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IOWA CITY — U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack won’t begin a series of town hall meetings in Iowa’s 2nd District until Saturday, but that didn’t stop supporters and opponents of proposed health care reform measures from gathering outside his office Wednesday during a press conference.
U.S. Rep. Dave Loebsack
While Loebsack (D-Mount Vernon) participated in the press conference organized by Iowa Citizen Action Network, a band of roughly 30 supporters of progressive health reform and 6 opponents amicably shared space on the pedestrian mall outside. Loeback, who knows that demonstrators in other parts of the country and state have not been as polite as the small band in Iowa City, said he knows that health care reform can be a volatile issue because it is so personal.
“This is a very significant issue. People are, I think — and rightfully so — concerned about this bill and what it will mean for them,” he said.
He also credits at least some of the strong emotion that has led to outbursts and potentially violent incidents at events with other members of Congress to misinformation and rumor regarding what is and is not contained in the health care proposals in Washington.
“There is a significant amount of misinformation or lack of information out there, and that’s a big concern,” Loebsack said. “I’ll be hosting a series of 16 town hall meetings beginning on Saturday, and I anticipate that there will be a number of questions that will, no doubt, arise from that very problem. I’m going to do the best I can to present the information as it does exist.”
In addition to setting rumors straight regarding health care reform, Loebsack also hopes to have discussions and listen to the concerns of constituents.
“If people in the district have better ideas about how we ought to be doing this, and there are enough people who think that there are better ways to do things, then, of course, I’m open to those discussions,” he added.
“This is really the beginning of this process… and I think we should take as long as it takes to have a good bill. These town halls are intended for me to hear what people have to say and to engage in a discussion — a civil, rational and objective discussion.”
Whether such civilized discourse can take place at Loebsack’s upcoming town hall events remains to be seen. Supporters and opponents of reform have already begun to organize gatherings to coincide with the congressman’s first scheduled stop on Saturday morning, Aug. 15, at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids.
August 15
- 9:30 a.m. — Kirkwood Community College, 6301 Kirkwood Blvd. SW, Cedar Rapids
- 12:00 p.m. — Civic Center, 307 E Monroe St., Mount Pleasant
- 2:00 p.m. — City Hall Council Chambers, 811 Avenue E, Fort Madison
- 3:30 p.m. — City Hall Council Chambers, 400 Washington St., Burlington
August 22
- 10:00 a.m. — Iowa City Public Library, 123 S. Linn St., Iowa City
- 11:45 a.m. — Cedar County Extension, 107 Cedar St., Tipton
- 2:00 p.m. — City Hall Council Chambers, 215 Sycamore St., Muscatine
- 4:00 p.m. — City Hall Council Chambers, 232 2nd St., Columbus Junction
August 29
- 10:30 a.m. — Public Library, 120 E. Main St., Washington
- 1:00 p.m. — Public Library, 104 W. Adams St., Fairfield
- 2:30 p.m. — Public Library, 102 W. 4th, Ottumwa
- 4:15 p.m. — Bloomfield-Davis County Hospital, 509 N. Madison, Bloomfield
September 5
- 11:30 a.m. — Village Cup & Cakes, 220 Main St., Keosauqua
- 1:45 p.m. — Centerville-Mercy Hospital, 1 St. Joseph Dr., Centerville
- 3:15 p.m. — Wayne County Hospital, 417 S. East St., Corydon
September 12
- 2:00 p.m. — Public Library Round Room, 210 N. 5th St., Keokuk
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