WKRN, Nashville, Tennessee News, Weather, and Sports |Overflow crowd denied entrance to Gallatin town hall

Overflow crowd denied entrance to Gallatin town hall

GALLATIN, Tenn. - So many people attended a town hall hosted by Congressman Bart Gordon Wednesday night in Gallatin some were turned away.

The meeting on healthcare was held at Volunteer State Community College in an auditorium that holds 450 people.

Inside it was standing room.  Outside, dozens more held signs and waited for the debate to wrap up.

Inside the auditorium, those in favor of President Obama's healthcare plan sat on one side.  Those opposed sat on the other.

Congressman Gordon, a Democrat who represents Tennessee's sixth district, sat on stage, in the middle.

It was a mixed crowd in the audience.

"I never thought I'd have to get a ticket to stand in line to see a congressman," said one resident.  "The people in this state, in this district, are fired up about the misrepresentation in Washington."

One woman asked, to a chorus of cheers, "Would you support an amendment that requires elected officials to become recipients of the healthcare plan as it is laid out now?"

Gordon responded, "Not only would I do that, I had an amendment to require the president and all members of congress to be under [such plan]."

"Some 20,000 Americans die each year because they don't get healthcare," said one man to a mixed chorus of boos and cheers.  "That does not happen in any other developed country."

Another resident said, "The people in Canada come to Detroit whether you people know this or not, by the droves for healthcare that they could not get in their country because it was government-based."

Rep. Gordon said he does not support a public option or a single payer system.

Wednesday's town hall was his second.  Hundreds attended Gordon's first meeting held Monday night in Murfreesboro.