Town Halls: DeFazio Grilled, Baird Surfaces

By Evan at August 19th, 2009.

First, to Oregon, where Rep. DeFazio faced tough but civil questioning from several town hall audiences tonight:

Across the Columbia River to the north, Brian Baird finally surfaced from his secret hiding place to face constituents. Unsurprisingly, they weren’t universally happy with him…

Hmm…no sign of an ambush from “lynch mobs,” “Brown Shirt tactics,” or the “Timothy McVeigh,” bogeyman that Mr. Baird was reportedly worried about. Perhaps he didn’t give his civil and civic-minded constituents enough credit?

To be sure, a folks did show up to give Baird a piece of their mind:

Chris Humphrey of Ridgefield held a sign critical of President Barack Obama’s health care proposals. Humphrey, 34, said he’s been uninsured by choice and doesn’t think the government should intervene in decisions best left to individuals.

“I just want to be here to support my ability to express my opinion as an American without being called a Nazi or being compared to Timothy McVeigh,” he said.
…

Jack Harroun might not have been there at all, were it not for Baird’s comments characterizing some reform opponents as using “close to Brownshirt tactics.” Harroun, a Vancouver general contractor, said Baird’s comments struck a nerve with him.

“My grandfather fought the Nazis,” he said.

Tags: Brian Baird, Health Care, Oregon, Peter DeFazio, Town Halls, Washington