NEW YORK – President Barack Obama was heckled multiple times during his speech at a Democratic fundraiser in one of the country’s most Democratic cities.
Demonstrators held signs that said “Broken Promises” and interrupted his speech to protest AIDS funding and the stalled repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the policy banning gays from serving openly in the military that Obama has promised to lift.
Obama showed a flash of irritation after he was forced repeatedly off his prepared remarks. “We listened to you, we heard your point,” he told the “young lady” who continued shouting at him about AIDS funding. “This is not the time or the place to do what you’re talking about.”
The president pointed out that this week Senate Republicans blocked Democrats’ attempt to begin debating a bill that would have moved toward repealing the policy.
“And as a consequence some of those signs should be going up at the other folks’ event. Folks should be hollering at the other folks’ event,” he said, “because the choice in November could not be clearer.”
The heckling inside the ballroom at the Roosevelt Hotel began almost immediately at the start of Obama’s speech, when a woman began shouting, "President Obama, President Obama" and several men held up signs, including “No retreat, fund AIDS.” The woman eventually stopped shouting, but the men continued to hold up their signs, printed out on letter-sized sheets of paper.
“We need your energy and enthusiasm,” he told the 550 donors who had paid $100 to hear him speak.
Rep. Charlie Rangel, who has tangled publicly with Obama over Rangel’s ethics woes, was in the audience.
Obama singled him out by name first as he praised New York’s “unbelievable delegation.”