Thursday, February 23, 2017

Town Hall 2017: Flashback to 2009

So, you're a Republican Representative or Senator in 2017 and all you want to do is hold a Town Hall meeting.  Press the flesh.  Sell yourself.  Reassure your constituents they are the only reason you get out of bed in the morning.

And instead showing you proper deference and respect, instead of conducting themselves with due decorum, whole swaths of the hoi polloi only want to shout you down and express their frustration that Donald J. Trump is President of the United States.

Man (or woman, as the case may be), that must really suck.

In fact, just about this time eight years ago the tables were reversed.  Hordes of Tea Party supporters and other rational minded Americans showed up at primarily Democrat sponsored Town Halls to express their outrage at the health care plan that was taking shape and eventually shoved through with zero support from the Republican side of the aisle.  Some of you may well have participated in those protests.  Many no doubt applauded Americans exercising their First Amendment rights to give their servants in Washington a piece of their mind.

Servants?  That's right, servants.  Too quickly, elected officials from the United States Capitol all the way down to the smallest Town Council seem to forget they are public servants, not exalted lords and ladies bestowed with wisdom beyond the ken of the masses.

Remember that:  You, Senator, and you, Representative, are a public servant sent to Washington to serve the best interests of your constituents and your country.  Not to get re-elected.  Not to enrich yourself beyond your wildest childhood mud-hut imaginings.  Not to line up a "job" with a think tank or Fortune 50 company.  Your job description is Servant.

So serve.  Don't run and hide.  Don't complain that folks showing up at the Town Halls you host are mean or unruly.  It has happened before, and it will happen again.  Right now, it is happening to you.  Suck it up, Buttercup.

There are fair and very reasonable steps you can take to maintain some degree of order.  You represent a very specific district or state.  When you hold a meeting open to your constituents it is very reasonable to exclude those who do not reside within your district or state.  Require photo identification indicating a residential address within the borders of your area of representation in order to gain access to the meeting.  This will eliminate many of the concerns that have been raised about protesters being brought in from distant points to disrupt your proceedings.  If you are the Representative from Wyoming there is no reason you should entertain residents of Chicago, or Los Angeles, or New York.  They have their own representatives and should raise their concerns in those appropriate venues.

Once you have exercised proper and reasonable gate control though, stand up and be an adult.  Those folks are your constituents, whether they voted for you or not.  You are obligated to represent all of them, not just the ones who make you feel good.  You can't do that of you won't grant them a fair hearing.  Once you have heard them out, know who you are.  Own your positions and explain your actions.  Be patient.  You may be shouted down or derided.  Steadfastly explain your positions and motivations between the outbursts.  You may not change any minds, and you certainly won't enjoy many of the insults directed at you.  At least you won't be labeled a coward, too unprincipled or afraid to face those you are charged with effectively representing.

You're the one who signed up for politics.  If you wanted soothing you could have taken on an easier career such as high school teacher for delinquent students or battlefield sapper.  And if you still aren't happy, were you aware you aren't required to run for re-election or even serve out the entirety of your current term?

No comments:

Post a Comment