Rep. Doug LaMalfa gets an earful in Oroville

Rep. Doug LaMalfa (CA-01) engaged in one of the longest and most raucous town halls of 2017. He was repeatedly shouted down while trying to defend the Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and his support of Donald Trump. At one point, LaMalfa scolded the Oroville crowd, asking “Do you yell in church?” From CBS 13:

“Do you yell at church?” LaMalfa asked the crowd at one point. That comment was met with intense booing and shouts of “Do you lie in church?” After fielding several questions and hearing comments on a range of issues, LaMalfa moved on to healthcare where he struggled through a PowerPoint presentation. His narration was hard to follow as shouts continued from the crowd. At one point, the congressman walked off stage, returning a few moments later to finish his presentation amidst the noise.

Curiously, the CBS report mentioned above seems keenly focused on the so-called bad behavior of the constituents in attendance, interviewing several LaMalfa supporters. No mention of why the crowd turned on the congressman. George Johnston, a reporter at The Orion, Chico State’s student newspaper, was liveblogging the town hall and provided a lot more insight into why the crowd became so disruptive. Take a look at some of the constituent questions and LaMalfa’s painful responses.