While Congress is on recess, now is the time to attend a town meeting hosted by the member of the House of Representatives for your Congressional District.

This round of meetings may be more contentious than previous cycles due to the probable shift to a Democratic majority in the mid-term elections and war-related issues (in Iraq and Lebanon). Republicans seem to sense their weakness, so they are in attack mode. Expect very negative campaign barrages in the Fall.

The Congress members and their staff attempt to control the event, but, unlike the faux ‘town meetings’ produced for W and Dick, Congressional staffers can’t control who attends these events. The staff watches for banners and projectiles, however the peer pressure from other attendees restrains the behavior of the fringes (right, left, and off-the-wall).

Here are some tips for making your attendance at a public meeting hosted by your Congressional Representative effective and less stressful for everyone involved:

  • Clearly print your specific question on the cards provided. Refer to the title of legislation, particularly if the Congress member co-sponsored it. Do some homework.
  • Assume that the Congress member will not read aloud your rapier-like screed that starts “You $%*&#@ spineless coward…”
  • If you absolutely must communicate your screed to the Congress member and the audience, then bring a stack of leaflets and hand them out to the incoming audience. Include contact information, in case someone agrees with you.
  • Some people can’t resist loudly arguing, muttering insults, and shouting questions. The other attendees wrote down their questions and expect the Congress member to ignore the loudmouths and answer the next written question. Dissent means never having to say, “I’m an asshole, and so is everyone who agrees with me.”
  • Listen to the questions other people are asking. You may have a few narrow issues that push your buttons, but try to understand the other issues that may concern large segments of your community. How are the issues related?