Sizzling Town Hall Forums

This summer temperatures were high, not just on the thermometer, but also at the Congressional Town Hall forums. Typically subdued events that serve as photo-ops for elected officials with their constituents, this year’s forums were different. Progressive organizations leveraged the excitement and momentum of the 2008 elections to turn first time voters into “civic activists” who raised their voices on a variety of issues. The attendance by thousands of people was unprecedented.

Here are a few highlights from the work across the west:

In Oregon, Rural Organizing Project (ROP) and CAUSA jointly mobilized record numbers of members to bring a progressive voice to town hall forums across the state. Four U.S. Congressional Representatives and the two U.S. Senators sponsored multiple forums. Several forums attracted so many people that they had to move to larger venues.

ROP members, many from counties with unemployment rates of 20% and higher, delivered their message to reprioritize the federal budget toward human needs. They demanded a public option for health insurance for all people and fair immigration reform.

They also saw the forums as an opportunity to engage the “opposition,” many of whom are people who are motivated by the fear and inaccurate information spread by conservative media. ROP organizer Kari Koch put it this way: “The people shouting at the Town Halls are still our neighbors. There are bridges to be built and there is common ground to be found. If we don’t reach out to organize those who are fearful, who will?”

Click here to read more about the 40 different ROP delegations that attended town hall forums.

CAUSA made sure they had a visible presence at every Town Hall forum. “It was important for legislators to know that real people are concerned about immigration reform. It can only be resolved at the federal level”, said Francisco Lopez, Director of CAUSA. “This was also an opportunity for us to engage young people and first-time voters in the next level of action and to show them how, through participation, they can affect the public debate on issues they care about.”

Did all this action add up? “Even U.S. Representative Peter DeFazio, who is not normally a supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, came out in a pretty positive way, saying that this was an important issue to be decided, not just debated.  And we will hold him to that,” Lopez added.

Click here to view CAUSA’s Reform Immigration For America at Oregon Town Halls 3-minute video.

Meanwhile, Progressive Leadership Alliance of Nevada (PLAN) used street theater to apply pressure on their elected officials on health care and immigration.  At the forum in Reno, “Billionaires for Wealthcare” protested outside of the town hall meeting and sarcastically demanded that U.S. Representative Dean Heller, who has consistently voted against health care reform, “make sure that health care remains a privilege for those who can afford it.” Read more here.