Sen. Mark Warner's Health-Care Town Hall: Passion and Politics in Action

Town-hall meetings might now seem so early August, but with President Obama about to renew his effort to pass health care reform, they are back in vogue. (And besides, my editor thinks it would be interesting to see how a conservative such as myself feels about town-hall attendees when I'm face to face with them, so how could I resist?

Upon arriving at the Fredericksburg Expo Center, I was taken aback by the hundreds of cars in the parking lot. Nearby were police cars and a TV satellite truck. This was clearly going to be an interesting night.

A closer look revealed a large sign showing President Obama with a Hitler mustache. As Jerry Seinfeld noted, Hitler ruined that look for everybody, and it is not becoming on the president. (Not to worry, though: The sign wasn't the product of conservatives but of the Lyndon Larouche fringe.)

Outside the main doors was a festive milieu -- sort of like the tailgating scene before a big game -- with people handing out fliers and bumper stickers. You almost expected to see hotdog vendors and someone selling those big foam "We're No. 1" fingers.

Inside, things were just as interesting. The first Obama supporter I spoke to about the state of the health care debate told me, "Nothing's ever happened in this country -- even the birth of the nation -- without a war." I quickly moved on, not knowing precisely what she meant -- and not wanting to know.

Next, I spoke to a registered nurse who argued that health insurance was not meant to be "health assurance." As she told me, "Insurance is meant for catastrophic illnesses to keep you from financial disaster. It is not meant for doctor's visits, it is not meant for procedures."

Clearly, the room was full of opposing viewpoints. Giddyup!

Senator Warner opened the event with the Pledge of Allegiance. He was clearly concerned about things turning ugly, and began his remarks by saying, "We are all Americans and we ought to treat each other with respect."

The signs in support of Obamacare and in opposition to it were divided about evenly. Tactically speaking, the pro-Obama supporters dominated the optics by shrewdly positioning themselves in the front center. This was wise, inasmuch as any time there was an applause line -- which usually meant someone expressing anti-reform sentiments -- they would wave their signs. Anyone watching on TV might assume (wrongly) the applause was for Obama.

But Obamacare opponents dominated just about every other aspect of the gathering. They asked the vast majority of the questions (randomly selected) and their applause (and jeers) clearly overpowered the other side.

It's also possible the strong conservative turnout impacted Warner's comments. For example, he said he would not vote for the bill now before the House. And he sought to win crowd approval by saying, "I think tort reform ought to be part of the health care package." All of this, of course, was like saying: "Don't be mean to me."

But there were times when members of the audience made their objections to Warner's comments known. The Democratic senator received the most grief when he seemed to merely spout his party's talking points. These talking points have the disadvantage of having an accumulated anger attached to them. For example, when he said abortion should be "safe, legal, and rare," the crowd erupted with displeasure. I suspect that part of the reason for the reaction was that he was essentially parroting "new Democrat" boilerplate that everyone has heard before from Bill Clinton and other pro-choice Democrats who want to be elected in red states.

On several occasions, Warner argued that if you like Medicare, then you like nationalized health care. Once, in response to a teacher who asked Warner which article and section of the Constitution authorized the government to control health care, Warner attempted to turn the tables, asking her if she believed in Medicare. The crowd did not like that.

There were times when I thought things might boil over, as when the people sitting in front of me got into it. But at the end of the night, the crowd filed out of the auditorium quietly and orderly while music played. It was sort of like leaving a baseball stadium after a loss.

So what do I think of the town-hall protesters now? Mostly I want to say: Thank God for them.

Generally speaking, the conservatives who spoke were knowledgeable and articulate. To be sure, some of the things said on both sides were extreme (at one point, Warner had to defend Obama, calling him "a great patriot"), but who ever said Democracy wasn't messy?

As a conservative living in latte-sipping, liberal Alexandria, Va., it was refreshing to see so many salt-of-the-earth, God-fearing Americans who love their country and aren't going to lose it without a fight. Frankly, it's amazing how different things are just 60 miles outside the Beltway (try it sometime).

I also think town-hall meetings serve as a release valve, much in the same way that sporting events allow people to let off pent-up steam. Critics decry the rancor, but the alternatives -- including elected representatives who hide from constituents or voters who are apathetic -- are clearly worse.

I came away from the event more optimistic about the future of America than I have been in a long time. Maybe I'll vacation in Fredericksburg next year.