Senator Claire McCaskill (D) - upcoming health care town halls

Kansas City - Swinney Recreation Center at UMKC (0.00 / 0)

From a sidebar at the center web site:

Senator McCaskill Town Hall

Senator Claire McCaskill will hold a town hall meeting in Swinney Recreation Center on Monday, August 24, from 4:30p - 5:30p. Doors open one hour prior. No food, drink, artificial noisemakers, signs or placards will be permitted inside the facility....

543,895 votes

---

by: Michael Bersin @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 at 11:21:51 AM UTC

She must assume (0.00 / 0)

that anyone who works during the day has health insurance and/or doesn't care about health insurance reform.

Is this usual?  That elected officials don't have at least some meetings at night?  I don't remember it but I've never paid as much attention as I am now.  

---

by: maryb2004 @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 at 14:57:15 PM UTC

I'm wondering... (0.00 / 0)

...if there aren't a number of factors that influence the selection of meeting times and days including availability of the venues, the overtime costs for venue support staff and security, and travel logistics just to name a few.

It'd be nice to schedule a few of these on evenings and/or weekends. I'd be curious about who would show up.

543,895 votes

---

by: Michael Bersin @ Fri Aug 21, 2009 at 15:08:35 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

The one evening meeting she scheduled, (0.00 / 0)

for the teabaggers who had so rudely banged on her office windows, was about three times the crowd they expected. Perhaps her staff worries that an evening event would attract more people than any venue they'd arrange for could accommodate.

---

by: hotflash @ Sat Aug 22, 2009 at 00:21:31 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Strategery (0.00 / 0)

If you're expecting the event to get slammed by a significant number of whack jobs you book a venue that's a quantum leap larger then their possible number. Some place like the Los Angeles Coliseum. Then, when the whack jobs show up it looks like they couldn't gather enough of a crowd to fill a phone booth, even though they may be several thousand in number.

You also do your darnedest to get your folks out to dilute the ideology of the crowd.

Anyone who has been to a Royals game about two thirds of the way through the season understands how empty a large space can look when it isn't filled to capacity.

Conversely, if you're sponsoring an event and you want it to look like it's crowded and the hottest ticket in town, you book a place somewhat smaller than your expected attendance.

Music booking agents understand this quite well.

543,895 votes

---

by: Michael Bersin @ Sat Aug 22, 2009 at 01:17:22 AM UTC

[ Parent ]