Town Hall
Last week, I attended a local town hall.
I haven’t done so since I lived in Northwest Philadelphia in the early 2010s.
I attended one meeting of local Democrats (who were infighting during the meeting) when I lived in North-Central West Virginia.
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I won’t say that everyone needs to attend these sorts of events.
So why was I there?
Well, for one thing, this was an opportunity to see four layers of government at once—from hyper-local to the U.S. House of Representatives.
All four roles are led by impressive women.
All four women pivoted to politics after Trump’s 2016 win.
The blue wave.
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Who wasn’t there?
Young people.
I attended the event with my brother (a Gen Xer) who is 15 years older than me. Even he was notably young compared to most in attendance.
Speaking of attendance, the turnout was impressive. It was standing room only for many. We had the privilege of being allowed to sit on seats on the side in the dais. I was going to write “fun privilege” however it was lucky for me and borderline necessary. Although I was the youngest person in the room (well, almost) I am frustratingly in worse physical shape than many of the rather spry-looking retirees. The joys of invisible illness… but that’s another story.
Back on topic— where were all the young people? I mentioned I was almost the youngest person in attendance. There were a few staffers who were visibly Gen Z (or possibly very young millennials).
After the event, I googled one of the representatives who I know the least about and was pleased to learn that she is slightly younger than I am.
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You might be thinking that the young people are in the streets. That they’ve been attending Hands Off! events. Maybe. For reasons that partly relate to availability and obvious stakes— the protests that I’ve witnessed in recent times definitely leaned towards older demographics. I’ve been told that if I attended downtown city events I would see the hordes of young folks. I’m sure there is truth to this.
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What are your experiences attending town halls?
What ways do you think are the best ways to engage with your representatives and keep them accountable?
What steps seem most important to take in the here and now?
Without outing your secret antifa group, do you have any ideas/plans for how to keep the current Administration in check?
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I’ve attended protests, registered voters, worked the food bank with “Indivisible,” a nationwide group. Our Athens area organization disbanded. I don’t know what to do now… I would like to go to a big rally somewhere. I remember being at the “fight for our lives” march in Washington, DC. That felt really empowering.
Well Mark, I too attended a town hall recently in NYC. It was a rather quiet affair, with a congressman, a state senator, and a former policymaker from the Obama era. But once people were permitted to ask questions live, the place got a bit raucous. Congressman Nadler seemed to not understand the crowd's frustration with the Democrats. The optics are not good. He doesn't walk well, shuffles. I think people are crying out for people who know how to lead and are younger and more energetic. Like AOC and Bernie (who is young at heart.).