Dear Editor,
Brian Fitzpatrick is not doing a good job of communicating with his constituents. This week is a recess week for Congress. One of the purposes of a Congressional recess is for Senators and Representatives to go back to their districts and listen to and have discussions with those that they represent. I did not learn until this past weekend that this week was recess week.
I called Representative Fitzpatrick's Langhorne office on Monday 2/20 to ask if he would be having a town hall meeting. The response was that there are "none planned as of now". I asked if it was a possibility and the answer was the same. I asked for an appointment with Mr. Fitzpatrick and was referred to his Congressional web site. It was late Monday afternoon, so I did not expect an answer until the next day. The request was for Friday 2/24 at his Langhorne office.
I understood that this was short notice, but because it was recess week and there was no town hall scheduled I was hoping that the response would be expedited. Tuesday there was no response. I learned from the Langhorme office that all scheduling is done at the D.C. office. I called & was asked to give the staffer my concern and he would pass it on. I said no, that I want a meeting with the Congressman. He gave me the woman's email address that is responsible for the scheduling. I wrote her immediately.
It is 2:10 pm on Wednesday as I finish this letter and I have still heard nothing.
As I write this post, it is Thursday morning and I still have not received a reply of any sort from Representative Fitzpatrick's office. Fitzpatrick represents Pennsylvania's 8th district. I will be much more proactive about the next recess and I plan to organize a town hall for that time.
Understanding that I was getting nowhere with my representative I searched for a town hall close to me. I found one in the next county to my west in PA district 6 with Representative Ryan Costello. He happens to be a Republican, but his party does not matter to me. What I want is the opportunity to ask questions of any member of what is at this moment a dysfunctional Congress. Almost non-functional. I have signed up to attend this town hall and also to help set up and break down the event. The event is Saturday, so I will report on my experience either Saturday or Sunday.
There have been reports of many town hall meetings across the country that have been well attended by those of us that demand Congressional accountability and responsible oversight of the trump gang. Mitch McConnell faced difficult questioning from constituents at a $10 per plate luncheon that was intended to be Republican friendly. Here are some exchanges as reported by a local newspaper in Kentucky.
A man in the Audience asked, “[d]o you favor impeachment of [ ] [t]rump for killing civilians in Yemen?”. McConnell gave no response.
Rose Mudd Perkins of Georgetown, Kentucky, asked McConnell to explain his position that former President Barack Obama’s environmental regulations had decimated the coal industry in Eastern Kentucky. “If you can answer that, I will sit down and shut up like Elizabeth Warren.”
McConnell replied, “I hope you feel better."
Another woman by the name of Courtney Walker, also from Georgetown, came with her 14-month-old daughter. She asked McConnell about Republican plans to repeal and replace the federal health care law. She pointed out that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enabled her to get the care she needed during her pregnancy and after her daughter’s birth. With reference to repealing the ACA, Walker said “[p]eople in Kentucky are very pissed”.
Still at McConnell's luncheon, NPR reports that a frustrated man in the audience demanded, "Answer the question, Mitch!" after McConnell's curt answer to Rose Perkins. The man was escorted by state and local law enforcement out of the venue. A few in the crowd booed and someone shouted "Do your job".
Some other events that NPR reported on are as follows:
Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley: The Des Moines Register described the senator's first town hall on Tuesday morning as "a raucous, sweaty tumult of cheering and jeering, interruptions and shouted questions."
Virginia Rep. Scott Taylor: The freshman congressman — who sits in a swing district sure to be a top target in 2018 — had a crowd of about 800 at his first town hall on Monday with another 200 waiting outside unable to get in, according to the Virginian Pilot.
California Rep. Tom McClintock: Capital Public Radio's Ben Adler reports that a crowd of nearly 1,000 pressed the GOP congressman on health care Tuesday night in a town hall that was "opinionated yet peaceful, though manners and tempers sometimes ran short."
Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn: About 130 people packed Blackburn's town hall on Tuesday, where she faced pointed questions about the GOP's Obamacare replacement plans. From The Tennessean:
"Many of the questions were without clear answers from Blackburn, who served on [t]rump's transition team and is carrying key legislation that will be a part of the repeal effort from the GOP-led House. She said the replacement will include provisions allowing people of certain age groups with pre-existing conditions to get insurance.
"She said the replacement plan will be 'more responsive and more affordable' as well, without going into many specifics."
Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst: The freshman senator's veterans roundtable was met with chants of "We want our voices heard!" and "Your last term!" according to CNN. "She fielded just one question on health care and abruptly ended the event after 45 minutes, with a long line of people still waiting to ask questions."
http://www.npr.org/2017/02/22/516527499/anger-rises-across-the-country-at-gop-congressional-town-halls
trump, of course had to tweet:
[d]onald [j]. [t]rump
✔@real[d]onald[t]rump
The so-called angry crowds in home districts of some Republicans are actually, in numerous cases, planned out by liberal activists. Sad!
d.j[ackass]. and Republicans that mimic this type of statement are missing the point. These so called 'activists' are Americans. They are as Walker said to McConnell "pissed off". And, they are actively working to limit the damage that may occur under trumps' administration and a rubber stamp Congress, to our country. So if that makes activists and activism bad, then sign me up!
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