Over 200 Republicans decided to hide from constituents next week instead of hosting town halls

Walter Einenkel

Daily Kos Staff

Friday February 17, 2017 · 3:13 PM PST

2017/02/17 · 15:13

You just stay safely behind your throne, er, I mean desk.

This is the weekend that congressmen and congresswomen return to their districts, leaving the smoky rooms of Washington, D.C., behind to be with the constituency they are supposed to represent. You know, the people who gave them their job. For Republicans this is problematic since now more than ever, it’s apparent that they have never planned on representing anyone but big money interests.

For the first two months of the new Congress, the 292 Republicans have scheduled just 88 in-person town hall events — and 35 of those sessions are for Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner of Wisconsin, according to a tabulation conducted by Legistorm. In the first two months of the previous Congress in 2015, by contrast, Republicans held 222 in-person town hall events.

Maybe these elected officials don’t want to have to answer questions like why they’ve stonewalled attempts to make the president release his tax return information, even though the majority of the American people want this to happen. Citizens are going out of their way to make it known to their elected officials that they must be heard. Whether it is driving an extraordinary distance to find their officials, or just putting up fliers in the hopes of some good samaritan finding their lost official, activists and regular citizens are fed up with the duck-and-cover mentality.

Congress is on February recess, and members are back in their home districts. Let them know in no uncertain terms that tolerance of Trump's hateful agenda is unacceptable and politically toxic.

Over 200 Republicans decided to hide from constituents next week instead of hosting town halls

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