Posted on 08/25/2009 8:53:24 AM PDT by markomalley
U.S. Rep. Baron Hill will have an hour-long "tele-town hall" about health care reform at 6:40 p.m. today with AARP members in the 9th District who are called, answer their telephone and choose to participate.
Using a Virginia company, Citizen Dialog, AARP will call about 25,000 of its 97,000 members in Hill's district at the same time, the Louisville Courier-Journal reported today. Numbers called will get a recorded message inviting them to participate.
Indiana AARP expects about 4,000 9th District AARP members to participate, but only about two dozen of them to get a chance to ask questions, according to the newspaper.
Hill's office announced that he will have public forums next week during the last week of Congress' August recess. The locations and times have not been announced.
"I truly believe these forums will provide for a productive back-and-forth discussion," Hill said in a press release. "I look forward to hearing the comments, concerns and suggestions from the participants."
The telephone conference is one way Hill has been communicating with selected groups of constituents instead of having in-person town-hall meetings open to everyone. Members of the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association chapters 381 and 1777 will meet with him for an hour Tuesday in New Albany. It is open only to NARFE members and other active and retired federal employees.
Hill has been widely criticized for shunning public town hall meetings and instead meeting with small, selected groups. He has said he wanted to avoid the unruly, argumentative forums and protesters that other congressmen faced when they went home to their districts to gauge public opinion on health care reform legislation that is before Congress.
Any contenders?
(mod: we'll try this one more time with a little less candid language)
Chickensh better not say it.
Hey, if I get tingled once, I know to mind my p’s and q’s...
Having a Dem Congressman team with AARP to tele call old folks is pretty stupid on the part of AARP. They are already seeing unprecendented cancellations of their memberships and this will only add fuel to the fire.
Paul Hode, CS-NH, one of Nazi Pelosi’s lap-poodels is doing the same thing tomorrow evening.
I think there may be a new trend (or strategy). Sen. Tom Carper (DE) is holding a tele-townhall, tonight. No apparent restrictions, except I doubt that any voice will be heard, except the “selected questioners”.
Hill is far from secure. He trades this district back and forth with Steve Sodrell, and it’s usually decided by about 1,000 votes.
This could backfire in a big way unless he’s stacked the “callers.” Which I strongly suspect he has.
If anyone can get in, please ask this question of AARP:”How come AARP has millions to spend on a bill they claim not to endorse, but can’t afford a lawyer to protect seniors in Florida from a 30% increase in electricity rates.”
Ole Mike Sodrell outta be hosting a townhall gathering of his own, itd be great press for another run at retaking the seat...
The district is definitely one the GOP can pick up with the right candidate though. Baron Hill is not nearly as well liked as his predecessor Lee Hamilton and most of his races (except last year) have been very close.
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