8/11/2009 - Congressman Patrick McHenry's Town Hall in Hickory

Tonight I went to Patrick McHenry's Town Hall meeting at the P.E. Monroe Auditorium on the campus of Lenoir-Rhyne University. I was told by Richard Gould of the Hickory Daily Record that the place has a capacity of right around 1,500 people. The place was packed. I did not see an empty seat and there were several seats lined along the outside walls.

I will tell you that there was as much atmosphere as there was at the Tea Party in Newton back in April. Mayor Wright opened the event and stated that Hickory was going to set an example of how to conduct one of these events. I believe the Mayor was right. People were cordial and polite throughout this three hour event.

McHenry was very much engaged and patient. This event could have (and probably should have) enforced a time limit, but no one can complain about not being heard. There were some excellent questions, but there were also a lot of talking points. As someone that was with me stated, "They (the people) just want to be heard."

Patrick should be commended for giving citizens a voice and lending an ear. To me, this is Republican Democracy at its finest. It certainly wasn't a shout down or gamesmanship. Patrick McHenry is fortunate that this district and his philosophies are closely meshed. It is obvious that he has a great staff. This event was supposed to be at Hickory City Council Chambers, but was changed in the AM. Amazing that this event went off without a hitch.

Below are the audio links of the event broken up into segments.

Lenoir-Rhyne University President Wayne Powell and Mayor Rudy Wright Open the Event
Congressman McHenry's Opening Statement
Questions Part 1
Questions Part 2
Questions Part 3
Questions Part 4
Questions Part 5
Congressman McHenry's Closing Statement