GOP Town Halls Drawing Raucous Crowds Demanding Answers On Health Law
In meetings across the country, constituents are showing up in droves to make their voices heard.
The Washington Post:
Swarming Crowds And Hostile Questions Are The New Normal At GOP Town Halls
Republicans in deep-red congressional districts spent the week navigating massive crowds and hostile questions at their town hall meetings — an early indication of how progressive opposition movements are mobilizing against the agenda of the GOP and President Trump. Angry constituents swarmed events held by Reps. Jason Chaffetz (Utah), Diane Black (Tenn.), Justin Amash (Mich.) and Tom McClintock (Calif.). They filled the rooms that had been reserved for them; in Utah and Tennessee, scores of activists were locked out. Voters pressed members of Congress on their plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act, on the still-controversial confirmation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and even on a low-profile vote to disband an election commission created after 2000. (Snell, Schwartzman, Friess and Weigel, 2/10)
CNN:
The Folks Packing Republican Town Halls
These days, Deborah Johnson is on edge. She says she's worried she won't qualify for Social Security disability benefits, anxious about her middle son's recovery from a car accident last year, and feeling the pervasive effects of her complex post-traumatic stress disorder that dates back to an abusive childhood. But by her mid-morning coffee on a recent Thursday, Johnson was feeling pretty good. Her phone call to Republican Sen. Lamar Alexander's district office had gone through."I usually get a voicemail, but I talked to a staffer," Johnson, 39, told CNN at her home in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. "And I said I wanted a call back and he wouldn't take my number and I said, 'You're going to take my number. I'm one of his constituents.'" Her urgent message: Repealing Obamacare would devastate her family. (Lee, 2/13)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Pro-Obamacare Protest In Clermont County Goes Viral
Pro-Obamacare protests in Clermont County went viral Friday, as a woman attempted to interrupt a speech by U.S. Rep. Brad Wenstrup and dozens of other protesters gathered outside. Wenstrup, R-Columbia Tusculum, spoke Friday at the Clermont Chamber of Commerce luncheon, filling in for Sen. Rob Portman, a Terrace Park Republican. (Thompson, 2/11)
The Hill:
Sanders, Schumer Call For Nationwide Pro-ObamaCare Rallies
Sens. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Saturday called for nationwide rallies in support of ObamaCare, calling GOP efforts to repeal and replace the healthcare legislation “chaos.” “We are encouraging Democratic senators to lead rallies in their states. This is not a Democratic issue, a Republican issue or an Independent issue,” the senators said in a letter. (Shelbourne, 2/11)
