onesboro, Ark. -- The way Dr. Benjamin Burris sees it, "With the right motivation and a little bit of luck we can have an impact on the political process, even a nobody from nowhere Arkansas who just happened to be in the right place at the right time."
Photo: Dr. Benjamin Burris
Dr. Burris
Well, it's a little more than that, but there he was at Green Valley High School in Henderson, Nev., Feb. 19, 2010, asking the president of the United States, "What's your vision for how dentistry fits into your larger framework for health care reform?"
The chanciness had to do with just being there, having scored tickets to the president's town hall meeting from a friend at a software users group meeting both were attending in Las Vegas. But even getting in was no certainty, let alone having the opportunity to ask a question. What are the odds, 1,500 folks admitted, 7 questions entertained?
"We did some creative seating, moved up toward the front like we knew what we were doing, and I smiled a lot, raised my hand frequently. I'm 6'5" and 250 pounds and that didn't hurt. I did everything I could to be in the right position, and somehow I got his eye. There was a lot of luck involved."
Dr. Burris put his question, the president responded, and the rest is archival (transcript at http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-town-hall-meeting-henderson-nevada Link opens in separate window. Pop-up Blocker may need to be disabled.).
Dr. Burris sees it as "a civil exchange" more effective than the rhetorical, shouting matches reported by local media as characterizing some of the 2009 town hall meetings more specific to health care reform than this wider ranging White House event. "Even if you don't agree with people, with your elected officials, you can still have a civil exchange. I didn't vote for Obama but still, he's our president.
"With a little bit of luck we can have an impact on the political process," Dr. Burris told the ADA News in a telephone interview. "That kind of exchange right there could actually help set the policy."
Dr. Burris is a member of the American Dental Association and American Association of Orthodontists.