There was a sea of fans Tuesday night, all with the same logo: a picture of a pair of hands and the slogan "Hands off My Health Care."
That was the scene at at dinner at the RBC Center, meant to generate opposition to efforts by President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats to overhaul the nation’s health care system, Rob Christensen reports.
About 350 people packed into a club room for a buffet of Mexican food, and to hear speeches and videos in which Obama’s health care proposals were portrayed as similar to nationalized health care plans in England and Canada.
Americans can expect long lines to see doctors or to get surgeries, and government bureaucrats telling them what medications they can receive, according to the portrayals.
"Politicians want to control who lives and who dies," said Dallas Woodhouse, the head of state chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a Raleigh-based conservative advocacy group.
More after the jump.
Correction: Post originally misstated when the rally was held.
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Americans for Prosperity sponsored the event Monday and a similar event tonight at the Jesse Helms Center in Monroe. It also plans a bus tour across the state in August to generate opposition to the Obama proposal.
Those in the audience were asked to particularly focus their lobbying on Democratic Sen. Kay Hagan and Democratic Congressmen Larry Kissell and Bob Etheridge, who are seen as on the fence on the issue.
The star the event was Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, who was the GOP nominee for governor last year and who may run again in 2012.
McCrory said the health care system was indeed in crisis, but that a government-run system was not the answer.
"Have you ever gone to a DMV office lately?" McCrory said. "Can you imagine if that is how we distribute our medical need in the the future? It would be a disaster."
McCrory said there needs to be tax incentives for people to carry their own portable insurance policies, for small companies to form insurance pools, and for tort reform to reduce the number of frivolous law suits.
The event had the feel of a political rally. The state Democratic Party even dispatched a camera man — known in political circles as a tracker — to record the event.
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Re: Rally packs opponents to health plan
I was able to stare down that camera guy until he gave up the staring contest and looked away. We must be doing something right for him to be there. That or the Democrats are afraid of us exposing the truth.
I want this paper to ask why the Democrats are in such a hurry to enact socialized government run healthcare like they were the failed Stimulus plan. Apparently Republican and others attempts to slow down and do things RIGHT is a terrible thing. After all the Democrats believe in doing the wrong versus doing things slower and right. GOVERNMENT run healthcare has already been a disaster through waste , corruption, and incompetence. This is seen with the Medicare, Medicaid, and VA programs. Also state run programs in Mass. Vermont, Oregon, and cal. are broken programs and also a disaster.