[August 07, 2009] Orlando area members of Congress shun town halls on health care: Only 2 of 10 Central Florida members of Congress scheduledtown hall meetings Tweet Aug 07, 2009 (The Orlando Sentinel - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Across the country, protesters angry about health-care reform are disrupting town-hall meetings conducted by members of Congress -- but in Central Florida, most won't get the chance. "They have to come out of hiding and face the people and answer some questions," complained DeLand retiree Charles Schmitz. He called Democratic U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson's office and was told he has no meetings scheduled. Nelson's not the only one. Of the 10 members of Congress representing Central Florida -- including two U.S. senators -- only two have scheduled town-hall meetings, and one of those will be by phone. A few others say they will have meetings sometime before the end of the August summer recess. The rest either won't have meetings or wouldn't answer questions about it. With elections every two years, House members are typically eager to meet with voters during the monthlong break. But with talking heads and conservative groups urging protesters to confront their representatives -- and shoot video -- town-hall meetings increasingly are seen as treacherous minefields for Democrats. "It's highly coordinated," said Todd Jurkowski, spokesman for freshman U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, D- Orlando, who said his boss will have several meetings but hasn't decided when. "They're not looking for a dialogue; they just want to beat a drum." Republicans aren't scheduling much either. The office of U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez wouldn't say; U.S. Reps. Cliff Stearns of Ocala and Adam Putnam of Bartow have nothing scheduled. Of those who promise sessions, only U.S. Rep. John Mica of Winter Park has finalized the details -- and he'll be on the phone. U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite of Brooksville has only set a date -- Aug. 24 -- for her meeting. The downside of town-hall meetings has been playing on cable-TV news shows and YouTube: Pennsylvania's Sen. Arlen Specter and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius being shouted down at a raucous meeting attended by hundreds on Sunday. Protesters chanting "Just say no!" at Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett. Rep. Frank Kratovil, hanged in effigy outside his Maryland office. And Wednesday, staffers for Broward County Rep. Ron Klein were confronted by a rowdy crowd during routine constituent hours at a library. The White House and Democratic congressional leaders say the protests have been orchestrated by conservative groups. And there's some evidence that's true. One memo written by a volunteer for FreedomWorks, a conservative group led by former Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Dick Armey, offered advice: "You need to rock-the-boat early in the Rep's presentation. Watch for an opportunity to yell out and challenge the Rep's statements early. The goal is to rattle him, get him off his prepared script and agenda." Lists of town-hall meetings and video of disrupted meetings have been posted by Conservatives for Patients' Rights, whose public-relations firm worked on the 2004 "Swift boat" attack ads against presidential candidate John Kerry. The anonymous Web site embarrassyourcon gressman.com offers "6 Steps to Embarrass Your Congressman" and encourages visitors to send reports of representatives who haven't scheduled town-hall meetings. Republicans, meanwhile, accuse Democrats of marginalizing people with genuine concern about health-care reform by writing them off as a politically motivated mob. Clearly, though, there's widespread concern about a proposed health-care reform package that's both complicated and expensive. "In years past, you had to twist people's arms to get them to a town hall. Now they're clamoring for the opportunity," said one congressional staffer. Those members who do plan meetings aren't giving much advance notice, reluctant to give protesters a chance to mobilize. Bill Dickey of Winter Springs said he's still undecided about health-care legislation; if he were to retire now, at age 62, it would cost $1,600 a month to continue his insurance coverage. But when he called his congresswoman, New Smyrna Beach freshman Democrat Suzanne Kosmas, he was told she would be having a "telephone town hall" at an as-yet undetermined date. Critics have called tele-town halls -- with thousands of residents sharing a phone line with an elected official -- a way of avoiding face-to-face contact and keeping embarrassing exchanges from ending up on YouTube. "It sounded like this was something they were coming up with because so many people had been calling," Dickey said. Kosmas spokesman Marc Goldberg defended the virtual meetings, saying they are more convenient for constituents and can include many more participants. Rep. John Mica, R-Winter Park, agreed; he has scheduled a tele-meeting on health care for Aug. 24. A spokesman said previous tele-meetings have included as many as 5,000 people. Grayson plans three face-to-face town-hall meetings, Jurkowski said, though dates haven't been finalized. Is he worried about protesters? "Based on what we're seeing around the country, there is a concern that might happen," Jurkowski said. "We have to be cognizant of the fact that there are people out there waiting to ruin an event that could be beneficial to a lot of people." Mark Schlueb can be reached at [email protected] or 407-420-5417. Few meetings planned Democrats Sen. Bill Nelson, Orlando Will not hold a health-care town-hall meeting. Rep. Corrine Brown, Jacksonville Did not respond to requests for information. Rep. Alan Grayson, Orlando Plans town-hall meetings in Winter Garden, south Orange County and Ocala before the end of August but hasn't set dates. Rep. Suzanne Kosmas, New Smyrna Beach Will hold a telephone town-hall meeting before the end of August but hasn't set a date. Constituents will receive an automated phone call asking if they'd like to participate. To make sure your number is on Kosmas' list, call 1-877-956-7627. Republicans Sen. Mel Martinez, Orlando Did not respond to requests for information. Rep. John Mica, Winter Park Will hold a telephone town-hall meeting Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. Constituents will receive an automated phone call asking whether they'd like to participate. To make sure your number is on Mica's list, call his office at 407-657-8080. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite, Brooksville Plans two town-hall meetings Aug. 24, but details haven't been finalized. Rep. Bill Posey, Rockledge Plans a town-hall meeting before the end of August but hasn't set a date. Rep. Cliff Stearns, Ocala No town-hall meeting scheduled. Rep. Adam Putnam, Bartow No town-hall meeting scheduled. Local representatives' plans for health-care forums, B4 To see more of The Orlando Sentinel or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.OrlandoSentinel.com. Copyright (c) 2009, The Orlando Sentinel, Fla. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]