They are writing a healthcare bill in total secrecy, a bill that is deeply unpopular across party lines. Their constituents have been rightfully giving them an earful at town halls. One deranged man with a gun, a gun Republicans have pushed for people like him to limit legal access to for decades, shows up at a baseball field to commit a heinous, murderous spree—a vile act that was denounced by every single Democrat and Republican alike—and instead of talking about curtailing access to high-powered weapons of war, the emerging Republican solution to America’s violent mass murder problem is to stop having town halls. That’s what Rep. Lou Barletta (PA-11) told a Pennsylvania radio station:
Barletta was asked on
Pennsylvania radio station WILK by host Sue Henry if members of congress should "curtail" town halls "until we agree that we need to be more civil."
"I think absolutely. There's no question," Barletta answered.
He continued, "I've been at the end of some of those town halls where the police had to carry people out and I get concerned not only for your own safety, but for the safety of the people who are there, who actually come to be heard and even if you have an opposing opinion, that's great. That's what these events are for, but there's a level, you know, when people cross a line to actually inciting other people and when individual safety becomes an issue then the purpose of doing it is lost."
Rep. Barletta is the second congressman to make such a statement. Rep. Barry Loudermilk (R-GA) said the same yesterday:
"This is exactly why there's a lot of fear of even doing town halls at this point. Some of the things this guy is posting on Facebook—we get the same things and even worse.”
People coming to the town halls are upset because in many cases, their lives and their livelihoods are on the line with the Affordable Care Act repeal. All of these town halls have been recorded, audio and video, and the only threat facing Republicans at these town halls are the threats of losing their jobs. There has not been a single threat of violence from attendees. And, as others have noted, there is a great deal of security at most of these events already:
Do we need to start acting more civil? Sure. But for the party that has spent eight years demonizing, belittling, mocking and obstructing President Obama, Rep. Nancy Pelosi and Democrats in general, much of it through their own “fair and balanced” propaganda news network, to insist on civility now is a bitter pill to swallow. They are on the cusp of taking away health care from an estimated 24 million people, putting another 100+ million Americans with pre-existing conditions at risk. How civil is that? You want to make town halls more secure? Fine. Go right ahead. But do not take away the people’s right to voice their opinions to their elected leaders in person, especially when you are putting their very lives on the line. Don’t tread on our right to meet with our elected leaders in our own communities. That’s about as un-American as it gets.