Town hall roundup: ‘Political terrorism’ and changes of venues

Tumultuous town hall meetings for lawmakers continue to dominate headlines on Wednesday. Here’s a look at the latest.

Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.) is moving his town hall meeting to a baseball stadium. He’s moving his town hall meeting to a local stadium that holds almost 3,700 people, after expecting a large crowd.

There may be strategic advantages for Republicans in the meetings, said Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), who praised emotional town hall meetings as “good for the Republicans.”

And like some other senators this week, Sen. Byron Dorgan’s (D-N.D.) town hall got a little testy, with reported screaming and overflow crowds.

The crowds, meanwhile, are earning the enmity of Rep. Baron Hill (D-Ind.), who accused town hall protesters of committing “political terrorism.”

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) took a different tack toward the protesters, writing a conciliatory letter to one of his town hall’s protesters.

But one Republican is reveling in the protests: Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) said “angry mobs” are always welcome to his town halls, basking in the healthcare outrage put forth by the groups.