Instead of Calling in, CCHC Suggests Citizens Write a Letter Asking Sen. Klobuchar for a Real Town Hall

(St. Paul/Minneapolis) - Instead of calling in for Sen. Amy Klobuchar's tele-"town hall" on Sunday evening, August 23, Citizens' Council on Health Care suggests Minnesotans use that time or the next few days to write Sen. Klobuchar a letter asking her to hold a real town hall meeting.

"A telephone call is not a town hall. We must not allow members of Congress to establish a precedent for town halls that keeps the public and their elected leaders out of the same room, especially when lives and livelihoods are at stake," says Twila Brase, president of CCHC.

"If Senator Klobuchar is not willing to stand in front of the public—except when she's asking for their vote or their money—does she really care about interacting with and hearing directly from her constituents?" she asks

Sunday's "tele-town hall" is not a real town hall, says Brase, because citizens will not be able to:

• See Sen. Klobuchar in person
• Speak face to face and eye to eye
• Ask an unscreened question
• Come together as a community
• Talk with friends and neighbors
• Express immediate approval or dissent
• Observe the senator's expressions
• Maintain personal privacy (people have to register)
• Convey a message through a statement on a sign or pin
• Talk to Sen. Klobuchar in person
• Shake her hand
• Be visible (a picture is worth 1000 words)