Town halls are packed with concerned people, not mobs, who have legitimate views
UPDATE:
Massa appeared on TV and tried to expain that he had an independent streak and that he would support H.R. 3200 in it's current form. He appeared disingenuous, so I still think that the Congressman is a weasel for his absurd remarks contained in the rest of the article.
In what may be the most telling statement yet made on healthcare reform, a Democratic Congressman is taking a tremendous amount of heat for the comments that he made at the Netroots Nation Convention this past weekend. Here is a transcript of what was said by Congressman Eric Massa (D-NY):
MASSA: If there was a single payer bill?
PARTICIPANT: And there was a single payer….
MASSA: I will vote for the single payer bill.
PARTICIPANT: Even if it meant you were being voted out of office?
MASSA: I will vote adamantly against the interests of my district if I actually think what I am doing is going to be helpful.
(inaudible participants' comments regarding the "interests" of the district statement from Mr. Massa)
Massa: I will vote against their opinion if I actually believe it will help them.
The comment by Massa is where many Democrats are on this health care debate. The people that they represent are opposed to it, which we can all see in poll after poll and on TV, but their leadership in Washington and the liberal base is in favor of it. The politicians then have to choose which side to take and judging by the support that some legislation is getting from Democrats in purple districts, after hearing that the people are opposed to it, just go to show that point. It is truly shameful when those that we elected will not even support the will of the people.
Healthcare reform is a contentious issue in American right now and it will continue to be one through the fall. President Obama is trying to backtrack on the public option, but the liberals in the House of Representatives will not let him. Those liberals out there who are so dead set on ramming health care legislation through Congress, why will you not let the people decide? Can you not see that they are opposed to these efforts? The sad part is I think that they can see it, but they share Eric Massa’s sentiment and will go against what you want anyway.
Here is a video clip of Eric Massa making his outrageous remarks last weekend:
Comments
I agree. This WEASEL needs to go. No one needs a WEASEL in office to WEASEL their way through. He needs to go back to his burrow, because the people of New York will skin this WEASEL to make a nice coat. Winter is coming...
Check out the link to see Massa in his natural habitat!
wildlifetrust.org.uk/cheshire/IMAGES/watch_weasel.jpg
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Note: For the link to work, add 'www.' at the beginning!
P.S.
WEASEL!
You are assuming that the average voter in his district actually has an informed opinion on healthcare not influenced by the Republican smear campaign and the propaganda and extreme rhetoric of the right which labels the plan "socialist".
If the people don't actually understand the bill besides simplistic generalizations and scare tactics, why shouldn't he vote against their opinion? You are suggesting he should save his ass rather than help all Americans.
Massa is liberal/progressive that thinks he is supremely more intelligent than his constituency. I grew up in his district and there are plenty of folks there that are smarter than he is.
Oh and by-the-way Obamacare is a socialization/nationalization of health care.
Massa is a disgrace and just finished himself off with his arrogance and Stalinist approach("I know whats best for others whether they like it or not"). I WILL BE at his town hall in Perinton- I look forward to it immensely!
Hey anonymous:), your assuming that us peeps in his district are uninformed. Well, let me tell you something, I live in his home town and we are well informed and not the repubs sheep. If we were, he wouldn't be in office now would he, in this 65-70% republican district? Secondly, he was voted in to office to represent OUR interests, not his own and is the same reason that Randy Kuhl(R) was voted out. He works for us! You should brush up on your terminology and definitions. YOUR the uninformed! FFS!
I cannot believe that people are so against Mr. Massa! He is a freaking HERO! He only has the best of intentions, and it is so like you dirty Republicans to blow this out of proportion. I am 100% behind Mr. Massa, and if I lived in his district I would vote FOR HIM EVERY TIME. You crazy Repubs can go to all the town hall meetings you want. 99.7% of you have never given a damn about anything, but now your listening to your glorified news station, FOX, and are spreading your venomous words like the plague. You hypocrites should be ashamed of yourself. How many Repubs even read the darn thing? You can have all these fairy tale petitions to read the bill, but at the end of the day, no matter how ironclad the bill is, if it isn't proposed by a fellow Repub, you will just spit and s**t on it. SHAMEFUL!!!!
I cannot believe that people are so against Mr. Massa! He is a freaking HERO! He only has the best of intentions, and it is so like you dirty Republicans to blow this out of proportion. I am 100% behind Mr. Massa, and if I lived in his district I would vote FOR HIM EVERY TIME. You crazy Repubs can go to all the town hall meetings you want. 99.7% of you have never given a damn about anything, but now your listening to your glorified news station, FOX, and are spreading your venomous words like the plague. You hypocrites should be ashamed of yourself. How many Repubs even read the darn thing? You can have all these fairy tale petitions to read the bill, but at the end of the day, no matter how ironclad the bill is, if it isn't proposed by a fellow Repub, you will just spit and s**t on it. SHAMEFUL!!!!
There is no 'smear campaign'. There are alot of people in this country who know socialism when they see it, and they don't want it, They are finally waking up and making their voices heard. Anonymous, you should look up the term socialism---instead of getting all YOUR information from the MSNBC Obama LoveFest.
What are you going to do NY about eric massa voting against what his district wants, Boy was he showing off when I heard him talking about you like he knows what best for you, He looks like an attention getter and likes slaps on the back from his liberals in congress.What a weasel I feel for you. Eric's giving you the shaft. Remember they are basically cowards unless they are in congress.
I'm sure you are ahead of me on this but get your groups together and your state constitution in case theY decide to seize 1/6th of our economy healthcare. THEY REALLY ARE COWARDS. REMEMBER WE ARE THE MAJORITY
I live Mr. Massa's district and do not agree with his views, but I forgot I do not have a say. Mr. Massa is constitutionally obligated to represent the views of his district. But, again I forgot Washington D.C. does not follow the constitution. I guess I need to cling to my Bible and guns and just pray. It is a good thing that the people of this wonderful district have great memories. I hope you have enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame Mr. Massa.
I live Mr. Massa's district and do not agree with his views, but I forgot I do not have a say. Mr. Massa is constitutionally obligated to represent the views of his district. But, again I forgot Washington D.C. does not follow the constitution. I guess I need to cling to my Bible and guns and just pray. It is a good thing that the people of this wonderful district have great memories. I hope you have enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame Mr. Massa.
I live Mr. Massa's district and do not agree with his views, but I forgot I do not have a say. Mr. Massa is constitutionally obligated to represent the views of his district. But, again I forgot Washington D.C. does not follow the constitution. I guess I need to cling to my Bible and guns and just pray. It is a good thing that the people of this wonderful district have great memories. I hope you have enjoyed your 15 minutes of fame Mr. Massa.
Let's remind the Dems if they keep it up we will not have a Country to worry about!! First our cars, then, Health Care, next will be to change the dollar to Euro. We didn't realize Change meant everything we believe in. God bless us.
I appreciate your comments, "Vote em Out". The current system of healthcare is mix of private and government run operatives which is already nearly 30% public. In fact Medicare and Medicaid are government run programs which are widely endorsed, but claimed to be "socialist" by detractors when put in place.
It is quick to claim that any advocacy of government is equivalent to socialism. Socialism is a totalizing economic arrangemnet by which the government gains control over all decisions of supply and demand. A public option does not have this effect because it leaves the private market intact.
More broadly, there are certain problems that only the government can solve: such as public goods like national defense or the regulation of the capitist marketplace from monopolies, externalities, and inequality. We should judge programs on their efficacy and not only on neoliberal ideology that less government is neccesarily better.
Don't worry but keep speaking out. The American people aren't going to let this happen.
I forgot to add if you can call the white house senator and demand federal audit many of believe they are hiding something they are acting to weird.
YES! WE NEED MORE LIKE THIS BRAVE FREEDOM FIGHTER! PATRICK MCMAHON WILL LEAD THIS MOVEMENT! HE WILL BE THE NEXT JOAN OF ARC!
youtube.com/watch?v=nYlZiWK2Iy8
Eric Massa can be impeached let him go out of office in shame and going against the will of the people.
let have him thrown out of office. He is just making idiots out of the people that he is supposed to represent.
This is the problem. I have seen this before in my old country. It is called socialism
Massa "the weasel"
I am in Massa's district and can assure you that he does NOT represent my interest. I met him personally before he was elected... Does the phrase "Used Car Salesman" strike a chord with anyone? I am so frustrated with the NY political climate, I am leaving the state. I've been here for 53 years and I've had enough.
Back to Massa, I believe that based on character and integrity alone, he would not have been elected. He caught the "Obama" rock star wave and rode it into congress.
Truth be told, I'm so discouraged about the politics and path of the government that I've considered leaving the country.
Sounds like Massa has learned his lesson from George Bush Jr, who routinely voted his conscience (after much prayer and gun holding) and disregarded an entire nation! I can only hope Massa's conscience is more peaceful and compassionate than Bush's blood lust. How did you all get so hateful and narrow-minded? You're all still playing the same games. Have you learned nothing?
Used car salesman to describe Massa is an insult to all sales people. This guy is insane...pathologically insane leftie.
Former Congressman Amo Haughton ALSO had tendencies of voting away from his district AND he proved to be one if not the Most respected Congressman during his tenure. How soon you Republicans Forget !!!! I strongly respect Eric Massa and the work he IS doing in DC. And I thank him for standing by his beliefs AS to what is best for his District in these trying times. Some if not many of you Characters need to get in front of a full length mirror in your Birthday Suits and start to realize that YOU do not have all the Answers - even Amo stated this to our DC Senior Trip Group and he hit the nail right on the head. So soon the many seem to forget the Difficult Times do require Tough to Swallow Actions. FDR and Truman were not such bad guys as well and they too took lots of Flack in their time.
Am A Registered Republican and Sick of their Whining.
Oh, and do not forget the Great Job the Former Admin. did the past 8 years = how soon we tend to forget or sweep under the rug along w
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