R i g h t a r d i a: Health reform celebration in Central Florida

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Health reform celebration in Central Florida

Rigtardia sent a staffer to the health reform celebration in Clearwater. The event was sponsored by Organizing for America (OFA), the Obama political organization. It was a great event. About 100 to 150 people attended and everyone was polite and upbeat.

Most of the attendees had posters and waved to people who were traveling between Tampa and Clearwater on the Courtney Campbell causeway. The local ABC News station (WFTS, Tampa) sent a mobile team to cover the event.

A lot of the passers-bys tooted their horns and gave the 'thumbs up approval sign. We got a few fingers, too, and thumbs down signs, but they were the exception rather than the rule.

Compared to the Tea Partier crowds we have observed, the people in the group were younger and more diverse. There were a lot of discussions going on about health care during the celebration.

One of the attendees indicated that Tea Partiers will never need to worry about death panels because they are already 'brain dead."

The Democratic crowd also signed a big thank you card to President Obama. Equal thanks are due to Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority leader Harry Reid.

It was heartening to see a political rally in which people were not rude and shouting obscenities. The Republican have their anarchic Tea Partiers, but Democrats are the "Hearty Party." We want more Americans to have health care so they will live longer like our Canadian and European counterparts who have had a national health care system for years.

Rightardia predicts both the infant mortality rate and the abortion statistics will be lowered because of the new health care law. A woman who is pregnant will now know that her child will be able to get health care.

Here are some other photos of the event in Clearwater: