1989: Rostenkowski booed and chased down the street by seniors (Remember this?)

[antigop]

Edit to add: Rostenkowski was Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/08/11/rostys-catastrophic-moment-over-health-care-was-a-first/

As the Chicago Tribune reported the next day, Aug. 19, 1989:

Congressman Dan Rostenkowski, one of the most powerful politicians in the United States, was booed and chased down a Chicago street Thursday morning by a group of senior citizens after he refused to talk with them about federal health insurance. Shouting "coward," "recall" and "impeach," about 50 people followed the chairman of the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee up Milwaukee Avenue after he left a meeting in the auditorium of the Copernicus Center, 3106 N. Milwaukee Ave., in the heart of his 8th Congressional District on the city's Northwest Side.

Eventually, the 6-foot-4-inch Rostenkowski cut through a gas station, broke into a sprint and escaped into his car, which minutes earlier had one of the elderly protesters, Leona Kozien, draped over the hood. Kozien, one of more than 100 senior citizens who attended the gathering, said she had hoped to talk to Rostenkowski, her congressman, at the meeting.

But Rostenkowski clearly did not want to talk with her, or any of the others who had come to tell their complaints about the high cost of federal catastrophic health insurance. "These people don't understand what the government is trying to do for them," the 61-year-old congressman complained as he tried to outpace his pursuers.

[Cleita]

1. Maybe we need to act the same way.

San Francisco seniors, you should stage a sit-in on Nancy Pelosi's front yard, the next time she's in town.

[antigop]

2. Today reminded me of this...nt

[A Simple Game]

6. They should be made to stay in their home districts most of the time.

Then they would have to face their constituents every day. They could consult with their constituents about legislation instead of lobbyists. There is no need for them to be in Washington anymore, all business can be done remotely. If they aren't on vacation, they only work a three day week anyway, most of the time they use Mondays and Fridays as travel days, which we pay for.

The only reason for them to be in Washington is to make it easier for lobbyists to contact them and to have their leaders twist their arms. If they are at home, people would know who was taking them out to dinner and who was taking them on trips. Would make it much harder for them to be bought and get away with it.

[southernyankeebelle]

3. OMG I'll never forget that day. I remember laughing my head off at the time. Saying look at those

old people. Hell now I am one of them and I sure am not laughing. It is a disgraced with they are doing to senior and poor people in this country. This country will fall because they sure don't following gods teachings.

[Cooley Hurd]

4. Fuck Rosty - one of the more poor excuses for a Dem in my lifetime...

Right behind Lieberman and Harold Ford, of course...

[Indyfan53]

5. We should do the same to every tea bagger.

2014 is coming sooner than you think.

[rwsanders]

7. I think the reason you wouldn't see it now is in the back of everyone's mind is that most know if...

they did it now a SWAT team would be in the streets beating the seniors to a pulp and hauling them off to jail as terrorists.

[valerief]

8. Powerful pols don't get that close anymore, do they? They're bodyguards will tase ANYONE and do. nt

[xtraxritical]

9. He resigned over exploiting "franking" omg!

[mopinko]

10. jan schakowsky

and her husband bob creamer organized this.