Just the other weekend, Charlie Brown participated in the 4th Brown BBQ Town Hall meeting, a great opportunity for voters and Charlie to connect and ask the questions that are at the top of their minds.
The countdown to Election Day moves forward, as does the Charlie Brown campaign. In an event-filled day that included an eggplant festival, two barbeques, a solar home tour and an Orange to Blue special DailyKos "Hell to Pay" fundraiser, Charlie was able to meet and talk directly with voters at Johnson-Springview Park in Rocklin, CA.
As the bad weather lifted, the crowds began to gather at the park Saturday. Over 85 people showed up for the chance to ask Charlie a wide variety of questions, ranging from public transportation to the economy to healthcare.
Introducing Charlie was a pair of Placer County leaders, two men who sit on opposite sides of the aisle but came together in support of the right candidate.
First up to introduce Charlie was Larry Menth. Larry is the Vice-Chair of the Rocklin Planning Commission, a dedicated Democrat and leader in the Rocklin community. He spoke about Charlie’s ability to build bridges, and the pride he has working with someone who will take action in Congress.
Following Larry, Loomis’ Mayor Pro-Tem, Walt Scherer, picked up on Charlie’s message of patriotism before partisanship. A lifelong Republican, Walt has seen his share of partisan politics here in the 4th, and has fought long and hard to keep Loomis the small, friendly town it is.
After introductions, Charlie took questions from the audience. The first came from a young woman concerned about the need for new and improved light rail/ mass transit and asked Charlie for his thoughts on the subject. A long-time proponent of mass transit, Charlie wants to ensure that we all have freedom—freedom to ride the bus, a bike, or your car—and wants to make sure our transportation needs are met in this very critical intersection of commerce.
Another question revolved around the recent woes on Wall Street. One gentleman asked what Charlie was looking for in any type of "rescue plan" that he could get behind. Charlie was quick to point out that any type of financial rescue would have to include consistent bi-partisan oversight and a strict no Golden Parachute clause for the irresponsible executives who helped create the mess we’re in. Charlie also called for near-term security and liquidity for the credit market so businesses can get back to actually doing business.
As the town hall closed, someone asked Charlie if healthcare would be a topic in the next debate with Tom McClintock. Its interesting to note that someone would ask, given the two most recent bills on healthcare in the CA state senate that Tom has been involved with. Senator McClintock was the only member of the CA Senate to vote against SB 1563 this year, the Autism Insurance bill, (and for the second time). 1563 did not have any cost associated with it, and only established a workgroup to examine the current insurance coverage for autism and make recommendations for equitable coverage in the future. In addition to this was the authorship of SB 1669, a healthcare bill that would extend the pre-existing condition clause from 12 months to 10 years. Healthcare, one of the country’s top issues, will most definitely be an issue in this race, and Charlie is looking forward to the explanation Tom has for his actions while in the state legislature.
With 3 weeks left in this campaign, the air is full of electricity here in the 4th Congressional District. Charlie is still plugging away, talking to voters the old fashioned way at town halls and special events like this. If you’re in the area and interested in meeting Charlie and asking the questions that matter to you, please check out our website for details. This last weekend we were in Orangevale at the Orangevale Community Center. Our photoblog will be released tomorrow on that event. This upcoming Saturday we will be in Quincy, so come up and join us for what promises to be a great event!