Michele Bachmann's Health Care Town Hall

Like many members of Congress have doned this summer, Minnesota Representative Michele Bachmann held a town hall meeting for her constituents today, allowing them to voice their opinion about the very controversial proposed health care reform bill. Bachmann, who is against the bill, was joined by Texas Congressman Michael Burgess, who is a doctor and chair of the Congressional Health Care Caucus.

Hundreds of people packed the Lake Elmo, Minnesota middle school where the town hall took place, with overflow seating and video feed being provided for those who couldn't get into the auditorium. Most audience members applauded and cheered on the Congresswoman from the time she entered the room and told her they supported her decision to vote against the bill. One speaker, who had recently undergone knee surgery, told Bachman, "You're my hero - I like the fight you have."

The loudest cheers came when Bachmann spoke of British citizens giving birth in the hallways of hospitals, due to overcrowding. When a man interrupted, Bachman quickly retorted, "I'll tell you what, I've given birth here probably more times than you, sir. I've given birth in the Stillwater hospital and I'll tell you it is the finest care you could ever receive."

While most attendees applauded Bachmann's criticism of the bill, there were several who were there to speak out against her and other Conservatives. Dr. Ilya Gorodisher asked the Congresswoman, "Why do you persist on destroying the president's plan. Why do you persist on stretching the truth to the point of lies?" Others shouted the words "lies" and "shut up" over Bachmann's remarks.

Media who attended the event described it as "lively" and "feisty" and said many speakers' words were drowned out due to applause and boos. Some audience members even left early, stating that they were tired of the yelling and screaming. Hostility amongst attendees on both sides of the fight has been a fairly common theme at many similar town hall meetings throughout the summer.

Bachmann referred to the American health care system as the "greatest health care system the world has ever known" and insisted the new health care bill would destroy it. Last week, she appeared on Fox News' "Hannity" to discuss this very issue. There, she stated that the bill was unconstitutional and asserted that many members of Congress were not listening to their constituents. She encouraged the American people to stand up against the bill and not to be fooled when leaders referred to the "public option" by another name.

You can watch video of Bachmann's appearance on "Hannity" here:

Sarah Palin vs. Nationalized Health Care

Since resigning from her position as Governor of Alaska, Sarah Palin has not given up on her quest to remove excessive government from our everyday lives. Over the course of the last week, Palin has, as promised, bypassed the media to deliver her message to the American people by way of her official Facebook page. Response from the public, the media and even the President proves that not only is Palin relevant, but she is still a huge threat to "business as usual" politics in Washington DC and throughout the country.

On April 7, Palin began her quest against the nationalized health care plan by simply saying "...hell no." In a brief statement, she suggested that not only will the system not reduce the cost of health care but rationing of care will cause the sick, the elderly and the disabled to suffer at the hands of a "death panel:"

"The America I know and love is not one in which my parents or my baby with Down Syndrome will have to stand in front of Obama’s “death panel” so his bureaucrats can decide, based on a subjective judgment of their “level of productivity in society,” whether they are worthy of health care. Such a system is downright evil."

Palin goes on to commend Congresswoman Michele Bachmann for standing up to the Obama administration and insists we must stand up to the debate because nationalized health care is a "point of no return for government interference" in our lives. A few days later, Palin posted a number of supporting articles authored by everyome from Senator Sam Brownback to economist Thomas Sowell.

On August 11, at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire, President Barack Obama responded to Palin's claims that health care would be rationed and that the weakest members of society would suffer most:

“Let me just be specific about some things that I’ve been hearing lately that we just need to dispose of here. The rumor that’s been circulating a lot lately is this idea that somehow the House of Representatives voted for death panels that will basically pull the plug on grandma because we’ve decided that we don’t, it’s too expensive to let her live anymore....It turns out that I guess this arose out of a provision in one of the House bills that allowed Medicare to reimburse people for consultations about end-of-life care, setting up living wills, the availability of hospice, etc. So the intention of the members of Congress was to give people more information so that they could handle issues of end-of-life care when they’re ready on their own terms. It wasn’t forcing anybody to do anything.”

Late last night, Palin fired back, citing a section in the bill entitled "Advance Care Planning Consultation." She says the Presidents words are "misleading" and goes on to cite Section 1233 of the health care bill which essentially says that when a Medicare recipient's health changes significantly, when they enter a nursing home, or every five years, these "Advanced Care Planning Consultations" are authorized by the bill. Palin points out that if the consultations are there strictly for compassionate reasons, as many would have you believe, why does it even belong in a bill whose purpose is to "reduce the growth in health care spending."

Palin goes on to say that the problem doesn't lie in the bill, alone, but in statements made by Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, a policy advisor to Obama and brother to the President's chief of staff. Palin points out that Dr. Emanuel has gone as far to say that health care should not be provided for those who cannot and never will be participating members of society, such as patients with dementia. Emanuel has also advocated preferred medical care to individuals between the age of 15 and 40.

Check out more of her thoughts on Nationalized Health Care by reading Palin's response to Obama.

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Cindy McCain: A Woman with Heart

During the 2008 Presidential election, Cindy McCain captured our attention as Senator John McCain's wife and the nation's potential First Lady. Throughout the campaign, she stood strong as democrats and the media attacked both her and her family with rumors and accusations that proved never to be true. Unfortunately, few got to know Cindy McCain the philanthropist and woman with a big heart.

Cindy Lou Hensley McCain was born in Phoenix, Arizona to beer distributor James Hensley and his wife, Marguerite. She attended the University of Southern California, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education in 1976 and receiving her Master of Arts in Special Education in 1978. Despite being offered a role in her father's business, she went on to work as a special education teacher at a high school in Arizona. She met John McCain in 1979 and the two were married in 1980. In 1982, McCain began his political career with his wife at his side giving her full support. The couple has four children: Meghan, John IV, James, and Bridget.

Between time spent supporting her husband's political career, raising her children and fulfilling her duties as chair of her late father's company, McCain has worked tirelessly helping needy children and working to improve health care and other issues around the world through a number of charitable organizations, including one she founded herself, the American Voluntary Medical Team (AVMT). The organization, which planned trips for medical professionals to disaster-plagued parts of the world, allowed McCain to lead 55 missions throughout the course of seven years. Trips were taken to places such as Kuwait after the conclusion of the Gulf War, Zaire to help refugees from Rawanda, and many other nations including Nicaragua, India, El Salvador, and Iraq.

In 1991, during a trip to Bangladesh, following the 1991 cyclone, McCain and the AVMT were at Sisters of Charity of Mother Teresa Children's Home when she spotted two baby girls who were in desperate need of medical attention. McCain felt the two girls would benefit from being brought to the United States and they did, in more ways than one. John and Cindy McCain adopted one of the girls (their daughter Bridget) and helped a family friend adopt the other.

In 2001, McCain became involved with Operation Smile, a non-profit organization that provides cleft lip and palate repair to children all over the world. She has traveled to Morocco, Vietnam, and India with the organization and currently serves on the board of directors. She also serves on the board of directors of CARE, one of the largest international humanitarian organizations in the world, and HALO Trust, a nonprofit organization that removes debris left by war, such as landmines. With HALO Trust, McCain has visited Cambodia, Sri Lanka, Mozambique and Angola.

Friends of the very private McCain say that despite her wealth and privileged upbringing, working with these organizations is where she is most comfortable and she's not afraid to get her hands dirty. They call it her "defining characteristic," despite how she is often portrayed in the media. In 2008, Vonnie Wray, the development director at Operation Smile told the Arizona Republic that McCain is "low maintenance" and insists, "the thing that differentiates Cindy and why I think she will make an excellent first lady is that she has this true connection with the underserved." Though Cindy McCain never made it to the White House, she is certainly making her mark on the world and its people.

Women of the GOP in the News

So many Republican and Conservative women were in the news last week, it was hard to pick just one to write about! Here is a run-down of Women of the GOP who made headlines:

- RedState.com held its first gathering in Atlanta on Saturday, featuring many prominent Conservative and Republican speakers. Liz Cheney was the star of the show with her "America needs a Commander in Chief, not a Global Community Organizer" line. Georgia Secretary of State and candidate for Governor of Georgia Karen Handel and Nikki Haley, candidate for Governor of South Carolina were also in attendance.

- Conservative blogger, pundit, and author Michelle Malkin has been making the talk show rounds, promoting her new book Culture of Corruption. But it was yesterday's appearance on "The View" that has everyone talking. Malkin put the mostly liberal hosts in their place as she spoke out against Obama and his many czars. You can watch her appearance in its entirety here:

- Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin may have resigned last week, but she hasn't completely left the spotlight. Governor Palin appeared at the NRA's XVIII Gun Collectors Seminar in Anchorage Alaska on Saturday, giving a speech and being presented with a number of awards for supporting the Second Amendment. You can read more about the event here: NRA's XVIII Gun Collectors Seminar in Anchorage Alaska