[UPDATE] Welcome, Michelle Malkin readers.
Tim Bishop (D, NY-01) is having something called a “health care reform rally” on Thursday, at (of all things) SEIU’s Hicksville NY offices (1199 Duffy Ave, starts at 1 PM). This is otherwise known as “over twenty miles outside the borders of NY-01.” Bishop is of course one of the first Democrats holding down a Red district (NY-01 is a R+0) to discover that his constituents are paying attention to his votes: he rather famously canceled his future in-district meetings. Presumably he assumes that his constituents won’t drive twenty miles to complain.
Meanwhile, Leonard Boswell (D, IA-03) has at least decided to stay in-district for his “health care listening post” – barely. Although his district includes Des Moines, Boswell has instead decided to travel 80 miles east this week to the Sigourney Public Library (Thursday, 2 PM). He won’t be actually having any meetings on the subject in the Des Moine area (where the vast majority of his constituents live) for another two weeks. Still, at least he’s having them; apparently being D+1 can make the difference between in and out of district.
Neither one of these two Congressmen are freshmen, and neither were considered to be hardline liberals before this Congress. And both of them are clearly not interested in facing their constituents just quite yet. Very interesting, that.
Moe Lane
Crossposted to RedState.
I lived in Iowa City for a couple of years, and Boswell’s decision might not be quite as… timid as it appears at first glance. There’s a lot of “small-town cred” that’s important for Iowa politicians, and looking like you don’t give a flip about anything outside Des Moines, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City, Ames, and the Quad Cities is a good way to get smoked in the election. There’s also the fact that the library in Keokuk County will be a smaller venue, where the good Congressman can have a dress rehearsal before facing bigger crowds in Des Moines. I think he might also be biding his time until he sees what happens with some other Congresscritters and their meetings, just in case the horse does learn to sing.
We’re on it.
Also Congressman Anthony Weiner in Queens
http://nygoe.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/the-troubling-new-direction-of-unions/