Town Hall with Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS)

A little less than two weeks ago, while sitting at the breakfast table with my family, the idea of The Kansas Conservative Chronicle came up while passing the pancake syrup.

I have always had a very strong interest in Kansas politics and the availability of credible, non-biased information on upcoming races is non-existent.

Even publications such as The Wichita Eagle and The Pittsburg Morning Sun seem to have nailed down their pick for Senator Sam Brownback's(R-KS)open seat. I find this disheartening, as we're still five months away from the primary, to be held on Tuesday, August 3, 2010.

With a mouth full of my famous french toast, I pledged I would start The Chronicle and pledge to steer clear of the snark and ugliness found on both sides of the Kansas Blogosphere.

Last week, I received e-mails from both Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) and Rep. Jerry Moran (R-KS) announcing upcoming Town Halls in Northeastern Kansas, which is close to my home.

My original plan was to attend both forums and give an honest and straightforward report. Due to soccer practice and a sick kiddo, I was unable to make it out to Rep. Tiahrt's Town Hall on March 30, 2010.

I arrived early at the Tomahawk Ridge Community Center and was greeted by pleasant kids in Moran for U.S. Senate T-Shirts. I soon learned, the Town Hall I attended was Rep. Jerry Moran's 891st, which, from what I understand, is far less that Rep. Tiahrt.

Upon checking in, I was greeted with a bold statement regarding Tiahrt's Town Halls vs Moran's Town Halls.


The statement was bold, so of course I was inclined to snap a quick photo for The Chronicle.
I have to admit, 891 town halls is impressive. Sure, this large number accounts for 14 years in Congress, but attending to 69 counties, and a corresponding town hall for each on an annual basis? I found that admirable.
As I waited for the forum to begin, an older couple sitting next to me introduced themselves and, unlike me, they've already decided Rep. Moran is the right person to send to Washington.

The coupled traveled from Wamego and had attended Rep. Tiahrt's town hall the previous day, in Topeka.

"You know," the woman says to me, "The last time we were here, Tihart called him Jerry Moron".

I respond, "really? was that a mistake on his part?"

Looking over her multi-colored glasses and leaning in closely, "we didn't appreciate it."

Before I could ask her to elaborate further, Rep. Moran commenced his town hall.
The town hall ran much longer than I anticipated, but I was able to not only ask a question, but witness Moran's explanation on government sponsored pensions, the health care bill and keeping Kansas a competitive market for small businesses to thrive.
Rep. Moran emphasized that, if elected to the United States Senate, him and his family would remain Kansans. I didn't realize Rep. Moran traveled home to his house in Hays, Kansas, as often as he did.

Rep. Moran seemed to think well on his feet, answering most questions fully and accurately.

One gentleman rose to thank Moran for being a republican and for his service. He then posed the question that addressed the proverbial elephant in the room:

"What are the differences between Todd Tiahrt and you, and why should we support you?"

Rep. Moran responded that people often say he's too nice to be in politics, and the main separation, between him and Tiahrt,without getting mean, was that he voted against "Cash for Clunkers and all other parts of the stimulus", whereas Todd had not.

I wasn't completely satisfied with the answer, but I do appreciate him remaining a gentleman, as I felt the town hall was more of an informational session than a campaigning opportunity.
Several members of the crowd expressed their anger towards the way Washington is headed, and Rep. Moran agreed that he believes our government is bankrupt.

I appreciated the candidness of Rep. Moran's answers and felt that was the general consensus of the room.
As the town hall wrapped up, I had a chance to reconvene with the couple next to me regarding the previous day's town hall with Rep. Tiahrt. After a brief conversation, I found that the couple owns a small business in Wamego. They felt Rep. Moran came off as more "genuine" and appreciated his dedication to remaining in Kansas. Still feeling the sting from the "Moron" comment, the couple also felt Rep. Moran represents them as constituents, more so than Rep. Tiahrt.

Final note: I was impressed with Moran's quickness on his feet and the majority of the attendees seemed enamored with the Congressman. I appreciated his down to earth mentality and ability to field challenging questions facing Kansans and Americans. The forum didn't lead me any closer toward making a decision between Moran and Tiahrt, but I do feel I have a better grip on Moran's ideals. At the next opportunity, I will post a similar article regarding Rep. Tiahrt's town hall.