Congress is set to return on Tuesday. Many of its members are sporting sore rear ends.

Elected leaders around the country this summer stared down the barrel of angry voters.

I must give Sen. Arlen Specter his due. He was one of the first legislators in the country to bravely look the voters in the eyes and listen to their concerns regarding health-care reform.

You saw the video on TV; some of the attendees were not happy. They shouted, got personal, ranted and raved.

Yes, some were activists touring from one meeting to another, looking to pick a fight. Yet, Arlen took the body blows.

I was impressed with Specter’s town hall meetings. They were unfiltered and unscripted.

I give Arlen an “A” for manning up.

He can go back to the Senate this week with his head held high.

Sen. Bob Casey Jr., on the other hand, chose to go the filtered, scripted route – not allowing spontaneous discussion and debate.

His meeting on Aug. 20 at Pitt-Johnstown was managed from the get-go. The agenda ensured he would not take a beating, while allowing him to go back to the Senate and say, “I met the people.”

I give him credit for at least looking the voters in the eyes. But he gets a “C-” because of his scripting.

This brings me to the 12th Congressional District and Rep. John Murtha.

I have a lot of respect for the congressman. This paper endorsed his re-election in 2008.

However, I was very disappointed to see this tough, retired Marine Corps colonel stay in his foxhole and peek out safely from behind a telephone to discuss this very important heath-care reform issue now before the country.

I was surprised he was so timid and cautious.

We’ve had the pleasure of frank, honest talks with the congressman here in our editorial board room. He never pulls punches; he is feisty and blunt. I like that in a politician.

So why did he hide and not do as others did around the country?

He did not meet his constituents face to face to lay out “his” plan for health-care reform.

His office is spinning the argument that Thursday’s “telephone town hall meeting” was a better way of reaching a larger share of the district. And according to his aides, of the 40,000 homes called, 12,067 residents answered, including 9,416 who stayed on the line at least 2 minutes.

Eleven of the 27 questions Murtha took dealt directly or indirectly with heath-care reform proposals.

I suppose those are good numbers.

If it were maximum reach he desired, he could have held an Internet town hall meeting and quadrupled the numbers.

Our congressman should have climbed out of his foxhole and stepped up to the plate.

The people of the 12th district deserve no less.

He gets a “D-” for his efforts.

In truth, this was a calculated attempt to avoid the tough, in-your-face questions. This was a convenient way of avoiding the public eye. He surely did not want to see videos of himself on the Glen Beck show taking a beating.

I expected more from this battle-hardened Marine and veteran politician.

But, it is not too late.

I challenge the congressman to schedule a series of real town hall meetings. Let’s book the Pasquerilla Performing Arts Center at UPJ. Let’s find other venues around the district convenient to the voters. I’ll bet we could fill them to capacity for Q&As; on health-care reform.

I would offer to moderate discussions to ensure they are civil and respectful, but unscripted and spontaneous.

Please, Congressman Murtha, think back and remember what it was like when you first ran for this seat, and act like that again.

You were hungry, eager and willing to meet anywhere, anytime with anyone. Back then, you would never contemplate the thought of hiding from your constituents.

If this is the advice you are getting from your staff, fire them, because they are leading you astray.

Step out on the limb and meet face to face with those who put you in office.

Only then can you say, as you return to Washington, that you truly understand the concerns of your district.



Robin L. Quillon is the publisher of The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at rquillon@tribdem.com.