quote:

President Obama offered a wonkish defense of his embattled health-care reform effort during an hour-long town hall meeting in Northern Virginia yesterday that featured seven questions, including one sent via Twitter and several from a handpicked audience of supporters.......

...... The president called randomly on three audience members. All turned out to be members of groups with close ties to his administration: the Service Employees International Union, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America, which is a part of the Democratic National Committee. White House officials said that was a coincidence.

The most dramatic moment came from Debby Smith, 53, of Appalachia, Va., who was near tears as she described for Obama her fragile health, including a recently discovered tumor for which she cannot get treatment.

Obama waved her over and hugged her, saying, "I don't want you to feel like you're all alone." He promised to "find out what we can do within existing law" and called Smith the "perfect example" of the kind of person his health plan is intended to help.

quote:

Appalachia Native Debby Smith Will Attend Health Care Town Hall

A local woman received word yesterday that she will have the opportunity to speak to the President of the United States of America.

Debby Smith of Appalachia, Va. a member of the Virginia Organizing Project, will attend President Obama’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting at 1 p.m. today in Annandale at Northern Virginia Community College.

Live participants in the town hall will ask the President questions along with participants online on Twitter, YouTube and FaceBook.

Smith was invited to the meeting because she has been vocal in her community on the issue of health care reform. As a member of the Virginia Organzing Project, she has shared her own health care story and helped plan health care events and lobbied Congress on health care reform.

quote:

Originally posted by stec74:
"http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/01/AR2009070100950.html"

quote:

President Obama offered a wonkish defense of his embattled health-care reform effort during an hour-long town hall meeting in Northern Virginia yesterday that featured seven questions, including one sent via Twitter and several from a handpicked audience of supporters.......

...... The president called randomly on three audience members. All turned out to be members of groups with close ties to his administration: the Service Employees International Union, Health Care for America Now, and Organizing for America, which is a part of the Democratic National Committee. White House officials said that was a coincidence.

The most dramatic moment came from Debby Smith, 53, of Appalachia, Va., who was near tears as she described for Obama her fragile health, including a recently discovered tumor for which she cannot get treatment.

Obama waved her over and hugged her, saying, "I don't want you to feel like you're all alone." He promised to "find out what we can do within existing law" and called Smith the "perfect example" of the kind of person his health plan is intended to help.

I will admit it was a very moving moment when the POTUS called Debby Smith up and hugged her. That was until I found this article today.

"http://www.tricities.com/tri/news/local/article/appalachia_native_debby_smith_will_attend_health_care_town_hall/27797/"

quote:

Appalachia Native Debby Smith Will Attend Health Care Town Hall

A local woman received word yesterday that she will have the opportunity to speak to the President of the United States of America.

Debby Smith of Appalachia, Va. a member of the Virginia Organizing Project, will attend President Obama’s Health Care Town Hall Meeting at 1 p.m. today in Annandale at Northern Virginia Community College.

Live participants in the town hall will ask the President questions along with participants online on Twitter, YouTube and FaceBook.

Smith was invited to the meeting because she has been vocal in her community on the issue of health care reform. As a member of the Virginia Organzing Project, she has shared her own health care story and helped plan health care events and lobbied Congress on health care reform.

Is it too much to ask for to have an actual town hall discussion on an important issue like this? Can't the POTUS defend his health care proposal based off of it's merits and not by having another scripted and choreographed event?

quote:

Originally posted by stec74:
One of the other people called on at the town hall meeting was Jason Rosenbaum, he is a member of Health Care for America Now and is a writer who frequently contributes to the Huffington Post.

"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-rosenbaum"

quote:

Originally posted by jack_flats:
Doesn't matter. The United States and all of it's citizens deserve excellent health care, and a US Gov't sponsored health insurance plan is exactly what is needed. National Health insurance works extremely well in other modern western country's, and it will work well here. Staged or not staged, that's the bottom line.