Town Halls of Horrors 0

At another internet place I frequent, a discussion of Republican Congresspersons’ town halls has been going on the past few days. Someone from another country known for its cheese and roast beef requested clarification. I like my response so much that I will share it. You can follow this link for the full discussion.

This should give you plenty of reading material.

The short version is that it’s a relatively recent tradition that US Congresscritters during extended recesses hold open meetings for constituents. These are commonly referred to as “town halls,” though they are not town halls in any sense related to municipal governance.

During the February recess (which can be recognized by the fact that Congresscritters are doing nothing in their districts, as opposed to doing nothing in Washington, D. C.), these meetings have not been going well for some Congresscritters, particularly those who have committed to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Some have ducked out of, restricted attendance to, or canceled these meetings because they do not want to converse with or be confronted by constituents opposed to their points of view.

In the US, this is referred to as “representative government.”