Have Town Halls jumped the shark?

The town hall format is attracting a lot of attention, but people obviously come based on partisan goals, emotions run high, and political reporters determine how the story is played in the media.

The Washington Post, for instance, recently ran with

"The DNC kickoff rally in Phoenix attracted about 1,200 reform supporters, but a raucous meeting on the other side of town hosted by Obama's former presidential campaign rival Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) attracted hundreds more -- most of whom were loudly opposed to Democratic reform proposals."

This at best inconsistent with the reports from the Associated Press, which indicated McCain faced a hostile town hall crowd in favor of health care reform. Quoting, again,

"After McCain opened it up to questioning, one man angrily pointed at him and asked the senator why he deserves a better health care plan than him."

A more academic setting where the focus is on facts rather than carefully scripted appearances intended to mimic open forums quite probably does more to forward any discussion. Given how adept partisans and pundits of both sides are at dismissing any assertions advanced by their opponents, the chance to have a voice from outside politics, an experienced respected scientific researcher, discussing facts is overdue.

Recognizing that, Dr. Morrison Hodges, Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota School of Medicine (and formerly the Director of Cardiology at Hennepin County Medical Center) will describe the forces that shaped the U.S. health care system in a lecture on September 17, 2009. He intends to cover how we arrived at a "market based health care system funded by employers" and how well is it's working in comparison to other countries. Dr. Hodges will explain the history of U.S. health care and how it compares in quality and cost to other functioning systems. Dr. Hodges believes he can outline how the United States can cover everyone with quality health care "without breaking the bank."

The town hall format has done much to illuminate how central the problems with our health care insurance system are in our communities. With one in six citizens uncovered, we've all come to realize that we end up paying for their medical problems anyway, be it through increased premiums, or more subtly when they're forced to file for bankruptcy protection (over half of personal bankruptcy filings in the U.S. are triggered by medical costs.) We've come to resent that money collected to pay health care premiums is spent at a rate of over a million dollars per day just to support lobbyists seeking to continue "business as usual" in D.C., and resent paperwork that drives up costs and bureaucrats that countermand medical decisions without improving outcomes.

It's time to peel back the rhetoric, to get past the sound-bites and the spin-mongering "pundits" -- to stop pretending this is about death panels or a way to cover illegal immigrants, and find a way to preserve our American way of life by insuring that every citizen can afford decent medical care as needed. I applaud Dr. Hodges and those who have made it possible for him to share his knowledge in an academic setting, even if it doesn't make for such dramatic TV coverage.

For more information about the Hodges lecture, see:
http://tinyurl.com/kqvg2c

Working effectively for change

Getting people out to vote was what put Obama into the Oval Office, but obviously different tactics are required to bring about change, particularly at the national level, when the issue won't be decided at the polls. Part of what we do is spread the messages, and arm people with the facts, but most of the change between elections depends on legislative persuasion, and incumbents aren't typically "scared" of losing votes unless their re-election date is looming very closely indeed.

Do you know how your legislator voted on the issue, or similar ones, in the past?

Voting records can be found at watchdog sites such as OpenCongress and Project Vote Smart. Search voting records by member of congress or by topic, check in on committee and bill activity, or call the office and ask for their voting record or a position paper on how your representative stands on the issue of concern to you. Not only will you understand the position your elected official has already taken, it may help you learn about the issue in terms of what's in play in D.C., or where the pressure from the other side is concentrated.

The Wellstone Action organization always stresses what you have in common with your reps...

They're people with a history, experiences, and most importantly commitments to various issues. There are lots of great tips at Wellstone.org, but here are a few highlights for effectively dealing with a legislator at any level of government. It is crucial to get to know them and their story - they're people.

• Learn their biographies - including family, profession, education, etc.
• Know their districts. If it's not your representative you're lobbying you'd better research the demographics, geography, economy, and the challenges of the person's state or district.
• Discover their policy interests. What issues motivated them to become an elected official? On which issues do they exert leadership? What life experiences have made certain issues real to them? Whose opinion on issues do they value?
• Learn their community interests. Find out where they volunteer, and worship -- what they care about in their communities both now and historically.
• Exhibit your shared interests by letting them get to know you. Sales professionals know it's all about personal relationships, and that means your success is tied to your willingness to talk about yourself, not just the issue. They know you have an agenda, everybody who approaches an elected official has an agenda, that's the nature of their position - but if they like you as a person you will, frankly, make better progress.

Take the time to listen to elected officials, not just study them. Hear their concerns. Become a resource to them and look for opportunities to provide them information and other assistance. These folks are all about networking. If you go to a town hall meeting or a fund-raiser, or any other event they're at, they WILL talk to you, they love to talk - so listen, don't just cram your idea down their throat.

Maintain contact and notice things that deserve praise and support. You're pitching an idea, and you can bet somebody else is pitching a totally contrary plan - so be respectful and genuine to make yourself worthy of consideration. When you're up against the hopes and ambitions of major campaign donors (and you almost always are) or influential special interests you'll have to be persistent and persuasive to make much headway, as the current negotiations over health care reform show.

An opportunity to create millions of new U.S. jobs

At a time when outsourcing undermines the middle class, and deregulation has wounded our entire economy, we have a chance to be creating millions of new jobs right here in the U.S.A.

It's time for our leaders to take charge of the economy. Deregulation has helped the wealthy long enough: it's time to reward those who WORK for a living by insuring there are jobs for anybody in the U.S.A. willing to be productive.

Investing in energy independence isn't simply a national defense priority, it makes sense for the environment and our economy - it means jobs right here at home.

The Economic Policy Institute recently showed that a $100 billion in green investment annually would yield $160 billion in additional output for each of the next two years, creating approximately 1.1 million new jobs and resulting in an increase of approximately 100,000 in the number of unionized jobs in the United States. EPI points out that this would lead to rising median incomes, a reduction in inequality and more access to job-training and mentorship programs. Read the EPI Issue Brief.

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