mo brooks.jpg

It's a wonder Mo Brooks ever leaves home.

All manner of brutal things can happen out there. Car accidents. Robberies and murders. Natural disasters. Heck, he might step on a nail, trip over a crack in the sidewalk or step awkwardly off the curb and twist his ankle.

With all the travails that could befall him out there, Alabama's 5th District U.S. Congressional Representative should bolt the front door, shutter the windows and hunker down under the bed--or so one believe based on Brooks' absurd reasoning for refusing to host public town halls with constituents, as almost all politicians do on occasion.

Brooks, who has served Alabamians off and on in some political capacity for 35 years, cited the remote possibility that some constituents might be dangerous, that they might get violent at a town hall meeting. He mentioned as evidence four incidents, only two of which actually had anything to do with town hall events:

At the office of U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., a 71-year-old staffer was knocked unconscious earlier this month when protestors gathered.

Tires on four vehicles were slashed outside Republican Congressman Tom McClintock's town hall meeting

Then he had the unmitigated gall to cite the shocking 2011 shooting of former Arizona Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, who was shot while meeting with constituents at an outdoor event in Tucson, Ariz. The shooter killed six people and wounded 12 others.

Giffords slew him almost immediately, on Twitter:

I was shot on a Saturday morning. By Monday morning my offices were open to the public. https://t.co/fQUR2xOibG — Gabrielle Giffords (@GabbyGiffords) February 23, 2017

Finally, Brooks topped it with this: "And that's before you get to the Muslim terrorism risk."

Well, heck, Congressman, with all that danger lurking about, you should just pull the covers over your head each and never come out.

Truth is, Brooks, simply, can't handle the truth--the truth that some of his constituents are mad, mad at the embarrassing state of affairs in Washington, D.C, including the actions and antics of a President gone wild, as well as Congress's complicity in those actions and antics.

Some are mad at the President's xenophobic stance on immigration and his "military-like" deportation tactics.

Some are mad over the Republicans' tired and tepid threats to repeal the Affordable Care Act, despite the fact that it is benefitting millions of people who supported them.

Some are mad over the lack of call for a Congressional investigation into the ties and interactions between the President's team and Russia.

Some are mad at President Trump's manipulative Robin, Steven Bannon (or is he really Batman?), or billionaire cabinet members who, say, don't believe in climate change or public education.

Some are just mad. And they want to share their feelings with the people elected to represent them--all of them, of all political views.

But Brooks is scared of them. Cowardly so. Even condescendingly so.

He recently told WHNT News 19 he welcomes meeting any constituent during his office hours. What about people who also work during those hours? "They can come during lunch," he said. "I quite often work during lunch hours."

I hope he has cake because that's what it sounds like he's offering.

Brooks seems to forget that if you are elected to serve the needs and will of your constituents, not simply propagate your own position on issues, then your mind must be open to new directions.

Some in Washington credit the Republicans' slow movement on their all-in repeal of the Affordable Care Act--despite still not revealing a single shred of an alternative--to the resonance of discord over any repeal shown by many attendees at town halls.

Rather than view this as representatives listening to their constituents, Brooks said of colleagues who may be softening on an appeal: their spine is a little bit weak." That quip was made on "The Morning Show with Toni & Gary" on WBHP 800.

Brooks stands (or hides) in stark contrast to fellow Republican Congressman Gary Palmer, who coalesced with 6th District constituents--almost all of whom seemed to disagree with him on some issue or another--on Saturday morning at Homewood City Hall. Only about 160 were able to get inside, but the two-term Congressman greeted another 200 who waited outside and vowed to have another public event at a larger venue.

Inside, a civil exchange ensued, with audience members raising green or red signs provided by the organizer to indicate whether they agreed or disagreed with what the conservative Congressman was saying.

The most "hostile" action Palmer encountered were boos when he shared his support for defunding Planned Parenthood and health savings accounts, thoughts on climate change not being man-made and his view that the intelligence community, not Congress, should investigate the Trump-Russia ties.

To his credit, Palmer did not shrink from his stances, though it was clear that much of the room felt differently. "If I start pandering, then I'm a liar, and that's not gonna help me," he said to those gathered. "When we understand when we disagree, then at least we can have a dialogue."

Giffords agrees:

http://whnt.com/2017/02/23/inside-indivisible-local-chapter-wishes-rep-mo-brooks-would-hold-a-town-hall/

Boos don't draw blood, break bones or even leave a bruise. Brooks, who has held town halls in the past, seems to think they can be really painful. Enough so to avoid them altogether.

That is not how you engage constituents. That is not how you serve those whom you were elected to serve.

That is not how you lead.

Check out images from Palmer's Hoover town hall: