Arkansas Crowd Openly Mocks Politicians over Obama Health Plan

A crowd in Little Rock, Arkansas openly mocked Democratic politicians from their state yesterday, voicing displeasure with their representatives’ support for President Obama’s health care plan. The crowd asserted that U.S. Representatives Mike Ross and Vic Snyder were helping Obama create a government-run health care system that would take away personal choice and freedoms. The representatives argued that they would not support a single-entity health insurance plan administered by the government, but the response from a member of the crowd was, "But that’s what Obama wants!"

Ross and Snyder are "Blue Dog" politicians – fiscally conservative Democrats who hail largely from the South – and have not yet committed to the bill one way or another. They have, however, urged that a vote be delayed until September. At one point during the public speeches yesterday, Ross sat with his head in his hands, apparently exasperated over what must have been an unexpected level of criticism over even the perceived notion that he may support the Obama plan. Across the country, the U.S. public is expressing similar doubts and casting dispersions on any would-be "overhaul" that Obama dreams of instituting.

Ross, attempting to quell the mini-rebellion on his hands, worked hard to distance himself firmly from Democratic leadership, noting, "I’ve said this several times but let me see if I can make it a little more clear. I don’t represent Speaker Nancy Pelosi or President Obama or Barney Frank. I represent the people of Arkansas and I’m not voting for any bill that forces any one plan on anyone, period."