Town Halls

I love debates, and for that matter, debating. That is not to say that there aren't times when debating wears me down. Nothing irks me more than a debate or argument where a person, deliberately or not, gets way off topic or chooses to confuse the issue, which I think sometimes happens more often in Grand Ronde than it should. But overall, if the participants in a debate know their stuff, are eager to win the debate based on the merits of their argument as opposed drawing applause from the audience (if there is one) or getting a rise out of the opposition, to see clear arguments laid out is for me kind of cool. I love seeing individuals making passionate arguments about what they believe in.
Watching the primary debates during this year's U.S. Presidential primaries was for me some of the most revealing episodes I've seen during any election. Admittedly, I only glanced at the Republican ones compared to how I followed the Democratic debates. But what I got from both is that these debates were a pretty good method of culling the wannabes from the real contenders. You could tell which individuals from both parties were really cut out to lead their devoted factions, and dare I say actually occupy the White House.
I must admit to being somewhat surprised by Barack Obama's refusal to meet John McCain for all those proposed Town Hall-style meetings. "Surprised" might not actually be the word, but rather "disappointed" because I've enjoyed what I have seen televised during this Presidential season. Plus I think you should never back down from a challenge put forth by your opponent, especially when the stakes are about as high as they get in this country. But, that's just me.
When I ran for Tribal Council in 2004, along with Buddy West and Angie Blackwell, we held a number of our own Town Hall meetings, in Eugene, Portland, Grand Ronde, Warm Springs, and even La Center. Sometimes the turnout was low, but other times we had some packed rooms, on one occasion almost nobody but complete strangers to me. They were however, concerned and gave up a couple of hours during a weekend to come and listen to our spiels. I am not sure how much of an impact those meetings had on the overall election, as we all were elected rather easily, but what I do know is that the following year in 2005 there must have been at least 12 or so of those meetings held. A number of them were part of the PPP campaign that helped elect Kathleen Tom and Wink Soderberg, the others were organized and attended by individuals who, quite honestly, seemed to be mimicking what we did in 2004.
What I can't quite understand is why those meetings died out after those two years. Did people just lose interest or did the brains behind the meetings hang up their hats? I can't really say. It might be both.
I write all this because today a Tribal Council Record of Instruction was brought forward to basically axe the Candidates' Forum this year in Grand Ronde. I am not entirely clear on the thinking behind this, but it just doesn't seem right. Granted, attendance at the annual Candidates Forum has hardly been encouraging, but I thought last year we had a pretty decent turnout, even though it was a Thursday night. And the fact that candidates were not actually allowed to debate each other seems to have been a common though legitimate gripe.
It could all be a ruse, just a one-year deal to get through what might be a tough election. If what I've been told is true, then there are definitely one or two people running for Council this year who the last thing they would want is to be asked questions, especially about the past. Sometimes the best way to avoid a situation is to eliminate it altogether. Truth is I don't know. I can only guess. The real issue though is, am I the only one who will miss it?