TO: Friends, Colleagues, and Contacts of the HVDU
FROM: Patrick McGrath, HVDU Executive Director
SUBJECT: Cancellation of Health Care Debate for 10 November
Dear Friends:
I had been planning for some weeks to hold a HVDU Debate on the Health Care Bill now presently being considered in Washington. It was going to be held on Tuesday 10 November, at Haverstraw Town Hall in Garnerville NY.
This is to let all of you know that, as of 1 pm today, 6 November 2009, that event has been cancelled.
Had the event gone forward, the Motion would have been, “This House supports HR 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act.”
The reason that I have been compelled to cancel the event is that not enough Principal Speakers from the pro-HR 3962 side were willing to participate in the event. I had nearly a full slate of anti-HR 3962 Principal Speakers — including one who was willing to come out from well out-of-state — but not enough from the pro-HR 3962 side to have a credible debate. I am grateful to Melissa and Moira at OFA who did their best, but the response from their contacts just wasn’t enough. (I also had one who was willing, but had a scheduling conflict — thank you, Jon — and another who called in just after I had to cancel, but otherwise, there was silence.)
I am also grateful to Supervisor Howard Phillips of the Town of Haverstraw for his graciousness in letting HVDU use Town Hall for this.
And I am grateful to everyone else who said Yes to this, but I am still disappointed. The Health Care Bill, a huge piece of legislation, needed the treatment of a full, Oxford-style debate. This would have been the one place where pro-Obamacare people and pro-TeaParty people could look each other in the eye and get the full measure of each other, put Points of Information to each other, then have the whole question put to a decision of the Voting Guests.
The HVDU will continue, but it will have to find other subjects to debate. But those are not difficult to find. If you know of one, and if it has a Decision Point with it, please drop me a line.
PATRICK McGRATH
Executive Director
