House Dem to town hall attendee: ‘Knock off the bull’

Tempers again flared at a congressman’s health reform town hall meeting underscoring highly emotional debate over the proposed overhaul of the nation’s healthcare system.

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) told an anti-health reform audience member at his meeting to “knock off the bull” after he made heated remarks. Grayson then noted that his three children were in attendance.

“I’m not saying I know everything,” Grayson said, according to the Orlando Sentinel. “But I’m pretty familiar with this bill. Let’s be respectful.”

The freshman Democrat held his town meeting inside a union hall filled with more supporters than critics. A large number of protesters demonstrated against the bill outside the building. The Sentinel reported that the hall could hold 120 people.

The public town hall was held right after a meeting of local Democrats, many of whom stayed in the scant number of seats for the healthcare meeting immediately afterward.

During the meeting, Grayson said that he would vote for the bill and stood behind the public option, which some White House officials labeled non-essential on Sunday.

“This bill cost half what the war in Iraq cost,” Grayson said. He added that while “no one would be required to be in the public option,” it would provide the best competition against exisiting private insurers.