Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
- First Amendment to the United States Constitution (emphasis added)
Rep. Paul Ryan is confronted at a town hall meeting earlier this year. Ryan now charges $15 to attend meetings in his district (AP)
Our Constitution grants all citizens the right to “petition” elected officials with personal “grievances,” ensuring the ability of Americans to, theoretically at least, have a chance to voice their opinion on matters of importance and challenge their representatives when they feel mistakes have been made.
The embodiment of this comes in the modern form of the “town hall meeting” held by members of Congress a few times each year while they are on recess from Capitol Hill.
Nowhere in our most sacred document does it say that such a right to “petition” can exclude those that cannot pay a fee to attend a “town hall,” many times the only chance for ordinary citizens to meet face-to-face with their representatives. Constitutionality notwithstanding, pay-for-play has become the new normal for members of Congress headed home for recess breaks and wishing to avoid the wrath of an angry public.
With polls showing congressional approval levels at all-time lows of just above 10 percent, elected representatives are increasingly seeking ways to keep a low profile during their official visits to their home districts and are going to great lengths to keep the people that sent them to Washington at bay. In 2011, if you want a chance to “petition” your member of Congress face-to-face for a “redress of grievances,” it will cost you.
Politico reports that many House members are not hosting any public town hall meetings during their August recess, typically a time when the men and women from Capitol Hill go before their constituents and take praise, complaints, anger and pleas from the people of the United States.
Now, lawmakers are holding this right hostage to fees that voters must pay in order to get in to exclusive events designed for special interests, not the general public. With the economy in the worst shape it has been in decades, and unemployment near 10 percent, lawmakers charging for access seems designed purely to avoid constituents that are the most likely to need real help and have visceral anger at House members.
Constituents can only get to see their representative and ask them questions in person if they pay for tickets costing $15 up to as much as $35. Others are scrapping public events altogether, opting instead for pricey private functions with business leaders and lobbyists.
It will cost $15 to ask Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) a question in person during the August congressional recess.
The House Budget Committee chairman isn’t holding any face-to-face open-to-the-public town hall meetings during the recess, but like several of his colleagues he will speak only for residents willing to open their wallets.
Ryan, who took substantial criticism from his southeast Wisconsin constituents in April after he introduced the Republicans’ budget proposal, isn’t the only member of congress whose August recess town hall-style meetings are strictly pay-per-view.
Rep. Ben Quayle (R-Ariz.) is scheduled to appear Aug. 23 at a luncheon gathering of the Arizona Republican Lawyers Association. For $35, attendees can question Quayle and enjoy a catered lunch at the Phoenix office of the Snell & Wilmer law firm.
And Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) took heat in Duluth this weekend for holding private events in his district’s population and media center — including a $10-per-head meeting to be hosted next week by the local chapter of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, which on its invitation notes that the organization “supported Chip in his stunning upset over longtime Congressman Jim Oberstar in the 2010 election.”
A complete sampling of public town halls held by congressional lawmakers shows how endemic the rush for privacy has become. Scared away by the specter of angry voters and bad publicity, a whopping 60 percent of House members are not holding a single event free and open to the public.
And it’s not even close to a partisan phenomenon, with over 50 percent of both Democrats and Republicans in the House refusing to take public questions from voters, choosing instead to stay close to their partisan bases of support.
Nearly 60 percent of House lawmakers are not holding free, open-to-the-public town halls during the August break, according to a survey released Monday from the nonpartisan group No Labels.
The organization’s members dialed every House member’s office and found that 174 – or about 40.5 percent – were holding public events, while 256 – or about 59.5 percent – were not. Democrats were more likely to shun town halls, with 68 percent of them not holding any, compared to about 51 percent of House GOP who were avoiding them.
“Our concern is that elected officials are only hearing from their respective partisan bases and will not expose themselves to criticism,” said No Labels co-founder William Galston, who is a former policy adviser to President Bill Clinton. “Politics is about competing ideas, and everyone should have a seat at the table.”
As more members of Congress close down their public meetings and retreat behind closed doors, it gives cover to other House lawmakers to do the same.
Freshman Rep. Lou Barletta (R) from Pennsylvania, who denounced his opponent in last November’s election for not holding public town hall events, shrugged off the anger over his decision not to host a public event during the August recess. “What other elected officials are having town hall meetings?”, Barletta said, claiming that angry constituents disrupted meetings earlier this year.
“I want to reach out to all of these groups to hear their concerns and to let them know what is being done on their behalf in Washington,” Barletta said. “Obviously the political fires are very high here right now.”
Barletta was referring to the protests that have been going on asking, “Lou, where are the jobs?” He said he has tried to hold town hall meetings, but hecklers have made them so disruptive that he can’t get his message out.
“What other elected officials are having town hall meetings?” Barletta asked. “How can you blame someone who has been in office for eight months why no jobs are coming here? I hope these protesters are asking all elected officials, especially those that have been in office for years, what they are doing to bring jobs here.”
I am continually amazed at just how cowardly these people are. What a POS.
I’m past the point where my anger is directed primarily at republican politicians. If citizens want to elect representatives who treat them with such contempt, it’s time to be angry at the citizens.
Charging money for a town hall? That takes some balls. Only the most craven citizens imaginable would vote for someone like him. Citizens who are not deserving of democracy.
Your taxes pay their salary; you pay again to ask them a question. How very Republican!
The ideal for the GOP is this: you pay their salaries, perks, travels, staff etc with your tax money.
Then you pay separately for each and every tiny little ‘favor’ they deign to grant you.
We must remove these Koch Think Tanker Tea Party Congressmen from our government or we wont have a gov for the people but for corporate interests.. They so balantly advise us that they are in position to protect the top 2% of this country and not the citizens. They sign “pledges” to a non elected individual, Norquist, to determine our tax policyl..Who voted for him? Why is he controlling our blockhead politicians?
The tea party needs removed from any working part of the government….
The best thing about the Unprincipled Progressive is the almost unfathomably low level if IQ posessed by respondents. Hey Scott Soto, did you actually read the post? I know, there was a picture of Paul Ryan. But it was pointed out that it is far from a partisan phenomenon, in fact, far more Democrats were avoiding town halls than Republicans.
And the witless judy mccracken! Invoking “Koch Think Tanker Tea Party Congressman!” What the heck does that mean!? I guess you learned about the Koch Brothers during the recent Democrat riots in Wisconsin when the Unprincipled Progressive demonized Herr Scott Walker. That was when the Democrat Legislature in Wisconsin didn’t stop at just avoiding town hall meetings; they fled the whole doggone state in order to prevent a vote on pending legislation they knew they would lose! And you are invoking the Koch Brothers and Republicans and the Tea Party as some kind of embodiment of the avoidance of town hall meetings? judy, you are really stupid!
At least President OCarter is honest about it. Anybody can get into His town hall meeting fundraisers. Unlike Paul Ryan, who charges $15, President OCarter wants $35,000!
“Spike,” “judy,” “Scott,”… You all miss the point. American democracy is being eroded by both of the corporate political powers in this country. Democrat or Republican, our “elected” representatives are fighting for the corporate interests of their political benefactors and against the rights and freedoms of the people. We need a political revolution that sweeps corrupt insiders of both parties out of the way, from the White House to the state house. The two “major” political parties in America are broken. We need a third way. Go Green!
Hey Green Party. Literally billions in taxpayer subsidies are funneled to corporations under the fraud of “green jobs.” Where does that fit in with your fight against corporate interests?
Why the snarky reference to our “elected” representatives? Do you have a better idea? Hey, I know, we can appoint them! Since nobody will vote for him (and he has no real value to society) we should appoint Van Jones! And Al Gore, too, because even though he stands to amass unimaginable wealth as a result of his financial interest in Green intervention in energy markets, he IS trying to save the planet and all!
Well, well, well. The Tea Party troll is back! We have to forgive Spike. He is clearly just another embittered soul angry with his own pathetic existence and taken into the clutches of the teabagger movement out of fear and personal rage.
You guys are always bragging about how you’re going to “protect” the Constitution. Try reading the friggin thing first. The 1st amendment gives every citizens the right to “petition” the jokers they send to Washington every two years. Paul Ryan and the other teabag fools are engaging in unconstitutional behavior just so they can hide from angry constituents. You see what happened when “Kill Medicare” Ryan held a town hall in april? Guy was booed out of the building and ran away through a back door. Of course, you wouldn’t know. Probably wasn’t covered on “fair and balanced” Fox. They were too busy thinking up more racist jokes to use against our president.
Mission accomplished!! I was able to lure the witless atl out into the open!!
Don’t really see how Paul Ryan, or any other proponents of mainstream Tea Party thought, are advocating anything unconstitutional.
Don’t really get your point about the Constitution and First Amendment and Paul Ryan. He attended a Town Hall meeting, even though he had courageously dared to propose a fairly logical and reasoned proposal to address the issue of our unsustainable Medicare system, which threatens to consume the entire U.S. Budget, during our lifetimes, if we don’t do something about it.
Ryan certainly got an earful during the town meeting; not sure if he actually was “booed out of the building” or if he literally “ran away through the back door.” Probably just an embellishment on your part.
The point of the original Priciples Progressive post that started the whole discussion was that many of our elected representatives are avoiding Town Hall meetings with their constituents; which makes the fact that Ryan was willing to show up a face a hostile crowd all the more admirable.
In fact, in the last few years it has largely been the Tea Party that has accounted for much of the increased attendance at Town Hall meetings, and the media scrutiny they have received. So if indeed participation in meetings with our elected representatives is a good thing, then good for the Tea Party.
For the record, I’m as appalled as anyone anytime I hear racist innuendo cast in the direction of President OCarter. I’m as opposed to that kind of dialogue as anyone.
Well, that’s about it atl, hope that clears everything up. Speaking of which, how’s that new acne medicine your mom’s got you on working out for you?
You are such a small minded person, Spike. Do you have any brains up there? Wait. If you did, you wouldn’t be hanging out with the teabaggers!
“…which makes the fact that Ryan was willing to show up a face a hostile crowd all the more admirable.”
Paul Ryan is RUNNING AWAY from his constituents and not holding ANY public town hall meetings. He was booed out of his April town halls. No “embellishment” there, hopeful as you are that you might be right.
It was the teabagger caucus that started this town hall craze with their astroturfed assault parties, bused in on the Kochs dime and drowning out real debate. So the teabagger fascists were elected, based on this lie. Now that ordinary folks are really pissed off, not just paid to fake it, our new lords of Capitol Hill run away, are nowhere to be seen, and cannot take their proverbial “own medicine.”
Gosh atl, we seem to have a disagreement.
Best as I can tell, the thrust of your argument is that Republicans are teabagger Fascist thugs financed by the Koch brothers to prevent open dialogue at town hall meetings. And now those hypocrite Republicans, now that “ordinary folks” (you must have learned that phrase from OCarter!!) are “really pissed off” (at who!?! OCarter’s favorable rating is at 39%!!) “run away, are nowhere to be seen, and cannot take their proverbial ‘own medicine.’
The point of the original post is that many of our elected representatives are avoiding town hall meetings.
From the original post that started this discussion, “Democrats were more likely to shun town halls, with 68% of them not holding any, compared to about 51% of House GOP who were avoiding them.”
So the facts seem to work against your argument that Republicans are the prime offender in avoiding Town Hall meetings.