Most of the Iowans in Congress have health care town-hall meetings scheduled during the remainder of the summer recess. Some of these have been moved to larger venues because of high expected turnout. It’s important for supporters of strong health care reform not to let the loudest voices on the other side drown out debate. Senator Chuck Grassley has cited town-hall protesters as a reason for scaling back reform efforts.

If you live in the first, second or third districts, it’s especially important for you to make your voice heard. Representatives Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell have all signed on to support Health Care for America Now’s core principles for health care reform. They all belong to the House Populist Caucus, which stands for six key issues, including “Providing affordable, accessible, quality health care for all Americans.”

But so far Braley, Loebsack and Boswell are not among the 57 House Democrats identified by Blue America PAC (or 64 House Democrats according to Democracy for America) who have said they will not vote for any health care reform bill lacking a robust public option.

Please tell Iowa’s Democratic representatives that the majority of Americans support a public-run health care plan to compete with private insurers. Tell them that cooperatives are not a substitute for a real public option, and anyway, health care co-ops have already failed to provide competition in Iowa.

Also urge them not to let the White House buy them off with “inducements, like more money for favored projects”. Fellow Iowa blogger 2laneIA got it right in this diary:

Thanks, but no thanks for that bridge to nowhere.  

We have a bridge that needs repair in our community.  It would take about $350,000.  I am happy to keep driving a different road to avoid it if we all get access to affordable health care instead.  Any Democrat who trades his or her vote to keep the public option in return for a bridge, a day care center, or a highway expansion, should be publicly embarrassed.  […]

While you are calling congressional public option supporters to thank them, tell them you don’t want any bridges if it means you don’t get affordable access to health care.  You could also mention that if they vote for a bill without the public option, you will want to know what they got from the White House in return.

If you attend any health-care town-halls, please consider posting a diary here about your experience, like hei and iowademocrat did last week.

Final note: it would be great for some prominent Iowan to steal this idea from Terry McAuliffe and offer to host a fundraiser for the first Iowa representative in Congress who pledges not to vote for any health care bill without a public option.

Event details are after the jump.

UPDATE: John Deeth posted a good liveblog of Loebsack’s town-hall in Iowa City on Saturday. Wingnuts in the crowd apparently can’t decide if health care reform is socialism or fascism.

SECOND UPDATE: Trish Nelson wrote up the same Loebsack town-hall at Blog for Iowa.

Schedule for Chuck Grassley:

Humboldt County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Monday August 24, 2009 9:00 – 10:00 AM

Rustix Restaurant

716 Sumner Avenue

Humboldt

Palo Alto County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Monday August 24, 2009 11:30 – 12:30 PM

VENUE HAS CHANGED DUE TO LARGE TURNOUTS TO:

Centennial Park

1004 Rolling Street

Ruthven

Pocahontas County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Monday August 24, 2009 2:00 – 3:00 PM

VENUE HAS CHANGED DUE TO LARGE TURNOUTS TO:

Expo Center

Pocahontas County Fairgrounds

310 NE 1st Street

Pocahontas

Calhoun County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Monday August 24, 2009 4:15 – 5:15 PM

Rockwell City Community Center on the Square

424 Main Street

Rockwell City

Plymouth County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Wednesday August 26, 2009 10:15 – 11:15 AM

VENUE HAS CHANGED DUE TO LARGE TURNOUTS TO:

Knights of Columbus Hall

120 1st Avenue NE

Le Mars

Cherokee County Town Hall Meeting

   * Date/Time: Wednesday August 26, 2009 12:30 – 1:30 PM

Sanford Museum

117 East Willow Street

Cherokee

Schedule for Bruce Braley:

Wednesday August 26, 2009

1:00pm            Butler County Healthcare Town Hall  **PLEASE NOTE REVISED LOCATION**

Aplington-Parkersburg Middle School MidWestOne Bank Community Center

215 10th Street 1001 Highway 57

Aplington, Iowa Parkersburg, Iowa

3:00pm            Bremer County Healthcare Town Hall

Waverly Health Center

Rooftop Garden

312 9th Street SW

Waverly, Iowa

Monday August 31, 2009

10:00am          Clinton County Healthcare Town Hall

                       Ashford University

                       Durgin Center

                       400 North Bluff Blvd.

                       Clinton, Iowa

Wednesday September 2, 2009

9:30am            Delaware County Healthcare Town Hall  **PLEASE NOTE REVISED LOCATION**

Regional Medical Center  Delaware County Fairgrounds

Conference Room  Community Center

709 W. Main St.  200 E. Acers St.

Manchester, Iowa

2:00pm            Jones County Healthcare Town Hall

Lawrence Community Center

600 E. Main St.

Anamosa, Iowa

Thursday September 3, 2009

2:00pm            Jackson County Healthcare Town Hall  **PLEASE NOTE REVISED LOCATION**

Jackson County Regional Health Center  Jackson County Fairgrounds, Pearson Hall

700 W. Grove Street Maquoketa, Iowa  1212 E. Quarry St.

Maquoketa, Iowa

(**NOTE** This town hall was originally scheduled for Tuesday August 18th, but was rescheduled due to Rep. Braley being summoned for jury duty.)

Friday September 4, 2009

1:30pm            Clayton County Healthcare Town Hall

Elkader Central Community School

Auditorium

400 1st St NW

Elkader, Iowa

 

Schedule for Dave Loebsack:

   Saturday, August 22

   9:30 – 10:30 Iowa City

   University of Iowa – MacBride Hall Auditorium

   **Location Change** 17 North Clinton Street

   1:00 – 2:00 Muscatine

   Muscatine High School Auditorium

   2705 Cedar Street

   4:00 – 5:00 Columbus Junction

   Columbus Community High School Gymnasium

   **Location Change**

   1004 Colton Street

   **Postponed** Tipton

   Saturday, August 29

   9:30 – 10:30 Washington

   Public Library

   120 East Main Street

   12:30 – 1:30 Fairfield

   Fairfield Arts & Civic Center – Expo Hall

   **Location Change**

   200 North Main Street

   2:30 – 3:30 Ottumwa

   Indian Hills Community College – St. John Auditorium

   **Location Change**

   525 Grandview

   4:30 – 5:30 Bloomfield

   Southern Iowa Electric Co-op

   **Location Change**

   22458 Highway 2

   Saturday, September 5

   10:30 – 11:30 Keosauqua

   Village Cup & Cakes

   220 Main Street

   1:30 – 2:30 Centerville

   City Council Chambers

   **Location Change**

   312 East Maple Street

   3:30 -4:30 Corydon

   Wayne County Hospital – Cafeteria

   417 South East Street

   Saturday, September 12

   2:00 – 3:00 Keokuk

   Public Library Round Room

   210 North Fifth Street

Schedule for Leonard Boswell:

Sunday, August 23

3 pm to 4 pm

AIB College of Business Activities Center, 2280 Bell Avenue in Des Moines.

RSVP by calling Congressman Boswell’s Des Moines office at 515-282-1909, or emailing boswellrsvp@mail.house.gov.

I couldn’t find any information about Tom Latham’s event schedule on his official site, but I’ll be happy to post details about his town-hall meetings if anyone can send them to desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com

Steve King’s schedule:

Monday, August 24, 2009

Woodbury County Town Hall Meeting

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Western Iowa Tech Community College, Large Lecture Hall (D103), 4647 Stone Avenue, Sioux City

Lyon County Town Hall Meeting

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Forster Community Center, 404 1st Avenue, Rock Rapids

Clay County Town Hall Meeting  

4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Spencer Public Library, 21 E 3rd Street, Spencer

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

Pottawattamie County Town Hall Meeting  

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Council Bluffs Public Library, Room A and B, 400 Willow Avenue, Council Bluffs

Page County Town Hall Meeting

1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Lied Public Library, Conference Room, 100 East Garfield Street, Clarinda

Cass County Town Hall Meeting

4:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Atlantic Public Library, 507 Poplar Street, Atlantic

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Shelby County Town Hall Meeting

10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.

Iowa Western Community College, Room 113, 1901 Hawkeye Avenue, Harlan

Carroll County Town Hall Meeting

12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Santa Maria Winery, 218 W 6th Street, Carroll

Finally, State Senator Jack Hatch of Des Moines is hosting a Health Insurance Reform Town Hall Meeting next Wednesday, August 26th. Senator Hatch will be at the Des Moines Senior Center, 2009 Forest Avenue, at 5PM to discuss the current federal health insurance reform debate as well as share health care concerns.  Senator Hatch is chair of the Senate Health and Human Services budget.  He also chairs a White House working group of state legislators for health reform.