A Town Hall Message - Loud & Clear

It probably wasnt what Congressman Bart Gordon was hoping for his first public town hall meeting last night greeted with chants of shame on you a message from some of his constituents who were critical of what they called Rep. Gordons flip-flop on abortion during a crucial committee vote to prevent your tax dollars from paying directly for abortion procedures.  A closer look at that important vote is here.

 

Rep. Gordon, a Democrat from Tennessees Sixth Congressional District, got an earful from real grassroots activists who forced him to address critical issues.

 

As the Tennessean reported:

 

The town hall meetings are meant to prepare lawmakers for health-care negotiations that will start up again after Labor Day.

 

But as such meetings boiled into public shouting matches, Gordon, a Democrat, had resisted calling one of his own. He relented after coming under attack from bloggers, newspaper editorial boards and the general public.

 

"I didn't think it would have been constructive to have what I had outside my office, people shouting," Gordon said. "People don't learn anything that way."

There's good news to report Rep. Gordons constituents showed they were educated on his abortion stance and would not let him use the Hyde Amendment to soften his abortion vote.

 

In another newspaper report from the Times-Gazette in Shelbyville, TN:

 

Loyd Warren of Wartrace was one of those who queried Gordon on abortion. Standing in line prior to the event, he told the Times-Gazette he was attending the meeting because he believes Gordon "flip-flopped" on the issue, voting against an amendment related to tax-funded abortion before turning around and voting for it.

 

Gordon later said that he voted for one amendment by mistake, having confused it with a different measure, and later voted against it, saying the second vote was consistent with his beliefs and policy.

 

Warren criticized Gordon for voting against an amendment that Warren said would have ensured that no federal funding goes for abortion.

 

Throughout the evening, Gordon said he is a supporter of the so-called Hyde Amendment, which Gordon said prohibits federally-funded abortion except in cases of rape, incest or danger to the life of the mother. But some questioners said the Hyde amendment only applies to Medicaid and would not necessarily apply to any new health care system.

 

"I am tired of you hiding behind the Hyde Amendment," said Katy Brown of Bell Buckle. "Don't talk to me about the Hyde Amendment, because that is Medicaid."

Katy Brown is right the Hyde Amendment will not prevent taxpayer funding of abortion under the national health care plans currently being considered.  In fact, the Hyde Amendment has not been renewed this year and expires on September 30^th.

 

This town hall is an example of why the ACLJ is dedicated to bringing you the facts about whats taking place in the halls of Congress.  

 

Now, more than ever, the focus is on Washington the words and actions of members of Congress like Rep. Gordon are under close scrutiny.

 

The full video of Rep. Gordons town hall is available here. 

 

If youre in Congressman Gordons district - a map of his district is located here - the next town hall meeting is Wednesday in Gallatin at 7pm (CDT) in the Volunteer State Community College auditorium.