When a Town Hall is not a Town Hall

So I was at home last night minding my own business and waiting for the season premier of NCIS, when my phone rang. It was an electronic voice inviting me to join a telephone town hall meeting being held by Congressman Alan Grayson. Jethro, Tony, Tim, Ziva and Ducky would all have to wait, because this was going to be interesting!

So I pressed the button the join the conversation and immediately pressed the second button to "raise my hand" to indicate I had a question.

While waiting and listening I was shocked at how one sided the whole thing was. "You're doing a great job" was the basic theme with some incredibly soft ball questions being asked by those lucky enough to get through.

After about an hour a woman came on the line and asked me what my question for the Congressman was. What? The questions were being screened? Although I was never a fan of Ric Keller, when he held these, the questions were not screened - at least not when I was invited to take part.

So for those simply listening and unaware that the questions were being screened, you would think that the people just love the Congressman. During the hour and a half that I was listening, there was just one question/comment from someone who had something negative to say. She was a lady in Ocala who has been a nurse for 40 years. She started where I like to - she doesn't believe a word that comes out of DC. She pointed out that she was old enough to be the Congressman's mom and when Grayson answered her, I felt he was rude in the way he simply ignored what she had to say, preferring to laugh at how well she had done in reaching the age she had!

So I have a couple of questions for the Congressman - not the ones I wanted to ask last night. What is the point of holding a town hall if you are not interested in what the people have to say? Are you so lacking in confidence that you need your ego stroked by screening out calls that might be critical of your position? I guess I just don't get it.

Oh and in case you're reading this - I started with but one question. Will you sign Congressman John Fleming's House Resolution which will force any Congressman who votes in favor of the Health Care Bill to actually take it? That just requires a yes or no. While I was waiting, I also had a second thing that came up because I feel you did not give the full story of the Congressional Budget Office and the cost of health care. I feel no need to re-hash that here, but suffice to say that the Director has repeatedly warned that there is going to be a bill that the American people are going to have to pay. That's not budget neutral as you said.