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Concerns elsewhere aren’t stopping local town halls
Members of New Mexico’s congressional delegation are holding a number of town hall meetings on health-care reform despite the unruliness, shouting and occasional scuffles that have characterized similar meetings in some other states.
Rep. Ben Ray Luján held a town hall meeting on health-care reform in Santa Fe on Monday. Sen. Jeff Bingaman is holding one today in Clovis. Rep. Harry Teague will hold a “Harry in Your Hometown” event in Las Cruces on Wednesday that could turn into a town hall or individual meetings with constituents, depending on the desires of those who attend. Rep. Martin Heinrich is holding a town hall in Albuquerque on Saturday.
And Sen. Tom Udall will soon announce details for four town-hall meetings on health care and other topics that he plans to hold in the next few weeks, spokeswoman Marissa Padilla said.
While some health care town halls in other states have been characterized by rowdiness, threats and, in at least one instance in St. Louis, violence, there haven’t been problems at the few that have been held in New Mexico during the current debate about reform. But that isn’t stopping at least one member of the delegation — which consists entirely of Democrats — from taking extra steps to be prepared.
“We’ve increased security precautions due to the nature of how some of these have played out,” Padilla said.
Bingaman spokeswoman Jude McCartin, on the other hand, said her office “did not take any special security considerations” for today’s event in Clovis, but added that she assumes the civic center where the event will be held “has its own security for events like that.”
Despite potential security concerns, Padilla said Udall has held hundreds of town hall meetings during his time in the House and Senate and thinks it’s important to continue holding them.
“He likes the format a lot,” she said. “He likes being able to engage directly with New Mexicans in this way.”
‘It’s obviously what’s on everyone’s mind’
Since the current health-care debate began, Teague has held four “Harry in Your Hometown” events, spokeswoman Sara Schreiber said. At those meetings, people can sign up to speak one-on-one with Teague for a few minutes, or Teague can meet with the group as a whole.
Schreiber said the events have gone smoothly so far, adding that there have been “passionate conversations with constituents that are legitimately concerned and have serious questions about health insurance reform and the implications it will have for them and their families.”
Teague’s office specifically asked in a news release that people come to Wednesday’s event — the fifth since the health-care debate started — with questions about health care. Teague will be willing to turn the event into a town hall on health care if that’s what people want, Schreiber said.
“It’s obviously what’s on everyone’s mind, and we’re very aware of that,” Schreiber said. “But he also doesn’t want to abandon his practice of what he’s been committed to — that people can come sit down with him one on one.”
In addition to today’s event in Clovis, McCartin said Bingaman plans several additional town hall meetings throughout the state during the current recess. One will be held Monday in Albuquerque and will be hosted by New Mexico First. Details for the others have not been released.
Bingaman is one of the “Gang of six,” a bipartisan group of members of the Senate Finance Committee working toward a compromise health-care bill.
Heinrich’s Saturday town hall is the only one he has scheduled during the August break. Spokesman John Blair said in a statement released by his office that Heinrich wants to “bring together New Mexicans from across the district to ask questions as he works to address the health care crisis in our country.”
“We are working to ensure that anyone who attends the event is safe and secure and can participate in a productive, open forum,” Blair said.
Lujan doesn’t have any additional town-hall meetings scheduled but plans several “Congress in Your Community” events — one-on-one meetings with constituents.
‘A positive event’
Luján’s Monday town hall was attended by nearly 200 people, and Luján and other panelists met after the meeting with about 100 people who couldn’t get into the first. The Santa Fe New Mexican described that atmosphere as “relatively sedate.”
In a commentary published today, New Mexico Independent columnist Brigette Russell wrote that Luján’s town hall was held at the same time as a GOP event in Santa Fe, which prevented her from attending.
“It’s a good thing I’m not a conspiracy theorist, or I might suspect that it was more than coincidence,” Russell wrote.
Luján spokesman Mark Nicastre said it was a coincidence.
“We don’t know the Santa Fe GOP’s schedule, and judging by their track record in Santa Fe neither does anyone else. If we did know their schedule, it would have absolutely no bearing on our schedule,” he said.
In a news release following his town hall, Luján said it was “constructive and helpful for me and hopefully for the many New Mexicans who attended the event.”
“It is a point of pride for me that we were able to hold a positive event that focused on the substance of health insurance reform,” he said.
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Playing the race card on anyone who disagrees with Obama and the liberals is the same as playing the Hitler or Nazi card with those who disagree with the right wing(even though it was Pelosi who first tagged dissenters as "Nazis" in the town meetings). It should automatically disqualify the commenter and they lose the debate. I feel the same way about people who play the race card as Barney Frank felt about the woman who played the Hilter card in his town hall. From then on it is like arguing with a dining room table.
When timid and cowardly elected officials seek to stack and pack their meetings with most all supporters and manipulate the questions so as to not have any they can't answer with their coached talking points, they disenfranchise voters who are genuinely concerned and have questions that never get answered. If they continue to ignore dissent and disagreement and leave concerns unanswered, come the next election they will indeed "You reap what you sow in this world".
The recently evolved situation Dr. J and Santa Fe Victory speak of–a more tightly controlled, scripted meeting underwritten by pro-reform lobbyists–is directly attributable to the way earlier town halls in the country have been hijacked by the screamers and shouters and people trying to spread fear and falsehood. Had that not occurred, pro-reformers would not be taking defensive counter-actions to get their points of view across.
You reap what you sow in this world.
Political gal makes some accurate and important points, which unfortunately the mainstream media is doing a poor job of addressing.
To speak truthfully about the ugly nature of the intense frothing at the mouth in regards to everything Obama, and calling it for the thinly veiled racism that it is, is not "playing the race card". Elements of the right have been trying to convince their less rational-thinking followers that Obama is not one of "us" since day one–he's a terrorist, he's a Muslim, he's a communist, he's not an American citizen, now he's a Nazi–what ever it takes to get people to associate fear with his his image, which just conveniently happens to be the biggest "other" in our culture historically–a non- white face. The absurd behavior of some, not only at these health care town halls, but starting last summer during the Palin rallies, has undeniably been due to this deeply disturbing phenomenon we still see permeate a subculture of our "society" today. Now they even wander around sporting guns at community meetings to show everyone just how big of a potential threat they are–just like what was done in the past in an effort to intimidate black voters. It's a sad and pathetic commentary on our American character, which is so overwhelmingly a decent, tolerant and big-hearted culture otherwise, that this vile minority is given such a loud voice in any important national debate on issues.
While some may wish to pretend (or be too naive to see) that it is otherwise, it is only to serve the political interests of those who care little about the needs of those people in the crowds, waving the "Nazi=Obama" posters", other than to use them as weapons. And while those folks think winning a political fight regardless of the costs is just fine for their bottom lines, I hope to God they are also willing to take responsibility for the outcomes we could see. History tells me they will not.
It's time for those of us who know better to stop being polite and start speaking out against this kind of behavior, and help get the conversation back on track to facts regarding issues and civilized discourse, and not let the bullies run the playground.
I spoke with a woman who attended Lujan's meeting – she was first in line at 4 pm, sat in the front row. She was not allowed to ask a question. The event was sponsored by supporters of the government option. This was not a Town Hall with an open forum, it was (as another commenter pointed out) tightly scripted and controlled. Also, MoveOn.org had a bus load of people sent in, they had pre-printed signs. Lujan can't handle opposiiton. Now, the League of Women Voters has scheduled a Town Hall … read their 'positions' and you'll see that they are lock-step with Lujan/Pelosi plan. Will be interesting to see if anyone with an opposing view is allowed to ask questions and if there is an opposing view on the "panel".
Playing the race card, eh politigal? I think that pretty much ends the "debate", such as it is.
I attended a "Town Hall" meeting in Alamogordo last week with Congressman Teague. There was a sign up sheet, They had County Commissioner Ronnie Rardin moderate. The questions and comments from the floor were not pre written. I have live in this county since 1978 and pretty much know all who attended. Those on the right or who were not democrats were controlled but their voices were pointed and with much ire directed at Teague. He spent an hour listening to their concerns and never lost his cool. One man who stood up and had many questions and comments was wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Our President looking like the "joker" in Batman or whiteface with the word Socialist under his picture. I remember under the last administration people who attended Bush gatherings were screened and had to sign an oath of loyalty to the then President Bush. But that was ok, I guess. I wonder why there was not an outcry of these same people who are claimning freedom of speech at these town halls were not expressing their outrage at how Bush was selected and when he went to war against Irag without consulting with Congress. Why haven't they spoken up for the war dead from this unjust war.All of this screaming and yelling at our elected officials ,to me has nothing to do with health care and everything to do with the fact that Obama is an African-American. I would urge all people on all side of the aisle to express their questions and concerns in a civil manner.
These so called town halls as mostly staged, managed events with the questions submitted in writing and manipulated to appear all agree (as in Lujan's). His health care panel was also handpicked political types who agree with the Pelosi lines and HR 3200, some objective group. Lujan even tried to claim HR 3200 would result in a budget SURPLUS!!! Such distortions and half truths. And of course they like one on one, that way nobody sees how many upset people there are about these last few bills in Congress. These events have been so tightly scriped and restricted (as in Obama's hoaxes) they can hardly be called open meetings at all.
There is an email on healthcare called SCARY being distributed at healthcare reform meetings. Beware – it is full of falsehoods, lies and distortions. It is a sad attempt to frighten senior citizens.