Because, after all, a request by a Senator to withhold true information about the Senator being in town so that his constituents wouldnÂ’t know that they could meet up with him so as to engage in a constitutionally protected activity like petitioning for a redress of grievances ought to be respected. After all, the people have no place expressing un-liberal views to their betters.

A spokesman for U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) says the senator's office will no longer send media information to Quincy's oldest radio station because the station decided to let the public know he was coming to town.

Mike Moyers, general manager/vice president of STARadio Corporation, which owns WTAD-AM (930), said Christina Angarola of Durbin's Chicago office called WTAD on Monday to inform them they would no longer be included on the list of those receiving news releases from the senator when he plans to visit West-Central Illinois.

Moyers said Angarola was not pleased that WTAD chose to make public the time and place of Durbin's September 4 visit to Quincy's Blessing Hospital to hold a meeting on health care with officials from the hospital, Quincy Medical Group and Quincy Mayor John Spring and State Senator John Sullivan (D-Rushville).
The news release sent by Durbin's office on the afternoon of September 3 said NOTE: The times and locations of these events are for media planning purposes only and should not be published or aired in any form."

Personally, I find Dick Durbin’s request to be newsworthy in and of itself. Why is a US Senator so intent on making sure that his constituents NOT be able to contact him or speak to him? Why is the press being punished for daring to tell the truth – namely that the Senator would be in town for an event related to one of the most pressing public policy issues today?

And what are we to make of the explanation offered by Durbin for his reluctance for letting those who elected him actually talk to him on the issue of health care reform?

Durbin, the assistant majority leader of the Senate, has been an outspoken critic of health care town hall meetings, said he didn't want to get a "sucker-punch" from constituents and opted to have a session in a conference room before an invited few and a handful of reporters.

Four of the 10 people Durbin chose to meet on September 4 have donated to Durbin's campaign fund in the past: Blessing Corporate Services President/CEO Brad Billings, Niemann Foods Inc. Chairman Rich Niemann, Sr., [Quincy Mayor John] Spring and [State Senator John] Sullivan. Durbin has also funneled several thousands of dollars from his war chest back to Spring's mayoral campaign fund.

Got that – Durbin even admits that his goal was to ensure that his constituents were excluded from the policy making process because they might embarrass him or make him look foolish. Durbin has instead made himself look arrogant – and is punishing the press for having exposed that arrogance. How utterly shameful!

Posted by: Greg at 11:06 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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