Ensign prefers tele-town halls — like Democrats do

Democrats aren't the only ones who like meeting constituents in conference calls as opposed to in-person town hall events.

On Tuesday, Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., said he preferred so-called tele-town halls because they afforded the opportunity for more people to meet at one time without leaving the comfort of their homes.

"People are loving these telephone town hall meetings," said Ensign, who has held several, including one Tuesday evening. "I used to do live town hall meetings, and I found that these worked better because you are able to reach more people."

Republican officials have criticized Democrats in recent weeks for holding telephone or invitation-only events to discuss health care, alleging the Democrats are dodging constituents to avoid being embarrassed by hecklers and protesters seeking to engage politicians on the issues.

Ensign wouldn't say whether his endorsement of the telephone meetings undermined some of the Republican attacks on that subject.

"I'll leave that up to the constituents as far as what the Democrats are doing," he said.