Alhambra Health Care Town Hall

I spent only a short time at the event, but it was incredibly well attended, by people on both sides of the issue.  It was attended by around 700 to 1000 people.  They moved it from a conference room to an outdoor knoll between City Hall and the High School.

People were vocal, but, they were not combative (too much).  The "sides" were not clustered against each other, but intermingled within the crowd.  The crowd was not as rowdy as it sounds in the video, because people did go silent at times, but it was definitely not a polite crowd.  The right-wingers were particularly crude with their cussing.

Some people got into debates and discussions.

This is reminiscent of other heated political events that have happened in Alhambra, and that I've experienced.  One group has a demonstration, and a counter-organizing effort brings opponents.  They yell support for their own side, but individuals and small clusters of people also talk to each other. Though people are politically polarized, many want to engage discussion as well.  This is something that's rarely acknowledged in the press, but it's been happening a lot. 

The moderates and liberals pulled out the "shhh be quiet and polite card" (figuratively and literally), and were pretty sedate.  The crowd was about evenly pro/anti reform, maybe tipping a little more to the pro side.  The HR 676 folks made only a small showing, and that was too bad because a larger contingent of single-payer advocates would have helped the "public option" supporters.

The victory goes to the pro-reform side, because this was a last-minute mobilization and they got little press.  The anti-reform side had a longer lead time and got more press from the Pasadena Star News. 

Another winner in this was Adam Schiff, who is a centrist Blue Dog, pro-defense, pro-war, pro-business guy.  He's practically a Republican.  He's locked in some progressive votes with this event.  The reform side also won, by keeping Schiff in the reform camp.  Imagine what would happen if no liberals showed up!

Logistically, the cops and the city, and Schiff's office did a good job.  They moved the meeting outside so everyone could get in. Being indoors in a small room would have sucked.

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A very good post from Craigslist

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/sgv/pol/1318749085.html

Date: 2009-08-11, 9:25PM PDT
Reply to: comm-ztkd8-1318749085@craigslist.org

Summary: About 1,000 attendees (media personnel, add another 40)

Make Up of Attendees: 50%=Obama Supporters, 40% Visibly Shaken Conservatives, 7% Undecided, 3%=Single Payer Supporters(Medicare for All)

Alhambra Police presence was low(~50 officers) and impatient; they walked out one handicap young man(~age 25) who interrupted at start of Meeting by yelling out mixed right-wing rhetoric(I hope he was paid, b/c he was dressed badly).

Media was reserved and they interviewed people mostly angry w/the Obama Reform(s) for Health Care. Low Union turnout; college students low in turnout; Senior Citizens Turnout was great! They are the most relevant crowd tonight! And finally, Adam Schiff WILL NOT oppose Health Care Reform(s) by Brand Obama.
And sadly, Single Payer Action activists were nearly invisible, as Dr. Bruce Hensel described an invisible patient he, "couldn't see in his office" at the start of the night.

29th District Organize!

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LA Times Blog

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/...health-care.html

Pasadena Patriot - a right-wing anti-reform group

http://pasadenasubrosa.typepad.com...apparatchiks-.html

The so-called Health Care "Town Hall" sponsored by Congressman Adam Schiff apparently is not a town hall at all - it is a discussion among selected health care policy wonks, all of them on one side of the issue and with ties to the Democratic Party.

[Actually, this event was like a reverse town hall - a campaign event.  It's similar to what Bush did to promote Social Security Reform (aka, Repeal).  The difference was, at those meetings, he failed.]

After the meeting:
http://pasadenasubrosa.typepad.com/...agitprop-townhall.html

[A strange post, but, my two real quarrels with it is that there were not 4,000+ people there, and I think that preventative care and a better diet to help avoid a heart attack is a good thing.]