Diana DeGette is ambushed -- effectively -- in telephone town hall

Last month, Congresswoman Diana DeGette was dinged by in-limbo Face the State for announcing just one town hall about healthcare reform -- to be conducted over the telephone. DeGette subsequently scheduled a slew of face-to-face get-togethers, but she went ahead with the teleconference yesterday, during which she was immediately hit...

By Michael Roberts

September 4, 2009

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Last month, Congresswoman Diana DeGette was dinged by in-limbo Face the State for announcing just one town hall about healthcare reform -- to be conducted over the telephone. DeGette subsequently scheduled a slew of face-to-face get-togethers, but she went ahead with the teleconference yesterday, during which she was immediately hit with an unexpected question that had nothing to do with Obamacare. The caller, who identifies himself on his YouTube profile as a Ron Paul booster, wanted to know why DeGette hadn't signed on to Paul's Federal Reserve Transparency Act legislation, which has 282 co-sponsors, including every other U.S. House representative from Colorado -- Republicans and Democrats alike. DeGette politely said that she wasn't familiar with the legislation but said it sounded like a good idea to her and quickly moved on.

The YouTube video above isn't wholly accurate. Although DeGette's online schedule proves she's now meeting the people about healthcare, the clip insists she only does teleconferences, because the method allows callers to be screened (he got past the blockade by saying he wanted to discuss something else). But he's right that the Federal Reserve Transparency Act has been widely covered; its Wikipedia page features 52 linked articles, and there are plenty more where those came from. DeGette's ignorance of it doesn't constitute her best moment.

And her staff was probably most concerned about dealing with angry anti-reformists....

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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