Conservatives are mad about health care reform and gathered on the Hill this week to protest “socialized” health care.
By Krista Fulton and photos by Arielle Koreyasu
November 5, 2009
One Tea Party protester holds a sign that says “Don’t Tread on Me” to oppose the health care reform bill currently debated in Congress. (Arielle Koreyasu)
“We’re not going to leave this Hill until we kill the bill!” – Steve King, Congressman (R-IA)
This afternoon on Capitol Hill, over a thousand protesters gathered in Washington to protest the new health care reform bill which includes a public option. Many protesters carried signs declaring “Hands Off Our Healthcare,” emblazoned with two red handprints. Chants began, people calling out “KILLTHE BILL” and “Can you hear us now?” as well as “Your days are numbered!” The crowd complained about lack of media presence, claiming the only outlet to show up was Fox News (ignoring your stalwart reporters from CampusProgress.org), stating that “CNN is probably at home, huddled under their desks.” One woman, during chants of “Nancy,” started to yelled that the Speaker of the House being a chicken and then proceeded to cluck violently.
Amid signs stating “Don’t Tread on Me” and “No More Socialized Anything” was a banner with a black and white picture depicting dead bodies strewn over top of each other. The sign depicted the words “National Socialist Health Care, Bachad, Germany – 1945.” Shirts distributed by Freedom Works, which had qutotes from Thomas Jefferson demanding revolution, clothed many members of the crowd. Strains of “Na na na na, goodbye” could be heard all around. Meanwhile the American flag passed the crowd as people chanted the Pledge of Allegiance, the words “Under God” given special stress.
When the press conference officially started, organizers played the opening chords of “We Don’t Get Fooled Again” by the Who, followed by a mix of Tom Petty and country songs. One of the first speakers of the afternoon was Todd Akin. He made the religious views of the group clear and reiterated their commitment to the idea that the United States is “under God” and that this solidifies America’s “commitment to the Red, White, and Blue.” He further cited this as being a good thing because it “drives the liberals crazy.”
Michelle Bachmann, the official organizer of the event, then came on the stage, singing the praises of our Forefathers and quoting Jefferson and Abigail Adams. She called on those gathered to “meet up for freedom” and to not be discouraged by liberal efforts.
The rest of the speaking lineup included John Ratzenberger (Cliff the mailman from the old TV sitcom “Cheers”), Scott Garrett, Mark Lavergne, Eric Cantor, John Bader, and many others. Jon Voight, actor and supporter of conservative values, stated that Obama is looking to make America into a “socialist nation,” that has a health care system that would be “no better off from European, Canadian, [or] Australian systems.” He also stated that Obama’s “radical Chicago tactics” had no place in America and that he was doing it all for political gain, making the claim that Obama believed the things because he had been brainwashed by Reverend Jeramiah Wright (whose views Obama disavowed during the 2008 presidential campaign). In the end, Voight said “may God give us all strength to prevail.”
Tony Perkins, spokesman of the Family Research Council was one of the last to speak, claiming that “Obama, government-run healthcare” would “pay for abortions,” leading him to ask the crowd if that’s what they wanted. An emphatic “no” echoed across the Hill.
Following the press conference, participants lobbied their Congress members to demand that they vote no on the upcoming final health care reform vote. It is unclear if and how this constituency will swing their representative’s opinions, but what is clear is that these citizens see the bill, in Lavergne’s words, as a “wrecking ball to this beautiful country.” Bader insisted that they will have to join together in “defeating Pelosi care.”
One Tea Party protester holds a sign that says “Don’t Tread on Me” to oppose the health care reform bill currently debated in Congress. (Arielle Koreyasu)
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