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Bishop meeting turns ugly
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| | | Rep. Bishop points toward a loud protestor in the front corner of the meeting room of the Neighborhood House during Monday night’s 90-minute confrontation. Photo by L. Lutz (click for larger version) | |
June 24, 2009 | 02:51 PM
A town hall meeting hosted by Congressman Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) in Setauket Monday night quickly turned loud and combative as demonstrators from across Suffolk County confronted the Democrat on health care reform, bailouts, taxes and environmental issues.
When the 90-minute meeting ended Bishop was escorted by five Suffolk County police officers back to his car, surrounded and taunted by the placard-carrying crowd. Forced to park around the corner and up Main Street — almost to the Village Green — because of the crowd, the congressman and his escort had to bear the shouts and insults for almost a quarter mile.
Before 7 pm at least 200 demonstrators had massed across the front of the Neighborhood House, waving and shouting at passing motorists. Pat Udalovas from Northport, who said she was with the Conservative Society for Action, said, "We are supposed to be free," but claimed the Democratic administration in Washington, D.C., led by Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama, are restricting Americans' freedoms.
"I am sick and tired of the government telling us what to do," said Don Pius, a former Old Field village trustee who still lives in the North Shore community. "They put our economy in the garbage."
"[Pelosi's] ruining the country," said Dave Maul of Eastport. "It's going down the tubes."
"Cap and trade will put us under," said Susan Frohnhoefer of Riverhead, who identified herself as a member of Suffolk County 912 Project. Cap and trade is a system under consideration in Congress and in capitals across the globe that would, according to its proponents, reduce greenhouse emissions and slow global warming. Frohnhoefer also expressed her opposition to "nationalized health care — it doesn't work." She added, "I'm tired of paying for others who are not as responsible."
An apparent Bishop supporter yelled at the crowd from the porch of the Neighborhood House, "Eight years of silence and now you wake up?"
Bishop aide Jon Schneider arrived just before 7 pm. "Basically it's the tea party folks," Schneider said, referring to the nationwide conservative movement that uses mock "Boston tea parties" to illustrate their opposition to those they call the liberals now in power in Congress.
Bishop walked briskly past the 200-plus demonstrators and entered the building at about 7:05 pm. "Sorry I'm late," he began. "I didn't expect to have to park in Port Jefferson." A few chuckles greeted his opening, but the local residents attending to hear what their congressman had to say or ask questions were immediately drowned out by about 50 demonstrators who crowded into the standing-room only space.
Although Bishop outlined ground rules for the evening — "No interruptions of questions or answers, please" — the angry folks lining the side and rear walls of the room would have none of it.
Most of the "questions" asked of the congressman were statements opposed to national health care, cap and trade, federal bailouts of General Motors and inevitable tax increases to pay for it all. Bishop attempted to reply to each but was often loudly interrupted or booed by the demonstrators. All the while chanting from the hundreds of demonstrators still outside the building made it difficult to hear many of the speakers.
"Number one," said Bishop, "the current system [of health care delivery] does not work. Forty-seven million are uninsured."
"Including millions of illegal aliens," a woman shouted.
"Forty-seven million native-born Americans," Bishop practically shouted. "Also, our system spends more per capita in the industrialized world, but, our results are not as good." Bishop stressed to repeated shouts to the contrary that no one in Washington is attempting to force any mandatory health plan on anyone. "We're talking about a public plan as an option for people," a plan he said would include no public subsidy and would negotiate with hospitals and doctors just as private companies do now. Bishop cited polls that indicate "72 percent of people support" such a plan, to the protestations of the crowd.
In response to a statement that Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security are "not run well — Social Security is insolvent," Bishop said 98 cents of every dollar in Medicare goes toward "actual delivery of patient care," as opposed to private plans that only spend 70 to 75 cents of each premium dollar.
One of the loudest of many loud responses to his statements came when, on the subject of environment, Bishop said he believed global warming is a fact and human activity was a large factor.
Several veterans in the audience rose to address the congressman and the crowd, on both sides of the argument that the Veterans Administration provides poor care. Montgomery Granger of Port Jefferson Station, one of the few speakers who identified himself, rose to praise the VA for its care. Granger is a reservist who has been deployed to the Middle East three times. However his complaint, directly connected to his impending layoff by "a public sector employer," the Comsewogue School District, was to amend regulations under COBRA, the federal law that is supposed to provide health care coverage to families when unemployment strikes the breadwinner.
"I'm a co-sponsor of that legislation," Bishop said to a lukewarm reaction that was the best he received all night from the largely hostile crowd.
At 8:30 pm Bishop announced he had to leave. A Suffolk County Police officer emerged from the side of the stage to escort the congressman out of the building. Three SCPD cruisers were now parked outside the venue, not there before the meeting began.
Tuesday morning Bishop described many in the crowd as "basically anti-government groups." He said his office had been forwarded an email exhorting conservative groups to attend and demonstrate, so he was not surprised by their presence. Bishop was, however, disappointed by their demeanor.
"I expect two things," he said, referring to the more than 100 town hall meetings he has conducted in his seven years in Congress. "That people conduct themselves as adults and that they be civil and informed. I found neither of those last night."
"I have a tough time taking those people seriously," he said. Despite that, Bishop described the discussion as a "reasonably productive exchange." He said misinformation and encouragement in people such as those who filled his meeting Monday night were "fed by conservative talk radio and conservative TV." Saying many of the "facts" quoted by the demonstrators were incorrect, he added, "Those people need a reality check."
Bishop also said, "I have never once required a police presence. I was followed [to his car] by 60 to 70 people screaming at me. That crossed the line."
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