Dear Group,
McMorris Rodgers is back at it this week with “Conversations with Cathy.” As always, her “Conversations” appear on short notice (KXLY Sundayfor “town halls” on Wednesday and Thursday this same week). As always, they are scheduled during the workday, 9:45A, 12;15P, and 2:30P, and they are scheduled in towns that are clearly in her comfort zone: Rockford (pop. 477), Fairfield (pop. 616), and Medical Lake (pop 4957). (She spent her teen yearsoutside of Kettle Falls [pop. around 1600 currently].)
The “Conversations” all come with the caveat, “Space is limited at all three events. Town halls are first come, first serve,” as if throngs of people were going to appear, something that never, ever happens in these places. She draws a crowd only when she offers to meet with constituents in the evening, in a hall in a population center, and with some advance notice so folks who are neither self-employed nor retired have a chance to attend.
What does she gain at these gatherings? The adoration of her most dedicated rural fans and a chance to pretend she engages in broad outreach to her constituents. Of course, that is only if one measures outreach by numbers of small gatherings rather than numbers of attendees…
Anyone within reach of these tiny events ought to go, record the proceedings for the rest of us and ask some questions. For the times and places of these gatherings on Wednesday and Thursday, see below.
A question for McMorris Rodgers: Will you vote in favor of Trump’s authority, under the guise of an emergency, to expropriate funds he was denied by Congress or will you vote to defend the Constitution and the Congressional power of the purse?
From Doug Muder’s Weekly Sift:
Once again, conservatives in Congress and in the courts will face a challenge: Will they support Trump, even at the expense of what was once considered a core conservative principle? Over the last several decades, much hot air has been blown about defending “the Constitution” and “the vision of the Founding Fathers”. It goes virtually without saying that neither the Constitution nor the Founders ever envisioned or endorsed a process like this: Congress refuses to fund a presidential project, the president seizes the money, both houses vote to condemn that seizure, but it goes through anyway.
Any congressional Republican who refuses to override Trump’s emergency declaration or his subsequent veto can never again claim to be a defender of the Constitution, and should never again be allowed to invoke the Founding Fathers without hearing about this betrayal of their vision. Any judge who allows this travesty to play out can likewise never in good conscience claim to be an “originalist” or “strict constructionist” rather than a partisan judicial activist.
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
From the KXLY Website:
“Conversation with Cathy” Town Hall — Wednesday, February 20
When: 9:45 a.m.- 10:45 a.m.
Where: McIntosh Grange, 319 S 1st St. Rockford, WA 99030
“Conversation with Cathy” Town Hall — Wednesday, February 20
When: 12:15 p.m.- 1:15 p.m.
Where: Fairfield Community Center, 304 E Main St., Fairfield, WA 99012
“Conversation with Cathy” Town Hall — Thursday, February 21
When: 2:30 p.m.- 3:30 p.m.
Where: Medical Lake City Hall, 124 S Lefevre St., Medical Lake, WA 99022
Space is limited at all three events. Town halls are first come, first serve.
Details can be found on McMorris’ website.