August, traditionally, is the slowest month for news. But this month the big political story of the year — the push for a big health care reform bill — will be hitting a fever pitch in districts and states around the country. Only the details, the nuts and bolts of it, will be happening largely out of public view — particularly beyond the reach of the traditional media.
Right now, Democrats and Republicans are fanning out across the country trying to shape and direct public perceptions about the health care legislation Congress will take up again in September. It’s quite likely that the fate of the legislation will be determined this month before Congress even comes back into session.
So we want to look very closely at how this process is unfolding: What are members of Congress saying at townhall meetings in their districts and states? What sort of response are they getting from attendees? What are they telling constituents about what they plan to do is phone conversations, constituent letters and in comments to the local press? Which groups are most successfully organizing at the ground level? What ads are running in different districts?
You’re there. You know. And you have the ability to monitor and understand these developments the way that no number of national reporters surveying the scene from Washington can.
We’ll be updating with more information and specifics. But let us know what you’re hearing about townhall meetings in your area, ping us when you see statements your members of Congress are making to the local press. Let us know what your member of Congress tells you about his or her position. We’re interested in specifics and details.
How to contact us? There’s an email address in the ‘comments’ link up there on the upper right hand corner of the site. Send us details. We read every one.
