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Protesters: Rep. Israel is next target
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The politically conservative protesters who swamped a Rep. Tim Bishop (D-Southampton) town hall meeting in Setauket last week continued to dog him at a Centereach appearance Monday.
But unlike the Setauket public forum, where heated political debate and opposing views were par for the course, this week's event was as apolitical as a gathering hosted by a congressman can be: an information expo for seniors on the various government services available to them.
Still, members of the Centereach VFW post, who hosted the event at their Horseblock Road headquarters, said they had received no reports of attendees being harassed by the protesters. "I didn't even know they were out there," said county Legislator Brian Beedenbender (D-Centereach), who cosponsored the event with Bishop.
At last week's meeting, the conservative-leaning demonstrators shouted down Bishop and participants alike who expressed differing views, according to his district director, Jon Schneider. Multiple attendees, fearing for the congressman's safety, called police to provide Bishop with an escort when he departed. Reluctant to invite constituents to meetings where they could face harassment, Bishop's office has cancelled two upcoming town hall meetings.
The protesters Monday in particular criticized Bishop's support for legislation to reduce greenhouse gases through a "cap and trade" system, imposing emissions quotas on businesses. Demonstrators said the plan would hurt homeowners as well the multitude of industries relying on vehicle deliveries by driving up the cost of oil.
Their goal is to discredit and have voted out of office Bishop and other members of the New York Congressional delegation, mostly Democrats, who support the measure. "Steve Israel is on deck," said Judy Pepenella of Patchogue, an executive board member of the Brightwaters-based Conservative Society for Action. But they face an uphill battle in ousting Bishop and Israel (D-Dix Hills), who received 58 and 66 percent of their districts' votes last year, respectively.
"So far we have not yet heard from this group, and the congressman has not changed his plans," Israel spokeswoman Lindsay Hamilton said Wednesday.
The group, which claims to have almost 3,000 individuals on its email list, helped organize the Setauket and Centereach protests, as well as the Hauppauge "tea party" antitax gathering in May, according to another of its leaders, Conrad Schabauer of West Islip. Also in attendance Monday were members of similarly conservative groups including the 9/12 Project, the Constitution and Libertarian parties and supporters of Rep. Ron Paul, Schabauer said.
Bishop has fallen within the conservative groups' crosshairs largely because of his accessibility, according to Schneider. In addition to other community events, Bishop has hosted over 100 town-hall style meetings for constituents in his seven years in office, Schneider said. He said Bishop's aims for each constituent "to feel like they could talk to their congressman if they wanted to."
And it's residents' ease of access that suffers most due to the protests, Schneider said. Bishop's office received calls from constituents who planned to attend the Setauket meeting, but chose to go home instead of wading through a shouting, sign-waving crowd of roughly 200 demonstrators, according to Schneider.
However, no constituents complained of the Centereach protest, Schneider said later Monday afternoon, and police made no appearance. "It was a very well attended event," he said, adding that a few veterans had already called seeking aid in securing benefits for which they learned they might be eligible.
But with protests likely to continue, Bishop is focusing on other methods to converse with residents, including scheduling longer district office hours for one-on-one meetings, according to his aide. After all, if the lawmaker held public forums, in fair warning the robocall announcement would have to include, "Be prepared to walk a gauntlet of protesters on your way into the meeting, and if you ask a question people don't like, be prepared to be yelled at," Schneider said. "How could we invite people to a meeting ... and then they walk into a circus?"
The protesters, at least those in CSA, deny accusations of unruly behavior. Bishop "was never threatened, he was never in danger," said Schabauer. The group stayed within its First Amendment right to protest without crossing the line into harassment, Pepenella added. "Not one person stepped out of line."
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