As the Boulder Daily Camera’s Jennifer Rios reports–this weekend, Rep. Jared Polis of Boulder held two public in-person town hall events in Broomfield and Fort Collins, both by all accounts highly successful and packed to the proverbial gills:
A warm welcome and words of gratitude greeted Rep. Jared Polis in Broomfield where the congressman answered community questions at the first of two town halls Sunday.
A mariachi group serenaded the approximately 1,000 constituents from Broomfield, Boulder, Longmont, Erie, Lafayette and Louisville who formed a line outside the Broomfield High School gymnasium.
Polis, who represents the 2nd congressional district, gave a short address before turning microphones over to residents who asked questions on topics that ranged from education and health care to the environment, as well as general fears and disdain about the Donald Trump administration.
And the Loveland Reporter-Herald’s Saja Hindi reports from Fort Collins:
Earlier, he held a town hall in Broomfield that drew 1,000 attendees. The CSU event attracted 800.
“So many people are engaged and worried about what’s going on or want to know what’s going on,” Polis said in an interview.
Despite the Republican majority in both houses of Congress and the White House, Polis told attendees at the event that he’s working on several bipartisan bills and said he would work with the president if there’s a way on tax policy and infrastructure.
However, that doesn’t mean he doesn’t hold serious concerns, ones that attendees at the event appeared to share from their questions — the repeal of the Affordable Care Act and replacement with one many won’t be able to afford; anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim rhetoric and policies; taking a step back on LGBTQ equal rights; and defunding Planned Parenthood; among others.
And with that, Rep. Polis just showed up every other member of Colorado’s congressional delegation! Polis isn’t the only Colorado congressional representative who makes a point of retail politicking–Rep. Ed Perlmutter regularly holds his “Government in the Grocery” outreach events as well, and Rep. Diana DeGette regularly engages locally including a press conference today in Denver on the future of the Affordable Care Act. Although GOP Rep. Scott Tipton hasn’t held any in-person town hall events since the beginning of he year, Tipton did show up unannounced to an in-absentia town hall in Paonia organized by the Indivisible group.
But as of now, Polis has set the standard that every other representative in both parties should live up to. That includes both of Colorado’s U.S. Senators. Yes, he faced a friendlier audience than a Republican would today, and found common ground with attendees where Republicans would meet with hostility.
But this, as much as anything, is their job.
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My wife and I attended the one in Broomfield yesterday. It's difficult to overstate how good Polis is at these things. Yesterday's crowd was large and friendly, but well do I recall another town hall we attended back in 2009 that was quite different. At that time, what became the Affordable Care Act was still percolating through Congress, and town hall meetings were astroturfed to the gun'les with shrieking teabilly idiots. Polis answered every last one of their questions and comments with courtesy and professionalism, displaying an encyclopedic knowledge of the relevant facts in the process. Polis earned my respect that day, and he's had it ever since.
Liberal congressman hosts liberal town hall for liberal constituents to genuflect. How does this relate to anything Republicans are doing again? Apples and oranges. Republicans are not obligated to subject themselves to liberal abuse.
Sack up and face your constituents – ALL of your constituents – or find new employment.
If the shoe were on the other foot (as it was 8 years ago), you'd be screaming bloody murder. Your politics aren't what's contemptible, your rank hypocrisy is.
Oh, there is plenty of contempt to go around. I certainly have some for Moldy's policies, which consist of kissing Trump's keister 24/7.
picies?
Policies. Though his picies stink too.
Right, and no "conservatives" showed up because there was a machine gun-wielding guard out front interrogating every attendees' ideology to screen out undesirables?
You really don't have a clue about this sort of thing, do you?
Moldyanus you cowardly, sniveling, snowflake. Democrats took it on the chin 8 years ago and put up with Conservative Republican abuse. Because they knew these people who were yelling were their constituents too. I know your sense of Republican Entitlement doesn't register anything outside of your stupidity, but yes. Mike Coffman and Cory Gardner are beholden to their more liberal constituents too.
Besides, your side invented town hall abuse.
Let's not forget the taint your side brings to any discussion, Moldy.
Candidate Klingenschmitt claims Rep. Jared Polis wants to execute Christians
These are your people, you brave little man.
Jealous, little snowflake? Of course you are. Pathetic wimp.
Fluffy, my dear, you are an affront to humanity.
It doesn't…Republicans aren't doing anything. Unless you call running around in circles lying their asses off and trying desperately to blame this bullshit on someone else, doing something. Own this, asshole.
You and every moron that voted for Trump. You knew he is a puppet of the Russians. You knew he is a barely literate, marginally educated, sociopath that would allow the wealthiest people in this nation to rake in even more tax savings while condemning thousands of poor people to death. You knew it and voted for the soulless megalomaniac anyway.
Trump care is going to kill a lot of people. You are good with that. Amirite?
Pretty much. Not only is Moldy good with it. He WANTS it. Because Trump is his kinda guy.
And remember, in Moldy's twisted view, back in 2009 "Nothing Was Wrong with our Healthcare system", when there were 20 million people without health insurance, 45,000 of whom would die each year as a result, not to mention tens of thousands of medically-induced bankruptcies,
Moldy laughs and says "I got mine, sucker"
Once again, Moderatus' bullshit makes ya'll slobber like Pavlov's dogs and ya'll fall for it again.
not a very flattering picture you paint of us, CHB. Is there some less stupid and slobbery way we should respond…?..not at all? Help us out….
Personally, I think Moldy likes contributing to the revenue the Guvs pull in with higher click counts. I'm happy to do the same and taking a free swing at Moldy in exchange 🙂
Chb advocates the "starve the trolls" theory. Personally, I think a dull witted adversary helps us hone our arguments.
he certainly provides a slow-moving target.
Well, there is that ("dull witted adversary"), and I myself occasionally have fallen for the "bait" to reply to Moderatus, Andrew, and Passionate Prune. But, in general, it's beneath my principals to engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed person.
decent of you, sir..
To me it is sport….akin to trapshooting, I think.
I just find my Pols experience to be more enjoyable without the Pompous Pyrus interjections. PP's comments tend to be very predictable, mean-spirited, and often sexist and demeaning.So I just "poof" them out , via Psuedo's nifty little browser extension.
Moldy and AC occasionally surprise me – so when I see something that looks like an actual policy or factual debate happening, I might jump in for grins.
I'm always on the alert for the rare and endangered "bipartisan agreement" on an issue.
Failing to confront bigoted, willfully ignorant people directly is what got us into this mess in the first place.