In Lee’s Summit, Rep. Cleaver informs constituents: “There is no health care bill”

posted at 12:04 am on August 9, 2009 by Patrick Ishmael
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Rep. Emanuel Cleaver held another of his monthly coffee meetings with constituents on Saturday, and to no one’s surprise, attendance was a bit more robust than usual.

Of course if you looked at who he actually talked to, you’d notice something peculiarly missing. As in, most of the people.

U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, a Kansas City Democrat, did not take questions from the crowd. Instead, he met privately with about 75 people in what was to be a small monthly private chat….

Cleaver told those in JP Coffee: “I disagree with people who say (there are) crazy mobs and people are organizing to go and disrupt.”

Cleaver would not discuss health care with the crowd, in part because there is no completed health care bill, just a series of committee proposals, he said.

“There is no health care bill”? Please. That’s, of course, a huge cop-out, and one that lots of Congresspeople are using to avoid getting cornered on the health care legislation. Cleaver could say what he’s in favor of and which committee’s bill best reflects that, if any. (Assuming he’s read any of the bills.) He’s just playing the Congressional equivalent of “Catch me if you can, and don’t criticize me in the lead up to my eventual Yes vote.” And he’s not alone.

That Cleaver met with anyone is good, and that the event was civil is better, but in terms of actually hearing what constituents have to say, the Congressman fell woefully short. Don’t expect Cleaver to have any truly public and open appearances before his constituents, either; taking a cue from many other Congressional Democrats, Cleaver held a carefully scripted “tele-town hall” on Thursday. That’s consistent with his “no questions from the crowd” policy on Saturday. It’s all about controlling the message and making the eventual blowback for his vote less notable. One need only to look at who got into his coffee:

…and who was left out:

to recognize the skew – that is, the Astroturf — here.

If Cleaver’s constituents want to make their feelings known to their representative, they’re going to have to keep the phone lines to his offices hopping.

The digits:

KANSAS CITY
816.842.4545

INDEPENDENCE
816.833.4545

WASHINGTON, D.C.
202.225.4535

Cleaver’s reticence to fully engage his constituents on one of the most important issues facing us today and be held directly accountable to them is not only disappointing, but increasingly common among our representatives. And it’s sad.

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