Portman was previously the head of the Office of Management and Budget and was slated to speak about the Republican plan for tax code reforms. Before he could even began his speech, four different audience members began yelling their opposition to Republican changes to Medicare and Social Security, telling stories about the importance of these programs in their lives.
Instead of starting his speech, Portman asked, 'Anyone else before we get started?' He was faced with two more audience member stories, one of them from a female from Washington, who said, 'My great grandfather died fighting for Social Security.' She was then escorted out of the conference and several audience members followed her and began their chanting.
After finishing his speech, Portman took the time to chat with four of the people who had walked out and told one of the event organizers that it was his job to 'meet with constituents.' The talk seemed to go well, as the group then took a picture together and were heard collectively chanting 'O-HIO.'
Video of the walkout below:
h/t BuzzFeed
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He seems to have handled well what, at least on face value, seemd like a fairly non-sensical arguement.
Good for him.
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Compare that to how Democrats handled town halls in 2009 pleading to hear what was in the healthcare bill before it was rammed down our throats.
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Good man.
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I don't think the two are totally comparable, despite their similar situations.
Yes, they could have met with the 'protestors' afterward as Senator Portman did. But I highly doubt the outcome of that meeting would have been anywhere near what this one was.
This is a difference of strategy, that was a difference of philosophy.
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If only our Congressmen could be this classy to each other'
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That's how a conservative handles dissent. Liberals band with each other to have dissenters tossed off Twitter, blocked, or otherwise silenced.
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That's how an adult handles dissent. Neither party, or ideology, handles dissent that well across the board.
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You know there is more to communication than the internet, right?
Portman handled the situation pretty well. In fact by all accounts, he's one of the more reasonable people in your party. That's why he got booted during the primaries, and never stood a chance as Mittens Veep pick.
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Sh!t happens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmfkYu4m2jA
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^^^^^ Like
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Towards the end perhaps, when many citizens were simply pissed off at being ignored by their elected officials. If you watch the early town halls people were still expecting the politicians to represent their constituents instead of only their high dollar donors.
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You lost the election so the rest of the country disagree with you
So stop complaining and do something loser -
Not a wholly accurate claim at all, and really unfortunate given the general tone of the discussion up until now.
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To be totally honest, we see this topic pretty differently Chuck.
Perhaps earlier on those who disagreed with that bill would have been up for a discussion similar to the one (I hope and assume) the Senator had this time.
As someone who was at a few of those town halls, specifically those earlier in the process, I'm not sure those opposed would have wanted, nor taken part, in that kind of discussion at a high percentage amongst their collective.
The difference here is simple, I think. In this case, both sides appear to be working towards a common goal, thus opening the topic up for more discussion 'across the aisle' so to speak. In regards to the health care debate, it was a much more of an us vs. them mentality, making this type of discussion less likely, in my opinion.
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For whatever it's worth, I'd love to hear the opinion of anyone who 'voted down' my comment directly above. I'm interested in why you think it's incorrect.
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