The Fighting 29th

All about New York's 29th Congressional District

I'm late to the party on this one, but Need to Know, WXXI's public affairs program featured Eric Massa this evening at 8:30. The show will re-air Sunday at 12:30, and will also be available via the website.

Reader Elmer sent today's Corning Leader editorial [pdf] about Eric Massa's performance. The Leader's editorial writer isn't overly concerned with Massa's statement at Netroots Nation, and the Leader concludes that Massa was doing what he was elected to do. Leader columnist Bob Rolfe also has a positive column on Massa.

The Massa press office also sent Andy Thompson's column in the Hornell Evening Tribune [pdf]. Thompson lauds Massa's hard work, but wonders if the Netroots Nation remarks will come back to bite him.

The Massa campaign has an email out pointing to this YouTube of Massa's appearance on Fox, where he's grilled about his comments at Netroots Nation.

The USDA has published a new report on rural broadband.

Wage and salary jobs, as well as number of proprietors, grew faster in counties with early broadband Internet access," the survey concludes. "Nonfarm earnings showed greater growth corresponding to broadband availability."

The link has maps that are colored corresponding to the amount of access available. The rural Southern Tier is pretty lightly covered.

Here's the Olean Times-Herald's take on Massa's Tuesday press conference.

The Buffalo News praises Massa for holding town hall meetings.

In reading through the comments on newspaper sites in the district, I see a lot of remarks to the effect that Eric Massa isn't listening to his constituents at town hall meetings, that he's holding positions contrary to his constituents, and that he represents a small minority in the district.

The obvious counterargument to these commenters is that this a representative democracy, and that the last accurate poll taken in the district was in November, 2008, when Massa was elected. But let's forget that for a moment and find out what polls can tell us.

The latest Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll says that 36% of Americans think Barack Obama's health plan is a good idea. However, once respondents are read a one-paragraph description of Obama's plan, 53% of them approve of it. Here's the paragraph:

The plan requires that health insurance companies cover people with pre-existing medical conditions. It also requires all but the smallest employers to provide health coverage for their employees, or pay a percentage of their payroll to help fund coverage for the uninsured. Families and individuals with lower- and middle-incomes would receive tax credits to help them afford insurance coverage. Some of the funding for this plan would come from raising taxes on wealthier Americans.

We've heard a lot of talk about socialism and death panels, and the reason is clear: once people hear the modest reforms that are actually contained in the healthcare bill, they think it's sensible. I don't know if 53% is the number in the 29th, but the notion that a vast majority of 29th residents oppose Obama's healthcare reform is simply ludicrous.

The Buffalo News has a report from the Olean town hall meeting that happened on Sunday. They peg attendance at 300, and note that Massa was loudly booed when he said that "the health care system is broken due to problems with high cost and lack of access."

The Olean Times-Herald also has a story on the meeting.

The D&C's coverage of Massa's press conference is now online.

Reader Vincent writes with the news that the Washington Times has some more video of Eric Massa's discussion with some activists, where he says that Sen. Charles Grassley's remarks about the goverment "pulling the plug on Grandma" are "treason".

Tom Reed says he's now read HR 3200, the healthcare reform bill, and he still doesn't like it.

The Star-Gazette report on Reed's decision doesn't say what he didn't like about the bill. It will be interesting to see if Reed can come up with specifics. Most of the critique we've been hearing from the right is straw man arguments. The bill is not single-payer or "socialized medicine", so all the Canadian and British comparisons are off-the-mark, for example.

I'd sincerely like to have someone like Reed, who's a lawyer, come up with some sensible, sane objections to the bill. Or, if he thinks that the bill is a wrong approach entirely, what's the right approach? And how will his approach deal with a middle class that's increasingly unable to afford insurance, and is denied insurance by private insurers?

The Star-Gazette has Tom Reed's reaction to the most recent Massa dust-up.

Some bloggers who attended Netroots Nation weigh in on Massa's appearance there. Robert Harding from the Albany Project has some video of Massa's appearance there. And reader Vincent sends this post from blogger Digby who says that Massa was "adamant" about the public plan.

Update: Rochesterturning also has video of Massa's appearance.