Clinton’s Austin town hall meeting: A summary

Clinton, rather than stumping, devoted nearly her entire Austin town hall meeting to answering questions in fairly rapid succession. The event was televised and heavily mediated in terms of bringing people into the studio. Pitching the meeting as a “Texas-sized town hall” rather than an Austin town hall meeting, Clinton fielded questions asked by individuals who had come from all over the state. Those asking the questions had been chosen during caucus training sessions held across Texas, by fellow participants in those sessions. Participants submitted questions during the training sessions and the best questions were decided on. The questions chosen were those that best represented the various regions of Texas from which they were submitted. Eva Longoria Parker moderated the media event.

The small crowd was enthusiastic as cameras swung on booms above their heads and cameramen scurried around the studio.

We were told that Clinton had no prior knowledge of the questions that were going to be asked of her.

Clinton stepped on the stage amid loud applause and country western music — to a “Texas-sized welcome,” as she put it.

Clinton explained that she has fond memories of Texas — the place of her journey’s beginning 36 years ago where she canvassed throughout South Texas and in San Antonio, registering primarily Latino voters, as well as some African American and young voters. During that time, said Clinton, she came to respect the strong nature and values of Texans. She evoked the names of Barbara Jordan and Anne Richards. Clinton said that Texas had also taught her about the “sacred responsibility to respect and repay the brave men and women that have served our nation in the military.”

The first question came from a Houston woman: “I have been a nurse for 30 years and I am particularly concerned about the burdens health institutions have had on the uninsured. It has affected me on a daily basis with my staff. What are you going to do with the uninsured, looking at it from the health care industry’s point of view?”

Clinton thanked the woman first of all for being a nurse and said she liked the perspective aspect of the question. While you hear so many horrible stories, Clinton pointed out, from people without insurance — 25% of Texans are uninsured — it’s also important to consider the issue in terms of its effect on doctors and nurses and hospitals that can’t treat people because those people have no money or too little money to pay. Her solution is quality affordable health care to all Americans. She would open up the Congressional health care plan to all Americans, helping those that can’t afford it. You would be able to choose different plans that best suit you and your family. That way, said Clinton, doctors, nurses, and hospitals could work together with the people.

Next it was on to West Texas; a woman from El Paso asked: “There are thousands of military personnel who have fulfilled their duty to their country … but they are being sent back to Iraq and Afghanistan two, three, even four times. What would you do to help these soldiers — and the reason I ask this is because my husband has put in 20 years. He’s supposed to retire in December, but as of right now will not be back.”

Clinton remarked that she heard stories like that all over the nation. “One thing we’re going to do is end the war in Iraq.” Clinton said that once we begin to bring men and women home it will relieve a lot of pressure on the military. As it is right now, Clinton said, we are wearing out our military, driving out would-be career soldiers. Clinton also wants to reverse executive orders that keep soldiers in the war for longer than their required duty.

Next Clinton was questioned by a school teacher from Beaumont: “Teachers work very hard today to see that students achieve academically. Communication and parent training are available to bridge the gap between home and school. What more can we do with students who are in lower socioeconomic families or don’t have the support from home — to hold those parents more accountable for their children’s education.”

“We’ve got to let families know how to better prepare their children.” Clinton wants to “intervene earlier to give parents support so that they know things like how talking to a baby actually builds brain cells. Reading. Getting a child exposed and stimulated even as an infant and toddler lays the foundation for success in school.” She wants to have a pre-kindergarten program that will be available to four-year-olds. But, Clinton pointed out, parents have to understand that they are their children’s first teachers. Clinton said she would “use the bully pulpit” to get parents more engaged in their children’s education.

Next it was to South Texas with a young man from Hidalgo County: “My biggest concern is Hidalgo County. We are the poorest large county in Texas. We live in terrible conditions in the richest nation in the world. No child should have to live in these conditions. What will you do to make sure that the most basic needs of our families are met?”

Clinton said that she was aware of the poverty and difficult conditions along the border and that she wanted to create more economic opportunities for people. She wants to increase the availability, dignity, and wages of work for people who have agricultural jobs. Universal health care will help people take care of themselves better. She said that we have to address situations where housing situations and sanitation are poor and that we need to “generally have a new commitment to ending poverty.” It has been ten years, she points out, since the war on poverty. But Clinton wants to raise visibility of the poor — visit them, talk to them, and determine a policy that will then be enacted step by step.

The next question came from an Odessa woman: “I am a school teacher and I was wondering what you plan to do for teachers who are being affected by the Social Security offset — what will you do to help us — who love our jobs and want to help to try and shape the future — to ensure our financial success?”

As the issue is somewhat obscure, Clinton supplied some context. In Texas and other states, teachers pay for their own retirement. Social Security tax is also taken out of their checks. But because of a quirk in the law, teachers are not allowed the benefit of retiring with both. Clinton said she thinks that this is totally unfair since they earned all the money. “We have to take a hard look at how the Federal Government can supplement the income of teachers, especially in poor districts.” Clinton said that if we don’t encourage teachers to teach and encourage young people to become teachers, we are not going to produce “the kinds of professionals, adults, and citizens that we need in America.” She concluded by saying she would pay attention to that.

The next question came from a San Antonio woman: “When you become president how will you address the rampant misuse of taxpayer dollars by contractors that are given no-bid contracts in places like Iraq?”

Clinton would end no-bid contracts. She thinks it’s irresponsible to dole out billions of dollars with no accountability. “No-bid contracts and cronyism have become the rule instead of the exception in Washington. It’s outrageous.” We need an investigation, Clinton said, to see where the money is going and hold people accountable.

At this point Ted Danson introduced two maimed soldiers to ask a question: “We’re as tired as anyone of seeing young Americans coming home wounded, maimed, and killed. But we’re also concerned that we as a nation need to ensure that those sacrifices were not in vain. Can you explain what you envision the final outcome of the war in Iraq to look like under your plan and how that will justify the human cost?”

Clinton first thanked them for their service, saying that they were part of the “extraordinary” American military and that they have fulfilled every part of their mission in Iraq: they deposed Saddam, they gave the Iraqi people free and fair missions, they made space for the Iraqis to make the decisions they need to make. She said that they have accomplished their mission but the political mission has been accomplished — and that she did not see a military solution: She wants to begin withdraw. “People ask me all the time what I think will happen. And of course the answer is that none of us know exactly what will happen.” She said that no matter how long we stayed, with Americans getting wounded and killed and billions of dollars being spent, when we left — whether after ten more years or fifty more years — no one would know what was going to happen because “It’s up to the Iraqis to make that decision now; we have given them the opportunity.”

Next a woman from Dallas: “I am a child advocate and former child abuse prosecutor. There are many thousands of children in Texas that are hurting badly. There are too many that are growing up in poverty and too many in foster care; we have children being victimized by predators online and in our communities. We desperately need you as a champion of children in the White House. And what my daughter and I would like to know is what you would do as president to continue your fight to protect our children?”

After law school, Clinton said, she went to work for the Children’s Defense Fund. She said that when a child becomes part of the foster care system they become everybody’s child but that too many of them get lost in that system. As first lady she helped to pass the Adoption and Safe Families Act. While that was some progress, Clinton said, it was not enough. She wants to go back and revisit those issues in the White House. She said as a society we are called to put our children first. “We should do everything we can to end child poverty,” which Clinton said she would make a national goal. Clinton said she routinely looks into the eyes of thousands of children because she meets so many of them and that there comes a point with some children where circumstances simply beat them down and the light goes out of their eyes. Society has to do everything we can for kids who might not have a parent or a grandparent to help them be everything they can be. “So I’d like to be the president who is the champion for America’s Children.”

Clinton then fielded a question from an Austinite, though the Austinite was not there to ask the question because it had been submitted via the internet. Instead, Eva Longoria Parker read the question from a piece of paper: “President Bush has just decided to let big oil companies to continue to receive tax breaks despite those same oil companies receiving record profits. Gas prices are so high average Americans have to budget to fill up at the pump, while oil company fat cats and shareholders have never had it so good. What will you do to bring down gas prices and keep them down?”

Clinton hopes that oil companies will be part of the solution — that they will transition to become energy companies that focus on green and renewable fuels as well as gas. You can’t expect folks to be able to commute, said Clinton, with gas heading toward $4 a gallon. Clinton wants to make sure that oil-producing countries are not manipulating oil price by breaking their monopoly by stressing to them that we are moving to renewable fuels. She does not think that a president should hold hands with oil-producing countries, but hold them responsible. Oil companies do not deserve subsidies — she wants to take those subsidies away and invest them in green energy that will create new jobs. Clinton wants to work with Detroit to move ahead with more fuel efficient cars and tap into the emergency petroleum reserve to bring prices down and at the same time put oil companies and oil-producing countries “on notice.”

That was the final question of the official town hall meeting. After the cameras were off, Clinton briefly answered a few questions from the audience before the country music came back up — from there, she enjoyed a final round of applause. People stood from their seats and went to the stage where Clinton stepped down to sign books and shake hands with attendees.