Say Anything Blog

Senator Dorgan has essentially scheduled his events to be a series of short “whistlestops” at times and locations that seem specifically choreographed to minimize attendance.  What’s more, if he manages his events like his colleague Senator Conrad is, only people who are pre-selected and approved by the Senator will be allowed to talk at all.

Sen. Byron Dorgan said Monday he’s not worried about protesters bogging down his series of town hall meetings today through Thursday, saying, “That’s just not the way North Dakotans are.”

Protests over health care reform have disrupted meetings across the nation, prompting Democratic leaders in Congress to accuse the opposition of staging a campaign to misrepresent the legislation and prevent members of Congress from having a civil dialogue with their constituents.

Republican leaders have countered that Democrats are attacking people for their differing opinions instead of answering tough questions about the proposed reforms.

Dorgan said he’s been conducting town hall meetings during the August recess for years and doesn’t expect any difficulties during this small-city tour.

“There’s an old saying: ‘When everyone in the room is thinking the same thing, nobody’s thinking very much,’ ” he said. “And so I’ve always welcomed a diversity of thought. I think it’s healthy. And North Dakotans always do that very respectfully.”

That’s all well and good, but the Senator should remember that actions speak louder than words:

Still, the buzz about the meetings was enough to prompt Dorgan’s office to contact the city of Casselton to express concern that his visit there at 11 a.m. Wednesday “wouldn’t be the environment that needs to happen for a good discussion,” said City Auditor Brandy Pyle.

Dorgan will be at the fire hall for only an hour, so there won’t be a lot of time for questions, Pyle said.

“I think they are a little concerned about it, but I’m hoping it won’t happen,” she said of protests.

The Casselton event, of course, is close to Fargo.  Scott Hennen and myself have been urging readers/listeners to attend that event and ask their questions.  Clearly, Dorgan doesn’t want any dissent at that meeting and neither do the organizers.  But if they’re going to hold a town hall, shouldn’t they be willing to listen to the other side too?

I don’t condone violence or other illegal activities, but Americans are upset.  Many of those Americans are Senator Dorgan’s constituents.  If they want to give him an earful he should be more than happy to make himself available.

He does, after all, work for us.  Remember?