In his Engaged Citizen post, Mark Zaccaria describes the very odd and self-serving format of the inaccurately named "town hall" held by Congressman Langevin Wednesday: the complete inadibility of the congressman's remarks followed by his refusal to take questions publicly from the audience, choosing, instead, to speak to people one on one privately.
It just occurred to me that this was also the format for a "press conference" that AG Patrick Lynch switched to when his poor handling of the Station Night Club fire investigation began to bite him in the nether region and it became clear at one particularly bad point that the press' questions that day were going to be too tough for him to handle publicly.
Did the congressman similarly believe that his constituent's questions would be too hard to handle publicly? Taken together with the inaudibility of his prefacing remarks (was it a deliberate decision by the congressman and his staff to place the microphone just beyond the reach of his voice?), one is compelled inexorably to ask: what exactly was the purpose of this completely non-communicative non-event? Was it simply for Mr. Langevin's campaign to be able to claim, in Cicilline-esque fashion, that the congressman had reached out to his constituents via a town hall?
For those who might have thought that Mark Z had exaggerated in his description of the short-comings of this "town hall", below is a two minute video clip of the end of the congressman's inaudible prefacing remarks, the announcement - loud and clear, by the way; strange that the staffer had no microphone problems - that questions would only be taken privately and then the objections (disregarded) of a man in the audience to this atypical format.
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November Spawned A Monster.
Posted by: dave at March 27, 2011 11:39 AM
Are you kidding with these posts? Really...what was that a $200 video camera and I could hear the congressman fine. The guy is handicapped,, not much control over his hands and you fault him for not holding the mic closer?
This is a great post for a conservative Christian.
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 11:46 AM
Basically, Swaz, Jim stepped off the reservation when he came out in favor of same-sex marriage, so he must be punished, his perfect pro-life voting record nothwithstanding.
And all congresspeople have constituents (who are not CEOs or lobbyists) who have requests involving family or other matters of that nature they would prefer take place without cameras or microphones present.
But if Jim's political enemies want to raise his physical limitations as a campaign issue, let 'em.
Posted by: bella at March 27, 2011 12:16 PM
Bella, who said anything about same-sex marriage or abortion? And what does the fact that he's in a wheelchair have to do with anything? Your mind writhes and wanders like coyote with mange.
Posted by: Dan at March 27, 2011 2:31 PM
Explain the rest Swaz. That was a great demonstration of the indifference of power for the school kids.
By the way Bella, Swaz tried to make it into a handicap issue just like you tried to make into SSM and right to life issue. You both are pretty pathetic. This was a Town Hall Meeting right? Since when do they go behind closed doors. News flash, it's a transparency issue.
Posted by: Max Diesel at March 27, 2011 2:56 PM
Seems like a sore loser's issue.
Trying to make something out of nothing.
Be a Christian, let go, and let God.
lol
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 4:39 PM
It's a shame that some people, apparently supporters, see the congressman as nothing more than his handicap, or the wheelchair, or that he can't hold a microphone. Although since he's always promoted himself as the victim running for office, it's not surprising that people see him as a poor victim.
It's unacceptable to use those things to defend the indefensible, which is that he has nothing to say, he has no substance, he is one of the poorest examples of a representative sitting in DC. It truly is embarrassing that Langevin and Kennedy have been down there so long, and now with Cicilline....
A congressman or woman should have a basic substance to him/her: intelligence, knowledge, life experience, passion for advocacy (for Rhode Islanders and the USA). JL has nothing, thus his engaging in such a sham.
Private family issues are what you call your Rep's office or write him a letter about. No one goes to a "town hall" meeting to have a 5 minute private meeting with the pol.
Representative of Oz, the man behind the curtain, living off the taxpayer and providing zero in return.
Posted by: riborn at March 27, 2011 6:24 PM
Each student got to meet with the congressman one on one, only one person complained.
Like I said, sore loser problem not much else.
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 8:17 PM
"Each student got to meet with the congressman one on one, only one person complained."
So it wasn't a Town Hall Meeting then.
Only one person complained on the video. What message did it send as Langevin's henchman just talked over the questioner.
No transparency!
Posted by: Max Diesel at March 27, 2011 9:53 PM
This video will make a great campaign ad for Langevin's next opponent.
It's time to depose these politicians who think they are some sort of higher order of human than their constituents.
Posted by: BobN at March 27, 2011 10:11 PM
Funny how the right left Jim alone while he was opposing abortion. They're aggravated because he didn't roll into the Statehouse to claim SSM is evil like the rest of the pro-lifers.
Posted by: bella at March 28, 2011 11:05 AM
Of course, it couldn't be his vote for Obmacare, the Porkulus, against extending the Bush tax rates, or any other of his straight-party-line votes supporting the regime's policies. Had to be the single issue of abortion, even though that hasn't come up for a vote in Congress.
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Posted by: dave at March 27, 2011 11:39 AMAre you kidding with these posts? Really...what was that a $200 video camera and I could hear the congressman fine. The guy is handicapped,, not much control over his hands and you fault him for not holding the mic closer?
This is a great post for a conservative Christian.
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 11:46 AMBasically, Swaz, Jim stepped off the reservation when he came out in favor of same-sex marriage, so he must be punished, his perfect pro-life voting record nothwithstanding.
Posted by: bella at March 27, 2011 12:16 PMAnd all congresspeople have constituents (who are not CEOs or lobbyists) who have requests involving family or other matters of that nature they would prefer take place without cameras or microphones present.
But if Jim's political enemies want to raise his physical limitations as a campaign issue, let 'em.
Bella, who said anything about same-sex marriage or abortion? And what does the fact that he's in a wheelchair have to do with anything? Your mind writhes and wanders like coyote with mange.
Posted by: Dan at March 27, 2011 2:31 PMExplain the rest Swaz. That was a great demonstration of the indifference of power for the school kids.
By the way Bella, Swaz tried to make it into a handicap issue just like you tried to make into SSM and right to life issue. You both are pretty pathetic. This was a Town Hall Meeting right? Since when do they go behind closed doors. News flash, it's a transparency issue.
Posted by: Max Diesel at March 27, 2011 2:56 PMSeems like a sore loser's issue.
Trying to make something out of nothing.
Be a Christian, let go, and let God.
lol
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 4:39 PMIt's a shame that some people, apparently supporters, see the congressman as nothing more than his handicap, or the wheelchair, or that he can't hold a microphone. Although since he's always promoted himself as the victim running for office, it's not surprising that people see him as a poor victim.
It's unacceptable to use those things to defend the indefensible, which is that he has nothing to say, he has no substance, he is one of the poorest examples of a representative sitting in DC. It truly is embarrassing that Langevin and Kennedy have been down there so long, and now with Cicilline....
A congressman or woman should have a basic substance to him/her: intelligence, knowledge, life experience, passion for advocacy (for Rhode Islanders and the USA). JL has nothing, thus his engaging in such a sham.
Private family issues are what you call your Rep's office or write him a letter about. No one goes to a "town hall" meeting to have a 5 minute private meeting with the pol.
Representative of Oz, the man behind the curtain, living off the taxpayer and providing zero in return.
Posted by: riborn at March 27, 2011 6:24 PMEach student got to meet with the congressman one on one, only one person complained.
Like I said, sore loser problem not much else.
Posted by: Swazool at March 27, 2011 8:17 PM"Each student got to meet with the congressman one on one, only one person complained."
So it wasn't a Town Hall Meeting then.
Only one person complained on the video. What message did it send as Langevin's henchman just talked over the questioner.
No transparency!
Posted by: Max Diesel at March 27, 2011 9:53 PMThis video will make a great campaign ad for Langevin's next opponent.
It's time to depose these politicians who think they are some sort of higher order of human than their constituents.
Posted by: BobN at March 27, 2011 10:11 PMFunny how the right left Jim alone while he was opposing abortion. They're aggravated because he didn't roll into the Statehouse to claim SSM is evil like the rest of the pro-lifers.
Posted by: bella at March 28, 2011 11:05 AMOf course, it couldn't be his vote for Obmacare, the Porkulus, against extending the Bush tax rates, or any other of his straight-party-line votes supporting the regime's policies. Had to be the single issue of abortion, even though that hasn't come up for a vote in Congress.
Posted by: BobN at March 28, 2011 11:11 AM