"THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!"

I wrote a lengthy post about this article:

U.S. Rep. Kevin Brady, R-The Woodlands, faced a skeptical and at times testy crowd Tuesday as dozens of people arrived at an afternoon meeting to make sure he knew they would not let the Affordable Care Act end without a fight.

Pointing out how conservative the district is that Rep. Brady represents, and how much the article indicated he was out of touch with his constituents on the usefulness of the ACA.  My favorite bit was at the end:

It was clear that local organizers of the event had not anticipated so much spontaneous dissent. Chamber CEO J.J. Hollie remarked at the beginning that the crowd was larger and more varied than expected, making a pointed comment that word must have seeped out on social media.

This was not the first meeting where elected officials who favor repealing the ACA have encountered unhappy constituents. A video of Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., sneaking out early of a town hall meeting has made the rounds of the internet. Frustration boiled over as those who opposed a repeal were unable to speak with him.

Damned social media, letting people we don't want to represent into meetings with the Representative!  But the more interesting story is not this one out of Texas, but the many coming in from across the country.  That bit about Mike Coffman, the first report of dissent about what Paul Ryan and the GOP want to do.  He got "partisan activists," it seems:

"Yesterday was unfortunate because partisan activists showed up only to disrupt the event I was holding at Aurora Central Library. I have been doing five minute one-on-one constituent meetings for the last five years although I do allow small groups, if they share the same issue concerns. This gives an opportunity for everyone to be heard and not just the loudest voices in the room."

The video above is from that link.  Watch the people singing "America" and "This Land is Your Land" and chanting "This is what democracy looks like!"  Damned partisan activists!

Texas and Colorado:  and then Grand Rapids, Michigan:

"Do you or do you not support the immediate repeal of the Affordable Care Act with or without a replacement?" one attendee asked.

When Amash answered, saying he expects the burden of replacing the federal law upon repeal to fall to individual state governments, the crowd erupted with dissent.

And in Virginia:

I am a physician, really worried about the effect of the repeal of the ACA on my patients. I have been calling Garrett, my Republican Rep from Charlottesville area of VA to see what his position is. His staff tell me that “We have not discussed this with the representative yet” – which of course is the same thing as saying he is running away from having a position.

Remember the attempt to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics, and how fast the House reversed course on that?  There's a reason Paul Ryan wanted to repeal the ACA as soon as Trump's hand comes off the Bible on Friday, but more and more it looks like he's not going to get there.

If history is any guide, anyway.