Don't Expect Any Town Hall Meetings in the Pee Dee, Folks..

It Appears Our Congressmen Are Out of Commission This Month... Droopy Dog's Got a Bad Paw, and This Is Closest You'll Get to Seeing Whipper ....

I know, I know..... You're all upset. You were all prepared for it. You had your speech all set, with every talking point written in perfect detail to let your outrage be known. You probably even practiced saying 'Mr. Clyburn, F**k You and the Democrats' over and over to get that correct pitch to let it hit home. Alas, that train will not be coming into the station......

Everyone's been asking if Congressmen John Spratt and Jim Clyburn, two of the more powerful members of the Democratic Caucus, will be having any Town Hall meetings in their respective districts to discuss the new Health Care Plan . The answer is a big, fat, flat out nope... Spratt is on the disabled list, and Jim Clyburn? Well.......

The word is that John Spratt underwent foot surgery yesterday. How serious it was, I have no idea. Was it elective? Was it planned? Hey, don't ask me... I guess it had been scheduled for a while, and the Health Care plan just kinda snuck up on it. They definitely could use Spratt's ability to spin dog poop into Egyptian Cotton by endlesslessly droning on the periphery of the topic, then summarizing, "You see, it's all very complicated... But trust us." But, he is on the DL this month, and that brings us to Number Two....

We're pretty sure that after 17 years, you've noticed that Jim Clyburn is not a policy wonk. He prefers to play to your emotions and scare the crap out of you, rather than use numbers and make sense. He's never let the truth get in the way of a good story. Forget about a trillion dollars in spending.... this one kid has no Health Care Coverage !!!!!!

I talked yesterday about the difference between a good 5 minute speaker, and a good 30 minute speaker. Jim Clyburn is a good 5 minute speaker. Get into the nuts and bolts of an issue - aside from Civil Rights - and his knowledge is as thick as the side of playing card. I helped expose that a bit back in 2005, when he and Spratt went on the Town Hall tour on Social Security. He did know jack about that , and he doesn't know jack about Health Care. All he wants is for everyone to get it, no matter what the cost. It's pie in the sky, and even Congress knows the financials haven't been worked out....

Clyburn will never go on a Town Hall like this without having someone to hold his hand, because he doesn't have the chops to handle it. Social Security was nothing like this. These aren't trained, paid protestors out on a field trip. The Republican Party didn't have to recruit people to show up. These are regular citizens, outraged and scared... Jim likes to play to softball with his fan club, and get a few minutes with the TV stations - then scamper back to his lakehouse, or to DC.

I have one suggestion, and it's not a good one, but I'll make it anyway. We do know one place he will be in our area, and when. If you want to, make a little sign, greet him as he pulls in, and let him know how you feel. That's easy enough, and it's legal - I think.. Maybe he'll change his mind, and have a Town Hall. RIIIIIIIIGHT! Or, maybe you'll see him in line at the Krispy Kreme.....

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