The Center Can Hold, If We Let It

Check out today's post on Health Care for All's blog. This is an appropriate response, folks. Let's get out there and do it.

Hello From Niki Tsongas’ Community Meeting at the Chelmsford Town Hall. The meeting was scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. but the place was packed to capacity at 9:30 a.m. Hundreds of people were in the overflow of the parking lot, with signs, songs and slogans, and a good dose of respect-filled conversation. The radicals from the right handed out some very scary materials, and there were a smattering of single payer advocates, and an equal number holding signs in favor of reform, but mostly there were people in the middle interested in telling their stories and learning more about what health reform will mean for them. These were the folks asking questions, and very disappointed not to be in the auditorium. At the very beginning I thought that the majority of the crowd opposed reform, but eventually, by about 10:15 the sides were even, and groups were beginning to congregate together, mostly with their backs to the hateful signs and chanting. I talked to plenty of national reform opponents who did not want to be associated with the sad fringe.