Tierney won't hold meeting on health reform and Republican opponent says conference call inadequate

Congressman John Tierney will discuss health care reform over the phone instead of at a town hall meeting, a forum that has drawn rowdy and disruptive crowds elsewhere in the country.

Tierney is opting for a "telephone town hall" to reach as large an audience as possible, not to avoid vocal opponents of proposed changes to the nation's health care system, he said. A meeting reaches 50 to 200 attendees, while a conference call set up so people can ask questions and hear responses over the phone can involve upward of 30,000 constituents, according to Tierney.

The Salem Democrat's choice has created an early line of attack for his Republican challenger in 2010.

"(Tierney) is a representative of the people in this district," lawyer Bill Hudak of Boxford said yesterday. "Why he is choosing not to speak with his constituents directly is a mystery to me."

Hudak is planning a rally outside Tierney's Peabody Square office on Thursday afternoon to pressure the congressman to hold a meeting.

link
http://www.gloucestertimes.com/punews/local_story_222223653.html

http://www.billhudakforcongress.com/

Seems off-base to turn a townhall meeting into a campaign debate.

Translation: Mega bucks with NO connection to reality.

then they damn well better ask a question and not just shout rhetoric ...

Boxford people...sheesh.