The constituents of Congressman Dave Brat (VA-07) have been asking him to hold a town hall so they can voice their opinions to him about the Affordable Care Act and other timely topics. Time and time again, Brat ignored their request and they finally set up a Facebook page called 7th District Town Hall Meeting. All they want is for their representative to quit ignoring them. From the organizer of the Facebook page:
“I voted for him over [former Rep. Eric] Cantor. I voted for [John] McCain. And I’m a millennial so I’m an anomaly,” she says. “I’m not one of these married housewives that he seems to be making fun of in his video. I’m a professional and a taxpayer.
Speaking at a private tea party event in his district, Brat complained:
“The women are in my grill no matter where I go,” Brat said at an event Saturday. “They come up, and say, ‘When’s your next town hall?’ And believe me, it’s not to give positive input.”
Get used to it, buddy. He said there was a network of 100 million church-goers that needed to organize to support the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Hard to imagine Jesus would want to repeal health care from 20+ million people. He implored his private audience to help him:
“Help us message, and help us write newspaper articles,” he says in the speech. “We're getting hammered ... right?”
Here’s the thing—the Facebook page, the video (which is going viral) and the relentless pressure from constituents is working. Dave Brat promised to hold a town hall meeting. He may have told the news crews that, but town hall organizers say they got a different message when they followed-up:
“We did not get a meeting,” Peters writes in a message on Monday. “Phil Rapp, his chief of staff, insists that in order to meet face to face with Rep. Brat, we must meet with him first. Even though I don't remember electing Mr. Rapp.”
KEEP AT IT. DON’T LET THEM HIDE IN THEIR CONGRESSIONAL OFFICES IN D.C.
Here is a list of scheduled town hall meetings with senators and congressional representatives. There are only around a dozen meetings listed. Click HERE to see if your elected official is hosting one near you. If not, ask for one. If they refuse (like my own senator, Roy Blunt) start your own Facebook page and stay on them. They may be hiding out in the halls of Congress, but they can’t stay there forever.