Will Sestak's Heath Care Town Hall Meeting Draw Protests?
U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak plans to wade into the controversial issue of health care reform at a town hall meeting at a Center City church Wednesday evening. What are the chances that protesters show up for a shouting match? And could that be a very good thing for Sestak?
Will Sestak's Heath Care Town Hall Meeting Draw Protests?
Chris Brennan
U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak plans to wade into the controversial issue of health care reform at a town hall meeting at a Center City church Wednesday evening. What are the chances that protesters show up for a shouting match? And could that be a very good thing for Sestak?
U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter made national news last week when he came to town with Kathleen Sebelius, President Obama's secretary for Health & Human Services, to discuss health care reform. Protesters shouted down the duo as they tried to discuss plans being considered by the U.S. Congress. Video of the confrontations at the National Constitution Center played for days on all the national news networks.
Sestak is mounting a 2010 primary election challenge for Specter, who crossed over to the Democrats this year after concluding he could not survive a Republican primary. We've copied Sestak's news release about the town hall meeting below.
And we're wondering if a health care shouting match might be just what the doctor ordered to raise Sestak's national profile. We ran our theory through the Google machine, where a search of "Health Care" and "Specter" and "Sebelius" turned up more than one million hits this morning. That's a lot of attention.
Congressman Joe Sestak Invited to Be Special Guest at Broad Street Ministry Health Care Town Hall
MEDIA, PA - Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, Joe Sestak has accepted an invitation, from Broad Street Ministry Pastor Bill Golderer, to speak candidly about one of Pennsylvania's most important issues - Health Care. The Congressman previously spoke at the Church's Avenue of the Arts forum, called "A Vision for a Just Society." He has been invited to return for this forum and will take questions about lowering costs, improving quality of care, increasing coverage, and making the system work better for all Americans.
WHEN: Wednesday, August 12th, 6:30 - 7:30 pm
WHERE: Broad Street Ministry
315 S. Broad St., Philadelphia, PA
(between Spruce and Pine, across from UArts and Kimmel Center)
Hopefully there can be a meaningful discussion and not the silliness that has plagued other town hall meetings. Fiscal conservatives shouldn't stoop down to the level that liberals do when they protest. The theme of this year should be smart spending... exactly what this bill isn't.
Did anyone view on PCN over the weekend that sham news conference Sestak held in Media? Talk about staged. There were five people holding Sestak signs behind him. When the news conference was over, he asked any questions. Considering all the issues plaguing our nation you would think somebody had a question, but no one responded, because no one was there. Usually at these meetings or announcements the cameras pan the audience, but that did not happen. What a joke! Another politician sans intestional fortitude.— junethe4th- It is amazing that he will speak in Philadelphia and there is no mention of malpractice reform in the legislation. Malpractice insurance rates are a financial burden to doctors and hospitals in the state. How much care could be given if the money was spent on the poor instead of to lawyers and malpractice carriers— ehlmd
- The reason it's not discussed, ehlmd, is that various studies have shown it is a small part of health costs. However Obama did mention lawsuits in his speech to the AMA. I'll post a link in another comment.— Politburo
- Here is a recent link from Bloomberg about medical lawsuits: http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601103&sid=az9qxQZNmf0o— Politburo
- Yeah as a democrat who is seriously considering supporting Sestak...I'd like to know where he stands on this debacle...I believe we need reform to make health care more affordable to everyone...we have the best in the world...but a massive government controlled system is not the answer on many fronts...so i do hope Mr Sestak does not support the socialist program which is destructive— phillysmart
Comment removed.- hey tango...the country is already broke...you consider 1.3 trillion on a risky government led program to cover a small portion of the population is good spending...besides Obama is still spending on wars...amazing there is still afflictions of the blame Bush syndrome going around ...get over it you have the ball now— phillysmart
- As the winner of the Specter/Sestak primary will be our next senator I am interested in hearing Sestak's thoughts on the healthcare. No doubt our current healthcare process is a disaster, but I'm not sure this is the best alternative that we can come up with.— Rod72
- Comment removed.
- Nice talking point. Except that health care reform would cover the whole population. The goal of the legislation is not solely to expand coverage, but to reform the system.— Politburo
- CleanupPhilly - Do you have any data supporting your assertion that medical lawsuits are largely the result of drug/alcohol addicts and their children? Do you have any data supporting your implicit assertion that said lawsuits are a significant factor in health care costs?— Politburo
- Comment removed.
- Comment removed.
- Way to derail the healthcare reform debate by focusing on a side issue, Cleanup and Ehlmd. The issue is getting healthcare coverage that works, and getting as many people as possible covered. We do NOT have the "best healthcare in the world" or anything close to it; depending on what you're measuring, we are well down the list. We DO have some of the best doctors and facilities in the world, but good luck getting them to treat you if you have an HMO or are uninsured.— Montco PA Dem
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David Gambacorta spent a small eternity writing about cops, drug dealers and serial killers. Now he’s writing about power and politics – which sometimes reminds him of the old crime beat. He joined the Daily News in 2005. And yes, he knows you’re not quite sure how to pronounce his last name. E-mail tips to gambacd@phillynews.com
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Jan Ransom, a native New Yorker, joined the Daily News in 2010 after graduating from Howard University. She has since written about the difficulty of filing police complaints, tax deadbeats and life after violent home invasions. She joined the Daily News City Hall Bureau in 2011 and has plunged headfirst into reporting on administration budget battles and City Council shenanigans. E-mail tips to ransomj@phillynews.com
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Sean Collins Walsh is from Bucks County and went to Northwestern University. He joined the Daily News copy desk in 2012 and now covers the Nutter administration. Before that, he interned at papers including The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News and The Seattle Times. E-mail tips to walshSE@phillynews.com
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