The internet seems filled with stories about Virginia Congressman Gerald Connolly and his staff bullying some tea party woman. Much is being made of the woman being small and not likely to inflict harm.
A little background from the Washington Post:
Protesters targeted Rep. Gerald E. Connolly (D-Va.), a first-term congressman whose Fairfax County district voted for Republican Robert F. McDonnell in this week’s gubernatorial election. Connolly, up for reelection next year, said that he has not decided whether to vote for health-care reform but that the tea-party activists will not influence his vote.
“You try to hear them out respectfully,” Connolly said. “The problem is they’re not here on a mission of dialogue. They’re here on a mission to persuade and discourage.”
Connolly said he had an unnerving confrontation in his office when a protester grabbed his arm and did not let up. “I told her, ‘You really need to take your arms off me. I’m on my way to vote,’ ” Connolly said. “I was a little shocked, but I ascribed it more to an overabundance of zeal than any malign intent.”
Hours before the rally began, Capitol Police arrested nine pro-reform activists in the Hart Senate Office Building and charged them with unlawful entry. They had staged a sit-in the seventh-floor office of Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (I-Conn.), demanding that he return campaign contributions from health insurers. Lieberman has threatened to join Republicans in a filibuster.
The tea-party rally was the latest display of a populist wave of voter discontent among conservatives, which has divided the Republican Party in recent weeks. Protesters said the health-care bill is the latest move by Democrats toward socialism.
A woman from Smart Girl Nation blog has accused Connolly’s staffer of pushing her arm down when she tried to do video recording. Someone else was threatened with arrest from the above recount. These accounts are beginning to sound like an armed camp.
First off, When one visits the Capitol, there are rules. You do what you are told to do. The attitude I am reading about in each case is that people just seem to think they can do what they want to do because they pay taxes. That just isn’t the case. The Capitol police are some of the most powerful in the nation and they have jurisdiction that covers great distances. They are there to protect members of Congress and to protect the Capitol. I would make sure to go by their rules. Their turf isn’t limited to the Capitol grounds.
Second of all, why would any adult, I don’t care what their size is, think it is alright to put their hands on anyone. You don’t put your hands on people, especially Congressmen.
I wasn’t there so I don’t want to even venture a guess as to what really happened but all accounts seem to point to the same thing: The tea party participants really think they don’t have to play by the long time established rules. If they don’t like being considered thugs, then don’t act like a bully. Make an appointment with your congressman. Follow camera and video rules. Don’t scream at them and don’t put your hands on them. That seems like a much more productive plan than what I am reading about. The entire incident in Rep. Connolly’s office sounds very much like a set up to me.
@A PW County Resident
APWCR, I certainly agree with everything you said in principle.
Remember the “change” that created our Country. It was violent, radical, dramatic, and resulted in a new “experimental” form of Government that, so far, worked out pretty good. I believe we have an obligation to engage in civil disobedience (following Gandhi, King, the founding fathers, etc.) rather than acquiesce to an unjust Government or policy (to borrow from Thoreau). Our very existence as a Country is predicated on this philosophy. To argue otherwise it so perhaps say correcting slavery or giving women the right to vote or perhaps equal rights could wait “a bit longer”. Civil disobedience was the catalyst for all of these changes.
Sometimes, change does need to be measured, targeted, etc., etc., etc., and sometimes we just need to do the right thing… now. I believe that it’s time for financial and health care reforms… now… for example. I also believe that if Obama had not made some bold moves (in some cases, continuing policies put in place by Bush at the end of his second term) we would be bankrupt (literally) as a Country and our condition would make the depression of the 30’s look like good times by comparison. M-H posted a video talking about the joys of small Government a couple of days ago that might be worth revisiting.
That’s just my opinion.
The original Tea Party was very radical. I don’t know why that expression should be considered insulting, if that is truly what is intended.
Kelly, I believe that the absolute adherence to states rights as described by our forefathers simply is no longer possible. I keep going back to the Civil War, I know, like a broken record. The country was redefined during those years and we emerged, for better or worse (an entire other topic) as a different nation.
I believe how we see the basic structure of our government probably will prohibit us from ever really agreeing.
@kelly3406
Kelly, the easiest way never to offend is to remain silent. I’m afraid I can’t do that because (simply put) I love my Country too much to let offending you or anyone else cause me to remain silent. You (as a fellow veteran) should particularly appreciate the fact that veterans have earned the right to speak freely about our Country and its future. My friends on the wall down town would expect no less.
It’s just my opinion. I take no offense if you ignore it.
@Opinion
I am certainly not arguing about the basic, it is like the old saying “the devil is in the details”. So, for example, just because one is against a government run system doesn’t mean that the person is against reform. But try to say that you are against government competition (when they can print their own money, have no concept of profit or business) to compete with private industry upon which our capitalist economics are based and all of a sudden you are portrayed as not caring if poor people get insurance. That is disingenuous.
And many on here who speak against amnesty (which by the way I have never taken a position until I see all of the alternative) are portrayed as against any immigration reform and hate people from other countries. It all comes down to details and some of the junk in the stimulus package was not intended to provide any stimulus and there is much in the healthcare reform in the House that is objectionable, costly and many economist fear would not help and could hurt.
Too many times, both parties demonize especially when they are in power. My biggest fear from the election last year was the super majority. Without the need to give and take, usually bad decisions are made. Thank goodness so far it has been the democrats since we know from Will Rogers that they are not an organized party.
I remember reading a thing in a magazine about an Episcopalian who was touting how great the convention was this year because the people who provided opposition left the church. I really felt sorry for this person because they missed the point that organizations nead a diversity of thought.
sorry about some of the spelling
@A PW County Resident
You know, once again I agree in principle but not perhaps the details. I would rather be in the company of people with an opinion than not and value people with different opinions the most. I (like you, I suspect) like to understand all of the alternatives and freely admit that I have more questions than answers.
My gray hair has taught me that all things come in cycles (weather, the economy, Government philosophy). (IMHO) That’s good as it balances out liberal and conservative philosophies over time… as long as both sides are talking to one another. As in your Episcopalian example, if one side walks out we lose balance.
That’s just my opinion (until persuaded otherwise).
@Opinion
And I do think we have a similar approach to things even if we will undoubtedly disagree. It is refreshing to disagree with reason :).
I once wrote a letter to the editor with some of the same thoughts as you–it must be the gray hair here too. My LTE was about my view that both parties have demons and angels (didn’t want to sound like Dan Brown) but that this country has been fortunate that most times the liberal persuasion was in charge when we needed it and the conservative persuasion was in charge when we needed to slow down a bit. The only thing I fret about is not the acrimony but the overwhelming amount of it. We have always had acrimony but I am not so sure that we have always had one or both parties ratcheting it up on every issue.
By the way, Wolfie nicknamed me Rez to save on keystrokes. I look forward to some interesting debates with you. I believe that we will agree on some and disagree on other things but I believe they will always be respectful.
I don’t post often wishing to look over the comments and coming to a conclusion after I have considered what people say, but I do read the subjects everyday. I try never to make it personal but as a human, I may fail. That’s why we invented apology.
@A PW County Resident
Likewise, I assure you.
Get a room.
😉
Ring…grrrrrrrrrr….wolfie is growling 😉
I definitely think both parties have devils and angels.
It is strange to think that for a while the parties tear it up internally. Once they sort that all out they take it outside and try to demonize the other guy. I often wish there was another way. I think things have just gotten too acrimonious. There is too much word twisting and finger pointing and too little self promotion.
Thanks to all of you who take the high road. Supposedly it is the road less traveled, especially in the blogosphere.
Cong.Connolly doesn’t have a good track record with women. First as Chairman of the FXBOCS he passed over the first female police chief for investigating his Felony hit and run case too thoroughly also involving a female motorist. He has a well-known history of blowing up on his staff,particularly women. His staffer allegedly assaulted a woman in his office.on Nov.5th. The Congressman according to eyewitnesses threatened a woman with arrest for simply touching his arm(Connolly’s staff is spinning this) there are photos.What female will be the next victim of Congressman Connolly’s bullying behavior. Maybe anger management is needed for our Congressman.
Gerry vs. the Police
One of the most underreported parts of the Gerry Connolly Hit and Run story is what happened with the Fairfax police after they dared charge Connolly.
After the Hit and Run on Friday, police with the license plate in hand, went over to Gerry’s house Saturday morning. In the Hit and Run stories, you will notice Gerry always talking about how he “found” the dent on Saturday. By “found” he means after the police knocked on his door asking about it.
At the same time this was going on Fairfax was going through a search for a new Chief of Police. When the outgoing Chief left, he recommended Suzanne Devlin to be acting Chief during the search. Suzanne was a well respected officer, and had overwhelming support to take over the department internally. However, sources tell me Devlin refused to treat Connolly any different during the Hit and Run investigation which left Gerry absolutely livid. Gerry began a big push to interview those outside the department as the hit and run case was proceeding-.
While Acting Chief, Suzanne was also getting Gerry’s ire for her outstanding press. She was even featured in the Washington Post for taking down a male attacker twice her size at Dulles Airport.
But at the end of the day in Fairfax, qualifications don’t mean anything when Gerry Connolly is angry that he was charged with a crime. Suzanne was passed over for the position.
Most important- Gerry did NOT recuse himself from selecting a new Police Chief while he was facing criminal charges that the police recommended. But the Fairfax Police learned a valuable lesson- not everyone is equal under the law in Fairfax County.
M-H… the high road is the road less traveled; however, you are in better company on your journey.
@Elena
Elena- The Medicare Prescription Drug Program is a federal government program. While I agree with you in the staggering cost, to those who pay taxes, President Obama must believe it is working. Otherwise, he would gid rid of programs that aren’t working. That was what he said. Hopefully, what he said were not ‘just words’.
Umm “Gerry the Volcano”, you may want to at least give credit to the site you plagiarized your entire post from!
http://notlarrysabato.typepad.com/doh/2008/05/hit-and-runpoli.html
Also, the issue at hand is whether a frustrated and angry tea person got out of hand and tried to bully a congressman. From what I’ve seen from out of control town hall meetings, THAT would not surprise me. Whether or not he was involved with some prior infraction has NOTHING to do with this particular incident on Capitol hill.
Gerry, please avoid cut and paste from other blogs without giving proper credit.
The article is about recent incidents on Capital Hill, not an xyz on Rep. Connolly. There are probably other blogs that are more than willing to accept your post.
Thanks.
Benita, I believe Elena’s comments were to over a massive program that is expensive involving part of medicare, not that she thinks there is something wrong with the rx medicare program.
It saves senior sitizens a great deal of money. It is also very expensive in the grand scheme of things. Medicare and all its components in this area cost around $300.
Moon-howler, I have been enjoying immensely your recent threads. Being what some might term an “old-timer”, there are a few responding posts which make me chuckle with good humor. That business about “bullying a congressman” is one of those. One might get the impression that those in the modern-day “tea parties” are on the verge of becoming some raucous, law-breaking, and perhaps even violent political movement. Hah! Some of you are probably too young to remember very clearly the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. I witnessed a crowd on the streets of Chicago in 1968 trying to bully an entire national convention of the Democratic Party! I remember political bombings and other acts of domestic terrorism. Come on, folks. Compared to our political history in other, not so distant, periods, those tea party (and townhall) encounters have been political peanuts. Totally tame by comparison. Effective though, if you count the number of Dems who voted nay on the House bill yesterday. Almost as effective as the protests years ago which helped to turn an entire nation away from an on-going war.
Not that I don’t agree that tea party and townhall participants should show proper respect and deference for the laws. But I think that “Opinion” left one very important factor out of his thought-provoking assessment. There are far too many elected officials who do not know how to listen or who appear to refuse to do so except when re-election campaigns are just around the corner. What more basic right can we as a people have than that of our elected representatives — and I emphasize “representatives” — giving us an audience and doing so seriously and fully?
As I watched the various townhall meetings on health reform around the country some months ago, I saw a difference in many of them. The ones which ended in a bit of a dustup were largely those in which the representative or senator began by reading from a prepared script and acting as if that script was an unassailable sort of Bible. It reflected in those speakers a lack of understanding that people in this modern era have access to multiple and almost immediate sources of information and that they might be just a bit insulted and reactive if you make like they are uninformed rubes needing only to shut up and listen to the Washington “gospel.” I think that many of these same speakers failed to realize what kind of response you would get from Americans if you populated your meetings knowingly with union personnel and if these union personnel become equated with some knuckle-cracking goon squad ready to take on the constituents.
By contrast, those town meetings which truly worked were the ones in which smart representatives and senators sat back and told their constituents: “I’m here to listen. You do the talking.” I can’t go through an entire list; but I can point out a couple of the worst performances. You could tell from the look on the face of that congressman from South St. Louis County (where the union guy actually slugged someone outside the meeting place) that the chap was totally out of his element. He had absolutely no clue how to handle a meeting in which contentiousness was present. There were others. Arlen Specter, for instance, was also clueless. He apparently thought that his status as a prominent US Senator would be quite enough to quell the spirit of an upset crowd of constituents. But, perhaps, the worst, was that AARP video seen across the nation. That is the one where the female moderator walked out of the meeting simply because she could not abide a contrary audience wanting desperately to discuss the nuts and bolts of their concerns.
And I would mention those representatives who ran away in absolute fright from holding any townhall meetings at all or held only meetings which were tightly controlled as to admission. From the complaints I saw on the blogs, Gerry Connolly appears to have been in that category. Gerry Connolly got a reputation for running, which may have been a factor in the incidents or alleged incidents on the Hill this past week. Now, I know that some will say that the speakers at some of those townhall meetings had no chance because the attendees were chanting or shouting them down. Perhaps. But consider the possibility that this also might have been a response to a growing sense that these men and women in Washington often appear to talk at you instead of listening.
We have to be very careful that we do not move from a position of criticizing the views of those in the tea parties and other dissent groups in the direction of an advocacy of shutting them out somehow from the public forum. The political winds always change at some point. Someday those who are most adamant about denigrating the tea party people will surely wind up in a position similar to theirs. Do you want to set a precedent? During those raucous protests in the Vietnam War era, I , as a person in uniform, was sometimes a target of protesters. I was even advised not to wear the uniform in public in some places in order to avoid nasty confrontations. This as a war veteran who was sent home on a medevac plane and spent eight months in a military hospital. Did I think those protesters should have been swept up and cast into some distant and captive oblivion? Hell, no. As much as I disagreed with them at the time, I had to admit that they were doing something very, very American: exercising (the domestic terrorist acts excepted) their constitutional rights. Tolerance of dissent, even loud and irritating dissent, is what we Americans are about. Like “Opinion” I have spent many years in other cultures…in fact, mostly in cultures where townhall meetings and “teas parties” could put you behind bars and sometimes worse. Lack of tolerance is not a pretty thing to witness.
Thank you for a thought provoking post, Wolverine. I expect we are contemporaries or near contemporaries.
I recently watched some old footage of protests from the Vietnam era. I didn’t like them then. I thought perhaps I might have softened in later years. I haven’t. I still don’t like them. I am not denying their right to protest, nor my right to not like them.
I don’t care much for Tea Party tactics either. I especially dislike it when there is no civil discourse.
I find it odd that one of the best town hall meetings I saw footage on was Al Franken’s TH meeting. He took a disgruntled crowd and at the end of the meeting, everyone was smiling and it appeared that both ‘sides’ were walking away with new understanding.
I think people are afraid and insecure because of the economy. I think there are people out there taking advantage of these fears and preying on many people who have joined the Tea Party. Me? I am sitting back and watching. I am not on a side other than the side of civil politics.
@Wolverine
Wolverine, when you’re right… you’re right… on so many points. I particulary agree with, ” But I think that “Opinion” left one very important factor out of his thought-provoking assessment. There are far too many elected officials who do not know how to listen or who appear to refuse to do so except when re-election campaigns are just around the corner. What more basic right can we as a people have than that of our elected representatives — and I emphasize “representatives” — giving us an audience and doing so seriously and fully?”
Thank you for your service.
Nothing is more annoying than to write your representative and then get a letter back over something you didn’t even talk about in your concerns.
Wolverine,
I appreciate what you are saying about “winds of change”. It was not long ago that people were protesting the wars in Iraq and torture by our government. However, I don’t recall the same type of backlash based on misinformation and distortion by elected leaders and some media outlets. Were it not for brave senators like John McCain and Lindsey Grahm, Rumsfield would still be in power. I think there IS a key difference in these protests.
The difference being one based on “I hate Obama no matter what he does” factor. I will keep sounding like a broken record, but where was the outrage over Bush’s 800 BILLION spent on the medicare prescription drug plan that offered NO way to pay for its creation? Almost every republican voted for it and only several democrats. Why wasn’t this considered a governmental socialized take over of insurance?!!!! Where were the tea partiers then???!!!
Furthmore, protests happend AFTER the event went bad, these protests are happening BEFORE any legislation has EVEN passed!!!
Did that rx program cost 800 billion? Over what period of time?
The time for political protest, in order to be effective, is during the development of the policy or law. To wait until the legislation has passed means that people’s opinions are meaningless. Changing a law or a policy takes forever but influencing the law or policy during deliberation is immediate.
What has been happening is that “leaks” have been provided as trial balloons. If there is no organized or impassioned response by the electorate, elected officials assume that the proposal is okay.
Why no great outcry about the prescription drug plan? The american people were not tuned into something that did not affect them personally and the people that it may have affected did not raise the american consciousness. Complete health care reform does affect every american so there will be passions.
Elena, as a fiscal conservative I might add another thought to your comment about the Bush spending during the last years of his term. Some of us were so stunned by it all that we didn’t quite know how to react or what to say. As the deficit piled up, I remember saying to myself: “What the Hell is this? What do I say now?!” Politics are a darned funny and often confusing thing. It’s sort of like your mama giving you all kinds of loving and filling you with delicious cakes and pies and, all of a sudden, you get a whack on the behind without quite realiizing what you did to deserve it. Oh, well, it makes for excitement in life …and some good blogging opportunities. And I think Bush did suffer from it in the end in the eyes of those who had supported him. That low approval rating wasn’t just Democrats. And Obama rode it to power.
When does the country decide that not just seniors are getting screwed by the drug companies? Do I sound like Rick?
Elena, why do you think people should have been outraged over the drug program? It isn’t perfect but it was desperately needed. Many seniors were torn between paying rent or taking the drugs they needed to take.
I love the AARP endorsement of the health care reform bill. What they don’t mention is that they sell supplemental Medicare insurance, so massive cuts in Medicare=More Sales for AARP! Ain’t life grand!
A PWCR is right – what’s the point of protesting something after it is enacted? So everyone should stay silent until Congress passes some legislation? In that case what point is there to even contacting your representative – if you should wait until after he/she has voted? It makes no sense.
Elena,
You want to know what the “tea party” types did because of the Drug Plan? They didn’t vote for Republicans in the next election. They stayed home. When your “small government” party is acting like the opposition, why vote for them?
Apparently you don’t read conservative blogs. The outcry was huge. As to where the protesters were…well, it takes time for people unaccustomed to it, to organize. The Tea Party movement and the 9/12 Project coalesced at about the same time and through those networks, were able to organize. THAT’S where the protesters were…getting ready.
Heck, until Glenn Beck started the 9/12 Project-We Surround Them, it didn’t occur to many that they COULD get organized and protest.