In the interest of full disclosure, I have been active in conservative politics in Tennessee pretty heavily for the last 10 years. While I saw some familiar faces in the crowd, most of them were either new faces or people I had seen around town but never at a political event, much less a protest. Contrary to what you may have heard, many of them were Democrats, and most of them were older -say 40 and above. These are people who had never really called a congressman before. As they became more and more concerned about the issues I mention here, they called their congressman. Many for the first time. They were shocked at the reception they received. They really thought they would get to speak with the congressman. They really thought they would get an answer. Of course, they got the totally normal double speak and evasion. They called people they knew vaguely locally, like a mayor or county executive. They called their neighbors and urged them to call the congressman. They checked back with them and found out all these people received the same run around they got.

For the first time in their lives, they actually asked a politicians for something… And mostly, they came away unconvinced not only that their congressman had listened, but also that he really cared. The anger and fear they feel is about the double speak and the evasion they received. They naively thought they could make a difference right away. They were shocked that their congressman was actually VERY concerned about what the leadership in Washington thought. These people thought they were the boss, and for the first time, they questioned whether their government really cared what they thought. Whether they even mattered. It is through that lens that you understand the anger and sense of betrayal many of them feel.

Read away!

Town Hall Eyewitness

I attended a Lincoln Davis Town hall meeting Thursday evening, August 22 of 2009 in Crossville Tn. Lincoln Davis is a member of the House of Representatives, Tennessee’s 4th congressional district.

When we arrived at the venue, over 400 people had already been seated, and the doors were locked and guarded by the Police Force. Affable, apologetic when appropriate and always firm, they really were roving diplomats that spoke highly not just of “training” but common sense and respect for the citizens. Enough cannot be said of how well they handled this situation!

Over the course of the next two hours, as people began to exit, the police would allow replacements so eventually everyone was both allowed to enter, and to step up to a floor mike and speak their mind. I missed Rep. Lincoln’s opening remarks but the gist was that he was here to listen, and he would reserve comment until the end. Or course, the “end” ended up being about 4 hours after the start. All in all, I would guess 1000 people came and went over those four hours. At 5:00 the official starting time, I counted over 400 waiting outside, and the police confirming over 400 inside. An easy 200 left and were replaced in the line outside before everyone finally got in.

There was a lot of anger and a lot of fear. The fear has been characterized as a fear of the health care plan… That was not what I saw. What I saw was a group of people who for the first time in their adult life, feared their government was out of their control.

At the end of it all, Rep. Davis came out on the stage, remarked on his humble beginnings, born at home etc. etc. and how far medicine has come. He told a story about someone being diagnosed with breast cancer and having their insurance canceled, and insisted there must be health care reform. On the other hand, he listed several things he would NOT vote for if they were covered by the bill:

Public funding of abortion.
Illegal immigrant coverage.
Euthanasia – As if someone would propose such an amendment!
And probably a couple more along those lines.

So he answered none of the questions with ANY specificity. Every questionable accounting dodge, why no specific illegal immigrant coverage amendment, every question you can logically think of had been asked. Many brought with them specific page numbers and direct quotes for all their assertions. They spoke loudly and boldly, but many thanked Rep Davis for previous conservative votes. They spoke in the frustrated tones, many times, of people who feel sure they are going to be ignored.

In an act of pure political theatre, Rep. Lincoln held up his card for the congressional voting machine. “Nancy Pelosi does not control my vote” he trumpeted!

Last year, Lincoln Davis voted the party line 92% of the time… A far cry from the feelings of his district. But he knows (or thinks he does) how to play the game and walk the line. His re-election race will be one of the test cases next year. This series of town halls are the beginning of that campaign.

How has he done?

He is extremely smooth in his presentation, maybe too smooth. But he hits all the right notes, and rings all the right bells. The real test comes in his votes FROM HERE. The voters might give him a pass on past sins…

But he ignores these town hall protesters and votes against their wishes, and I believe he will lose his seat…

The question is, Does he?

DSHolman is a small business owner living in rural America. An active participant in local and state level conservative politics, he feels strongly that someone must ask the relevant questions and that they have a right to expect relevant answers from their political representatives.

You can find more of his “town hall memories” in his commonsense conservative blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Holman

The first UK-wide referendum was held in the 1975 and was concerned with continued membership of the European Economic Community (EEC), also known as the Common Market. The poll, held on June 5th, 1975, commanded a high turnout (65%) and resulted in almost two-thirds in favour of continued membership. Every administrative area in the UK voted ‘Yes’, bar two small Scottish island regions.

The question put to the electorate was this: “Do you think the UK should stay in the European Community (Common Market)?”

Critics of membership were quick to point out that voting to stay in the EEC was a far cry from voting to join it. The electorate had not been given a chance to vote on whether the UK should join, and therefore the argued that once joined, a referendum was a foregone conclusion. No further referendums have been held on EU membership.

Other UK referendums are:

1973: Northern Ireland’s membership of the UK. A referendum on Northern Ireland’s continued membership of the UK after the abolition of the Stormont government. The result was an overwhelming yes after opponents agreed to boycott the vote.

1979: Devolution for Wales and Scotland. A very close run vote on a devolved assembly for Scotland with legislative powers in areas such as health care and education. Turnout was around 64%. A clause in the referendum legislation stated that 40% must vote in favour if the result was to stand. Despite winning the vote, only 33% of the electorate voted ‘Yes’ and therefore the vote was nullified. This had significant impact on the stability of the UK government, with incumbent Labour losing the support of the SNP and subsequently losing a House of Commons vote of confidence that resulted in the 1979 General Election.

Despite lower turnout in Wales, an overwhelming majority rejected a call for its own independent assembly.

1997: Devolution again for Wales and Scotland. Following Labour’s huge election win in 1997, Scotland and Wales were again offered independent assemblies. In Scotland, voters were given the option of a parliament with wide-ranging legislative powers and limited tax-raising ability. Turnout was lower than the 1979 vote; however 60% voted in favour.

In Wales, voters were offered a limited assembly with no tax-raising powers. Again turnout was far lower than the previous referendum in 1979, at 50%. 50% of voters favoured the limited Welsh assembly.

1998: Devolution for Northern Ireland. Following the ‘Good Friday Agreement’, the voters of Northern Ireland were balloted on the restoration of a reformed Stormont Assembly. In a vote of very high turnout (about 80%), over 70% voted in favour.

With political pressure in the UK growing over EU membership and the UK’s adoption of a single European currency, referendums are certain to play a major part in the future of UK politics.

Bernard Bresslaw writes for the Learned Fool politics blog.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bernard_Bresslaw

Travel around town during an election time and you are bound to see plenty campaign signs. Whether it is a local judge running for reelection or the president campaigning for your vote, political yard signs have been an important part of candidate campaigns for many of years.

Why use political campaign yard signs to get your message across?

- Political signs are a cheap and convenient way of campaigning. They can be designed and purchased online at a reasonable price. And, they are produced in bulk so you will have plenty signs to spread throughout your area.
- Campaign signs can be displayed just about anywhere. Supporters of your campaign can put the signs on their yard. You can distribute them on popular street corners around the town that you are running in. And, you can surround the voting area with signs to help gain any last minute undecided voters. They are light, easy to transport, and they stick in the ground or can be attached to any surface.
- Political signs are an excellent way to reach thousands or people in one easy step. Think of how many people pass a certain area in one day or one week. Multiple that by the number of signs you distribute and you can see just how effective political campaign yard signs are.

In order to reap the benefits of using yard signs for your political campaign, the sign must be designed appropriately.

- A logo and colors should be selected early on in your campaign. Sticking with two or three colors throughout your campaign will help voters better associate you to your advertising methods. A political campaign sign should include these colors in a bright and easy to read manner. Make sure you choose a font and color where words are legible from a distance.
- Address one purpose instead of trying to fit multiple messages on one sign. Remember that passerby’s have limited time to read your sign so you need to highlight and emphasize a single point for them to remember.
- Make your name the largest word on the campaign sign. The voters need to remember who they are voting for. Your name is the last thing you want them to miss seeing.
- Make the sign an appropriate size for where it will be displayed. Typical election yard signs are between 12 and 40 inches. A good rule of thumb is to judge the speed that the passerby will be traveling. If the speed is 30mph or less, 18 inch x 24 inch is a good size.

If you are campaigning for an election and plan to use political campaign yard signs, Big Daddys Signs has what you need. We offer custom yard signs at low prices. We guaranteed fast production with great customer service. Check out our website at http://www.bigdaddyssigns.com today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Julie_Pitts