Well, David Wu’s Portland town hall meeting at Good Samaritan Hospital is over. I didn’t make it, but from the report in the Oregonian, it sounds like it went much like the meeting last night in McMinnville. Clearly, Wu wasn’t about to risk meeting with all his constituents, as attendees were given numbers, and questioners were “randomly” (you can raise your eyebrows and snicker here) selected to be able to ask questions. Here’s a snippet from the article describing the process:
It helped that a sizable share of Wu's audiences Monday and Tuesday, both exceeding 125 people, appeared to support Democratic health care reform legislation. It also helped that Wu and his staff kept tight control over the proceedings.
Hundreds couldn't even get inside. Those who lined up early enough to gain admittance were handed numbers, and only those whose numbers were drawn could speak. No follow-up questions were allowed, and Wu wisely avoided remaining engaged with several who ignored that rule.
It’s quite a contrast to see the anger and apprehension at these town halls, and compare them to the President’s “town hall meeting” (snickers again) today. It was clear Obama wasn’t going to risk anything so messy as a challenging question. That audience appeared as “scrubbed” as a hospital floor.
