March 01, 2017 12:25 PM UTC

Tallying Town Halls: When Mere Math Misses The Point

• 13 Comments
• by: Colorado Pols

We’ve gotten a few queries today about a story that aired on 9NEWS last night, in which political reporter Brandon Rittiman announced the results of a “study” they had performed on the number of town halls held by Colorado’s federal elected officials in recent years:

Coloradans from across the state have accused Republican lawmakers of ducking their duties by refusing to hold town hall meetings.

Sen. Cory Gardner (R-Colorado) has faced the brunt of these attacks. His constituents have posted missing persons signs and held a “with or without you” town hall in Denver that featured a cardboard cutout of the senator.

The accusation grabbed the attention of our Verify Team, so we decided to investigate whether Colorado’s Republican senators and representatives are ducking town halls…

And the result, as 9NEWS’ Kyle Clark was excited to relay to the Twitters, is in theory great news for Sen. Cory Gardner:

Which member of Congress from Colorado holds the fewest town halls? @BrandonRittiman does a tally for us on #HeyNext. #9NEWS #copolitics pic.twitter.com/ScvS9PVAVO

— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) February 28, 2017

That’s right! Between 2014 and today, Sen. Michael Bennet has in fact held fewer town hall meetings than Sen. Cory Gardner. It should probably be noted that Gardner was a U.S. Senate candidate in 2014, which may have made him more inclined to hold town halls. Even so, this is a data point in the heated debate over Republican lawmakers’ accountability to the public since Donald Trump took office, and Colorado Republicans have eagerly seized on Rittiman’s story to turn back criticism of Gardner.

The question is, is the number of town halls held in the last three years even what matters?

In terms of numbers of town halls, both in-person and remote, there hasn’t been a tectonic shift in the number being held in Colorado.

What has changed is the person in the Oval Office and the balance of power in Congress.

So, when protestors complain about Gardner and Coffman ducking town halls, what they seem to want is more opportunities than before to challenge the side that won. [Pols emphasis]

Which is exactly the point, and the point negates the whole premise of this exercise. Right now, protesters are marching on Gardner’s offices, not Bennet’s, because Gardner’s party is the party setting the agenda in Washington. It is President Trump, Sen. Gardner, and majority Republicans who are preparing to repeal the Affordable Care Act, defund Planned Parenthood, and make far-reaching changes to the nation’s immigration system.

Would it be better if every elected official held regular public meetings–even if they’re not always pleasant? Yes.

Is it worse for majority Republicans to not be holding public meetings right now than minority Democrats? Yes.

Betsy Markey, the former member of Congress who was defeated in 2010 for re-election by Cory Gardner, said it best:

Cory Gardner is a hypocrite. In the 2010 CD-4 Congressional campaign, Cory repeatedly bashed me for not holding enough town hall meetings…

I held 13 of them during the August recess alone, all focused on healthcare. 13 boisterous meetings with my constituents – it was my job. Cory has refused to hold even one town hall this recess while his constituents are waiting. [Pols emphasis]

Grow a pair and do your job Cory.

Just like in 2009, the party in power is the one that faces the music.

And if they refuse? Just like in 2010, there will be a price to pay.