Tonko hears roar of crowd Health care debate hits Capital Region as 1,500 jeer, cheer for proposal
By IRENE JAY LIU, Staff writer First published in print: Wednesday, August 26, 2009
BETHLEHEM -- Democratic Congressman Paul D. Tonko was sweating in his suit Tuesday night as he stood before 1,500 people – half of them angry, half sympathetic – as he attempted to explain his support for health care reform.
Tonko appeared before a microphone at the pavilion at Elm Avenue Park, where it was 10 degrees hotter than the air outside. Audience members fanned themselves as they muttered and shouted and shushed each other.
Elena Marcelle, a mother of three from Slingerlands, asked Tonko to explain in words her kids would understand how the deficit has grown. She later asked how the nation can afford health care reform and finance the deficit.
Tonko could barely get 10 words out at a time. His voice was drowned out by a repeated symphony of boos then shhs, punctuated by a staccato of insults, encouragement and applause.
"That's a lie!" "Stop lying!" people shouted.
"Let him speak!" "Be quiet!" others yelled back.
"You're not even giving me a chance here," said Tonko, rather resignedly.
"Speaking of children," said Lydia Kulbida, the town hall moderator and former television anchor, "the way we are behaving tonight does send a message --"
"Boo!" roared half of the audience. "Shh!" returned the other half.
"I ask that we not interrupt each other and tell each other to shut up," Kulbida strained over the cacophony.
The audience appeared not to listen as Tonko, who represents the heavily Democratic 21st Congressional District, tried to explain the different accounting methods to calculate the deficit, talked about how the cost of the war was "offline," or off-the-books, during the Bush administration. Tonko continued to throw out numbers before being interrupted.
"Why can't I keep my money?" Marcelle asked as she questioned Tonko on the wisdom of higher taxes to pay for mandated health care. Huge cheers followed.
"I really want answers to questions; I didn't come here to be disrespectful," said Marcelle, who has health coverage. "I read the papers. I feel that it's my duty to keep myself educated. There are cloudy waters on both sides of the issue."
Traffic was backed up for over a mile and more than 750 cars were parked throughout the park, according to Bethlehem police spokesman Lt. Thomas Heffernan.
Police escorted one man out of the event for making repeated threats to others in the audience, Heffernan said. No charges were filed.
Organizing for America, President Barack Obama's political arm, recruited 300 supporters to attend the event, according to OFA state director Melissa DeRosa. In the e-mail invitation, DeRosa encouraged supporters to print a flier to "make sure your support is visible."
One supporter, Linda Underwood of Castleton, said that while she preferred a single-payer health care system, she was at the town hall to support a "strong public option."....................>>>>.............>>>>..................http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=835039&TextPage=1
Tonko will continue to vote for whatever the Democratic Party tells him to vote for. Tonko has been a lap dog for the Dem Party and is best known for all the pork he has brought in for his district and needs to be voted out of office at our earliest convenience IMHO.
Tonko will continue to vote for whatever the Democratic Party tells him to vote for. Tonko has been a lap dog for the Dem Party and is best known for all the pork he has brought in for his district and needs to be voted out of office at our earliest convenience IMHO.
From your lips to God's ears. Organize! Start planning today-don't leave it for the dead enders to run another liberal fall guy. Schenectady County is his base? Not next November. One term Polenta Paul.
Great indepth coverage in today's Gazetto? Not a word-not a mention-but don't link to it here-LOL! No wonder they are in freefall. Don't mention something that makes the neo-Marxists you support look foolish. All the news for the sheeple that support Metrograft, Son of Sam and Paterson.
Tonko town hall meeting to be aired SCHENECTADY — Schenectady public access television station, SACC-TV Channel 16, will broadcast U.S. Rep. Paul Tonko’s Aug. 25 Town Hall meeting on health care reform three times. The program will be broadcast at 2 p.m. Wednesday, 6 p.m. Saturday and 7:30 p.m. Sunday. The meeting ran for two hours.
I've got this set to record. Too bad I wasn't able to be there. I set to record a 1/2 hour before to an hour after, just in case they decide they want to include additional footage that they have received. Let's see how the people in the bag (SACC) spin it.
I strongly resent the Gazette’s Aug. 31 editorial [“Nothing healthy about mob tactics at town halls”] and Carl Strock’s Sept. 1 column [“Here they come, the new sons of liberty”] concerning Rep. Paul Tonko’s meeting in Bethlehem. I attended and participated in that meeting. I’m not involved with Facebook, whatever that is; I know nothing about blogs, and I am not connected to any organized group of people questioning this hurry-up-and-get-done health plan. The only mobilization motive I had in attending the meeting was to ask and find out where the trillions of dollars is coming from to pay for this enormous bill. I still haven’t heard. Have you? In my 80 years as a law-abiding citizen, I have never been part of a mob. And the hundreds of people at the Bethlehem meeting were far from being a mob. Loud at times, perhaps; raucous, yes, but there were no fights, no throwing objects, no need for police, except for traffic control, no intimidation. What mob? When it comes to organization/mobilization, you would have noted (if you were there) the large number of professional-looking printed posters favoring the proposed health plan vs. a large number of hand-printed posters opposing the plan. And Tonko’s three testimonial people were heard very clearly, This reform bill, as I understand it, is 1,000 pages. As a suggestion, why can’t Congress break this down into segments of, say, 100 pages at a time, and let us read it and discuss it in an orderly fashion? In doing so we, the people, would be better informed about what is in the bill and perhaps shed some light on some of the “little goodies” some congressman like to slip into massive bills such as this.
The whole purpose of creating a 1000 page monstrous bill is so that no one knows what's really in the bill, not you and me, and certainly not Congress. As all have seen the longer this bill is out in the open like a dead fish the more it stinks and that's why the liberals in Congress tried to pass it so fast b4 we had a chance to read it.
The whole purpose of creating a 1000 page monstrous bill is so that no one knows what's really in the bill, not you and me, and certainly not Congress. As all have seen the longer this bill is out in the open like a dead fish the more it stinks and that's why the liberals in Congress tried to pass it so fast b4 we had a chance to read it.
Just like they did the stimulus pkg and bush did the same thing before he left office.
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The saddest part was Rep Tonko's {D-Amsterdam} constitutional justification for this mess. The commerce clause and the good and welfare clause! Both of these are used when you can't find any real justification. These should be shown many more times-because Rep Tonko refuses to answer the many excellent questions posed.
Tonko is useless! I would not even waste my time talking, emailing or writing to him. People I know have contacted him and his office and was told either on the phone or by return mail, that Tonko is in favor of obama's health care reform. END OF STORY! NO FURTHER DISCUSSION! His job is to just sell it to the people!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
Everyone can have their say under the First Amendment
Re Aug. 31 editorial, “Nothing healthy about mob tactics at town halls”: The fact that the Gazette objected editorially to the “mob” tactics used by persons opposing health care reform during Rep. Paul Tonko’s Aug. 25 town meeting was itself attacked in a Sept. 14 letter. The writer’s point was that tactics that disrupt public meetings are quite acceptable so long as they are carried out under the banner of “First Amendment rights.” The writer stated that any objection to the use of such disruptive tactics is rooted in the “left-leaning,” “liberal” ideology of the critic. To substantiate this questionable hypothesis, the writer noted any number of lefties and liberals who have been critical of the tactics of screaming and hollering at town hall meetings around the country. Burning the American flag or otherwise showing disrespect for it was a favored form of protest by lefties and liberals during the Vietnam War — an exercise of First Amendment right needing full protection of the courts, but one many of us did not endorse. The writer of the aforementioned letter also made much of the fact that Tonko did not respond yes or no to a question which had no possible yes or no answer. Tonko was asked if he would join the same health insurance plan as the public would be required to join under the proposed legislation — yes or no! Well, there is no “one plan” that anyone is required to join, and no “yes or no” answer. Do I support the First Amendment rights of those on the right? Yes! Do I want them to find ways of exercising those rights that don’t limit others from exercising the same rights? Yes again.
Logged
From your lips to God's ears. Organize! Start planning today-don't leave it for the dead enders to run another liberal fall guy. Schenectady County is his base? Not next November. One term Polenta Paul. 
