. We’re there to get our point across in a peaceful manner,” Wekert said.

She conceded that sometimes exchanges get tense when the “freedom line” people encounter supporters of the president’s plan.

“They’re calling us organized GOP people and we’re not. We’re just every day people,” Wekert said. “Nobody is paying us to picket. I am a Republican. I’m a conservative. I’m open-minded. I’m not so enchanted with Republicans that I believe everything they say. But I understand what big government is and what bad government is. And we haven’t seen good government in a long while.”

Scheduled meetings

Several of Georgia’s congressmen have already held town hall meetings, leaving only a few with sessions to come.

District 1: Jack Kingston (R-Savannah) -- Has held nine meetings to date. No more planned.

District 2: Sanford Bishop (D-Columbus)

Aug. 19, 8:30 a.m. at National Infantry Museum in Columbus.

Aug. 19, 4 p.m. at Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley.

Aug. 20, 10 a.m. at Kirbo Regional Center in Bainbridge.

Aug. 20, 4 p.m. at Albany State University, Albany.

District 3: Lynn Westmoreland (R-Grantville) -- Staff says meetings being planned, but no dates yet.

District 4: Hank Johnson (D-Decatur)

Monday, 7 p.m. at Georgia Perimeter College (Cole Auditorium), 555 North Indian Creek Dr., Clarkston.

District 5: John Lewis (D-Atlanta) -- Has held one meeting. No more planned.

District 6: Tom Price (R-Roswell) -- Has held one meeting. No more planned.

District 7: John Linder (R-Duluth)

Thursday, 10 a.m. at Piedmont Regional Library, 189 Bell View St., Winder.

Thursday, 5 p.m. at Suwanee Library, 361 Main St., Suwanee.

Aug. 19, 10 a.m. at Monroe- Walton Library, 217 West Spring St., Monroe.

Aug. 19, 1 p.m. at Covington Library, 7116 Floyd Road, Covington.

District 8: Jim Marshall (D-Macon) -- Staff says meetings being planned, but no dates yet.

District 9: Nathan Deal (R-Gainesville) -- Staff says meetings being planned, but no dates yet.

District 10: Paul Broun (R-Athens)

Monday, 6 p.m. at Columbia Co. Board of Education, Evans.

Tuesday, 6 p.m. at North Georgia Technical College, Clarksville.

District 11: Phil Gingrey (R-Marietta) -- Staff says meetings being planned, but no dates yet.

District 12: John Barrow (D-Savannah) -- Staff says meetings being planned, but no dates yet.

District 13: David Scott (D-Atlanta) -- Aug. 15, 10 a.m. at Mundy’s Mill High School, 9652 Fayetteville Road, Jonesboro.