Let me just say that we have four local Congressional Reps - Slaughter, Massa, Maffei, and Lee - each are communicating with their constituents via tele-conferences, Town Hall meetings or both.  I also believe that in person meetings are more valuable than tele-conferences.  That said, the D&C has a write-up about the various approaches to these meetings by our local Reps.

Overall, it is a good solid article and  worth the read - my points below are related to the people in the article not the article itself.

Massa’s Town Halls

We have seen how visible Massa has been with his Town Hall meetings.  The article interviews the local ‘teabagger’ organizer - Eric Anderson.

“It scares me. If you look at (government’s) ability to do things right, the last thing we want to do is trust them with medical care.”

But there also was a strong showing of people for a government option, and he said that some folks seemed to be ringers. “Rather than hand-printed signs that you see from grass roots, these signs were printed on sticks like fans.”

Yeah, government can’t do anything right and he claims there are ringers in the crowd because of the signs are ‘well made.’  Well, like the first question of Massa Honeoye Falls Town Hall Meeting - Don’t bother fix health care but Fix Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid.  Um, sort of sets the stage on a certan level of understanding by people in the district.

Re the signs - well, if he is talking about signs supporting Health Care reform - sure some are professionally printed signs.  In fact, I’ve personally brought back discarded signs from various D.C. rallies I’ve been too for use by our local efforts.  If course, it isn’t like the Glenn Beck Zombies don’t have the web and access to preprinted signs either.

The article continues with Vicki Ryder - You can see a clip of Vicki speaking at a different event.  The article makes a point that Vicki isn’t Massa’s district as if that is somehow important - well, Max Baucus isn’t my Senator, Henry Waxman isn’t my Congressman neither is Anthony Weiner but all three (and many other names I’m too lazy to type) have had a tremendous affect/impact on the health care debate - reform that WILL AFFECT ME and you for that matter.  They deserve to hear my voice.

Disruption by “out of district” people is wrong (as is disruption by “in district people”) but I’d be willing to bet that someone in Massa’s district had a similar story as Vicki.  It is is important for our Reps to hear them.  Hats off to Massa for listening.

Maffei, Slaughter and Lees’s efforts

Now Dan Maffei has held both Town Hall meetings and tele-conferences.  Slaughter and Lee have embraced tele-conferences.  The numbers are interesting - Lee claims to have reached 24,000 house households since January.

Rep. Christopher Lee, R-Clarence, Erie County, has embraced the phone, having held more than a dozen call-ins since January that have drawn about 24,000 participants.

“People who’ve called in had meaningful, constructive criticism,” Lee said. “The majority have been against single-payer.”

Callers who don’t get to ask a question can leave messages for his staff. He also can conduct surveys, asking callers to press 1 if they support a government-run option or 2 if they do not.

Well, isn’t that special - “more” than a dozen calls?  24,000 people?  since January?  Majority against single payer?  How are you counting the numbers?  outbound calls to people who don’t stay on the  line?  Was he discussing Health Care since January or since the August recess.  My favorite is how Rep Lee asks the question -do you want government run health care.  Heck even the full single payer option is about a publically-funded, privately-delivered system.  I wonder if Lee changed the question or provided more detail if he would get the same response?  What if he asked about Medicare?   What I’ve learned is - it is the question you ask to get the results you want.

Slaughter on the other hand is all about tele-conferences

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Fairport, is sticking to the phones after having held open forums during the Clinton health care debate. “I will never forget it,” she said of the organized protests and need for a calming police presence. “My constituents and I have a special relationship. I don’t want them scared to death again.”

WOW - going all the way back to Clinton.  We can’t move forward from the Clinton Days?  Or perhaps I need to say we haven’t moved forward since the Clinton Health Care Debate.   Has Rep Slaughter held a town hall meeting on any subject?

Look Tele-conferences - there is some value in tele-conferences but there is more value in personal meetings.  A combination of both maybe is best.   In the end - people WANT to see their Rep.  In face I believe it is an obligaiton.  Re tele-conferences- I just remember Maggie Brooks’ tele-conferences regarding the unFAIR plan.  How exactly did that go?

read the article

Related posts:

1. Louise Slaughter & Christopher Lee agree: Town Hall Meetings? No Thanks!
2. Incremental Health Care reform is the correct approach - proponents just use the wrong start date
3. Dr Scheiner blasts President Obama’s approach to Health Care reform
4. First Question - Everyone already has Health Care - Why reform it?
5. In Case You Missed It…Health Care…