St. Louis Patriot Uprising: Thousands Turn Out to Protest Obama & Dems’ Health Care, Some Dem Leaders Avoid Obama’s Fundraiser (video)
Posted By Vicki McClure Davidson on March 11, 2010
St. Louis protest outside Pres. Obama's pricey fundraiser dinner, March 10, 2010 | Photo courtesy of Gateway Pundit
Things were hot and heavy yesterday in St. Louis when Pres. Barack Obama arrived to attend a pricey Democrat fundraiser and to push (AGAIN) for his unpopular government-run health care plan. Thousands attended the protest/rally held outside.
A number of Missouri Democrat leaders opted to not attend Obama’s dinner.
From The Washington Times: Some Democrats shun Obama event in St. Louis:
The Show Me State temporarily became the No-Show State on Wednesday as some prominent Missouri Democrats decided they’d rather be somewhere else when President Obama came to push his massive health care overhaul plan.
Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan, the all-but-certain Democratic nominee for the Senate seat being vacated by Republican Sen. Christopher S. “Kit” Bond, was “already locked in” to meetings in Washington, D.C., on Wall Street financial reforms, said her spokesman, Linden Zakula, who downplayed her absence for Mr. Obama’s visit to St. Charles, just outside St. Louis.
“Yes, she could have been there, but she feels very strongly about the need for financial regulatory reform,” Mr. Zakula said. “We’ve got eight months to go. … I’m sure we’ll be seeing him out on the campaign trail this fall.”
But her spokesman didn’t mention that Mrs. Carnahan was also in Washington for a Tuesday night $5,000-a-plate fundraiser at the home of Louisiana Sen. Mary Landrieu, who most recently made headlines for the secret backroom deal known as the “Louisiana Purchase,” which would send $300 million in additional Medicaid taxpayer funding to her state.
Rep. Ike Skelton, one of 39 House Democrats who voted against the party’s health care overhaul bill in December, also skipped the presidential stop in his home state. Mr. Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, was taking part in a House floor debate on the future of the war in Afghanistan.
In addition, Rep. Russ Carnahan, a Democrat from St. Louis and Mrs. Carnahan’s brother, skipped the event, even though it was in his home district.
The event could be an early sign of the draw of Mr. Obama’s coattails on the campaign trail and whether the president will be seen as an asset or drawback for his party in what polls suggest will be a difficult midterm battle for Democrats.
The Missouri Republican Party mocked Mrs. Carnahan’s absence, saying she certainly should have taken the opportunity to bask in the high-profile visit just eight months before the vote.
“Barack Obama should be campaigning his heart out for Robin Carnahan – after all, Carnahan has pledged to rubber-stamp his agenda of a government takeover of health care, job-killing cap-and-tax, the failed stimulus bill and much more,” said Lloyd Smith, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party.
“But maybe Obama sees the writing on the wall and realizes that Carnahan is way too liberal for Missouri,” he said. “It appears that the White House has written off the Carnahan campaign. We are not aware of another example of the president ignoring a U.S. Senate candidate on the ballot in less than eight months and instead raising money for someone who is not up for re-election until 2012.”
Patriot Uprising Protest Against Obama & Health Care in St. Louis | March 10, 2010
From The Lonely Conservative, Obama Shunned by His Own Party in St. Louis:
He’s no LBJ! President Obama went to St. Louis today for his final (wink, wink) health care push. Funny, the more he pushes the issue, the less members of his own party wants to be seen with him. Can’t say I blame them.
From Hot Air, Democrats flee as Obama approaches Missouri:
Yesterday, the AP attempted to use its skewed poll to argue that Barack Obama will be “an asset” on the campaign trail in the midterms. Missouri Democrats aren’t buying it. Most of them fled as Obama visited their state for a fundraiser for Claire McCaskill and to campaign for ObamaCare, the very reason most Democrats find themselves so unpopular this year.
From DailyRFT, The Screaming Match Outside Obama’s Fundraiser Dinner:
The year-long debate over health care reform in Congress has resulted in no bipartisanship and plenty of heated comments from both sides of the aisle. A microcosm of that debate played itself out in downtown St. Louis when President Obama stopped by for a fundraiser.
St. Louis police yesterday evening closed Washington Avenue from 8th Street to 10th Street outside the Renaissance Grand Hotel where Obama was hosting the $2,400 per person dinner. Soon protesters on both sides of the health care debate had lined the sidewalks shouting at each other.
[...]
Periodically throughout the rally/protest, both sides would find a chant they agreed on, such as the always-popular “U-S-A.” And when somebody started singing the national anthem, most people joined in. As soon the Star Spangled Banner was done, however, both sides went back to shouting at each other.
Ben Williams, from St. Louis, was one of loudest pro-health care supporters. Even though it was his first time at a rally and his encounter with the St. Louis Tea Party, Williams says there is nothing wrong with disagreeing about politics.
“I love ‘em. It’s democracy at it’s best,” says Williams, while taking a break from shouting at the Tea Party side.
Bill Hennessey, one of the founders of the St. Louis Tea Party, addressed the crowd with a mega-phone shortly before leaving around 6:30 p.m.
“I can’t imagine this even across the street will last much longer,” says Hennessey. “You can only tell so many lies in one night.”
Cautionary tale here: FactReal: Government-run Healthcare: Dead bodies left on ward for 8 hours in UK hospital
More on ObamaCare:
Gateway Pundit: Claire McCaskill Lectures Missouri On Misguided Prop C Vote: “People Don’t Realize How Beneficial the Mandate For Health Care Will Be” and Rep. Paul Ryan: “This Bill Is More About Ideology Than Health Care Policy” (Video) and Nancy Pelosi: “We Have to Pass Our Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is In It” and LOCKED OUT!… Obama Won’t Let Public In to Hear His Health Care Speech in St. Louis– PROTESTS PLANNED… and Obama Flashback: Dems Should Not Pass Healthcare With 50-Plus-1 Strategy (Video) and Dems Call to Pass O-Care With Simple Up-or-Down Vote and Top Dem Says House Will Pass Obamacare With More Votes the 2nd Time Around and House Republican Leader John Boehner: Obama’s Health Care Proposal Jeopardizes Summit
The Lonely Conservative: Pelosi: We have to pass the bill so you can find out what’s in it!
NRO: Pass It To Find Out What’s In It
No Sheeples Here: Political Cowardice And The Shredding Of The Constitution
On My Watch — The writings of SamHenry: Obama, Failure-in-Chief
Frugal Café Blog Zone: Pelosi’s Crazed Press Release on Health Care Reform: “We Have to Pass the Bill So That You Can Find Out What Is in It” and Virginia Could Screw It All Up for Obama’s Health Care Mandates, Other Melting Points Reached for ObamaCare… Make Your Voice Heard! and Rush Limbaugh Applauds Rep. Paul Ryan: Decries Cynical Dem Gimmicks & Says “ObamaCare Is a Ponzi Scheme That Would Make Bernie Madoff Proud” and Dems Itching to Power-Ram ObamaCare Through & Ignore American Voters… Queen Pelosi Says “Time Is Up” but Rep. Paul Ryan Says She Doesn’t Have the Votes (video) and If Looks Could Kill: Obama’s Face During Rep. Paul Ryan’s Dismantling of Dems’ Health Care Costs (video) and Showdown Time: Obama’s Health Care Plan… Congress, Like It or Lump It… 78% of American Voters Believe Health Costs Will Skyrocket
Nice Deb: Stupak Wavering
Flopping Aces: The Evolution of Peggy Noonan and Pelosi – A Bill Can Be Bipartisan Without Bipartisan Votes
The Conservative Pup: A Woman’s Right To Choose: Abortion, Or, Abortion
VotingFemale: Passage of ObamaCare now far from assured; Pelosi determination? reduced to ‘hopeful’
Charging Elephant: Health Care, the Stalingrad of Legislative Efforts
Patterico’s Pontifications: ObamaCare: Vultures suddenly appear and Pelosi Logic and Democrats’ Newest Strategy: “Chicken!”
HillBuzz: Question: Is the Democrat Party balkanizing into all out war on multiple destructive fronts?
Human Events, Emanuel Helping Obama Unravel
Conservative Girl With a Voice: Hypocrisy in America
Michelle Malkin: The Chicago Way: Judgeships for Demcare votes? and Here comes the reconciliation “nobody” is talking about; Update: Oba-kabuki lab coat props reappear; “Make your voice heard”
Conservatives4Palin: It’s Official: Obama Will Attempt to Force ObamaCare Through Reconciliation
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