No Town Hall? No Problem

GOP members of Congress are in retreat. Time for some Good Trouble.

This morning I read the account of a fellow Oklahoman who had just contacted her Republican U.S. representative’s office. She called to complain about the cancellation of the representative’s local Town Hall. The staff member who answered the phone hung up on her.

As has been widely reported, GOP Congressional leadership has advised their caucus to put their cowardice on display by boycotting Town Halls, a staple of our democratic tradition.

Constituent Town Halls provide ordinary Americans a venue to praise, confront, and question the representatives they elected to work on their behalf. These events also provide members of Congress a captive audience of engaged voters likely to turn out at the next election. [It is a cynical truth to observe that Town Halls function primarily in service of lawmakers’ reelection campaigns-in-perpetuity.]

CYNICISM IS ‘WINNING’

What is behind this retreat from voters the “representatives” represent? [Sadly, quotation marks are hereby required.] We’re getting some wild excuses – outside agitators [always a winner] crashing Town Halls, extremists conspiring to displace more complacent attendees, and other lame blather.

Constituents across the country have been using Town Halls to do exactly what they’re supposedly designed for: to express their concerns, to ask pointed questions, and to make requests of the people they elected to represent their interests. I mean, hey, there’s a lot going on before our astounded eyes.

We are watching, mouths agape, at the Trump Administration’s wrecking ball as it swings into programs and institutions we rely on. [VA, anyone? WIC, anyone? Medical research, anyone?]

Quick studies, we have learned that their overworn catchphrase – “eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse;” a legitimate goal if it were real – is neither praiseworthy nor trustworthy. It is a stomach-turning, fraudulent misnomer for the worst impulses of reckless governance.

FORGET THE ALAMO – REMEMBER THE CONSTITUTION!

We embrace the premise that our republic is a representative democracy. During times of upheaval, we look to the people we elected to Congress. What are we seeing? In Republican districts [which encompass the whole of Oklahoma], through both action and inaction, we’re seeing inexplicable support for the chaos.

The GOP caucus walks in lockstep with the White House, spouting their nonsensical talking points while leading us off the edge of a cliff. Glibly and without conscience, they justify the poorly executed and routinely unconstitutional policies that Trump, his henchmen and puppeteers are blasting through the firehose.

Gee! It’s almost as if they’re conspiring with the Executive Branch to engineer a national implosion. I guess this makes them feel important.

SO ABOUT THOSE TOWN HALLS …

Clearly, Congress is colluding with Trump to normalize instability. No surprise, then, that alarmed constituents are showing up in higher numbers at Congressional town halls. Many are exasperated by the never-ending “WTF?!” moments of our government’s gross malpractice.

House Speaker Mike Johnson thinks we’re stupid. He has endorsed a conspiracy theory that “Soros-paid protestors” are behind the rise in volume at public meetings. Sadly, the minions in his caucus are following his script as they justify avoiding public appearances where they might be … what? Embarrassed? Challenged? Asked for real answers? Asked to do something? Their mealy-mouthed excuses parrot Johnson’s.

What an arrogant premise: if people are showing up to Town Halls in higher numbers, and making critical remarks, they must be plants. Wake up, Congresspeople! Your own constituents of all stripes are rightly horrified. Who wouldn’t want to confront their representative about the unfolding national crisis? Our elected officials need reminding that “crisis management,” while an essential skill set for any leader, does not refer to manufacturing one. What better place to voice that reminder than at a Town Hall?

But the Republican Members of Congress are in full retreat.

‘THIS CONSTITUENTS’ TOWN HALL IS NOW IN SESSION!’

So, what to do? Here is a step-by-step plan:

1. Call the local district office of your Republican representative. Ask for details on the legislator’s next scheduled town hall.

2. [A] If there is a Town Hall scheduled, plan to attend. Get the word out. Prepare your questions and speaking points. Keep them polite, sharp, and brief, no longer than three minutes. Practice until your message is memorized. Encourage other constituents to do the same, and commit to attend. Then attend.

[B] If there is no Town hall planned, as expected, inform the person on the phone that some constituents will be preparing to convene their own Town Hall. Ask for a convenient date, time, and place for the Congressperson and/or staff to attend, as they will certainly be invited. If staff are unable or unwilling to provide input on behalf of the “representative,” or if they are less than welcoming, let them know you will consult with other constituents to select the venue and date/time. Promise to call the Congressional office back to inform them – along with media outlets – of the details. Invite them to plan to attend, with or without their boss.

3. Form a Town Hall task force [it can be just two or three neighbors] to select a date and a time. The location is predetermined: in front of the lawmaker’s local office. Using social media, phone trees, group texts, email networks, and word of mouth, get the word out. Explain the plan. Encourage creativity in messaging. Prepare a sign-up list. Include various forms of expression: signs [“I Ain't Scary!”/ “What Are You Afraid Of?”], chants [“Grow a Spine or Resign!”], brief speeches, pertinent poetry, resistance songs, dance, and questions for the member of Congress in abstentia.

4. Appoint an emcee who will be in charge of timekeeping, opening and closing the meeting [“This constituents’ Town Hall is hereby in session!”], and managing transitions between speakers.

5. Designate a media spokesperson – or designate, in the spirit of the event, everyone as media spokespersons – to explain the purpose of the meeting, the lack of direct access to the “representative,” and the demand for all members of Congress to uphold their oaths of office. This is, by design, a nonpartisan, non-extremist message.

6. Bonus tip: Assuming the member of Congress is not in attendance, a volunteer “stand-in” [a representative for the “representative”], can stand near the podium with duct-tape covering his/her mouth. Speakers can then direct their comments and questions to the stand-in, who will of course say nothing. The stand-in will shrug whenever addressed. He or she will be wearing a sign or T-shirt that says, “Sorry! My Hands Are Tied!” The stand-in's hands, visible to the constituents, will be loosely wrapped in a dainty ribbon.

Let’s call out the cowardice of lawmakers avoiding constituents and abdicating their role in our system of checks and balances. Call this what it is: contributing to the mayhem and undermining the Constitution.

Be focused. Be creative. Be vocal. In the words and spirit of the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis – a true representative – it's time to Make Good Trouble.