People are giving Ben Cline and other House Republicans h-e-double-hockeysticks for fleeing their congressional districts last weekend for the Ritz-Carlton in Key Biscayne, which, I mean, come on, give ‘em a break.
Sure, they could do the town hall-back-in-the district thing, but that’s what low-level staffers are for, amirite, Ben?
And anyway, we all know what would happen if they stayed home and did the town hall thing.
They’d be overrun by “paid protestors,” is what.
“The videos you saw the town halls were for paid protesters in many of those places,” House Speaker Mike Johnson told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.
“Paid ‘troublemakers’ are attending Republican Town Hall Meetings. It is all part of the game for the Democrats,” Donald Trump posted on his money-losing social-media site.
The Speaker and the Felon have no reason to mislead us on this.
To his credit, Cline stopped short of saying the people protesting outside his office and taking over a mobile office hours are “paid protestors” or “paid troublemakers” – just short, but still, short.
ICYMI
“The staffers on site, who are residents of the Sixth District, were subjected to what amounted to a Democratic campaign rally,” Cline wrote on Facebook, by way of explaining what happened at a mobile office hours event in Waynesboro last week, which involved him sending a couple of staffers to a library to catch heck on his behalf.
The language in the Facebook post echoed a tweet from Feb. 6 in which Cline wrote about being “fed up with the scripted outrage of the Left & their lies about DOGE.”
I mean, yeah, maybe if Cline and other House Republicans would actually meet their constituents face-to-face, they’d perhaps come to realize that the “outrage” isn’t “scripted” – that people are legitimately upset about the price of eggs, their Social Security and Medicaid being threatened, the Trump tariffs roiling the markets, the obeisance to Russia making us materially less safe.
On the other hand, I can see the value of a weekend in Florida with lobbyists with checkbooks and ink pens.
It’s hard, really hard, being a member of the House.
You have to start running for re-election practically the moment you’re sworn in, and that money doesn’t grow on trees.
Susan Swecker, the chair of the Democratic Party of Virginia, comes across as a bit harsh, if you ask me, when she points this all out.
“Virginia’s House Republicans are hiding from their constituents and failing in their duty to serve as they raise prices, lay off Virginians, and attempt to gut funding for critical programs. But they are showing their true colors – cowards who are afraid to face the very people they swore to represent and be accountable to,” Swecker said.
“Virginians deserve better than these out-of-touch leaders who are more interested in protecting their political careers than addressing the needs of their communities,” Swecker said.
See what I say about “harsh”?
She’s also right, but that’s beside the point.
All Ben Cline is guilty of is going to Florida, enjoying the great weather, schmoozing with lobbyists.
It’s not like he skipped out on a town hall so that he could sip fruity drinks against a backdrop of palm trees and ocean breezes.
Joke’s on you for thinking he skipped out on his constituents – Ben Cline didn’t have a town hall on the schedule last weekend.
He already did a couple of town halls in November, another one back in May, two others back in … April.
There are only 365 days in a year – well, last year was a leap year, so, 366.
Who do you think he is, Superman?
He gets out and about, is what I’m saying.
Ben Cline is a busy guy, hanging out with Elon Musk and all.
Give the guy a break, is my point.
He’ll get around to us eventually.
Share
Chris Graham
