Listening to their Constinuents

Well, well -- what a delima for the voters ... they were so anxious to get the republicans out of office that they didn't look at who they were voting for and now they are collecting on their frivolite.

Rep. Jackson Lee (D-TX) .... and I could not believe this when I first saw it but its true (I will try to find youtube vid of it) ... at a Town Hall meeting on health care bill HR 3200 -- you know that thing that the dems seem to think everyone wants? -- a woman stood up to ask a question ...

this gal was within the first 5 questions, so its not like the Rep had been there incredibly long ....

this gal stood up and began to ask her question when the other audience members stopped her. Why?

Because the Congresswoman was on the frickin' phone!!!!

HELLO?? Yes - she was chatting on the phone instead of listening to the question ... but wait it gets better ....

as it turns out, this wasn't the only question she was doing it to -- she would hop on the phone and then when she got off she would 'give a shout out' to influential people in the room ... amazingly right after the staff members she brought also got off the phone.

According to interviews I heard people at the meeting felt that Jackson-Lee was being 'handled' from the sidelines.

So what did Jackson-Lee have to say about it? Well it was reported that after the media picked up on it - not at the meeting - she claimed that she jumped on a 'health care hotline' to answer the woman's question ....

only thing was -- the gal hadn't STARTED her question before Jackson-Lee jumped on the phone ... and the call came IN not OUT ... and the question had nothing to do with what a 'health hotline' could answer!

Jackson-Lee said she was no being rude --- EXCUSE ME???? -- she was multi-tasking.

Ms. Jackson-Lee:

If you have set up a meeting with your constituents who were gracious enough to send you to Washington DC, don't you think it is more important to give them your undivided attention instead of making them feel like they just don't matter?
I don't know if you are a parent or not, but if you were talking to someone or in a meeting and a person decided to start talking on their phone -- wouldn't you consider that rude? I believe most people would.
If you are going to take a call - you excuse yourself and take care of it ... you don't stand there while people are talking to you and start talking on the phone!

okay ... that said ...

I think Ms. Jackson-Lee really needs to do three things
(a) apologize in the local media to the people
(b) make a formal apology thru a press conference
(c) reschedule a NEW Town Hall meeting - this time leaving the phone on the sidelines

oh - and when you make your apologies, try not to include the phrase 'multitasking'