Article published November 12, 2009
Rage missing during lawmaker's town hall
By TOM TROY
BLADE POLITICS WRITER
BLUFFTON, Ohio - It was a little like preaching to the choir for Republican U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan's town-hall meeting last night at Bluffton University, but not completely.
Mr. Jordan of Urbana, Ohio, in Champaign County, fielded about two dozen questions that were mostly in sync with his conservative opposition to excessive government spending during the 90-minute session in the university's Founders Hall.
He told the audience of 150 that a conservative movement is having an impact on the Democratic Party's agenda in Washington.
"The American people over the last several months have said, 'Look, we are tired of it,'•" Mr. Jordan said. He described a lack of progress on several favored Democratic initiatives, such as reinstating the Fairness Doctrine, the "card check" that would allow unions to organize workplaces without a secret ballot, climate change "cap-and-trade" legislation, and health-care reform.
The meeting broke out in supportive applause several times, but without the anger that characterized the town-hall meetings of August, in which Democratic members of Congress were confronted by angry conservative voters.
This was Mr. Jordan's fourth town-hall meeting in his district, and the closest one so far to Toledo, a spokesman said.Bluffton is about 60 miles south of Toledo in Allen County. Two town halls were in Richland County and one was in Morrow County.
Mr. Jordan, in his second term, returned frequently to what he said is one of his core concerns: the danger of piling up debt on future generations.
Mr. Jordan voted against the Democratic-backed health-care bill last weekend in Washington, along with every other Republican but one, because of its high cost, he said.
Mr. Jordan said the number of uninsured Americans is 46 million, of which about a fourth are working families who have a health emergency they can't afford to pay for.
"We can help those, but that's a small percentage. What Americans don't want is to throw the entire system out and start with a government-run-type plan," Mr. Jordan said.
Questioner Eric Wren, 39, of Lima said he belongs to a group called Allen County Patriots and expressed concern about "anti-Americans" who he said want to sacrifice America to people in other countries. But his question was about the region's high unemployment.
"Twice now, Ohio has been instrumental in delivering the presidency, to George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and each time it seems Ohio gets the short end of the stick. Where are the jobs?" he asked.
Mr. Jordan said one reason employers are slow to respond to the easing of the recession is that they're worried about Washington socking them with high taxes.
Another questioner called on Congress to stop all immigration until every American has a job.
Mr. Jordan said he supports legal immigration, and endorsed building a wall to stop illegal immigration from Mexico.
Perry Bush, 50, an American history professor at the Mennonite-affiliated college and chairman of the Allen County Democratic central committee, pushed for Mr. Jordan to condemn the "ugly signs" comparing Democrats to Hitler that have been seen at "tea party" rallies.
Mr. Bush received a lukewarm endorsement from Mr. Jordan, who said he also objected to similar language against President Bush, an answer that brought applause from the audience.
Mr. Jordan also fielded several questions critical of his support of the Patriot Act, which he said was necessary to protect America.
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