Congressman Sam Graves’ hypocritical anti-government rally

Last week, after Missouri Congressman Sam Graves held a health-care town-hall meeting at Park Hill High School, KMBC Channel 9 reported that the debate had taken a “new turn.” Reporter Jim Flink noted that Graves’ crowd was “friendly” (to the Republican) and “partisan,” but also suggested that there had been “a shift in strategy.” The night’s focus, he said, was “less on the fear and the frustration over the plan and more focusing on the fix — fixing what’s wrong with the current system.”

I beg to differ with Flink’s assessment of the night.

Granted, Graves does favor some insurance reforms (it should be portable if people lose their jobs; people shouldn’t be denied for pre-existing conditions). And granted, no pro-reform disrupters showed up to give conservatives a taste of their own medicine, so the event was relatively calm (i.e., not filled with great TV moments).

But if anything, this was an anti-government rally hosted by a sitting congressman.

At one point Graves told his audience: “I have yet to see a program that the government runs well.”

The line earned a loud round of applause, making it obvious that this type of crowd doesn’t just favor small government — this crowd is happy when it hears an elected official complain that government doesn’t work at all.

Graves might have been working this crowd — with full confidence that no one would accuse him of being a hypocrite. See, there are some government programs that Sam Graves likes.