Bird-dogging in PA: Face-to-face activism

Here is an update from Kaytee Reik, Sara Renn, Laura Frye, Hanni Stoklosa and Chris Curry in PA. WHO DID WE BIRD-DOG: Patrick Murphy, a Dem running for a seat in Congress against the incumbent, Rep. Fitzpatrick. It is a hotly contested race. WHERE DID WE BIRD-DOG: At a small restaurant in New Hope, PA. HOW DID WE BIRD-DOG: There was no question and answer session, but Hanni, Kaytee and Chris managed to hand-shake and not let go. WHAT ISSUES DID WE RAISE: First we got in a question about free trade agreements b/c his opponent, Fitzpatrick, voted for CAFTA, which passed the house by a single vote, his vote, after Fitzpatrick told his constituents that he would never sign on to such a bill. The question was something like * As a medical student I was appalled that your opponent, Mr. Fitzpatrick voted for CAFTA because it led to decreased access to essential AIDS medicines for people with HIV in latin america. When you win, will you ensure that free trade agreements do not have language that limits access to essential medicines for people living with HIV?* The second issue raised was on health care workers. The question was something like * The lack of HCW in sub-saharan africa is a major bottleneck that is preventing treatment from reaching the millions of those living with HIV that need medicines and care. Will you support the $8 billion that is required to train, retain and support HCWs over the next 5 years? WHAT ANSWERS DID WE GET: Trade/CAFTA: He stated that he was appalled by the passage of CAFTA, and he would work towards eliminating language that diminishes access to essential medicines. (of note, he has been endorsed by Citizens Trade Campaign). HCW: At first he responded by saying 'Why don't we solve the problem of not enough healthcare workers by having some sort of medical peace corps?'. He was quickly educated on the need for sustainable investment to the tune of $8 billion for training and retaining healthcare workers in developing countries. He acknowledged that to be a good idea and said it was something he would *probably* support. And we were given his 'handlers' email, Seth Frotman, sfrotman@murphy06.com WHAT LESSONS DID WE LEARN: * If you get there early and volunteer, you may not have to pay to get in. Five of us got there early, hung some banners, placed some balloons, and didn't have to pay. We also got great seats cause we were there early. *If you are working with the organizers (since you are volunteering) you can ask them about the event before it starts to get a feel of where to sit, and to tweak your strategy. *Since we are trying to get our message out AND educate candidates, we thought it would be useful to have a 'leave behind' one-pager on the HCW campaign (or whatever issue) to leave with the candidate or appropriate staffer. Best of luck!