Hold Town Meetings

Memo to Congressman Brad Miller and all congressional Democrats: Stop ducking town meetings on health-care reform.
 
Open the doors wide. Invite everybody – opponents included. And let them rant and rave if that’s what they are determined to do.
 
Nothing could do more to help the health care-reform campaign.
 
The more the opponents shout and drown out any discussion or dissent, the worse they look.
 
The more they yell and scream, the more Middle America wants the facts.
 
I love the opponents’ slogan: “Just Say No.”
 
Let’s call them that: The Just Say No Crowd. No to change, no to progress, no to reform. Yes to the status quo.
 
Your slogan, if you will recall from last year, is Yes We Can.
 
If you let them intimidate you, you lose. You lose if they force you to hold tightly controlled private meetings which they can then misrepresent when they talk to the world.
 
It’s just like dealing with any bully. Except you don’t need to punch them in the face. Or yell back at them. Just smile and keep on talking when they try to drown you out.
 
Even better, give the microphone to some ordinary folks who want change. Let the opponents be seen shouting them down. People don’t mind seeing a big-shot congressman cut down to size, but they don’t like to see people like themselves shouted down.
 
Believe me, this is not a fight to duck. It’s yours to win.
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Gary Pearce

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Hold Town Meetings

Memo to Congressman Brad Miller and all congressional Democrats: Stop ducking town meetings on health-care reform.
 
Open the doors wide. Invite everybody – opponents included. And let them rant and rave if that’s what they are determined to do.
 
Nothing could do more to help the health care-reform campaign.
 
The more the opponents shout and drown out any discussion or dissent, the worse they look.
 
The more they yell and scream, the more Middle America wants the facts.
 
I love the opponents’ slogan: “Just Say No.”
 
Let’s call them that: The Just Say No Crowd. No to change, no to progress, no to reform. Yes to the status quo.
 
Your slogan, if you will recall from last year, is Yes We Can.
 
If you let them intimidate you, you lose. You lose if they force you to hold tightly controlled private meetings which they can then misrepresent when they talk to the world.
 
It’s just like dealing with any bully. Except you don’t need to punch them in the face. Or yell back at them. Just smile and keep on talking when they try to drown you out.
 
Even better, give the microphone to some ordinary folks who want change. Let the opponents be seen shouting them down. People don’t mind seeing a big-shot congressman cut down to size, but they don’t like to see people like themselves shouted down.
 
Believe me, this is not a fight to duck. It’s yours to win.
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Gary Pearce

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