Respect Doesn’t Sell Papers

Last Wednesday, I had the opportunity to attend a town hall meeting in Omaha with Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson. Attendance was estimated at over 1,000 people. You can view the webcast of the event here. 

I got to be one of the lucky 300 who were in the room with Sen. Nelson as he answered questions. In his opening statements, he said that his office has received over 100,000 letters this year, more than twice what he receive in all of 2008. The fact that people are so engaged on this issue is exciting to me, because this is how democracy is supposed to work - active citizens staying informed on important issues and holding elected officials accountable.

Most people's questions quickly revealed their political leanings, and Sen. Nelson did a good job of being frank, honest, and accurate in his answers and assessments. Health care is an emotional issue, and the Senator tried to calm people's anxieties as he responded to people's questions. I walked away feeling that Sen. Nelson is taking his job to represent the best interests of Nebraskans very seriously.

I was also impressed with the crowd. The media likes a good controversy, and so what we hear a lot lately is the disruptive behavior of a vocal few. But the folks in the room where by and large respectful of the diversity of opinions. The two outbursts were quickly quieted, not by Sen. Nelson's staff but by the other participants of the meeting who wanted to maintain respect for all present.

I have never been more impressed of my fellow Nebraskans.

I do have to say though that the media coverage of the town halls, and of the health care discussion overall, has been disappointing. The saying goes "If it bleeds, it leads" and in absence of blood, any garden variety controversy will do. The press coverage I've seen of the town halls overblows what's really going on - a few terse words exchanged becomes "a near riot".Nebraskans are more respectful than that.

The same day in Iowa, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack was also engaging citizens at the Iowa State Fair. (Hear an article and radio clip of the event)

While Sen. Nelson's meeting focused almost exclusively on health care, Secretary Vilsack spoke about a variety of issues, from rural development to climate change. On the issue of health care, he spoke of the need for reform by referencing the high number of rural Americans who are uninsured and said the "status quo for rural America is not acceptable".

Sec. Vilsack answered questions about the shrinking number of family farmers, the need to "level the playing field" for independent livestock producers and cited USDA hearing on the topic slated for January. He wants to put people to work building rural infrastructure and linking local people to local economic opportunities.

My colleage Matt Russell, owner of Coyote Run Farms and Drake Ag Law professor, said he was "impressed with the thoughtfulness and systems approach the secretary is taking. I'm confident the USDA is putting people and tools in place to capture opportunities"

All of this is to say that this summer seems to be the summer of political engagement for rural people, and I couldn't be happier.