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Hillarysworld -> Health Care Issues -> (July 29, 2009) "Live coverage: Obama's health care stop in Bristol meets with support, protests" (www.roanoke.com)
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TOPIC: (July 29, 2009) "Live coverage: Obama's health care stop in Bristol meets with support, protests" (www.roanoke.com)
Calico


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(July 29, 2009) "Live coverage: Obama's health care stop in Bristol meets with support, protests" (www.roanoke.com)
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FoxNews indicated that Obama was in Bristol, Virginia earlier today promoting his healthcare plan, so decided to see how well he would be received by the citizens of rural Virginia.  He was also in North Carolina.

Here is what my search found:

Protesters and supporters have lined the streets today awaiting President Obama's visit to Bristol, where he will be holding a town hall meeting to discuss health care reform with the city’s Kroger employees.

Obama is scheduled to begin the town hall meeting at 4 p.m., but despite the rain people were outside sharing their views of health care hours before his arrival.

A few blocks from the Kroger a group of supports shared their concerns with the current health care system and reasons why they are urging for an overhaul of the nation’s health care system.

Sponsored by the Service Employees International Union, the rally sought to emphasize the hardship health care premiums have placed on small businesses. It also highlighted the problems Virginians face in paying for prescription drugs.

Protesters were also waiting for Obama’s arrival.

“We’ll be here until the president sees us,” said Katie Hughes, 18 of Kingsport, Tenn. “It makes me mad. I mean this could mean our grandparents won’t be taken care of.”

The largest group of protesters gathered outside the Kroger parking lot.

Rho Griffin and her husband Blake drove down from Roanoke to tell the president to keep his hands off their health care.

“We wanted to be here to make a statement,” Rho Griffin said. “They are hurrying this up and it needs to slow down. … We feel like it is being jammed down our throats.”

She said she realizes that health care needs to be improved but that she has no confidence that the proposed House bill or the upcoming Senate bills will accomplish that.

“Health care needs to be reformed. I mean it’s got a life of its own,” she said. “But we need to take it a little bit at a time and do it slowly and do it right.”

Active members of the Tea Party organization, Griffin said she has been vocal in letting her political representatives know her view. The Griffins plan on joining the Americans for Progress group in Roanoke tomorrow to continue to oppose the direction reform is taking.

Former Virginia attorney general Jerry Kilgore said Obama's decision to promote health care reform in Bristol "shows a lack of understanding of Southwest Virginia."

Kilgore spoke to reporters on a conference call arranged by the Republican National Committee prior to Obama's event.

Kilgore, a Scott County native who now lives near Richmond, said Southwest Virginians "believe that individuals, not the government, have the answers to out pressing issues."

Kilgore said it is "ironic" that the White House would call Obama's Bristol event a "town hall meeting" when it is closed to the public. He also noted that Obama was holding the event at a unionized grocery chain.

"If he was willing to talk to real Southwest Virginians, he'd understand that they don't want government-run health care, they want common-sense improvement to the health care industry to reduce costs, preserve quality and continue to allow individuals, not the government, to make health care decisions," Kilgore said.


Link:

http://www.roanoke.com/news/breaking/wb/213539

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Kbentleyis


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An offshoot of ACORN: Service Employees International Union, are all over this. They're not using ACORN symbols because that would even be worse of an advertisement.

Smartest thing I've heard all day:

"If he was willing to talk to real Southwest Virginians, he'd understand that they don't want government-run health care, they want common-sense improvement to the health care industry to reduce costs, preserve quality and continue to allow individuals, not the government, to make health care decisions," Kilgore said.


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