Elected Officials, 'That Pesky First Amendment' and All That Jazz

Wisconsin Congressman Ron Kind (D) is holding Listening Sessions in his district during this latest recess. On April 5, Mr. Kind spoke with constituents in the courthouse in Pepin County and some of his comments have raised concerns. When questioned on the topic of his yes vote for the Health Care bill, the Congressman was noticeably irritated. One attendee pressed on the number of constituents who asked him to vote no vs those who wanted him to support the bill. He would not give numbers and then reportedly said:

When I know better than the rest of you, I will vote how I want to vote.

That’s an interesting take on the relationship between the voters and an elected official. I’m guessing that the Congressman’s Listening Sessions should be defined as meetings where the people listen to him tell them what he is going to do for them.

Another reported exchange between the voters and Mr. Kind involved the recent Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance rules. As you might expect, the Wisconsin Democrat was not a fan of the ruling and seemed resigned to the reality of the decision, remarking:

Thanks to that pesky First Amendment, we probably won’t be able to overturn that decision.

Excuse me? That “pesky First Amendment?”

On April 12, the news of these statements first hit my email inbox and I immediately placed a call to the Congressman’s office and asked when the audio from the Listening Sessions would be posted online. A very helpful woman placed me on hold and then returned to tell me they would be available “mid-April.” I informed her that mid-April was now. There was a protracted silence, and then she said, “Oh, two weeks then.”

As more details about this event found their way to me, I reached out to the Leah Hunter, Congressman Kind’s press secretary. My intent was to ask for a response from the Congressman and request a personal audio copy and/or transcript of the event. Ms. Hunter said that they do not record these events and unless a local media outlet recorded it, I was out of luck.

Now comes word that Congressman Kind also claimed that the Healthcare Bill included the language from the Hyde Amendment that would prevent public funds being used to pay for abortions. This statement is untrue and can be substantiated online in many places. I have requested an interview or comment from the Congressman on this topic as well. To date, no formal response to these requests has been delivered.