Bean, Schakowski Town Halls

Thirteen hundred voters showed up for Rep Jan Schakowski's Town Hall meeting on Monday.  At least that many were turned away for lack of seating capacity at Niles West High School.  Liberty Watchman arrived an hour before the meeting started, but even that wasn't early enough to get a seat.

Schakowski finally sent out a lackey to invite those who couldn't get in to attend a Town Hall teleconference on September 9th.  Unfortunately, most of those who couldn't get it had already gone home.  LW saw only a half page of names and phone numbers that had been taken down for the teleconference.

Outside were dozens of protesters, the majority of whom were Obamacare supporters.  As usual, the pro-Obama folks had professionally printed signs while the other side had only hand-written signs.

LW spoke to one man who left the meeting early.  He was mad as a wet hen suggesting that the meeting was stacked with Schakowski supporters.  He told of Schakowski being asked if she would take a survey of her constituents before voting on any bill.  The Congresswoman replied rather lamely that she only takes a survery of her constituents every two years.



Here is a tremendous example of grass roots protesting.  Five women organized a town hall meeting and invited Melissa Bean, Mark Kirk, and Dick Durbin to attend (two of the three have refused to attend open town hall meetings).  None of the politicians showed up of course so the ladies set up life size photographs of each pol and they had their meeting anyway.  They called it the "with or without you" town hall.

Below is the video of the empty chair town hall meeting.  One highlight:  a man says, "Illinois has a kind of term limits.  One term in office and a second term in jail!"



Thanks for Cal Skinner's McHenry county blog for the "with or without you" video.