by Thao Nguyen, Outreach Manager,
National Women's Law Center
I have to admit it. I was up for a fight. I had borrowed my co-worker Robin’s flip camera and brought along my own digital camera. My co-worker Candace and I jumped into a cab and went down to the book reading, being billed as a town hall meeting, geared to support Howard Dean against the hecklers. We were convinced — convinced — that the anti-reformers would come out of the woodwork, even in the bastion of liberalness that is one of DC’s premier bookstores, Politics and Prose.
After all, weren’t they everywhere these days? Isn’t this country teeming with anti-reform, “death panel” fearing citizens who want the status quo where insurance companies, not medical professionals, decide when and how we receive care? If you have been reading the newspapers or watching the YouTube videos, what other impression could you possibly have? Even though I’m immersed in the fight for health reform that meets the needs of women and their families, even though I hear stories every day about women going to visit their Representatives to demand — politely but firmly — that we pass health reform legislation this year, I couldn’t help but feel that we lived in a country where untruths could overcome reality and where we would spend more time screaming at each other like we were on a bad talk show than engaging in healthy dialogue about one of the most important issues of our generation.
So I came prepared to document a scene of chaos and mayhem and then blog about the myths that abounded. Instead, I watched as one person after another presented genuine concern about the different health proposals. They wondered aloud about whether health reform would take place, how many people would benefit, how it would be paid for, how a public health insurance plan option would allow competition — the same questions being asked whether a person is conservative, liberal, pro- or anti-reform. But while there was skepticism, there was no anger. While there was emotion, there was no fanaticism. While there were disagreements, there was no sensationalism. And my camera was one of the few to capture this moment.
This event would never make a headline or the front page of any newspaper — unlike the many town halls that are taking place around the country. Nor would the calm phone calls that concerned Americans are making to demand affordable, accessible, and comprehensive health care this year. This event was lost in the fervor of the few who have the media transfixed. As one American who feels like we are on the brink of making history, I felt a sense of pride knowing that though this event would not make tomorrow’s headlines, it was one of many lively conversations taking place around the country. This is testament to how important the fight is for health reform that meets the needs of women and families.
