By S.A. MILLER in DC and JENNIFER FERMINO in NY
Last Updated: 8:37 AM, March 22, 2010
Posted: 4:01 AM, March 22, 2010
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/national/rage_rocks_3M686furjXbfTKn0yeTMpI#ixzz0ivBg9Ww6
It seemed like the debate over health care couldn't get any uglier -- until yesterday.
Long-simmering tensions reached a boiling point in the final hours, with raucous protests dominating the Capitol and bedlam erupting on the House floor amidst news that a leading New York proponent of the bill got a brick tossed through her upstate office window.
The day got off to a bumpy start when an opponent of the bill sitting in the House of Representatives gallery started screaming in the middle of the session.
The protester -- who shouted, "The people have said no," and, "You took an oath!" -- was quickly ushered out of the Capitol, but not before disrupting business on the floor.
Dan Cappellazzo
TENSE: "Kill the bill" protesters rally outside the Capitol yesterday, while Rep. Louise Slaughter's office window in Niagara Falls is boarded up after a vandal struck.
TENSE: "Kill the bill" protesters rally outside the Capitol yesterday, while Rep. Louise Slaughter's office window in Niagara Falls is boarded up after a vandal struck.
Demonstrators chanted, "Kill the bill" and "start over," and hoisted signs urging lawmakers to stop the legislation. Some used a bullhorn to voice their opposition.
The chaos was so loud it could be heard inside the House.
In a sign of how charged the atmosphere was, somber cops flanked high-profile proponents of the bill, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), an African-American who was targeted with racial slurs Saturday.
On the West Lawn of the Capitol, where hundreds from all over the nation had gathered to protest, many demonstrators said they hoped their last-ditch effort would persuade lawmakers to vote no.
"We can't afford this. We certainly can't afford this health-care bill," said Leonard Dupere, 64, who drove to Washington from New Hampshire and slept overnight in his car to protest the bill.
"It's Obama's legacy. It's what he wants to do: ruin this country," said Dupere.
As Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan) walked past a throng of protesters screaming, "Kill the bill," at him outside the Capitol, he said he wondered why people hate the legislation so much.
"Worst-case scenario -- worst-case -- maybe it's not efficient, maybe you waste some money. Is that the worst thing in the world?" he told The Post.
"It's not the end of America."
Meanwhile, the feds were trying to figure out who threw a brick through Rep. Louise Slaughter's window in her district office in upstate Niagara Falls early Saturday.
A spokeswoman for Slaughter said the motive was unknown.
However, last week the representative -- who is the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee -- became the face of a bizarre parliamentary tactic to pass the legislation without nervous Democrats actually having to vote on the bill.
That measure -- nicknamed the "Slaughter House Rule" -- was dropped.
The chaos was so loud it could be heard inside the House.
In a sign of how charged the atmosphere was, somber cops flanked high-profile proponents of the bill, like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), an African-American who was targeted with racial slurs Saturday.
On the West Lawn of the Capitol, where hundreds from all over the nation had gathered to protest, many demonstrators said they hoped their last-ditch effort would persuade lawmakers to vote no.
"We can't afford this. We certainly can't afford this health-care bill," said Leonard Dupere, 64, who drove to Washington from New Hampshire and slept overnight in his car to protest the bill.
"It's Obama's legacy. It's what he wants to do: ruin this country," said Dupere.
As Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan) walked past a throng of protesters screaming, "Kill the bill," at him outside the Capitol, he said he wondered why people hate the legislation so much.
"Worst-case scenario -- worst-case -- maybe it's not efficient, maybe you waste some money. Is that the worst thing in the world?" he told The Post.
"It's not the end of America."
Meanwhile, the feds were trying to figure out who threw a brick through Rep. Louise Slaughter's window in her district office in upstate Niagara Falls early Saturday.
A spokeswoman for Slaughter said the motive was unknown.
However, last week the representative -- who is the chairwoman of the House Rules Committee -- became the face of a bizarre parliamentary tactic to pass the legislation without nervous Democrats actually having to vote on the bill.
That measure -- nicknamed the "Slaughter House Rule" -- was dropped.
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