"town halls" gone wild

congress critters cancelling constituent events as "just pointless..."

Town halls gone wild

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<!-- end: .hd --> <cite class="caption"> News – Rep. Tim Bishop, D-NY. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds) </cite>

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<!-- end .related-media --> <cite class="vcard"> Alex Isenstadt Alex Isenstadt </cite> – <abbr title="2009-07-31T02:30:00-0700" class="timedate">Fri Jul 31, 5:30 am ET</abbr>
<!-- end .byline --> Screaming constituents, protesters dragged out by the cops, congressmen fearful for their safety — welcome to the new town-hall-style meeting, the once-staid forum that is rapidly turning into a house of horrors for members of Congress.
On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.
“I had felt they would be pointless,” Rep. Tim Bishop (D-N.Y.) told POLITICO, referring to his recent decision to temporarily suspend the events in his Long Island district. “There is no point in meeting with my constituents and [to] listen to them and have them listen to you if what is basically an unruly mob prevents you from having an intelligent conversation.”

http://news.yahoo.com/s/politico/20090731/pl_politico/25646