Barrett, other politicians staying far away from town halls in ’25 

Here’s an idea. Let’s have a town hall!  

Sounds good, doesn’t it? Unless you’re the invited featured attraction. 

Democrats and their progressive allies have tried to generate excitement early in 2025 by hosting town hall meetings in the districts of politically venerable Republicans.  

In Southeast Michigan, it’s U.S. Rep. John James. In West Michigan, it’s U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga. 

Here in Lansing, it’s U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett. The 7th Congressional District Democrats, the NAACP, unions, environmental groups, voting groups, and basically everyone who makes up the Democratic Party cooked up a town hall last month for Barrett at the UA Local 333 Plumbers & Pipefitters facility.  

Folks wanted to ask him if he’s going to side with GOP leadership in cutting parts of Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security to preserve the 2017 Trump-era tax cuts. 

Barrett, of course, didn’t come. He didn’t attend one held in March, either. Most members of Congress (or people, in general) don’t offer themselves up to get publicly pummeled by opposing political operatives. 

But wait, isn’t this just a town hall meeting to talk about the issues of the day? What’s so bad about that, you might ask. 

Well, if you’re the politician in this case, a lot. 

First, there’s zero chance that anyone’s mind is changing. There’s only a slim chance Barrett will have a fair opportunity to argue his point or share his opinion before he’s shouted down. There’s a better-than-even chance that he’ll be berated or screamed at by folks looking to score points.  

At worst (for him), someone or something will pressure him into saying something or doing something under duress that he’ll later regret. Someone will capture that moment on video, turn it into a meme, make it go viral, and/or use it for a campaign commercial later. 

From his point of view, nothing good will come out of this. 

Back in the day, U.S. Reps. Fred Upton, Tim Walberg and David Trott embraced this ideologist vision that if given an opportunity to talk to the people, they would earn respect for sharing their opinions. By being the statesmen, they believed a thoughtful discussion would ensure. 

Today, we all know how pollyannaish that is. 

Few are interested in thoughtfully talking about anything with an open mind. We’ve got our minds made up, damn it. We’re right. We’re going to tell you about it. You’re an idiot if you don’t listen. 

U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin masterfully survived a raucous town hall at Oakland University in 2019 when she defended her first Trump impeachment vote.  

The event was her own, however. She set it up. Even then, Slotkin talked over a chant from the back of the room during much of her comments. 

Also, the hard-core political types who would bother attending something like this have become much more sophisticated and bold in their level of confrontation. 

At least a handful of gatherings in front of Barrett’s downtown Lansing constituent offices have come complete with a megaphone, chants and practically a program of activities. Barrett himself? Nowhere to be found. 

It’s not just Barrett. 

Politicians, in general, and members of Congress, in particular, have gotten much more careful in their public appearances. They even tightly control their press conferences out of concern ovee hecklers overtaking the event (See James Craig’s gubernatorial announcement on Belle Isle). 

They especially want to avoid a confrontation with someone whose sole goal is to humiliate or, at best, make them feel really uncomfortable. 

Constituents on both sides hire trackers to chase down elected officials with a video camera or cell phone in tow. The “gotcha” question is asked clearly within hearing distance, and the game begins. 

If the politician ignores them, they repeat the question repeatedly until the politician ducks into a car or building. If the politician engages, the opposition quickly twists or edits their answer to be as unflattering as humanly possible. 

It’s counterintuitive. It doesn’t feel right.  

However, advisers will always strongly recommend that politicians avoid public appearances like uncontrolled town hall meetings every time. 

Given today’s political climate, who can blame them?

(Kyle Melinn is the editor of the Capitol news service MIRS. His email is melinnky@gmail.com.)