Lt. Gov. Tim Murray at the North Reading DTC BBQ!

Matt Patton introduced Lt. Governor Tim Murray, who was a special guest at the North Reading DTC Summer BBQ, held earlier today.



More pictures from a delightful afternoon HERE.

Great turnout for Congressman Tierney!

The Republican running for Congress in the 6th District tried to use the health care reform debate for his own political gain this afternoon by holding a rally outside Congressman Tierney's office in Peabody Square. The candidate, who said earlier this week that he was "inspired by all the Americans at the anti-healthcare rally in Portsmouth," planned the rally to take place during Congressman Tierney's vacation, while claiming Tierney is avoiding facing his constituents. On the contrary, Tierney held this forum in Lynn in June of this year, and plans to hold an open conference call about health care before heading back to Washington--one that can accommodate as many as 30,000 people.

There were many times more of Congressman Tierney's constituents on the sidewalks of Peabody Square today than there were "health care opponents." Tierney is an outstanding progressive and is a proponent of singe payer health care.

By the way, how can someone be against health care?

More pictures HERE.

President Obama's health care Town Hall in Portsmouth

President Obama came to Portsmouth High School on Tuesday to conduct a Town Hall forum on health care. Had he come in the front door, he would have been flanked on his left and right by those representing the left and right, as citizens from both sides of the political spectrum were awaiting his arrival. Had he not used the back door, he would have landed center stage among those playing out the frenzied, tense drama with escalated rhetoric directed, ultimately, not at him, and not at each other, but at the national audience brought by the media who swarmed the site from well before I got there at 6:45 a.m., until sometime after I left at 4:30 p.m.

I'm frustrated by the photos I took outside. You can see the crowds, read the signs. But what they don't convey is how damn loud it was--loud in an ugly way. In a scary way. In a pessimistic, hopeless this-can't-possibly-be-a-good-way-to-do-anything way.

Inside the gymnasium, the mood was celebratory: the President of the United States was about to arrive. I'd venture to guess many of those present had seen Obama before as candidate Obama--I had several times--but a presidential visit seemed different. People felt honored to be there. There was a point at which someone came out to talk to the crowd and said something about health care (I can't remember what exactly) that sent Obama supporters to their feet. That was when I saw how many people who opposed him were in the room. I was startled enough by their numbers to imagine things could get unpleasant. But the atmosphere in the room wasn't foreboding. And, after having spent the morning among the crowd outside, it felt like a love fest.

If you missed watching it on TV, it's available to watch any time on c-span. (Oh, and don't skip over the National Anthem. It was sung by high school senior, Natalie Hazzard, whose voice was sweet and clear and on pitch--no mean feat for that piece! Ordinarily, when I hear our anthem sung, I'm further convinced This Land is Your Land would be a far better choice for the country. I still think it is, but this time that wasn't my first thought!)

Enjoy the pictures!