Hundreds Rally Against ObamaCare

Hundreds of grassroots opponents of government-run health care lined Northgate Way in Seattle this afternoon. KOMO 4 News reports that “volunteers” for the President’s on-going campaign now housed at the DNC–Organizing for America–took a different approach.

Quoted in their story is “Dustin Lambro,” who isn’t actually a volunteer–he’s a paid organizer for OFA. A closer look at his resume linked above shows he’s got a background in union organizing.

Were you at the “Recess Rally” along Northgate Way today? Send us your photos or video: publisher “at” nwdigest “dot” com.

UPDATE: A reader sent in this link to photos he took at yesterday’s protest.

General Welfare Queens

When challenged to explain what part of the Constitution gives them the power to even pass health care reform, I’ve heard at least a couple liberal talk radio callers rest their defense in the Preamble to the Constitution’s use of the term “General Welfare.”

But does General Welfare really mean that health care reform is constitutionally permitted? Well, as it happens the Father of the Constitution, James Madision, became President and was presented with a public works bill which he vetoed and in that veto message he addressed the meaning of the General Welfare clause…

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Murray Says She’ll “Wait and See” on Health Care

Washington’s Senior U.S. Senator Patty Murray tells KOMO News she’s going to “wait and see” before she votes on health care reform. Some might find that rhetoric strange, considering Murray is part of the Democratic Senate Leadership where her Senate office website says she’s helping “set the agenda and advance…priorities.”

Murray also disagreed when asked if widespread outrage expressed at town halls across the country has the President and Congress changing course from a “public option.” Of courese, Murray hasn’t held any public town halls. And she’s still waiting to see the final bill, remember.

Town Halls: DeFazio Grilled, Baird Surfaces

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…

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Town Hall War of Words Continues

The town hall battles of the past few weeks have indeed revealed one thing: some in Washington’s Democratic Congressional delegation are increasingly unafraid to get in the trenches and lob partisan bombs.

But given their often genteel manner of years past, you might say its No More Mr. Nice Guy for them.

Likely emboldened by having faced little opposition in recent election years, and thus feeling safe in their positions, more of the delegation is willing to ride the partisan hard edge. The hard party line was once left to be carried by other members of the delegation in safer liberal districts, like Seattle Congressman Jim McDermott (D-07).

For McDermott’s part, at a town hall meeting he held during a Democratic Party meeting in West Seattle last week, the state’s most liberal Congressman declared of the President’s embattled reform agenda, “This is War.”

But with a Democratic White House, and Democratic majorities in both chambers of Congress, some might interpret this new brashness as simply misplaced confidence. Two cases in point…

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