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One major benefit of practicing journalism in the boondocks is that you seldom encounter other journalists, except by appointment when you arrange to swap war stories at a saloon. The rest of the time, you're pretty much on your own, and thus you miss being part of those sordid feeding-frenzy spectacles with forests of boom mikes and herds of backward-stepping camera operators.
So instead of attending press conferences when I feel a
civic duty to view a big-time politician in the flesh, I
venture to the occasional local town meeting
where
everyone, not just us jackals in the Biased Liberal Media,
is welcome to ask questions.
In general, the unwashed masses ask better questions
than professional journalists. That's because every
reporter wants to ask a killer question that will elicit a
response like Damn it, you really nailed me there, Ed.
I now have no choice but to admit that I secretly attended
the closed meetings of Vice-President Cheney's national
energy policy panel last winter, and because I supported
total deregulation, Ken Lay gave me some Enron stock
options. And then last fall, he advised me to sell out and
get out while the getting was good.
It was quite different at Sen. Wayne Allard's town meeting here last Thursday afternoon.
The audience at these rural town meetings comes in four categories:
1) Partisan Cheerleaders. Local party officials always
deny packing the session with stalwarts, but there's always
a goodly contingent who say things like Senator, I just
wanted to thank you for the fine job you're doing in
standing tall against the attacks on America by al Qaeda,
the Democrat Party, and other terrorist
organizations.
The wise politician merely nods, mutters a thank
you,
and moves on to the next upraised hand, just as
Allard did.
2) Get-A-Rant-Off Indignants. These come from both ends
of the spectrum. You'll hear something like Senator,
will you support legislation allowing us to install our own
anti-aircraft batteries to protect our homeland against all
those low-flying black helicopters that are looking for
U.N. World Heritage Sites?
or Senator, since we now
know that trees are sentient creatures, when can we expect
your support on protecting them against pain, at least on
federal land?
Any politician with the wit to be elected to anything
beyond an unopposed seat on the local fire protection
district board knows how to deflect these questions with a
reply like Hmm, guess I'll need to look into that.
Allard managed well.
3) Honest questioners. I admired a young woman who asked Allard about American policy toward Iraq. While granting that the Iraqi government is hostile to American interests and values, she said that millions were suffering on account of our embargo, and many had died for lack of medicine and the like. Why should we assist in causing their misery? It's not like they have much of a say about who runs their country. Is there some other course?
She sounded honestly perplexed, and I feel the same way. Iraq is run by a hostile regime. Isn't there some way America can oppose the regime without adding to the suffering of its people?
Allard hemmed and hawed around that one before coming up
with the reply that They brought this upon
themselves,
which is no real answer. On occasion, the
U.S. has hinted at encouraging rebellion in Iraq -- but
never provided any tangible support, especially the kind of
support that the Northern Alliance has received in
Afghanistan.
Perhaps the truth is that there is no good course in these situations -- in which case, why didn't Allard just say so?
4. Journalists disguised as citizens. I asked one
question. Did Allard support or oppose the User Fee
Demonstration Program
on public lands, and either way,
what were his reasons?
I'm curious because I've never met one person who supports charging a fee to park and watch a sunset, and yet this pernicious program keeps growing.
Where's the support coming from? It's sure not coming from the grassroots. I just read that Montezuma County has joined seven other Colorado counties -- Gunnison, Hinsdale, Mineral, Rio Grande, Saguache, San Juan and San Miguel -- in passing resolutions against these fees.
Perhaps Allard knew why America can afford tax breaks for billionaires but must find new ways collect money from citizens who can't afford their own 150,000-acre ranches.
Allard said he opposed the fees if they were imposed from the top down, but supported them if the locals wanted them.
Good Republican answer. If this had been a press
conference, I'd have asked at least one follow-up question,
such as And just where are these locals who want the
fees that seem to keep coming anyway?
But it was a town meeting, and he turned to another upraised hand.
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