Michigan Rep. Justin Amash got an earful from his constituents in a town meeting Tuesday, a standing-room-only affair in which dozens were turned away when the room reached capacity.
What drew such large numbers to a routine town hall meeting?
Judging by the about 250 packing the auditorium, it was to aggressively question the Michigan Republican about his stance on issues ranging from the repeal of the Affordable Care Act to climate change to immigration. […]
"Do you or do you not support the immediate repeal of the Affordable Care Act with or without a replacement?" one attendee asked.
When Amash answered, saying he expects the burden of replacing the federal law upon repeal to fall to individual state governments, the crowd erupted with dissent.
The congressman calmed the crowd, saying his support for federal repeal would be contingent on states first providing plans for replacement.
"You can have a repeal that is triggered by state replacement," he said. "In other words, you pass legislation to repeal. As states replace the legislation, then the repeal is triggered in that state. That is what I'm talking about."
That's a new one, that it's going to be the states' responsibility. Among all the hare-brained things we've heard from Republicans on a replacement plan, making the states do it hasn't been one of them. Amash was one of just a handful of House Republicans who did not vote for the budget resolution kicking off repeal—not because he has an abiding concern for the health of Americans, but because it spent too much money.
Amash joins fellow Republican Reps. Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington, Colorado’s Mike Coffman, and Texas’ Kevin Brady in having to face angry constituents who want their health care saved. Nothing will better force them to reconsider their zeal for repeal.
So keep it up, folks! Go to those town meetings. Make those phone calls. Raise your voice.