My Encounter with Allen Boyd

By Francisco Gonzalez

It all happened by chance. But I don’t believe in chance. I believe in Providence.

On Wednesday, April 7, I was on my way to another function in downtown Tallahassee, sharply dressed for the occasion. As I walked by Paradigm, I remembered I had been meaning to stop in there to see if they had it available for an event I wanted to host there for a local group I am involved with.

As I walked in, I noticed there was some kind of private party going on. I went right to the bar to speak with the manager about scheduling my own event. As I was waiting there, I looked around and noticed former State Representative and current State Senate candidate Curtis Richardson in the room, greeting guests. As I looked closer, I noticed a number of guests wearing Allen Boyd stickers. Then, I peered across the room and saw the white hair of Congressman Allen Boyd.

My first thought was: OH. MY. GOD.

After all this time of trying to find my federal representative to confront him about his recent vote for the government’s health care bill, here he was in this room, that I just fatefully walked into by “chance.” I could have walked out of the room – after all everyone in there was to the political left, not a crowd I typically find myself in. But, I knew this was an opportunity I could not pass up. After I took care of my business with the staff at Paradigm, I took a deep breath and told myself, “I know you are angry, but don’t say something stupid.” But I still wanted to bring the heat and confront him about this horrible bill he just voted for. So, I collected myself and walked over in his direction.

As I waited for the few other folks that were speaking with him, giving him pats on the back, and telling him thank you (obviously this was a liberal fundraiser), I then stepped in at the very moment I was able. I introduced myself, and while these aren’t all direct quotations, here’s a bit of how the conversation went:

Me: Hello, Congressman Boyd. Francisco Gonzalez. (handshake)

Boyd: Nice to meet you.

Me: I wanted to ask you, why you changed your vote and voted for the health care bill?

Boyd: Why I voted for it? You didn’t just hear my talk a few minutes ago?

Me: No, sorry. I just walked in….but I did hear you speak at a town hall meeting in Tallahassee a few months back. I remember you had said you didn’t vote for the health care bill the first time around because it violated your four principles. I wrote down your principles that day and I don’t see how this new bill still doesn’t violate those principles.

Boyd: (stumbling for an answer, gives me a dumb look, speechless, with a drink in hand)

Me: One of your principles was that the bill needed to be deficit neutral. Are you telling me this bill you voted for was deficit neutral?

Boyd: Yes.

Me: So you’re telling me that spending $940 billion on health care doesn’t add to the national debt which is already approaching $14 trillion?

Boyd: You don’t understand. The bill reduces costs in other areas, so it actually reduces our overall costs.

Me: Really? That doesn’t make sense to me. Ok, well how about the individual mandate in the bill?

Boyd: That wasn’t part of my four principles.

Me: So you’re ok with an individual mandate?

Boyd: Yes. You have to have an individual mandate. You have to force everyone to get into the insurance pool, so that it reduces costs for everyone else.

Me: But how can you, in a free society, force people to buy something that may not want to buy?

Boyd: You have car insurance right?

Me: Yes.

Boyd: Well, you have to buy car insurance, right?

Me: Yes, but I make a choice to drive.

Boyd: (Laughing) Really? (More laughter) You make a choice to drive?

Me: Yes, I do. I could use public transportation. I could live where I work. And I might not be able to afford a car. And yes most of us choose to drive, but we can’t choose to live. But ok, let’s stick with your car insurance analogy.

Boyd: (Gives me a look like he thinks I’m conceding)

Me: Is car insurance regulated by the federal government? No. It’s left to the states. If we want to have a debate about health care, we should leave that debate to the states. The federal government shouldn’t be involved in that area of our life.

Boyd: Oh, so you must support (Attorney General) Bill McCollum’s lawsuit against the federal government?

Me: Yes. I do. Do you?

Boyd: (Chuckling) Of course I don’t. I voted for the darn thing. Who do you work for?

Me: (Pausing, ok let’s just give him an honest answer here) I work for The James Madison Institute.

Boyd: Ok. Well you’re a good man. (pats me on the shoulder, trying to be friendly).

Me: I just have one more question for you.

Boyd: Yea.

Me: I really don’t feel that you are representing your constituents. I called and many other people called and wrote to you and I think the vast majority of your constituents asked you not to vote for this bill. Let me ask you, how can you still consider yourself a “Blue Dog” Democrat? You have voted for the health care bill, the cap and trade, union card check, the bailouts, and the stimulus.

Boyd: Have a good night (and turns his back to go back to his liberal buddies)

Me: Thank you for turning your back on me again. (Then I walk away)

I kept my cool. I brought him challenging facts. And I reminded him that he’s not going to be able to go anywhere in this town, in this district, without getting tough questions. If I had acted irate or said something profane to him (the thought crossed my mind because of what this bill does to my generation and to the freedoms we are supposed to enjoy in this country) I might have been completely dismissed.

Of course, he wore down from my questions and turned his back, but that’s what living in a free republic is all about: having a peaceful, civil dialogue that is centered around facts, not emotions. But it’s also about being courageous and not being intimidated. I am not willing to concede an ounce of merit to him just because he is a Congressman. He needs to hear from each and everyone of us. And then, we all need to go out and make our actions heard on Election Day. I left there thinking, the next party I want to see him at is his retirement party, hopefully before the year is out.

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