Keller: Republicans could face hot-button issues at town halls this summer
The Speaker of the U.S. House is sending members home a day early for their summer recess, a move Democrats said is aimed at ducking high-pressure votes on the Jeffrey Epstein case. But that and other hot-button issues are sure to come up if and when they hold the traditional town hall meetings with constituents.
Remember those angry town halls during the 2009 August recess clamoring against Obamacare? If Revere Rep. Katherine Clark and her fellow Democrats have their way, it'll be Republicans taking the heat this time around.
"They cannot hide from the destruction that they have caused," Clark, the House Minority Whip, said at a press conference with other top House officials.
I asked Amy Carnevale, chair of the Massachusetts GOP, to respond to some of the Democrats' attack points laid out by Clark.
CLARK: "Republicans are running away, all to avoid the release of the Epstein client list, all to cover up for pedophiles."
CARNEVALE: "That's ridiculous, Republicans have called on release of additional files and the president has supported the release of additional files."
CLARK: "The big, ugly bill kicked 15 million Americans off their health insurance."
CARNEVALE: "I don't know where she's getting her numbers but I do take issue with the assertion, particularly here in Massachusetts." (Fact check: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the budget bill will cause 10 million people to lose their coverage and increase the federal deficit by $3.4 trillion.)
CLARK: "[The spending bill] takes food from 16 million kids," a reference to cuts in the SNAP program.
CARNEVALE: "We will see that here in Massachusetts, and it'll be really on Governor Healey and the legislature to understand how to prioritize state dollars and dollars coming from the federal government."
CLARK: "They run up the debt to give tax breaks to billionaires, and they run out of town to hide sex crimes for the rich and famous."
CARNEVALE: "The more Republicans can talk about individual provisions like no tax on tips, no tax on overtime, child tax credit, the better Republicans will be."
Back in 2009 there definitely was an effort by conservative groups to whip up anger and channel it into those town halls. But Carnevale told me she doesn't recommend ducking them, that Republicans need to make sure their message gets out there or risk being drowned out by their critics. So if you're reading this in a state where there are Republican members of Congress, stay tuned. Your local town hall might be the hottest show of the summer.
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