A callout
If the Democrats think they have the people on their side, let's have the townhall meetings.
Last week we heard House Speaker Mike Johnson urge Republicans not to have town hall meetings because, “They're professional protesters. So why would we give them a forum to do that right now? They're doing this for the camera. We all know it, and I think it's wise not to play along,"
One of the groups which is priming the pump on these protests is our old Astroturfing fiends Indivisible. Last week they exhorted their minions:
This moment is about more than just funding cuts or extremist policies: It’s about the growing influence of Elon Musk, who is using his unchecked power to drive his own agenda, dismantle our democracy, and rig the system to benefit himself and other billionaires. Acting President Musk is rapidly consolidating power to secure massive handouts for himself, and the Republican Party – including Trump – is falling in line behind him.
Republicans must be held publicly accountable for their allegiance to Musk over their own constituents. GOP leadership is directing their members to avoid any town halls after facing significant blowback this past recess. That is simply unacceptable. If Republicans refuse to face the people they were elected to represent, we must organize our own accountability events to expose their corruption and force them to choose: either stand with working families, or pay a price for your betrayal. (Emphasis in original.)
After you get done laughing at the “Acting President Musk” bit, know that they didn’t spare Democrats:
Democrats need to hold town halls, too. They need to show how they’re leveraging their power to fight back and be responsive to their constituents’ concerns, unlike Republicans who cower from public accountability. This is an opportunity for Democrats to draw contrast with the profoundly undemocratic Republican Party and lift up first-hand stories of how their constituents are being impacted by MAGA policies and the Trump-Musk coup.
And this is where we come in. As you’re likely aware, I live with the Three Stooges representing me, and their idea of a town hall meeting is over the internet at a time when most productive people are working - and overlapping an important Delaware General Assembly hearing on rising energy costs in the state. But now they’re going to be off this coming week, and it’s time to demand some real face time at time and place of our choosing.
Now I know what they would probably do: have a meeting in the friendly territory of New Castle County, Dover, or Rehoboth Beach. But if they had real balls they would select a place like Laurel High School. If they think they have such great ideas for improving our lot, come convince the people who aren’t on your side instead of preaching to the choir. I’m sure we will listen (more or less) respectfully but be prepared for the tough questions about why you think cutting wasteful government spending is so bad and why you keep running the same old scare tactics about the Republicans taking away Social Security and Medicare when a) you’ve been saying it for forty years now and b) doing nothing will have the same effect.
Maybe as part of that meeting you can drag along the majority leaders of the Delaware General Assembly so we can ask them why our electric bills are so high and what they plan to do about it besides punish the utilities who have no choice but to follow state laws.
Since I don’t think they will follow through, might I suggest the old “empty chair” meeting? After all, the Left seems to believe, “If we don’t hear from our Republican MoCs, we’ll make sure they hear from us. Empty chair town halls are opportunities to publicize how craven they are.”
Of course we know the real craven ones are those who believe there are more than two genders and support boys playing on the court with girls. Newt Gingrich elaborates:
Democrat after Democrat voted for deeply unpopular policies which barred parents from know what their children were doing and learning in school, allowed men to play in women’s sports, opposed tax cuts, left the southern border open, etc. For a long time, I could not figure out how House Democrats could so brazenly ignore the will of the American people. Now I get it. They were turning into zombies.
(Cue the late Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries for this one. Quite appropriate for the party who supported the guy who was trying to bring us World War III.)
We voted the way we did for a reason, and while there may be some collateral damage along the way, Donald Trump seems to be attempting to rightsize government. As I said a couple posts ago, my advice to my elected officials that I would give them if they ever had the stones to show up at a local town hall: lead, follow, or get out of the way. Since you have demonstrated no ability to lead and don’t listen well enough to follow, then get the hell out of the way and let Trump and DOGE do their work.
In the meantime, though, you can Buy Me a Coffee, since I have a page there now.