SALON

Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009 12:20 PM UTC

“On what planet do you spend most of your time?”

Barney Frank lashes out a protester at a town hell

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Topics: Healthcare Reform, War Room, Barney Frank, D-Mass.,

Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., is known as one of the more outspoken and combative members of Congress. So it should probably come as no surprise that during a heated town hall meeting in Dartmouth, Massachusetts on Tuesday, Frank dismissed a critic of the Obama Administration with some of the most memorable lines made during the entire healthcare debate.

At the meeting, numerous protesters carried signs depicting President Obama with a Hitler-style mustache. When one such female protester asked Frank a question, he responded with equal parts exasperation and anger.

“When you ask me that question, I’m going to revert to my ethnic heritage and ask you a question: On what planet do you spend most of your time?” Frank asked. “You stand there with a picture of the president defaced to look like Hitler and compare the effort to increase health care to the Nazis … Trying to have a conversation with you would be like trying to argue with a dining room table. I have no interest in doing it.”

Vincent Rossmeier

Vincent Rossmeier is an editorial assistant at Salon. More Vincent Rossmeier.

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Gripping photos: The people of the Turkey protests (slideshow)

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  • The protests take on a festive element as police forces move out of the park and square. Wearing a gas mask, this young man dances to traditional Turkish music in front of Taksim Square’s Ataturk Monument.

  • In Gezi Park since March 31st, this protester, originally caught off-guard by the Government’s teargas and water cannons, went out and bought a Russian army mask from WWII, preparing for what was to come.

  • This rambunctious boy seems to be enjoying the chaos. After taking this picture he threw a stone at the already destroyed building in the background.

  • Forming a line, the police face off directly with protesters in Taksim Square. After a while, they retreated and there was a general cheer – a back-and-forth dance that has been common since the beginning of this protest.

  • An elderly woman in Gezi Park reads the news. The tent community occupying the park was violently destroyed on June 16th.

  • Many different groups had set up booths to promote their cause in Taksim Square and Gezi Park. Standing in front of one, this man waves his flag while posing with conviction.

  • Many home-remedies are used to minimize the effects of tear gas. This woman has put a milky solution on her face, removing her mask after the tear gas dissipated. Before sunrise, the police came again for another round of teargasing.

  • People capitalize on the uprising -- selling flags, beer, gas masks, sky lanterns and spray paint to name just a few of the popular items.

  • On Monday morning, June 11, the police execute a strong offensive. Many plain-clothed police officers, like the ones seen here, clash with protesters in the side streets away from the main stand-off in Taksim.

  • The authorities seem to be most aggressive in the night, pushing protesters away from the square and park. After being teargassed this young woman catches her breath with other protesters on Siraselviler Street.

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On March 21, 2010, the House voted to approve a healthcare bill intended to overhaul the system and guarantee Americans access to health insurance. The vote was 219 to 213. Problem solved? Hardly.

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