Progressive Activist Reports on Congressman Loebsack's Cedar Rapids Town Hall Meeting

Submitted to Blog for Iowa by Kate Cowles

My husband and I attended Dave Loebsack's health care town hall in Cedar Rapids this morning [Saturday]. If you're going to one later today [or later this month], here are some quick suggestions.

1. Arrive early! We got there 40 minutes early and there already were lines to get in the door. All seats were filled 20 minutes or more before the announced starting time.

2. Take a small sign that you can hold up. They are asking people not to applaud, cheer, or boo, so holding up a sign is the best way to show support.

3. Be prepared to submit a question or comment in writing.

Cards for submitting written questions/comments were available as people came in the door, and staffers circulated through the hall handing them out and collecting them up until the event began.

The auditorium quickly filled, and there were dozens of standees in the aisles. I suspect that people were turned away, but I don't know.

When the starting time came, a staffer asked that everyone begin by quietly introducing themselves to the people seated around them. Then she announced that after Dave made some opening remarks, the following procedure would be used: someone from the audience would randomly draw a question from a basket, and the person who had submitted the question would then be invited to ask it at a microphone. The audience would be asked to stay quiet while each question was asked and while Dave responded so that everyone could hear. They had clearly planned a strategy to maintain order and civility. I saw one policeman in the room; there may have been more.

Dave did a good job – stayed calm, good humored, and informative. There were something like 8 or 10 questions asked, about 50/50 hostile to reform versus supportive.

Likewise, the audience seemed split roughly half and half. There were people holding pro-reform signs by SEIU, MoveOn, and others. Although there weren't as many anti-reform signs, there were lots of people clapping or booing on that side. There were only a couple instances where someone tried to shout down a questioner or Dave, and that quickly stopped. So despite intense opinions, this town hall was much more orderly than what we've been seeing on TV.

After the meeting ended, as we were leaving from one exit, some yelling and chanting started up near the other. I don't know how that turned out.

Note from BFIA:  Dave will be holding town hall meetings every Saturday in August, hitting every county in District 2.  Next Saturday he will be in Iowa City, Tipton, Muscatine and Columbus Junction.  Click here for Congressman Loebsack's complete August schedule of town halls.

Click here for a complete schedule of the Iowa delegation's upcoming town halls