National health care debate gets local

By James Beaty
Senior Editor

Those aligned both for and against the proposed national health care overhaul are asking supporters to go in-person to U.S. District 2 Congressman Dan Boren’s office in McAlester this week —but Boren himself is only planning on hosting “telephone town hall” meetings on the subject.

Boren does not have any regular town hall meetings regarding health care planned at this point, according to the Muskogee Democrat’s office.

Boren’s “telephone town halls” — in which constituents are being asked to participate in what amounts to a huge conference telephone call — are set to begin when Congress reconvenes in September after the current recess.

The first one is set for 6:30 p.m. on Sept. 8.

“Folks can sign up at our office and they will be called that evening,” said Boren spokesman Cole Perryman in Washington D.C.

Perryman, who said Boren is currently traveling, said the “telephone town hall” will be similar to a call-in show. It will allow Boren to reach “tens of thousands” of his constituents, Perryman said.

That’s not good enough for Dan Arnett, a 25-year-old Henryetta native who said he’s planning to run for the District 2 seat as a Republican candidate in 2010.

Arnett said he’s holding a town hall meeting in McAlester at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday outside Boren’s office at 118 E. Carl Albert Pkwy., which is just west of the building currently housing the Pittsburg County court system.

Arnett said he opposes the proposed health care overhaul.

“I’m totally against it,” he said. “I don’t feel it’s the responsibility of the federal government.” He also said he’s a strict constitutionalist and there’s nothing in the U.S. Constitution allowing the federal government to run health care.

“They’ll just create a huge bureaucracy,” Arnett said.

He said he’s planning on holding a town hall meeting outside Boren’s office “Because he’s not doing any town halls where he’s meeting voters face-to-face.”

Arnett said he doesn’t understand why Boren won’t meet with his constituents face-to-face when he (Arnett) is willing to do so.

“I’m one guy,” Arnett said. “He’s got far more resources than me. He’s made a conscious decision not to do this.”

Arnett said he plans on answering questions about his campaign and on helping to get questions to Boren.

“It’s also a demonstration to let him know that we are unhappy he’s not meeting face-to-face with his constituents.”

Meanwhile, a group known as Organizing for America is sending e-mails encouraging people in the area to visit Boren’s McAlester office in support of health care reform and to sign up at my.barackobama.com/OfficeVisit.

“All throughout August, our members of Congress are back in town,” an e-mail from OFA states. “Insurance companies and partisan attack groups are stirring up fear with false rumors about the President’s plan and it’s extremely important that folks like you speak up now.

“So we’ve cooked up an easy, powerful way for you to make a big impression: Office Visits for Health Reform,” the e-mail continues.

“All this week, OFA members like you will be stopping by local congressional offices to show our support for insurance reform.

“We’ll provide everything you need: the address, phone number, and open hours for the office, information about how the health care crisis affects your state for you to drop off (with the option of adding your personal story) and a step-by-step guide for your visit.”

The e-mail from OFA goes on to state that “As you’ve probably seen in the news, special interest attack groups are stirring up partisan mobs with lies about health reform, and it’s getting ugly. Across the country, members of Congress who support reform are being shouted down, physically assaulted, hung in effigy and receiving death threats. We can’t let extremists hijack this debate or confuse Congress about where the people stand.”

Arnett, who is planning the Saturday meeting, said it’s open to everyone, including Boren.

“Mr. Boren is more than welcome to attend these town halls I have set up,” Arnett said. “It will save us postage when we do not have to mail the questions his constituents ask him.”

In Washington Perryman said he was not aware of Arnett’s plans to hold a town hall meeting outside Boren’s McAlester office.

“I hadn’t heard about that ... interesting,” he said.

Perryman also said Boren was not involved in the planning by OFA to have people stop by the McAlester office and advocate in favor of health care reform.

“We’re not involved with that group,” Perryman said. “People stop by the office all the time.”

Boren’s office issued a statement regarding the “telephone town hall meetings.”

“Due to a large amount of interest in town hall meetings, (the) Congressman will be hosting a full series of telephone town halls starting just as Congress reconvenes in September,” the statement said.

“Telephone town halls are a new service that will allow Congressman Boren to reach even more people throughout the 25 counties of the Second District. They are also a very effective and efficient use of office resources.”

Three more telephone town halls are to be scheduled following the first one, according to Boren’s office. The number to phone is listed as (202) 225-2701.

OFA, meanwhile, is telling people that Boren’s staff is there to listen and encouraging them to bring others to his office.

“And if you bring a friend, you’ll have more fun and make an even greater impact,” the OFA e-mail states.

Arnett said he is also planning to hold three other town hall meetings on Saturday outside Boren’s offices in Durant, Muskogee and Claremore.

Contact James Beaty at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .