Watch: GOP Senator Tom Cotton Faces Furious Constituents at a Town Hall
Photo Credit: Twitter
After switching venues so many times it almost seemed like a transparently craven effort to confuse his constituents so he wouldn’t have to hear their concerns, Arkansas Congressman Tom Cotton held a town hall on Wednesday night. An estimated 2,000 people turned out to directly address the Senator, primarily about fears of losing health care coverage, though more than a few also had questions about Donald Trump's competency. Many of those on hand were clearly angry, and they grilled Cotton hard enough that you might find yourself feeing sorry for the Senator.
Don’t.
Remember Cotton blocked an Obama ambassador nominee for years until she succumbed to leukemia because he wanted to “inflict special pain” on the then-president. There’s also Cotton’s treasonous Iran letter, endless lies, and displays of racism. Tom Cotton has been terrible for quite some time now.
Here are some highlights of what went down:
1. A constituent who co-founded a free health care clinic said she drove an hour to take part in the town hall, saying she was “deeply concerned about the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.” She said she wanted to invite Cotton to visit her clinic, “to see if he will sit down with my patients and....look them in the eye and tell them why he’s gonna try to take away their health care.”
Ark. woman drove over an hour to attend Tom Cotton's town hall—wants him to tell her clinic patients why he's taking away their healthcare. pic.twitter.com/Z3oHjEte5U
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 22, 2017
2. Aware that Trump and other Republicans are trying to discredit civically engaged constituents by labeling them George Soros-funded plants, one resident quickly shot down the right off the top. “I’m from Fayetteville, and I’m not a paid protester,” she said, bringing most of the crowd to its feet.
Angry constituent tells Tom Cotton she's not a paid protester. Crowd goes wild. pic.twitter.com/z1lN3Le7sT
— Bradd Jaffy (@BraddJaffy) February 23, 2017
Story called into question the overreach of the Trump administration. “I’m here, like all the people who came with me tonight, as a concerned citizen,” said Story. "We are concerned because it appears that this administration is trampling our constitutional rights."
Ark. native Mary Story to Tom Cotton: "We are concerned because it appears that this administration is trampling our constitutional rights." pic.twitter.com/gRWWYvhf9z
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 23, 2017
3. A woman had a simple request of the audience: that “everyone affected by the Affordable Care Act, and affected by health care, stand up.” The response was overwhelming.
Woman in Tom Cotton town hall asks everyone affected by the ACA to stand up.
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) February 22, 2017
The response: pic.twitter.com/eXlEkyJnFM
4. Maybe the most emotional moment of the night came when a woman who said her husband is dying from several ailments spoke. “You want to stand there with him at home, expect us to be calm, cool and collected? Well, what kind of insurance do you have?” She challenged Cotton to offer a better deal, citing her health care premiums of just around $30 for each member of her family. “Can you beat that? Can you? With all the congestive heart failures and open heart surgeries?”
Voter to @SenTomCotton: My husband is dying. We can't afford health insurance. What kind of insurance do you have? https://t.co/iYFiZtwJ1F
— CNN (@CNN) February 22, 2017
5. Here’s a teenage boy asking Cotton how he can consider himself a public servant while “supporting the policies of a man who wants to grab women by the pussy."
6. Toby, a 7-year-old boy, asked the last question of the night.
"Donald Trump makes Mexicans not important to people who are in Arkansas who like Mexicans,” he said. “Like me and my grandma.”
"And he is deleting all the parks and PBS Kids just to make a wall. He shouldn’t do that. He shouldn’t."
