{"id":110,"date":"2011-08-24T05:15:38","date_gmt":"2011-08-24T11:15:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/?p=110"},"modified":"2011-08-24T05:47:32","modified_gmt":"2011-08-24T11:47:32","slug":"mojo-congress-has-an-answer-for-public-wrath-eliminate-town-halls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/?p=110","title":{"rendered":"MoJo:  Congress Has an Answer for Public Wrath: Eliminate Town Halls"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/motherjones.com\/mojo\/2011\/08\/paul-ryan-congress-town-hall\">http:\/\/motherjones.com\/mojo\/2011\/08\/paul-ryan-congress-town-hall<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The think tank No Labels called the offices of all 430 active members of Congress and found that 60 percent of them weren&#8217;t scheduling town hall meetings. According to <a href=\"http:\/\/nolabels.org\/blog\/60-congress-not-holding-town-halls\" target=\"_blank\">No Labels&#8217; analysis<\/a>, <strong>more Democrats than Republicans are shutting themselves off from their constituents: 68 percent of Dems and 51 percent of Republicans hadn&#8217;t planned a town hall during Congress&#8217; weeks-long summer break<\/strong>. (<a href=\"http:\/\/motherjones.com\/mojo\/2011\/08\/paul-ryan-congress-town-hall#list\">Click here<\/a> to see if your representative or senator is planning a town hall or not.)<\/p>\n<p>According to the linked list only one House member from Massachusetts is planning a Town Hall in August:<\/p>\n<p><strong>Massachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Niki Tsongas\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Yes<\/strong><br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John Olver\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Richard Neal\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Jim McGovern\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Barney Frank\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 John Tierney\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ed Markey\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 8\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mike Capuano\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 9\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stephen Lynch\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<br \/>\nMassachusetts\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 10\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 William Keating\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 D\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 No<\/p>\n<p>Not to be ignored, angry citizens, at least in one high profile district, <a href=\"http:\/\/thinkprogress.org\/economy\/2011\/08\/19\/299791\/unemployed-constituents-stage-sit-in-at-paul-ryans-office-to-protest-pay-for-access-town-halls\/\">have taken action<\/a> to get some attention. Last week, a handful of unemployed constituents organized a sit-in in GOP Rep. Paul Ryan&#8217;s office in Kenosha, Wisconsin, while 100 protesters picketed outside. Ryan in particular has <a href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=OGnE83A1Z4U\">drawn<\/a> heaps of <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2010\/08\/06\/opinion\/06krugman.html\">criticism<\/a> for his plan to eliminate Medicare as we know it and refashion Medicaid into a state-based block grant program. In the end, Ryan&#8217;s staff <a href=\"http:\/\/www.huffingtonpost.com\/2011\/08\/19\/paul-ryan-protesters-police_n_931508.html\">had police remove the protesters<\/a> from the office, which was done peacefully.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Ryan has made himself available during the recess\u2014but for a price. That&#8217;s right: Ryan and other lawmakers are now charging constituents to attend public events and ask them questions. Ryan wanted $15 a head. Rep. Dan Quayle\u00a0(R-Ariz.), <a href=\"http:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/stories\/0811\/61454.html\"><em>Politico<\/em> reported<\/a>, is charging $35 from attendees who want to ask him questions over a catered lunch at a Phoenix law firm. Rep. Chip Cravaack (R-Minn.) also wants money\u2014$10 a person\u2014to attend an his event, which is hosted by the National Federation of Independent Businesses.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>http:\/\/motherjones.com\/mojo\/2011\/08\/paul-ryan-congress-town-hall &#8220;The think tank No Labels called the offices of all 430 active members of Congress and found that 60 percent of them weren&#8217;t scheduling town hall meetings. According to No Labels&#8217; analysis, more Democrats than Republicans are shutting themselves &hellip; <a href=\"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/?p=110\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,13,12],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-110","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-political-news-blackstone-valley","category-political-news-ma","category-political-news-national"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/110\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=110"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gbvdems.org\/blog\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}