You won’t catch me, my little pretties! Heheeheheee!
After being billed in an email by a well-financed (read: "astroturfed") Democrat activist network as a town hall event featuring Jeanne Shaheen, not only did the Senator not show, as reported earlier, it turns out that it wasn’t a "town hall" style meeting, either. Can’t they just make up their minds? What are they afraid of? Are they so spooked and stunned by the negative reaction of ordinary Americans that they just can’t get their act together?
First, the details, as promoted by the Dems "Organizing For America" (OFA) group:
Friend —
I wanted to send you an urgent invitation to an important Town Hall with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen on Thursday morning. She’ll be talking to constituents and gathering feedback — this is an ideal opportunity to make sure your support of health insurance reform is seen and heard at exactly the right time to make a huge difference.
Our congressional representatives are back home this month, and they’re facing more and more pressure from special interests on health insurance reform. It’s critical that we get out there and show them where we stand.
I hope you can join us.
What: Health Care Town Hall with Sen. Jeanne Shaheen
Where: Grafton Town Hall
E Grafton Rd.
Grafton, NH 03240When: Thursday, August 6th
10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
[NOTE: When following the link referred to in the email, it notes Shaheen wouldn’t be there, and it was just staffer visits, but there’s no telling if they changed it. There is a copy of the email, which we’ll post when we get a free minute]
Now, a description of the event as reported by an attendee:
Folks,
It was a bright and sunny morning when about 50 plus folks showed up with signs for the Town Hall Forum with Sen. Shaheen in Grafton, NH before 10 AM today. A Grafton Town Law Enforcement officer was present in the Town Offices (Hall??). Sen. Shaheen was not present, her Staff person, Pam Russell Slack, was there in her place.
The room where the Forum was to be held in the Town Office/Hall was allowed to be entered only at 10:00 AM, to give the Staffer time to set up, per the instructions of a person identifying himself as a Selectman.
As we, the assembled people, were going into the room in the Town Offices, we were advised that there were too many of us for the building, and it was decided, by some person in authority that we all go next door and assemble in the Fire Station for the meeting.
As the fire trucks were being moved out, the Staff Person came out and said that there would be no full gathering allowed, and that she would meet with us one on one in the original room in the Town office.
Needless to say, there were many upset people in the crowd. Some folks left when they realized how long the line was going to be. The Shaheen Staff person did meet with folks one at a time. Other people started to leave at about 11:30 AM when they had to attend to other things. These folks were denied their opportunity to be heard, in my view. Those that had to leave early were urged to call Sen. Shaheen’s office in D.C. to tell her that they were there at Grafton but unable to get in. Many Town of Grafton folks were there as well as people from Ashland, Plymouth, Meredith, Warren, Bridgewater, Sunapee, Canaan-Enfield, and the paid State Democrat Committee staff person from Manchester videotaping the entire "show".
And the game continues…
