Ryan's absence in official face-to-face townhalls during this break is significant because he is the architect of the legislative gimmick gutting Medicare and other vital programs while protecting tax breaks for millionaires and corporations. Yet, he recently said the public needs to be better educated about his proposal. How does he propose to do that without townhalls? I suppose he feels his constituents are little more than an angry mob of illiterates.
But this reminds of the time when Sen. Herb Kohl scheduled a private meeting with the Rotary Club to discuss education appropriations for Blackhawk Technical College in Janesville back in 2009. I bring this up because although Kohl's meeting was closed to the public, the event was not billed as a townhall nor was it a pay-to-attend event. It was a pre-scheduled luncheon the senator was sharing with existing Rotary Club members. You couldn't pay to get in.
Even with the private restrictions surrounding Kohl's invite, the Janesville Gazette mischaracterized Kohl's luncheon as a discussion on the contentious healthcare reform bill. The newspaper made no mention whether it was an open or closed meeting. When constituents arrived at the door to attend, they were told it was a closed meeting - they were rightfully furious.
Excerpt: (Aug, 2009)
“We have a right to hear. We have a right to petition our government,” Al Teal said.
The Rotary Club in Janesville eventually opened the doors to accommodate as many constituents as safely possible. Sen. Kohl quickly recognized the mix-up and went into townhall mode fielding questions from the crowd.
In contrast, Ryan's Rotary Club event is not billed as a private membership-only club luncheon but as an event inviting the general public and charging $15 a head to hear the antagonizing congressman talk about budget issues over a meal of meat and potatoes. Big difference!
The Whitnall Park Rotary Club even touts Ryan's "Path to Prosperity" in their Web presentation of the event and bills it as a plan to spur job creation and to lift the burden of debt.
By outsourcing congressional townhall events to third party control with registration sign-up and an entry fee, Ryan can eliminate most of the "riffraff" while still allowing reporters and TV cameras in for a positive local story. This is beginning to look like a fully choreographed campaign stunt.
This outrageous offensive to restrict public contact is about as wishy-washy as everything else Paul Ryan says and does. Is his health care plan for seniors a voucher? A coupon program? Premium support or a subsidy for Big Insurance? Likewise, is this a private luncheon? A townhall meeting? A pay-per-view event or a campaign fundraiser? What is it?
On a separate note: Look to the video in the left sidebar and listen to Randi Rhodes reduce a Tea Party hack into a babbling buffoon over the influence of money in government. Lots of talking points. Check it out!
2 comments:
Nothing that neocon slug has to say could be worth any amount of money! Nobody attends except the protestors.
This is the only guy who can possibly turn this country in the right direction with some difficult choices, common sense approaches.
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