A President For All Americans?

[4dogknight]

Bush's Invitation-Only Speech Riles Crowd in Montgomery (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/23/AR2005062301833.html?referrer=email&referrer=email)

{snip}
"President Bush visited Montgomery Blair High School yesterday for a town hall-style meeting to discuss his plan to partially privatize Social Security -- an appearance that drew about 400 protesters outside the Silver Spring school.

The loudest voices came from some Montgomery County residents and Blair students who questioned why they were not allowed inside. They were kept far from the president, but their shouts and beating drums could be heard by some of the 500 invitees waiting to pass through security."

{snip}
"Trent Duffy, a White House spokesman, said blocks of tickets were distributed to several nonprofit organizations, including Young America's Foundation, which selected the individuals who received them. The event was organized by the National Retirement Planning Coalition, a financial industry and advocacy group. Comedian and author Ben Stein, a Blair alumnus, is the group's honorary chairman.

Duffy said he did not know if any of those invited were county residents. "Once we give the tickets to the organizations, the White House doesn't ask for residency information," he said."

{snip}
"U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), a possible candidate for Senate next year, joined County Executive Douglas M. Duncan (D) and state Sen. Ida G. Rubin (D-Montgomery) at a news conference outside the school to speak out against Bush's Social Security plan. Duncan is expected to run for governor.

Van Hollen said Bush should return to the school in the fall to talk to Blair students. "The president has very carefully scripted these meetings," he said after the news conference."

COMMENT: The operative phrase in this article is one that we've heard before during the 2004 presidential campaign, "The president has very carefully scripted these meetings".

4dk

[EigthAv]

4DK,normally,I'd be on your side on the issue.I watched what happened when a community college in California "didn't discriminate" when they invited the Governator as a keynote speaker.The antis showed their a**s in loud,rude and vulgar ways.Look at how the antis behaved outside the room in this case.Would they have been willing to listen with open minds,raise their hands and wait their turns? The opposition leaders are targeting their audiences and the parties in power are targeting theirs.I hate it,but this is the way it is.I admire Heather for allowing us polico freaks here to mix it on up openly and not have to go at each other from opposite forums.You are safer doing this on the net,because we can't chunk pies at each other,can't drown each other out yelling and can't kill each other over the internet...........so far.:eek Weren't we all trying to leave the doors open and unlocked before they burned down our World Trade Centers? Hopefully,one day,peace will rule and we can all slepp at night without bars on our windows,expensive alarm systems in our motor vehicles and 24/7 police protection.Until then,I don't fault those who error on the side of caution.

[elliebea]

Now there's a Bushism (post above this) if I've ever heard/seen one!

Mike, you went from "loud,rude and vulgar ways" to "24/7 police protection" (I suppose from loud, rude, vulgar types) all in ONE paragraph!

That utterly fallacious statement style is precisely how Bush managed to conflate Saddam with 911. One long sentence, in his case a well-honed one due to his savvy writers, that begins with 911 and ends with Saddam. Meanwhile, he managed to completely avoid stating it directly and thus saved his political a**. Now that he's got the prize of a second term, he's lying outright about it. And though you reversed the sequence of the fallacy (it matters not) you're doing your dutiful parroting of an utter falsehood. Take a course in logic or something, okay?

[elliebea]

A guide to argument and logical fallacies (http://www.intrepidsoftware.com/fallacy/welcome.php)

[moxie]

There is a big difference between keeping someone out of these town-hall meetings because they might pose a security threat and keeping someone out because he/she might ask a question that is not on the president's pre-scripted list. (I do agree that unpopular questions should be asked in a respectful manner; anyone who heckles or disrupts the proceedings should be asked to leave.)

There also is a big difference between a political rally (at which I believe the Bush people were well within their rights to "select" their audiences) and an appearance by an elected president, which should be open to ALL CITIZENS.

[3axel]

I object because its called a "Town Hall Meeting" which suggests that its a meeting of the citizens of the town where the school is, but in reality those who were allowed to attend were hand picked by outside political clubs, and came from other locales. Thats phoney and manipulative, but considering the history of this administration, its what you might expect, very unsurprising.


3axel

[EigthAv]

Bush was cool on tee vee tonight.I can tell he scored a touchdown,because the opposition leaders were already crying even before the speech was over.<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->If some of my posts look like single loooooooong paragraphs,it's because you can't break lines automatically on ezboards with msntv keypads.You have to do it with html.Somtimes I'm either in too big a rush to use the html or just too lazy to do it.If I insert a "smilie gizmo thingy" take it as end of paragraph.:smokin <!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->I used to complain about Oprah and other talk tee vee gurus using "stacked audiences".I'd be watching them roast a guest and want to raise my hand and say something in defense of the roastee,even when I mostly agreed with the roasters.Some of you in the polly tix forum think you'd like Winfrey for President.Do you think her town hall meetings wouldn't be loaded decks?