Diane Watson Town Hall in LA

Last night, Congresswoman Diane Watson (D-CA) held a town hall meeting at a church in her district in South Central Los Angeles. The event was tightly-controlled. There were no video cameras. There was little or no opposition to Watson's point of view. It was a friendly crowd. Guards made sure that opposition banners were precluded. One gentleman was told that he could not enter with a "Don't tread on me" flag. He had to go back and put it in his car. Nevertheless, two local reporters from KABC were able to make an audio recording of Watson's speech, which they aired on the radio last night.

Watson has a long history of being a racial divider. A great example is the remark she made in 1995 about black conservative activist Ward Conerly, who is an influential opponent of racial preferences.

"He's married to a white woman. He wants to be white. He wants a colorless society. He has no ethnic pride. He doesn't want to be black."

Soon after that comment, Watson was asked by a reporter if she wished to "clarify" or retract that comment. She refused to do so.

In addition, her district includes the controversial Martin Luther King Hospital, which was closed a couple of years back amid protests. The reason? Basically, King was a place where you went to die. Poorly-run and riddled with health issues and sub-standard conditions, things hit a new low a few years back when a woman waiting in the emergency lobby was hit by seizures. As her family frantically pleaded with staff to get a doctor on the scene, they were told to......call 9-11. They were in a hospital emergency waiting room and were told to call 9-11!!! The woman died. Yet, Diane Watson and other local politicians protested the closing of the hospital after it was deemed not worthy of remaining open. But what did they do in all those years while the hospital was deteriorating?

So with that bit of background, let me relate what Watson said last night in South Central. She spoke of Fidel Castro, who she called "one of the brightest leaders she had ever met". She also praised Cuba under Castro (and their health care system).

But when she spoke on the main subject, health care, she said this (I am paraphrasing): Watson claimed that those (like Rush Limbaugh) who were opposed to health care reform were motivated by the fact that they wanted to see the president fail. Why? Because he (Obama) looks likes her (Watson). Translation? Government health care opponents are racists. Here is the audio courtesy of KABC Los Angeles.



I am not surprised to hear Diane Watson make a statement like that. It is part of her persona. She is stuck on the politics of race and victim hood. It is despicable that she take opposition to government health care and President Obama's policies and turn them into a racial issue. Such talk can only serve to further divide us as a people.

In that crowd last night was a black gentleman, a conservative Republican who wore a yellow "Don't tread on me" T-shirt. He later called KABC and related his experience at the event. He told of the dirty looks he got and how one person turned around and said, "You're a Republican, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. And proud of it", he responded.

Without having met the gentleman, I have a feeling that 10 Diane Watsons could not make one of him.