Tonight Steny Hoyer will hold a “Town Hall” meeting on health care reform in Waldorf. The question that comes to mind is whether this will be a genuine meeting with the community, or, if like so many other town halls Democrats have put on recently, it will merely be forum stacked with health care supporters tossing softball questions at the good Congressman.

By this time, we have heard reports of all sorts of chicanery, from Democrats bussing supporters in from outside the district – a tactic they lambast the Right for – to having union goons try to intimidate protestors and dissenters. So which path will Hoyer walk?

More importantly, how will Steny receive his critics? Will he continue to characterize them as un-American, as he did with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a USA Today article that appeared Aug. 10? Will he disavow his words and offer a full apology? This is important, as it is equally important to pay attention to the words he uses. Hoyer has been spreading distortions and half truths about the current Obamacare bill, and there is no reason to think that will change tonight. Nor is there reason to believe he will not parse words if asked about his article with Nancy Pelosi.

If tonight’s forum proves to be an honest, open one, it is vital to hold Hoyer accountable. Do not let him worm his way out of questions or dodge the issues at hand. If asked about calling protestors un-American, do not allow him to twist it around and say he meant other protestors, and not the people at that forum. When the questions turn to health care, make sure to hit him with specifics and demand a straight answer. If the question is on tort reform, do not let him shift focus, make him say flat out why it is not in there. If he tries to pull the line about allowing people to keep the policy they currently have, ask him about the people who have their coverage provided by their employer and also what happens to people if their policy should ever change in terms of coverage or premium.

oyer has managed to avoid real debate on this health care debacle so far, but if tonight’s meeting is for real, then this is the time to bring the debate straight to him and really hold him accountable for the awful policy he is trying to push on the American people. And speaking of that, make sure to ask him if he is willing to forgo his current coverage in favor of the system he is foisting on the rest of us, and when he says no, ask him to explain why.