Politics: town hall style

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., and filmmaker and political activist Rob Reiner brought politics to UCLA’s James Bridges Theater in a public forum discussion hosted by Town Hall Los Angeles on Wednesday night.

Mention of Reid’s autobiography, “The Good Fight: Hard Lessons from Searchlight to Washington,” which addressed both his difficult background and his experiences as a politician, fostered a discussion between Reid, Reiner and the audience about issues such as the war in Iraq, health care, climate change, the housing crisis and education.

Neither Reid nor Reiner hesitated to criticize the current administration or express concern about the United States’ role in global politics, and they both said they felt changes are necessary for improvement.

The Republicans “became drunk with power. We need to change that,” Reid said. “I really believe that we’re not going to be able to do things overnight, but at least we’re not digging the hole any deeper.”

Reid and Reiner both said they felt the Iraq War was one of the worst foreign policy decisions made in recent history.

“The war is costing us $5,000 a second, and that’s a big mistake,” Reid said. He added that he believes the time has come to implement a plan to withdraw American troops.

“It doesn’t matter when we leave, there’s going to be chaos,” he said. “It’s their government. Let them do it.”

Reid also emphasized the need for a health care plan that provides more universal coverage and economic incentives that motivate Americans to explore alternative sources of energy.

Reiner said cooperation will be vital to solving such complicated problems.

“The truth of the matter is we are going to have to meet in the middle. There is no other way to govern,” Reiner said.

Despite the frequently serious and somber nature of the discussion, both Reiner and Reid made an effort to entertain by telling jokes about Bush and anecdotes from Reid’s difficult past.

Reid spent his childhood in Searchlight, a poor neighborhood in Nevada, and grew up in an abusive environment with few resources.

“I learned to swim in a whorehouse swimming pool, and I learned basic honesty from the biggest whoremonger in Searchlight,” Reid said in reference to members of the community with whom he was close.

Reid also used stories about his parents’ lack of education and his family’s inability to access health care while growing up to address some crucial political issues.

Town Hall Los Angeles, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization similar to many others in cities nationwide, hosted Reiner and Reid as part of an ongoing effort to facilitate an informative and engaging discussion between people in the community and public figures, said Jon Goodman, president of the organization.

“We try to make the conversation interesting so that the audience can take it one step further,” Goodman said. “The degree of questions that a town hall audience can ask is limited only by the time.”

The event attracted a wide variety of interested community members.

Kayla Huynh, a 16-year-old student at Ramona Convent Secondary School, said she enjoyed asking Reid questions and having the opportunity to hear his answers about issues that directly relate to her.

David Samouha, whose daughter graduated from UCLA, said he enjoys the personalities that come to Town Hall Los Angeles events.

“I learned a lot about (Reid),” he said. “The fact that he is on my side of the fence gave me a really good feeling.”

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