Rep. Mike Coffman (CO-06) made news in January when he sprinted on the side door, leaving a meeting constituent gathering early rather than face questions about the Affordable Care Act. Four months later, Coffman faced the music, facing a capacity crowd at the University of Colorado.
From CNN:
A moderate hailing from a swing district, Coffman fielded more than 40 questions from Coloradans for almost two hours. Health care overwhelmingly dominated the at times raucous evening, as the congressman's constituents demanded to know why he backed a bill to gut Obamacare before it was yanked from the House floor.
More than once, Coffman was offered an ultimatum: You can side with us or side with the President.
One woman who described herself as a health care worker with pre-existing conditions said the health care bill that Trump endorsed would eliminate protections for people with medical histories.
"Are you going to side with Trump or are you going to ... stand with your constituents?" the woman wanted to know.
That sentiment was echoed throughout the night. The final question was gut-wrenching:
The tensions came to a head with the final question of the evening, from a woman who said her great-grandparents had died in Auschwitz. She expressed dismay at what she said was a "president who has anti-Semitic people" in high-ranking positions, and slammed White House press secretary Sean Spicer for saying Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad 's actions were worse than Adolf Hitler's.
In a somewhat surprising response, Coffman finally said he thought Spicer should be fired.
But the audience let it be known that it wanted no excuses about Spicer. Throwing up his hands, Coffman finally said about Spicer: "He needs to go."
If Coffman continues to tow the Trump and straight Republican line, he’ll be in real trouble in 2018. Hillary Clinton won his district by 9 points last fall.
Other highlights (or lowlights) from the town hall. On Trumpcare, which Coffman supported:
"I'm sorry to say I was shocked when you declared your intention to vote for the American Health Care Act," said Steven Haas, a 68-year-old lifelong registered Republican. "That is not the way we do things here in Colorado."
The crowd erupted in cheers.
Based on his party line voting, some in the crowd vowed not to vote for him again:
"I voted for you because I thought you'd be a leader," said one angry constituent. "I don't see you leading."
Video from the town hall: