Ultimate Insult: Halvorson Chooses Biden Over Constituents

Ultimate Insult: Halvorson Chooses Biden Over Constituents
Illinois Dem Can’t Find Time for a Town Hall Meeting but Managed to Clear her Schedule for Fundraiser with VP

Washington- As if it wasn’t obvious enough that Debbie Halvorson holds little regard for her 11th District constituents, the Illinois Congresswoman managed to insult them once again. Already refusing to make time in her August recess schedule to hold a town hall and hear constituent concerns about her party’s government healthcare takeover, Halvorson appears to have piled on with news that she managed to find the time to rub elbows with big-dollar donors and Vice President Joe Biden:

“Vice President Biden is returning to Chicago on Aug. 20 to headline a fund-raiser for freshman Rep. Debbie Halvorson (D-Ill.) at the Custom House, 500 S. Dearborn.

“Biden, I am told, is going to fund-raise for the House members the Democratic House politiical operation deem the most vunerable.” (Lynn Sweet, “Biden to Chicago for Rep. Debbie Halvorson Fund-Raiser on Aug. 20,” Chicago Sun-Times, 8/10/09)

The story of Halvorson’s fundraiser couldn’t come at a worse time – the Congresswoman has attempted to keep a conspicuously low profile in her effort to avoid constituents who are none too happy about her party’s disastrous healthcare agenda:

“‘As of now, we are not scheduling any town hall meetings,’ Roxane M. Geraci-Militello, Halvorson’s director of communications told The Times Tuesday. She said Halvorson has not decided how is is going to vote on health care legislation and is looking for citizen guidance.” (“Ask The Times: Halvorson Town Hall,” Ottawa Times, 8/5/09)

“If Debbie Halvorson were even remotely interested in her constituents’ thoughts on healthcare, she’d be spending a lot more time with them and a lot less time pulling in campaign cash with Joe Biden,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain. “Halvorson is clearly disconnected from the people she claims to represent, but has she already decided her only chance to win re-election is to cozy up to Washington insiders and hope that they can help her buy her way to another term in Congress? Halvorson might enjoy the photo op with the Vice President, but her constituents would probably prefer that she simply do her job.”

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