Running Scared: Baird Backs Out of Town Hall

By Nansen at August 31st, 2009.

Brian Baird continues to sink deeper into the partisan pit sands. In doing so, he’s losing any remaining semblance of being a moderate.

A few weeks back, I managed to join one of his “tele-town hall” calls, after a source sent me the call-in info.  Last week I blew the top off Baird’s sham tele-town halls. Among other questionable practices, Baird intentionally keeps the date, time, and call-in info for his “tele-town halls” secret. Indeed, you might say his calls amount to taxpayer funded private focus groups.

Under intense criticism for a series of mis-steps, Baird is desperately trying to control his image and avoid further scrutiny. But it doesn’t appear to be working.

Over the weekend, the Centralia Chronicle issued a sharp rebuke to the Congressman and his liberal allies in an editorial: “Left Leaning Groups Pushing for Town Hall Dominance.”  The editorial notes that a liberal Seattle group allied with Baird is trying to pack his upcoming town hall in Lewis County:

We don’t need out-of-towners pushing their agendas at our town hall as part of a partisan political fight. Baird needs to hear from his Lewis County constituents. We emphasis the word “town” in “town hall.”

Baird’s in-person town halls have similarly been criticized, because not unlike his secret conference calls, they are highly orchestrated affairs. At his Vancouver town hall, Baird refused to take questions direct from questioners, instead relying on a “lottery.”

Back on that “secret conference call” Baird held, I managed to maneuver past the censors and have a chance to ask my question to the Congressman directly. News outlets across the country picked up on my offer to the Congressman:

At one point, a woman who identified herself as Nan Malin, chairwoman of the Pacific County Republican Party, said she would hold a town hall meeting for Baird in her living room.

“I will be your bodyguard,” she said.

Baird agreed to attend. [Emphasis added]

By way of update, where does that offer stand?  Well, it’s now been rejected!

Here’s the back story.

On, Monday, August 17, Baird’s District Director Kelly Love called to follow up with me about the Congressman coming to my house. We discussed possible dates, options and scenarios, including security, press and an invitation list.  Love told me that someone from the Baird staff would get back to me very soon. We agreed tentatively on a date of September 1.

The next day, Tuesday, Aug 18, I was still expecting a call from Baird’s staff.  In the meantime, I scrambled around…considered options and logistics to invite the community to my home.  The option Love and I discussed involved hosting an event in my yard. It could hold up to 500 people.

But then, in the midst of making arrangements, I was a little surprised to read in the Longview newspaper that Baird has scheduled a town hall in Ilwaco on Sept 1.  (Which is 2 miles from my house.) So I sent the following email that same evening back to Love:

Kelly,

Gee… imagine how surprised I am to read in the newspaper that there will be a town hall in Ilwaco at the High School on Sept 1.

I have not had a phone call from your office – as you stated… I thought we were discussing having something happen here at my place.

I would have liked a courtesy call. So- the invitation to my place is off the table? Or what?

~Nansen

Love called me back nearly immediately. In fact, I learned, Love was backstage at Baird’s Clark County Town Hall.  At that point, she still tried to string me along. Someone would be getting back to me, I was told.

Later, while trying to find out what was happening during Baird’s sham Pacific County “tele-town hall” on August 24, I included a follow up about having the Congressman at my home as a post script in this email I sent to Love:

Kelly,

I registered for the tele town hall that is happening right now. I have not been called. I am hearing from many who registered and did not receive call.

How come we cant participate?

PS> still never heard back from anyone about Congressman coming to my home.

-Nansen

Love’s reply:

[...]

Re: the follow up from last week?

I relayed your message to the Congressman and the Chief of Staff.

I was under the understanding that our Chief of Staff was going to call you back.

I apologize.

I will reach back to DC to find out who is calling you.

Kelly

So I wait. Wait some more. And finally I get a call…, not from Baird’s Chief of Staff, but again from Love. My notes from that call:

Love very carefully states, that it was the Congressman’s intent to attend a meeting in my living room.  That she was backstage at the Clark County event with him when she received my email and called me about my being upset – finding out they had arranged an alternate event in Ilwaco.  They still had planned to come to my house ….and how nice the offer was. She is sorry no one else called me…but she personally wanted to let me know…

“After reading your blog posts”… well, ahem… the Congressman will not be coming to my home. I am welcome to attend the Town Hall at Ilwaco High School on Sept 1.

Frankly, it’s no skin off my nose if the Congressman doesn’t want to face constituents at my house after all.  I was simply trying to encourage open and fair debate, by facilitating a real town hall, not these shams he’s been putting on as of late.

In hindsight, I’m kind of glad Baird chickened out, because at this point, I’m beyond wanting to do anything to save the Congressman from himself.

Now, if Baird had taken up my offer to hold a town hall at my home, he might have defused some of the self-inflicted criticism he’s facing.

Instead, he’s chosen to continue down the course of running highly controlled, highly orchestrated, “sham” events aimed at protecting what’s left of his “image.” Of course, in the process, he’s lost an immense amount of credibility–both with local editorial boards, and with constituents.

From his perspective, backing out of his promise to me is probably the least thing he has to be worried about…

Tags: Brian Baird, Health Care, Tele-Town Hall, Town Halls

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