I believe the 6th and 17th Districts in Ohio deserve a legitimate debate on healthcare. When I say that, I mean a legitimate environment where people can gather in a town hall setting and hash out the issues. I do not mean a teleconference where Congressmen can decide who asks what questions in a highly controlled environment. I do not mean a teleconference that lasts for a little over an hour where maybe eight questions can be fully addressed amidst a few thousand callers that most certainly will not have their questions answered. When you have the latter two situations, you are basically solidifying your position by setting up an environment that is conducive to your position while marginalizing the opposition.
There was a healthcare panel at Youngstown State tonight, though it was largely ignored by the local media. I know this because I helped put it together. It is not like we did not send out numerous press releases ahead of time. It is not like we did not inform the television and radio networks that we planned to have something. For whatever the reason, the local media on the whole decided not to do us any favors such as merely announcing a town hall was happening in the city of Youngstown. God forbid, ten seconds may be too much to bear for a story that is decent that is not about someone getting killed in Mahoning County (which tends to be very repetitive after awhile).
A town hall meeting in Youngstown is happening while both Congressmen refuse to address their constituents. One would think this would be big news, especially for this town. Apparently I was sorely mistaken in my judgment, as was the rest of the Allen for Congress campaign. Certain individuals have opined on why this has happened, and after having listened to them I think now I can understand why. Regardless, a mere ten second announcement would have sufficed. I am not asking for a four minute spot here.
We invited the Congressmen to come and present their side of the healthcare issue in an effort to have a fair and balanced debate. This was not meant to be an ambush, I can assure you. The Congressmen were both invited to bring themselves and whomever else they wanted, including their own experts. If you do not believe that the Congressmen were invited, we have the certified letter return receipts to back up that they did in fact receive our invitations.
Here is my gripe.
The incumbents will do what they have to do. The media will do what it has to do. And we will do what we have to do. That is granted.
However, when the representatives from a district are practically inaccessible, especially when it comes to opposition, it would be reasonable to do something for people looking for an outlet to express themselves. The only way to do that is by holding our own events, and asking the media to simply inform the people we are doing them.
Unfortunately, when the media refuses to cover a story as big as a healthcare town hall during a time when the issue of healthcare is all the rage (both literally and figuratively), and this same event is sponsored in light of the fact our current representation refuses to address the issue publicly, everyone loses. I can personally guarantee that if the media did its job by announcing we were having this event like they so willingly did for Congressmen Ryan and Wilson, we would have had a packed house. And that is something I’d bet my savings on, because I know how angry people are right now.
As it stands, 70% of the hall was filled up, and we actually had a decent discussion on the topic of healthcare. Thank goodness for Dan Rivers promoting our event, because God knows no one else did, no matter how many times we asked. Even after 24 years of living here, this town still amazes me.
Thanks to WFMJ for making the trip out to get some footage, as well as Dan Rivers of 570. Also thanks to the Jambar for coming out. I believe there were other print outlets here tonight, so I will reserve my thanks until I can ascertain who was here.
Of course, thanks to the panel of Dr. Donald Allen, Dr. Chuck McGowan, David Hahn, and Bill Johnson. And thanks to the YSU College Republicans for hosting this event and all of their volunteers.
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The Mang
Conservative Capo of Youngstown and Pursuer of a Real Healthcare Debate
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