“I don’t think people had a chance to hear me as much as they normally would because there were long speeches and some applause and some interference, so they didn’t get my point of view,” Grassley said. “But if they want me to listen to them, I’m willing to listen to them.”

What he heard told him “we’ve got issues that people feel very strongly about.”

He appreciated the input on the Affordable Care Act, which congressional Republicans and the president say they will repeal and replace. He hasn’t had many opportunities to discuss that at town hall meetings year, so “I think that was a good thing to hear from people.”

As confrontational as the meeting was, Grassley said it was nowhere near as intense as meetings on President Barack Obama’s proposed health care overhaul in the summer of 2009.

“It’s nothing compared to 2009,” he said. “I went through this in 2009. If you get through it in 2009 this is not a problem.”

In that spirit, Clear Lake farmer and Democratic activist Chris Peterson, offered Grassley a gift.