Congressman Kagen Didn't See This Coming

From the Green Bay Press. What, no pictures? Congressman Steve Kagen didn't see this coming.

"Shouting overwhelms Kagen forum on health care
Angry crowd packs library for listening session with congressman

By Keegan Kyle • kkyle@greenbaypressgazette.com • August 4, 2009

At least fifty people hoping to attend a listening session of U.S. Rep Steve Kagen Monday night could not find a seat."
Shouting overwhelms Kagen forum on health care | greenbaypressgazette.com | Green Bay Press-Gazette

At least 50, I'd say 100 to 150 couldn't get in.

Congressional staff stopped people from entering the auditorium at the Brown County Central Library in Green Bay when its seating filled with 300 people. Attendants who could not get a seat in the auditorium found a spot to stand in the compact lobby and listened to the event through speakers.

The vast majority of people attending the event appeared to come in protest of the health-care legislation, and they repeatedly disrupted the event by shouting.

Evil people shouting, poor Steve Kagen was yelled at.

The crowd's size and vocal frustration grabbed the attention of Green Bay police, who arrived soon after the event began to keep the peace. Capt. Rick Demro said no one was arrested.

Who called the police? Why did they send four officers?

Kagen never battled the crowd's volume, but voiced his concerns several times about its attitude.

I wasn't outside, did they have paddy wagon outside. They came to clear the aisles because of the fire code. If they were called because of a near riot, I ask again, who called them and what were the police told. I think Kagen's staff were scared to death. Maybe the MSM could get a copy of the call to the Green Bay Police dept."

You can talk, but I can't listen to 100 people at the same time," he said. "This is not a shouting contest. This should be a discussion."

Kagen wanted a discussion of what he wanted to tell us and not a listening session.

If the event were a shouting match, the mob won. Kagen tried talking about the health-care bill, but the roaring chants deafened his attempts. Several elderly people covered their ears and grimaced at the level of noise.

The only ones covering their ears were the few from the left that showed up. Kagen supporters didn't expect to be up against so many anti health care people.

Kagen's message — when audible — focused on a health-care system that values a competitive market of insurance providers and consumer choice.

No, Congressman Kagen only wants socialized medicine.

"The question is, do you support government-run health care? The answer is, no, I do not. I support a marketplace," he said.

Most of the crowd's screams for three-quarters of the evening were incomprehensible. In the last half hour, the listening session calmed — respectively speaking — and Kagen engaged in a more organized conversation.

Shocked, I am shocked, people screaming?

Sharon Guyette of De Pere stood up from a piano bench — every other seat in the auditorium was taken — and tried to explain the room's frustration."We are scared and when we get scared, we get angry," she said. "We sit back here (in Wisconsin) and we have no control."

Congressional staff told the crowd Kagen would schedule a second visit to Green Bay.

You can see the slant by Keegan Kyle from the MSM.

Round two today at 10:00 am in Appleton.