Lawmakers are debating along party lines whether the outrage expressed at town hall meetings around the country is representative of wide opposition to healthcare reform.
Democrats, led by one of the party's newest members, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), said Sunday those shouting at town halls represent a minority of Americans. As such, Specter and others said Congress should be careful not to let the events drive substance on the healthcare legislative debate.
"I think we have to bear in mind that although those people need to be heard and have a right to be heard, that they're not really representative of America, in my opinion," Specter said on ABC's "This Week."
Specter's town halls with angry residents received considerable media attention all week, but he said they shouldn't dominate public debate. Specter also suggested the town halls are a part of a political effort to bring down President Barack Obama.
"We have to be careful here not to let those town meetings dominate the scene and influence what we do on health policy... There's a real effort here to make this the president's 'Waterloo' ... We can't allow these meetings to dominate the political process. That would be destructive of what we need to do," he said.
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