After U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI, 1st district) declined a town hall invitation organized by regional Democrats in Traverse City this weekend, the Enterprise asked Bergman if he was “frightened” to meet with constituents.
Bergman’s Communications Director, James Hogge, responded, “Frightened? What an embarrassing question. The man who earned a Silver Star Medal – the third highest military decoration for valor in combat – isn’t afraid of some people who don’t like his political stance,” Hogge said in an email. “These same people made the exact same demands in President Trump’s first term and then magically no longer cared about town halls when (Joe) Biden was President. The Congressman has done town halls, community engagement events, and has attended literally thousands upon thousands of in-person meetings with constituents across the district.”
The key word is “has,” as republican overlords have issued orders for republican congressmen across the country not to attend or engage in town halls, according to the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) earlier in March.
However, the NRCC permitted Republican lawmakers to hold virtual town halls instead.
It’s unclear if Bergman will hold any town halls in the future, at least without permission.
Leelanau and Traverse Indivisible, groups with a mission to elect progressive leaders and defeat the Trump agenda, set up the Town Hall.
“The constituents agree that he is doing the work they sent him to do - as he defeated his radical democrat opponent by over 100,000 votes just a few short months ago,” Hodges said.
There’s no requirement for public representatives to meet with constituents.
Over the past month, town halls across the country have erupted at Republican lawmakers in reaction to President Donald Trump’s controversial moves regarding downsizing the federal government’s workforce, contradictions on social security, and his relationship with special White House advisor and richest man in the world Elon Musk.
Hogge told the Traverse City Ticker last week, “The Congressman will not now, or ever, attend a George Sorosfunded so-called town hall.”
Hodge mentioned Soros, a 94-year-old billionaire philanthropist, has donated nearly $9.5 million to national Indivisible groups since 2017.
“To be clear, this March 22 town hall is being funded entirely by hundreds of individual donors. There has been a tremendous surge in donations and membership out of heightened concerns that the incoming administration is directly threatening our safety, our security, the economy, and the very rule of law,” John DeSpelder and Sam Getsinger of Leelanau Indivisible said in a joint statement.
“Jack Bergman would like to think that outsiders are funding the groundswell of opposition to his unquestioning support for Trump, Musk, and MAGA. But voters around his district are fed up with him and want him to know it. It’s sad that he can’t accept the fact that these are real people with real concerns and real stories to tell about how their lives have already been harmed by the reckless and vindictive actions of the Trump administration.”
