David Scott on a racial undertone in the debate over health care reform
Just got off the phone a few minutes ago with U.S. Rep. David Scott of metro Atlanta, who underlined what he said are some worrisome racial undertones in the current health care debate.
U.S. Rep. David Scott of metro Atlanta/Associated Press
As noted this morning, Scott was the topic of a WXIA TV report over the weekend, which detailed an Aug. 1 confrontation with opponents of health care reform at a town hall meeting in Douglasville.
Scott angrily accused protestors of attempting to “hijack” the meeting.
On Monday, the congressman said he stood by those comments, which were recorded by the city’s cable TV outlet — then truncated into the WXIA report.
The edited video hit the airwaves only this weekend, but in fact was one of the first of many such clashes over health care reported around the country.
U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Decatur) will host a town hall meeting on health care this evening. His staff says 20 law enforcement officers will be on hand to maintain order.
What the WXIA report failed to capture, the 13th District congressman said, was the fact that the health care protestors intruded on a delicate, local discussion.
“That was not my town hall meeting. It was the city of Douglasville. They had worked months to put a town hall meeting together, for me to come and to explain and to give comfort and assurance [to] the community that would be impacted,” Scott said.
The topic was the $70 million reconstruction of Ga. 92 in the community. Sixty-eight homes and businesses will be destroyed in the process.
“It would go right through the heart of the African-American community,” Scott said. “These people don’t know — they’re willing to try to trust here, but they want some comfort. They want to know how their homes will be appraised. How will the neighborhood be impacted? The whole future of Douglasville rests on this road. That’s what that meeting was about. It was not about health care.”
Scott said it was the fact that the meeting wasn’t his, and dealt with a sensitive topic, that made him use the sharp tone.
“I was going to stand up and get the respect of the constituents of mine that had worked hard to put a meeting together. And I was not going to let [health care protestors] hijack this meeting. We were discussing the life-and-death issues of their future and their homes and their way of life,” Scott said. “It was very disrespectful and selfish. I had to speak up for the respect of the people of Douglasville.”
Scott said he’ll be the sponsor of a health fair in Jonesboro on Saturday. “I’m willing to take questions. But that’s mine. This meeting was not mine,” Scott said.
City Manager William Osborne, who moderated the Douglasville event, confirmed that health care protestors had to be called to order “four or five times” during a meeting that lasted nearly four hours.
The city manager said the demonstrators weren’t a surprise — Herman Cain, the WSB Radio talk show host and former Republican candidate for senator, had urged those opposed to current health care proposals to show up.
But Osborne also disputed descriptions of Scott as “ranting.”
“He was angry and he showed that anger. But he was totally under control,” Osborne said.
Scott said he understands why he was the target of confrontation. As the only member of Congress who is a member of the Blue Dog and New Democrat caucuses, plus the Congressional Black Caucus, Scott says he has begun to fill the role of go-between on the health care issue.
“I think members of Congress have to stand firm, and they have to be able to realize that we’re in a fight — that this is a serious issue, it is a deliberative issue. But we’re being hanged in effigy,” he said.
Scott said he has no problem with protestors exercising their freedom of speech.
“This is a different thing here. We’re dealing a concerted effort to use these town hall meetings to bum rush Democratic congressmen about this issue,” Scott said.
While Scott acknowledged the legitimate concerns that many Americans have when it comes to overhauling health care, the congressman also expressed worry about the debate’s undertone. Scott e-mailed me a sampling of some of the rougher health care mail he’s received — the ones with variations of the n-word.
“You were, you are, and you shall forever be but a ———-,” one fax to his office reads. The missive includes a mug of President Barack Obama with a hammer-and-sickle stamped on his forehead.
“The folks are not going to stand for socialized medicine even though most Negroes refuse to stand on their own two feet,” says another.
“These people are bringing [in] race — and ‘Negro’ and ‘colored’ and Obama,” Scott said. “We should applaud the fact that we have an African-American president and he is working on this. This is a great thing. But it should not be a racial situation. What have we done except look at the problem and move on it?”
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514 comments Add your comment
Keeping It Real
August 12th, 2009
4:24 pm
Why is it that all of the people that are crying foul over the Healthcare Bill (except for Herman Cain seem to be white)? Also, why do they bring up socialism and link it to Russia and communism? Why bring up illegals? Why bring up welfare cheats? Why bring up baby momas? Why bring up losing our freedom? Could it be racism? Of course it is. Black people have lived under this tyranny for centuries so stop trying to hide the truth.
Why not let the politicians discuss the issues in the healthcare plan so that we all can understand it? How about being civil and respect the opinions of others? Leave the racism at home and keep it to yourself.
Tegrn
August 12th, 2009
5:15 pm
I have always told my kids, its how you present yourself matters. Regardless of how frustrated you are, do not go around yelling and screaming if you are trying to get a point across. If you do you are simply trying to provoke a situation. People are not stupid. The world is looking at the people of the United States and seeing it for what it is. This country is killing itself with this “us vs them” mentality. You can not stop progression. The good old days are gone where you had an underclass who had no representation whatsoever.
Cheesy
August 13th, 2009
12:13 am
Keeping it Real: Wow! A bi racial( Oh I forgot, Black) man is elected to the highest office in the land and you cry racism. How bold is that statement. Wake up! And please stop living in the past. If not for the white vote than someone else would be president. What do you tell your children? Oh, this bi racial kid grew up to be president, but you can forget this ever happening to you because of all the white racism and tyranny we are living under. Maybe time to look in the mirror? Which race is living in the past? By the way, when government forces something on you than freedoms are taken away.
whitebrother
August 13th, 2009
3:27 pm
The black people keep saying it, so now Im gonna say it. They say their proud that their president is black! Well, Im saying Im proud my president is white! It goes both ways folks! Skin color has nothing to do with reasons many of us are against Obama’s health care reform and other policies, its what he stands for. Guess were still living in the 60s. Wait, are there still white and black water fountains? This is 2009 people, get over pulling the race card every chance you get for no reason, that card has expired, cut it up in pieces!!!
UncleCharlie
August 13th, 2009
3:31 pm
Wow, great insight whitebrother, seriously it’s true what you speak of. Wait a minute, are you the two boys who spray painted ma cat last week?
Think for yourself
August 13th, 2009
4:50 pm
Saddened, but now optimistic: Thanks for your post and sorry for the typo. Now is much better than not. I would understand better your thoughts if I knew who you were refering to when you mentioned the “white establishment”. Who is this white establishment? And how does the government actually protect you from it? The government is suppose to be representative of the people of which the majority are white; so in essence the government is more white than black, isn’t it? Oversite is just another fancy word for more regulations which means more government and less freedoms.How does fewer liberties protect you? Maybe, just maybe the democratic party wants you to think this way, because it seems to me that if they can continue to make the majority of blacks feel like victims, than they know you will continue to support their party.Just think for a minute. Are they not always making you out as the victim? Ask yourself why?It’s ironic that my favorite conservative author just happens to be a black man, Thomas Sowell. Diversity of opinion, is important, but its hard to see sometimes in the black community when over ninety percent favor one party.When the ratios get to seventy percent black support( more reflective of the country), then progress(real progress) will be evident.I don’t care if they support the green, libertarian or any party for that matter(More than two parties in this country would be welcome in my opinion).What is even more ironic and confusing to me is the support for a party(Democrat) whose history is more itentified with anti-black causes.
Saddened, but now optimistic
August 13th, 2009
7:40 pm
The “white establishment” that I’m referring to are the banks (discriminatory lending practices), Housing (restrictive covenants), state legislatures (had laws banning interracial marriage) and I could site so many other practices. I’m not at all bitter, I don’t hate or feel discontent toward any other race, but the fact remains that I and many other African-Americans have families and they themselves that have experienced these practices at the hands of the “white establishment” you may say get over it, but my grandmother is 80 and she’s a very strong woman, God-fearing and fair but there are times that she really is uneasy about whites because of the sordid history of Mississippi, where she lives.
I read in another post that the Republican party has some great Ideals, that really represent America and who know it may be the party of the future but right now it has been hi-jacked by the Southerners that prescribe to the ideology that Nixon promoted with the “Southern Statedy” and that makes the party undesirable. I have seen some very mean things on this site but I remain optimistic that there are better days ahead for my 5year old and 18mth old. I love my white, black and hispanic neighbors not because of their race but because of their God-given humanity.
Saddened, but now optimistic
August 13th, 2009
7:44 pm
The “white establishment” that I’m referring to are the banks (discriminatory lending practices), Housing (restrictive covenants), state legislatures (had laws banning interracial marriage) and I could site so many other practices. I’m not at all bitter, I don’t hate or feel discontent toward any other race, but the fact remains that I and many other African-Americans have families and they themselves that have experienced these practices at the hands of the “white establishment” you may say get over it, but my grandmother is 80 and she’s a very strong woman, God-fearing and fair but there are times that she really is uneasy about whites because of the sordid history of Mississippi, where she lives.
I read in another post that the Republican party has some great Ideals, that really represent America and who know it may be the party of the future but right now it has been hi-jacked by the Southerners that prescribe to the ideology that Nixon promoted with the “Southern Statedy” and that makes the party undesirable. I have seen some very mean things on this site but I remain optimistic that there are better days ahead for my 5year old and 18mth old. I love my white, black and hispanic neighbors not because of their race but because of their God-given humanity.
Yes it is true that the democratic party’s history is nasty, but that doesn’t compensate for the republican party’s now. I am a conservative in many instances but I don’t believe in pushing my beliefs off on others and that makes it hard for me to join up with the conservatives and republicans.
Mike
August 13th, 2009
10:11 pm
Keeping it real, you might want to check with JC Watts and Chairman Steele. Last I heard they both are against the healthcare plan, and last I heard they are both pretty much black. You won’t necessarily hear about them on the news, nor will you hear about other black people who are against the plan. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist.
At the Congressman Scott townhall meeting which is the topic of this thread, the first person to speak in opposition to the plan was a black man.
You night be surprised.
emendemon
August 14th, 2009
2:02 pm
There is nothing racial about the current healthcare debate.
The debate is between:
A. A Capitalist, free-market approach to healthcare reform (the “mob” view) – reducing onerous government regulations limiting innovation, reforming our tort law to prevent frivolous malpractice lawsuits, and reducing taxes to allow citizens to buy good health insurance.
— or —
B. A government run health insurance exchange, featuring a government run public health insurance option, higher taxes (a less economic freedom) to pay for it, and bureaucratic control of an elemental part of a free society.
Scott’s injection of race into the debate is insulting to this constituent (from Smyrna) who respects all people who take responsibility for themselves and don’t expect their fellow citizens to subsidize their lifestyles.
Michael Frisbee (www.FireDavidScott.com)
August 14th, 2009
7:51 pm
What isn’t being said here is that the meeting went 3.5 hours, almost 4. There was no “protestors” that the city manager had to quiet down. No cameras or posters were allowed in the event, and the police would not allow any protestors with sings to be on the sidewalks in front of this PUBLIC BUILDING.
They took a list, one was for Hwy 92 questions, one was for “Other”. They said that at the end of the meeting, after all the Highway 92 questions were asked, that the floor would be open to other topics. Well that is when the doctor asked his question. Everyone had been heard on Hwy 92 for 3.5+ hours, many being duplicate questions.
So Mr. Scott is not being honest in the portrayal of that meeting.
Well – Mr. Scott will find out tomorrow at his “Health Fair” that his constituents are fed up and want answers, that they have a voice and are demanding he listen to us and vote against this healthcare. If he votes yes – he’ll find a district voting NO on Mr. Scott.
I hope you all will be attending or tuning in on the event in Atlanta tomorrow, America’s Health Care Town Hall. I will be responding to Mr. Scott’s tirade and his ignoring his constituents at the event as one of it’s speakers. http://www.AmericasTownhall.us
unreal
August 16th, 2009
1:37 am
people in atlanta are really this backward? scary stuff.
unreal
August 16th, 2009
1:39 am
“ya’ll embarass yerselves. the country is laughing at you. white people that cant handle a black president, grow up already.
Mike
August 20th, 2009
2:48 pm
Unreal, this thread stopped with your comment because most posters realized just how stupid you really are. It doesn’t matter what you are told, you will incessantly believe that, if anyone is against a policy fronted by President Obama, it has to be because they are racists. According to you, it can’t be a statement against a policy, it has to be a statement against a black man, because we’re upset that he made it to the White House. How utterly childish!!!
So, unreal, you’ve succeeded in stopping dialogue by being so stupid and bigoted, that people who think like you do, are sitting back saying “duh, yeah what he said”, while those with brains are saying, “why am I wasting my time talking to a brain-dead bigot.
Something tells me you’re proud of that.