Phoenix, AZ

642 Town Halls Equals Long, Hot Summer of Reform

Across the country, USAction affiliates and allies are generating turnout at town halls and other events as we experience an August unlike any other. As of press time, USAction has 642 Congressional town hall meetings in its database. And contrary to some reports in the “mainstream” media, these town halls have not been overwhelming dominated by angry opponents of health care reform. Consider:

In Atlanta, nearly 2,000 people gathered at an event in Atlanta held by U.S. Rep. Hank Johnson, a Democrat who supports quality, affordable health care, including a strong public option. About 80 percent of the crowd was pro-reform, noted Larry Pellegrini of Georgia Rural Urban Summit, and the lead paragraph in the next day’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution described the event: “Civil, well-mannered, asking smart questions – that may not sound like one of those town hall meeting on health care reform. But the nearly 2,000 people who gathered Monday night offered a lesson to the rest of the nation on how civil discourse doesn’t have to spiral into civil disobedience.”

In Chicago, nearly 1,000 people turned out for a downtown rally that attracted the attention of more than a dozen media representatives, the state’s governor and several other notable public officials, including U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky. About two dozen protestors were on hand for the rally, which drew the notice of CNN, the Chicago Tribune, WGN and several other outlines. Schakowsky later described herself as “energized” by the rally, which was organized by Citizen Action/Illinois.

In Kalamazoo, Michigan, several events focusing on health care have taken place, without being overrun by protestors.  In fact, our supporters dramatically outnumbered opponents.   “Health care meeting in Kalamazoo peaceful” read one headline. Michigan Citizen Action and its partners have helped drive turnout.

In Philadelphia, both daily newspapers took note of a lack of division: “Sestak health-care meeting a spoonful of sugar,” headlined the Philadelphia Inquirer. “S. Phila. session noisy, not nasty,” said the Philadelphia Daily News.  PennAction was part of team of organizations to generate the strong turnout of supporters.

Throughout Upstate New York, town halls have brought out both those in favor and opposed to quality, affordable health care reform, but largely without rancor. In an article headlined, “Town Halls: The New Health Care Debate Sites,” Citizen Action New York organizer Chris Scoville wrote, “Currently the news coverage of the health care debate is focused on the ‘disruption not discourse’ crowd that has been attempting to shut down and intimidate members of Congress -- going so far as to hang one representative in effigy. This faction does not represent the majority. Overwhelmingly Americans are calling for real reform and bringing quality affordable health care to all, now.”

The profound challenge that USAction affiliates and our many allies face on the ground is not limited to media misrepresentation of town hall meetings. We also must remind those who have campaigned in favor of quality, affordable health care for all that without a public health insurance option, there can be no meaningful health care reform. A public health insurance option is essential to hold insurance companies accountable, rein in costs and make health insurance accessible and affordable for everyone.

The fact that we are out-organizing our opponents on the ground is no accident. Along with our partners in Health Care for America Now, the nation’s largest health care reform campaign, USAction affiliates are driving turnout to town halls, conducting door-to-door canvassing, staffing phone banks and organizing rallies and press conferences.

And it’s not just for the current fight, as important as it is. It is for the future. Whether our organizers are in Green Bay or Fargo or Bangor or Peoria, we are leaving progressive forces on the ground – sometimes in place where we have never been in place before and always prepared for the next progressive challenge on the horizon.

Still, this summer’s frenetic pace of activity has a special, lasting feel to it. “The summer of health care reform blazes on,” notes Lynda DeLaforgue, co-director of Citizen Action/Illinois. “We shall overcome.”

USAction Featured in The Nation

A recent news article penned by Katrina Vanden Heuvel, editor and publisher of The Nation, highlighted the August activities of HCAN, USAction and our many coalition partners. You can view the article here.

The Billboard Roy Blunt Doesn’t Want You To See

Earlier this month, USAction and our affiliate, Missouri Progressive Vote Coalition, attempted to purchase a billboard ad in Springfield, the epicenter of U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt’s home district. The third-ranking Republican in the U.S. House has been at the forefront of efforts to defeat health care reform and, as the billboard noted, has accepted more than half a million dollars from the insurance industry.

Our attempt to purchase the billboard initially failed after a company representative informed us, “Roy Blunt, the target of this smear campaign, is a local politician and has been a strong proponent of Outdoor Advertising in Missouri for a number of years. As much as we would always love the business, we have to respectfully decline.”

After news of the rejection was reported in the local newspaper, the Springfield News-Leader, and on a local TV station and leading Missouri blog, the company reversed itself. That reversal, in turn, resulted in another story running in the Springfield News-Leader, a local TV station, and in the online editions of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and Kansas City Star. In addition, the story was picked up by some of the inside-the-Beltway trade press – The Hill and Congressional Daily.

Sometimes, when it comes to advertising, you really do get a bang for the buck.