Meeting the People Vol. 5

Another Democrat hears from his constituents:

The health care debate made it's way to Green Bay Monday night, but it was less a debate than a shouting match.

Democratic Congressman Steve Kagen faced heavy opposition during a public listening session at the Brown County Library. The town hall meeting was set up to give Kagen an opportunity to discuss health care reform and the current bill being debated in the House. Hundreds packed the library demanding answers, with few giving Kagen much of a chance to speak. Outbursts and chants against a government-sponsored system overwhelmed much of the discussion.

At one point, Congressman Kagen tried to explain his belief that the current health care bill, while not perfect, is a good start. The crowd disagreed - loudly shouting him down.

Green Bay police were eventually called in to keep the peace and control the crowd.

Congressman Kagen will hold another public session Tuesday morning at 10:00 at the Thompson Community Center in Appleton.

The meeting in Appleton didn't go any better.

Don Surber has Kagen's quote when asked about the vitriolic response:

“There was a sufficient amount of anger there,” he said, “as if the referee made the wrong call in a Packer game. I don’t think the people of northeast Wisconsin would behave that way spontaneously.”

If the Democrats keep thinking this is all manufactured, they'll be in for a tough night in November of 2010. You can't manufacture a '94-like landslide, but irate voters can certainly cause one.