Democrats Play Nice With Tea Partiers
They came bearing Gadsden flags, quoting Thomas Jefferson and promising to take back the country. But when Tea Partiers stormed the Hill Tuesday to demand that Democrats dump their health care bill, they were met mostly with accommodating staff and cordial lawmakers.
“We met with Congressman [John] Dingell; he was very polite,” one elderly tea partier marveled to a group of her comrades as they chatted in the hall of the Longworth building. “Everyone’s been so nice.”
Pennsylvania Republican Rep. Joseph Pitts glad-handed in the hallways. North Carolina Democratic Rep. G.K. Butterfield held elevators for people in the Capitol building.
The Democrats’ plan had been to avoid a direct confrontation, and it seemed to work.
On Monday, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen’s office sent a memo to Democratic staffers advising them on the p’s and q’s of tea party etiquette: Have staff at the ready to assist constituents. Be communicative. If possible, have light snacks and coffee available.
And on Tuesday, staff members for Democrats reported orderly, even polite conversations with protesters. Van Hollen’s staff estimated around 30 of them came to his office; Rep. Thomas Perriello (D-Va.) met with about 50 protesters in a room near his office.
FreedomWorks said that about 5,000 tea party activists visited House offices Tuesday; Democrats put the number in the hundreds.
“Congressional offices were expecting tens of thousands, but it looks like only a few hundred showed up. I think our office handled more White House tour requests than questions about the health care bill,” said Doug Thornell, spokesman for Van Hollen.
“It was like a high school classroom,” an aide to one lawmaker who hosted tea partiers noted glumly. “It was so boring.”
Outside, Republican lawmakers did their best to whip the protesters into a frenzy. At a rally outside the Capitol, eager protesters crammed shoulder to shoulder to hear Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) lead the crowd in a chant of “Of the people, by the people and for the people!”
“And they better listen!” one protester rejoined.
“We have a goal,” Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) told the group. “Our goal is to kill this bill and make sure they don’t take over the health care industry. We can do this!”
Tim Phillips from Americans for Prosperity appeared next, using a bullhorn to offer a shout-out to a senator who has indicated publicly that he’d rather not be considered the tea party’s hero. “The wonderful people of the commonwealth of Massachusetts spoke up. Scott Brown proved that one man or one lady can make a difference,” he said.
Brown was not to be found amid the colorful crowd and homespun signage. Very few of the Republican National Committee-funded “Listen to me!” signs were to be found. There was “Obama lies, Grandma dies,” a takeoff on the “Bush lied, people died” slogan of liberal anti-war protesters; “The lizards don’t really want to help us,” a reference to the television show “V”; and one that said, “Get out of our House,” highlighted with an easy-to-remember acronym: “GOOOH.”
Texas Republican Rep. Louie Gohmert brought his own copy of the bill, complete with Post-it note annotations. “I’m sure some of you probably think abortion is OK. I don’t want to make you sick, but I brought an abortion to show you today,” he teased, hoisting the gargantuan bill into the air.
Probably the most popular speaker was the one who almost didn’t speak at all.
Charles Lollar, an African-American Marine Corps veteran who is planning to challenge Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) this fall, attracted a posse of Carhartt-wearing Marylanders wherever he went. Organizers almost forgot to let him speak, but the crowd chanted his name until they put him on.
“We are not a bunch of hatemongers who don’t love our country! We are not a bunch of tea baggers who don’t understand our constitutional rights! We are not a bunch of racists who don’t love all people from all walks of life!” Lollar said, as the audience laughed and cheered.
Of course, the Republican lawmakers and tea party protesters weren’t the only ones having some fun. The Democratic National Committee estimated that only 330 tea partiers turned out Tuesday — and sent around a list of events that attracted more people, including the “snowpocalypse snowball fight,” “my Twitter follower list” and “a Republican fundraiser with insurance company lobbyists.”
Charles Lollar Hopes To Unseat Hoyer
Charles Lollar, 38, is hoping to upset House Majority Leader Rep. Steny Hoyer’s 28-year hold on Maryland’s 5th Congressional District by running for Congress in 2010.
Unseating a 28-year veteran will be no small task but Lollar, a former marine and father of four, says he’s up for the challenge.
Lollar said that because Hoyer has been in Congress for 28 years, he has not only forgotten about the people in the district but also the reasons why he was elected in the first place.
“There is something wrong with a congressman who represents Prince George’s County, but doesn’t even come to Prince George’s County, doesn’t give town hall meetings in Prince George’s County, takes advantage of our vote, and spends more time out of the state than in the state,” said Lollar. “You have to spend time in the county to make a difference.”
Mykel Harris, chairman of the Prince George’s County Republican Central Committee, said, “The conventional wisdom says that Hoyer cannot be beaten, just like the conventional wisdom says that David couldn’t beat Goliath. The reality is that even given Hoyer’s long term of service – and his very powerful position in Congress – he has been the captain of a ship that is deliberately steering toward a financial iceberg,” he said.
Prince George’s County holds a significant portion of the 5th congressional district votes. Historically, Hoyer has consistently won over Prince George’s County by large percentages in the general elections. In 2008, Hoyer won with 73.6 percent of the total votes.
“It is a benefit to the county to have someone in Congress at such a high level as the second-ranking person in Congress behind the speaker of the house as the majority leader,” said Terry Speigner, chairman of the Prince George’s Democrats. “That brings an immense amount of value not only to Maryland, but to district five and Prince George’s County.”
So far there are only officially two candidates running: Democrat Thomas Deflbaugh Sr., and Republican Collins A. Bailey, who ran against Hoyer in the last congressional election.
Lollar said he is running because he is concerned about the direction in which the country is headed.
One of his chief concerns is government spending. “We are running a $9 to $10 trillion dollar deficit, we’re trying to push a lot of dollars through to programs without stabilizing our economy, and our dollars are being weakened on the international front,” said Lollar.
He said the country needs to balance its budget. “I think if you ask anyone how important it is to only spend what you have and not more that, I think you would get complete agreement from everyone,” said Lollar.
Lollar said he is against abortion rights, same-sex marriages and in favor of the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. He does not support Obama’s health-care reform policy and says that the government should focus more on immigration policies.
The Charles County resident and father of four, is the general manager for Cintas Corporation in Landover.
“The arrogance of Congress is out of control,” said Lollar. “I am concerned because I refuse to go out of this country and fight for my country just to come home and lose my country; I am just not going to do it.” His first officer assignment in combat was in Kosovo, in the Bosnia area, where he spent six months to a year away from his family.
Some people do not believe Lollar is right person for Congress. “What we don’t need in a congressman is someone who has the same ideal and platforms that George Bush had and that’s what Charles Lollar represents,” said Speigner. “Some of the same arguments we heard for the last eight years that put us in this situation that Obama’s trying to dig us out of.”
Lollar was born on the Yakama Indian Reservation in Washington state. He obtained his associate’s degree from Emory University, his bachelor’s degree in political science from Kennesaw State University, and an MBA from Regents University in Virginia. He met his wife Rosha while attending Emory University.
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Sources: Politico, LollarforCongress, Twitter, Facebook, Zimbio, Youtube, Google Maps
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