On Tuesday, Feb. 21, U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, representing Southwest Washington’s 3rd District, did something shameful. Numerous constituent groups in her district had requested an in-person town hall during the Congressional recess to express their concerns over Trump administration policies and actions.
But, she chose not to conduct an in-person event. And, she chose not to show up at a peaceful rally that day outside her Vancouver office, where 200 people stood in the rain to make their voices heard.
Instead of doing these things, Herrera Beutler chose to hold a telephone town hall that Tuesday evening where she literally gave no advance notice. If you were one of the people who had previously signed up on her website to receive a town hall “notification,” you got an automated phone call at 7:12 Tuesday evening that a telephone town hall was in progress and that you could simply stay on the line.
My cell phone ringer was turned off, so I missed the call, and there was no way to dial back and join the call. I later heard from others who were on the call that questions were screened by her staff, so not everyone got to ask a question.
In a real town hall, the member of Congress has the courage to face her constituents in person, engage with them, really hear their concerns, and provide answers. This process is called democracy. It is about respecting constituents — including those with different political views — and honoring their need to express their deepest concerns. It is about understanding that when constituents appear angry, it’s because they’re deeply afraid that their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is being threatened like never before.
Unfortunately, Herrera Beutler doesn’t seem to want to engage with her constituents in such a democratic process. Is she afraid of what people will say, afraid of what they will ask her, afraid to look bad in front of people who disagree with her, afraid that she won’t have good answers to their questions?
And, how is it that she had time to host a fundraising luncheon with a politically friendly crowd on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at the Skamania Lodge, but she didn’t have time to face her Vancouver constituents? Only Herrera Beutler can answer these questions.
Let’s hope she reflects on her actions of this week and musters the courage to face her constituents in the near future. But, if she doesn’t, there’s always the 2018 election for constituents to make their voices heard.
