Congressmen Skip Out On Town Halls After Facing Voter Opposition

[onehandle]

Source: AP/Huffington Post

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP/The Huffington Post) -- Too much yelling, not enough listening. Facing organized, often raucous confrontations at political events, some members of Congress this summer abandoned the long-time tradition of open meetings with the folks back home.

It was goodbye to one of the few remaining opportunities for voters and lawmakers to talk face to face. Some cited security in the aftermath of the shooting that severely wounded Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords at a meet-and-greet event in January. Others blamed grass-roots groups for commandeering the town halls. Still others opted for smaller, sometimes private or paid events.

Whatever the explanation, the dearth of meetings sparked criticism that lawmakers were dodging their constituents when Congress is held in such low regard. A recent Associated Press-GFK poll showed 87 percent of Americans disapprove of lawmakers' job performance. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., described the trend as disappointing.

"I think (the town hall meeting) is one of the fundamentals of our government process, our democratic process - meeting with people and responding to them," said McCain, who held six town hall meetings this summer, including one in Tucson, where the Giffords shooting occurred. While McCain said he understood the desire to avoid the "despicable" people who disrupt town halls, he said the decision to avoid them lets "those bad people win."


Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/09/02/town-hall-meetings-congress_n_946990.html

[Raven]

1. "Those bad people" are Americans who don't happen to agree

with you, you wizened old asshole!

[russspeakeasy]

5. Haven't you heard ?

johnny loves America...:nuke: and I think "wizened old asshole" was too kind.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., described the trend as disappointing.

I would describe Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. and every other GOPer in washington as disappointing. They are all sore losers but above all they are losers! Maybe they will wake up and smell the tar and feathers before the country and all it once stood for, is ashes.

[PonyJon]

9. Vote a STRAIGHT DEMOCRATIC TICKET give Obama a real majority to work with.

You will be happy you did.

[Kurmudgeon]

10. Tell them, PonyJon!! That's been the problem all along!

[tblue]

12. Is there anyone here who didn't?

We do and we did! Still not good enough. In 08 we delivered 60 in the Senate and a huge majority the House. Having a (D) turned out to be no guarantee that they'd vote (D). And they didn't change the filibuster rule, and that has cost us everything. We voted in droves in 08. How in the world could we get a repeat now?

Silly me for whining, I know.

Welcome to DU, btw. :hi:

[tblue]

13. Delete dupe. How'd that happen? nt

[aquart]

19. Give Obama a real majority to make him behave.

Clearly he lacks good guidance.

[defendandprotect]

25. Why? Obviously, all GOP needed was control of House ... no presidency, no Senate -- huge success!!!

:rofl:

[Shining Jack]

38. +1

[Hubert Flottz]

27. I always do vote a straight ticket.

I wouldn't vote for a republican PERIOD. Never have, never will.

[provis99]

30. just like we did in 2008? And nothing changed.

Yeah, whatever.

[Lorien]

31. Yep. He could have an 80% majority and he would still find enough "blue dogs"

to stop any progressive action from being taken.

[Qutzupalotl]

35. The minimum wage changed.

[boppers]

42. "And nothing changed."?

Same troop levels in wars.
Same laws for insurance companies.
Same torture policies.
Same anti-technology government.
Same anti-science government.
(etc.)

:sarcasm:

Posts like this are ones that inspire the "links" posts,
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=433x762403
have a huge pile of information about what *has* changed. But you know what? The "no change" posts don't ever seem to care. They're just going to keep repeating the Obama=Bush meme, just like repeating the Gore=Bush meme.

It's becoming a bit transparent.

edit: add example post

[defendandprotect]

46. Oh, but Obama did bring "change" -- he moved us way furtheer to the RIGHT -- !!!

And has pretty much destroyed the Dem party as defender of Social Security,

Medicare and General Welfare of citizens!

[immoderate]

33. Yeah, if you're a bank or corporation.

--imm

[TBF]

45. Do you really think anyone here has been voting for repugs?

seriously do you really think any of us pull the lever for sarah palin?

Welcome to DU, but I think you need to read a bit and see what you're dealing with here.

[Fearless]

3. When it seems like the world is in opposition to you there are two possibilities...

Either EVERYONE is wrong and you only are right OR everyone is right and YOU ONLY are wrong. Mathematically, I'm going to put my eggs in the basket of the latter, particularly if the "one" is John McCain.

[BiggJawn]

4. Todd Rokita had his "event" in a small venue in the middle of the work day

Had it at Panera on the Levee at 1:30 in the afternoon. Attended by some Teabaggers on their Medicare-paid-for hoverrounds.

[mistertrickster]

6. Oddly, when the "despicable disruptors" were Tbaggers, it was fine. nt

[tblue]

15. Funny how that works. How does 'conceal & carry' sound to them now?

They can dish it out, but they can't take it, the lilly livered crybabies.

[progressoid]

17. +1000

[Mz Pip]

18. Yep, the Republicans loved it then

They touted it as some kind of proof that the American people wanted things to go the way of the Teabaggers.

Now that the tables are turned, it's "disappointing."

Can't have it both ways. The Republicans lied about Obama's health care plan and scared people into thinking it would be the end of the world as they knew it. So of course they came out in angry droves. The GOP was so smug about that. Now people are seeing that they were lied to and are taking the Republicans to task. What goes around comes around.

[think]

7. If these "decent folk" would quit lying cheating and stealing maybe they'd be greeted differently.

But since they are the douche bags that they are they get the meet and greet they deserve!

[JJW]

8. They can run

And now they can hide. Just wait until, they are up for re-election. They'll be back in our faces with more lies.

[closeupready]

11. Ha. If sunlight is the best disinfectant,

well, you know how this expression ends. :rofl:

[craigmatic]

14. They always do this when they have power. Bush had closed campaign stops. Now the teatards are

afraid of townhalls because of how they treated the dems in 2009 and 2010.

[bemildred]

16. Cowards. They all need to be un-elected, ASAP.

[Uncle Joe]

20. The grass roots are the people and the cowards; afraid to hear the people they represent

shouldn't be in office.

Thanks for the thread, onehandle.

[MrMickeysMom]

21. CALLING ALL 'DESPICABLE' PEOPLE! and..... ACTION!

Let's get all our despicable cameras, cell phones and recording devices out and charge those mothers up on battery. This son of a bitch can't avoid us forever, now.

Gramps is going to have a field day running from the unanswered 'BAD PEOPLE' questions every time he tries to out-run his sorry ass from the car or plane to GOP safe haven.

Senator McCain, you can run, but you can't hide forever, you sell-out!

[boppers]

43. Are you defending Loughner's actions?

You appear to be doing so.

[MrMickeysMom]

47. What the hell you are talking about?

I'M defending WHO'S actions?

Here's a crayon. Are you able to draw a comparison between demanding a member of congress communicate with those he/she represents to, say, a psychosis situation where the deranged get a hold of an NRA card and gun?

[boppers]

48. Loughner demanded communication, and had disrupted prior meetings.

Loughner demanded to know, and I quote, 'What is government if words have no meaning?'. McCain's talking about the 'despicable' nuts and loons who demand communication, and disrupt meetings, up to the point, apparently, of murder.

[MrMickeysMom]

49. Oh, I see... you use the Gramps Mcain interpretation of "nuts and loons"

and attribute them to what I posted, somehow basing it on anyone demanding that Congress respond to their constituents.

Who's the nut here?

[boppers]

50. Who thought that "despicable" meant "people who want to civilly engage?

:shrug:

[MrMickeysMom]

51. Apparently YOU...

That must be the short-sited thing that happens when a word is used with quotes around it, without an emoticon indicating tongue in cheek, or sarcasm. That's what happens to drive a response post that is not only accusatory, and lunatic in what it accuses.

Any forthcoming apology is accepted, otherwise, move on.

[boppers]

52. I'll apologize on behalf of McCain, for you thinking he meant you.

And your camera, apparently.

[cstanleytech]

22. Just wondering though, what was the highest ever job approval rating

that lasted say 2 or more years for congress?

[notGaryOldman]

23. Odd, ain't it?

Two years ago we were saturated with media coverage of Astroturfed "constituents" screaming themselves hoarse at the Democrats. Now that it's mostly the Republicans getting yelled at, the news orgs don't seem as interested.

[Plucketeer]

24. Yes it is....

and it's just GOTTA BE that damned "Liberal Bias" at work! Welcome to DU :hi:

[Shining Jack]

39. +1

[defendandprotect]

26. Koch Bros.T-bagger's spitting on members of Senate/House - disruptions - guns/rifles....

evidently that had nothing to do with it -- ? hmmmmm.....

[gunnergoz]

28. The Koch brothers taught the teabaggers to do it, so...

Now everyone wants to verbally batter elected officials at town halls. It was the GOP's own idea, coming from their private think tanks. Now its gone viral and apparently they don't like it. How icky...actually meeting citizen voters. How much nicer to meet your wealthy base in $2,500 a plate dinners. Maybe we should just take the vote from these ordinary, uncouth people anyway!

What goes around, comes around, it seems. In any event, we need to alter how we fund elections so that we have fewer of these political leeches around, looking for their next deep-pocket campaign donor to whom they can suck up and perform for.

[bluestateguy]

29. And yet the thing is that there is no law requring any congressperson to hold any town halls

Colin Peterson (D-MN) does not hold town halls because the people who show up are conspiracy theorists, 9/11 "truthers" and literally tin foil hatters.

Actually, I think what it is is that nobody wants a YouTube moment being broadcast in 30 second ads by their opponent in the next election.

[Enthusiast]

32. McCain's an expert on bad people. nt

[SemperEadem]

34. but it was the greatest thing two years ago

when it was the tea fuckers and the insurance-company-bused-in-shit-for-brains who were disrupting democratic congress members town hall meetings. Now that the shit has turned against all of those people who were screaming and making good fux noose television, they now see that they were pimped for their vote. Those who profited from that mess are now turning tail and running.

The dems had to face it, why can't the thugs? Scared?

[boomerone]

36. Republicans are too crooked to have town hall meetings. They

lie about everything they said in the meeting. So no real purpose for the meeting.

[Politicalboi]

37. The Repukes shouldn't have anything to worry about

Their constituents love them for keeping their taxes low, and honoring the 2nd amendment. Just because they may be armed doesn't mean they will shoot you silly.

[SomeGuyInEagan]

40. John Kline (R, Minnesota's 2nd) simply won't schedule public meetings - hasn't for years.

He will do telephone town hall meetings, but the callers are likely screened. This has been a hot topic here for years.

[BrightSideOfLife]

41. Gee and who could have foreseen this wonderful state of affairs

I hope that ever dumb bastard that voted for these douchebags comes to the realization of just what they've done.

[KansDem]

44. K&R

Kick for Republican hypocrisy!