Town Hall Done Right

Democrats and the administration are trying to characterize the crowds at town hall meetings as crazy, even racist mobs orchestrated by the Republican party to tank our president’s health plan. This is wishful thinking, as evidenced in the new Washington Post -ABC News poll showing the president’s approval rating dropping.  Only 49% of Americans believe the president will make the right decisions for the country. Americans are tired of the president’s arrogance in wanting to push through his healthcare reform plan against the will of the people at any cost.

This week I listened to Rep. Gene Taylor’s town hall meeting held on August 17th, in Moss Point, MS, which wasn’t unruly—no guns, no yelling, but instead filled with rather deliberate, smart questions and comments from citizens.

“I’m not happy with President Bush, the way he spent money unceasingly. I’m not happy with Obama, the way he’s spending money unceasingly,” one woman calmly remarked.

When Rep. Taylor announced: “I am NOT going to vote for the healthcare plan.” He received thunderous applause from a crowd of 1,000 people, independents, Republicans and Democrats alike. Taylor said he wasn’t going to vote for the plan because of the $11 trillion debt and because he believed the government should focus on reforms such as repealing the antitrust law insurance companies exemption from antitrust laws and allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices like any other big purchaser of goods.  He reminded the audience that Medicare will run out of money in 2017 and stressed that he wants to keep the promises the country has already made rather than making new promises.

In listening to the meeting on C-SPAN radio, I believe the comments made by residents reflect most Americans’ views on healthcare reform. Without exception, everyone who asked a question said they voted for Taylor, a Blue Dog Democrat.  Democrats and the administration would be wise to pay attention to this cross section of moderate voters and what they told Taylor. Overall, voters told Taylor they didn’t want more government in their lives, especially healthcare but would like to see the government do a better job of managing its current government healthcare programs. One constituent stood up and said that “Every time we turn around we’re fighting to save some of our freedoms. . . I don’t want government in my healthcare… I don’t want anymore government.”  Several questioners pointed to the gross fraud that occurs in Medicare each year and noted that if the government could get a handle on that they would probably have money to invest elsewhere.

Toward the end of Taylor’s town hall, a woman named Carla eloquently summed up the problem with Obamacare and its Democratic stewards:

We’re not having the proper input as to what’s happening to our healthcare. . . The thing I wanted to say tonight is I would appreciate it if you would take a message back to Washington for us that we are NOT idiots. We’re not in the business of name calling and we would appreciate our leaders there in Washington spending more time paying attention and reading the bills they are passing instead of calling us names.

For Speaker Nancy Pelosi, David Axelrod and many others to suggest disgruntled Americans across the country are radicals, who don’t reflect the broader mood of the country is insulting to the American people. Americans are waking up from their love-affair with the nation’s first black president and finally scrutinizing his plans, asking for “the proof in the pudding” beneath his oratory offensive.

The healthcare plan, with its huge price tag added to the country’s expected $1.8 trillion and counting debt this year, was the match that set off the fire in Americans’ bellies and compelled people to start speaking out.

A friend of mine said the angry crowds scared her and she worried crazy radicals might take to violence at these town hall meetings. I told her I was actually heartened by seeing people across the country engaging in the political process and making their voices heard for a change. These town hall meetings are a sobering reminder to members of Congress that they ultimately must represent the interests of their constituents, the American people, not the politics of their party.

Taylor’s town hall meeting ended with an older man simply telling Taylor: “Go back to Washington and tell them how angry we fellow Americans are.” Rep. Taylor will do just that, which makes him stand out from some other members in his party, who are intent on following the will of the party rather than the people.

It’s time for the Democrats to start listening to what the country wants and realize they can’t ram a $1 trillion public health plan down the throats of the American people. Republicans could start taking some cues from a fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat like Taylor who supports gun rights and is pro-life but listens to what voters have to say. Instead of simply saying no to the president’s healthcare plans, Taylor offers up alternatives for healthcare reform. This is why he garners broad appeal among voters across parties in his district. He is an effective communicator, calm, reassuring and smart. My definition of a compassionate conservative and someone I would like to see in the Republican Party.

During the town hall meeting one woman asked him why he remains in the Democratic party. Taylor said he wasn’t going to stereotype people and she shouldn’t either. He never really answered the question. I suspect he doesn’t become a Republican because the GOP’s brand reputation is impaired and he may not have such broad appeal under a Republican label even though his voting record says otherwise.

The healthcare debate is a real opportunity for Republicans to begin reshaping their image and message with the American people. The party should look to Rep. Taylor as an example of how to engage with and gain the support of American voters. His measured style, effective communication and listening skills make him a politician to be respected, admired and watched — a rising star in my mind. Something sorely missing in the Republican Party.