Lawmakers’ priority during recess: avoid town halls
For a member of Congress, the only thing worse than a perp walk is adeer-in-the-headlights moment, as when attacked at a public meeting.
Given the virulence lawmakers have encountered lately at sometown-hall-style meetings about health reform legislation, those on bothsides of the aisle – Democrats especially – are devising new strategiesfor engaging voters. Even members who have yet to face confrontationalprotesters have seen video clips of colleagues who have, and they areadapting.
As a result, the face-to-face town meeting, once a staple of theAugust congressional recess, is on the outs. In its place is a newarray of “virtual” meetings – free of protest signs, shouting, badmedia moments, and (real or suspected) “outside agitators.”
These new platforms range from mass conference calls, or I-town hallmeetings, to interactive Internet sites where voters register concernsand members, in their own time, respond.
A shift to ‘virtual’ meetings
Sen. Herb Kohl (D) of Wisconsin, who chairs the Senate SpecialCommittee on Aging, set up a webcast on YouTube Thursday to explain tovoters – no questions asked – the state of play on healthcare,especially the facts that there is yet no healthcare bill and that “nodecisions have been made.”
Senator Kohl has scheduled healthcare-related events throughout the recess, but no rallies or town halls.