Democratic Rep. Jake Auchincloss with a dose of reality for his Republican counterpart on the so-called "popularity" of the programs the GOP and DOGE are starting to slash and burn. During a panel discussion on this Sunday's State of the Union on CNN, host Jake Tapper asked Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales about the advice given to Republican members of Congress to stop having town halls, or to do them on Zoom instead of in person.
Gonzales, whose Congressional website only shows signups for telephone town halls and nothing in person, responded with this nonsense:
GONZALES: I think town halls are great. You want to have dialogue. Our founding fathers meant it so, that way, we the people would have a voice. Right, wrong, indifferent, you listen to people.
I love seeing Capitol Hill coming up and all the different advocates and protesters coming up. As fun as that is, that's what this country was meant to be, for us to have a voice and for our government to be transparent. Don't just tell us what we want to hear and don't lie to us.
So I think it's OK. I think it's good for us to have this dialogue. DOGE is very popular in my district. People are going, what is this? I mean, you listen to the State of the Union and President Trump goes down the list, and you're hearing some of these things, money to Zamunda for research on squirrels.
And you're like, no way this could be true. That's a lot of the talk in my district.
Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Jake Auchincloss shot back with the appropriate response to the snake oil Gonzales was selling and managed to make his point despite the interruptions.
AUCHINCLOSS: Is it popular to cut health care for the 40 percent of kids in this country who rely on Medicaid to pay for tax cuts for people who don't need tax cuts?
TAPPER: Yes.
AUCHINCLOSS: That's not going to be popular in your district.
GONZALES: You know well...
(CROSSTALK)
TAPPER: Let me just bring in Brenda right now.
(CROSSTALK)
AUCHINCLOSS: That is what congressional Republicans are doing.
ALLISON: Yes.
AUCHINCLOSS: DOGE is a misdirection tactic, that the focus of effort is that they're going to take $880 billion out of health care that seniors rely on for at-home care...
TAPPER: Yes.
AUCHINCLOSS: ... that kids rely on for primary care, and they're going to use it to give the 1 percent massive tax cuts.
The only reason these cuts are popular in places like Gonzales's district are one, right wing media and Republicans are constantly lying about what's being done and the harm it's causing, and two, it hasn't caused enough personal harm, yet, to enough of his constituents, but that's coming.
