The Democratic Challenge — How to Have a Town-Hall Meeting with Minimal Interaction with the Public

This item from First Read suggests that the August town-hall meetings might not go so great:

Mob Rule? With the House embarking on its recess, Politico asks this question: Just how unruly will the congressional town halls be? “On the eve of the August recess, members are reporting meetings that have gone terribly awry, marked by angry, sign-carrying mobs and disruptive behavior. In at least one case, a congressman [Dem. Tim Bishop] has stopped holding town hall events because the situation has spiraled so far out of control.” Bishop’s “decision came on the heels of a June 22 event he held in Setauket, N.Y., in which protesters dominated the meeting by shouting criticisms at the congressman for his positions on energy policy, health care and the bailout of the auto industry. Within an hour of the disruption, police were called in to escort the 59-year-old Democrat — who has held more than 100 town hall meetings since he was elected in 2002 — to his car safely.” The angry folks live in both ideological neighborhoods and get emboldened by folks on the internet, radio, and TV. Maybe lawmakers ought to go with the tele-town hall approach, where constituents get asked if they have a question an hour before. The planned stuff only serves as a target for groups to hijack these events.