Wednesday, February 8, 2017

Called Out By My Congresswoman

Rep. McSally held a "so called" tele-Town-Hall today, and I called in from my car, sitting atop a parking garage at the UofA.  I gave my name and hometown and the subject of my call (my op-ed in The Star) to the staffer managing the queue for questions.  I listened, and then I started screaming at my dashboard.

My Congresswoman drew a moral equivalency between my words and the words of Kellyanne Conway.  "I cannot believe the paper allowed this misrepresentation of fact to be published."

Nope.  Facts are facts.  (Unlike her assertion in that same response that this is Social Security... it's our Seniors... old folks.  Sure, but it's also the younger, disabled recipients of SSI.)

She may disagree with my interpretation of her motives, but there are no misrepresentations of facts.  (And while we're on the subject, I think we need a word for not-a-lie-because-I-don't-know-what's-in-her-heart-but-it's-obviously-not-a-fact.)  Her handlers knew that I was in the question queue; if it were truly a Town Hall she might have engaged me in conversation once the topic of my words arose.

My words.  She affronted my words. TBG says that even though corporations are people that doesn't mean my words have the same protections.  So I'm left to plagiarize Dr. Seuss and The Lorax:  I am the writer!  I speak for the words!

I wrote from my heart, and I spoke for my town, and I channeled my family and friends who suffered then and suffer now and who cannot understand the Congresswoman's tone deaf response to this issue.

No where during the conversation did she express regret for what happened.  Not once did she mention it.  Not at all.

Raging beside me on the couch, TBG summed it up like this:
At the time, I was consoled by the outpouring of caring.  I was surprised by the level of comfort I took from it.  And it's missing here. It's as if she watched the whole thing and was untouched by it.
What do you care about if you don't care about the basic safety of your constituents?

9 comments:

  1. I have no words... I feel like our Congress is so out of touch and I'm including Dems. They only got on board with the protests once many of us screamed at them to stop playing nice. It doesn't work with the GOP. If you are going to get anywhere, you have to fight like them. We've taken the high road for so long, they just expect it of us. Not anymore. I sent several letters to my Dem reps and told them to fight! Fight like Hell for us. We put them there to represent us; not special interests or lobbyists.

    And I don't care if they are Dem or Republican, they will be out in 2018 if they don't represent us.

    My Congresswoman, whom I cannot stand, is having one of those tele-townhalls tonight. It's the first time I've participated in one like this, so I'm curious how it will go. I also think some of them are doing these as a cop-out 'cause they know they are going to get reamed on the ACA--so they are hiding. That will not stop me though.

    Have a great Wednesday.


    Megan xxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. I think you need to get this information out to voters in her district. Even those who voted her into office should be appalled by this. She needs to lose the next election.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My article had a banner headline above the main headline on the paper. Lots of readers.
      A/b

      Delete
  3. I agree with Laura. The voters need to know how heartless and uncaring McSally is.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I've noticed that congress people have started a new meme about town halls "not being safe" because of the number of people attending. So, now they can't be around their constituents because they might be harmed; perhaps by someone who should not have been allowed to own a gun. McSally really needs to be voted out.

    ReplyDelete
  5. If you have such a tone deaf congresswoman, you need to continue to call her out. She can be voted out of office if enough act out.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Our Representatives have forgotten that they have been elected to represent us. They are definitely not doing that & we need to put as much pressure on them as we can to do just that & makes understand we will vote them out next election! And we will do it despite their big donors!

    ReplyDelete

Talk back to me! Word Verification is gone!