Rep. Jordan confronts protesters but finds no common ground

Fremont, Ohio (CNN.com)Ohio Republican Rep. Jim Jordan admitted protesters outside two occasions in his house district Monday — a split with several other Capitol Hill co-workers who’ve mostly prevented such pictures — but was met with cries of disapproval.

The Ohio Republican, a 10-year veteran of the House plus among its most passionate conservatives, spoke with what his employees and protesters believed were upwards of 150 demonstrators in Marion, Ohio, in the historical house of former President Warren G. Harding.
Then he headed about an hour north where he spoke briefly with a considerably smaller number of protesters in the Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Library in Fremont, Ohio, before heading into a presidential trivia competition for youngsters (which prompted his former Democratic adversary to assert he was using the youngsters as “human shields”).
    Jordan’s tour of his straggly Ohio district Monday revealed the predicament for law-makers eyeing up a repetition of the tea-party demonstrations which swept Democrats out of power in Congress this year — but with the fireplace and the danger coming from the left this time.
    Plus in addition, it reveals how heavy the rage has bled in to land that is staunchly conservative. Jordan defeat against his Democratic opponent 6-8%- President Donald Trump and 32% a year ago won the district with the same margin. The very first hint of difficulty for Republicans arrived two weeks past, when countless angry protesters faced Utah Republican Jason Chaffetz at his town-hall.
    Since that time, city halls have been canceled by Republican lawmakers, although some have go township completely — heading on Congressional delegation trips to places such as Europe and the Mexican boundary. Meanwhile, some Republicans have completely adopted the fury: Rep. Mark Sanford huddled 100s of protesters at his South Carolina town-hall earlier this weekend, even strolling outdoors to tackle an over-flow bunch.
    Jordan did not give it the “Full Sanford” Monday, but he did try some out-reach — with changing success.
    “They may not agree with me, we may share different perspectives,” Jordan stated, as several protesters laughed outside the Hayes Library. (“No, we don’t agree with you,” shouted one girl, interrupting Jordan.)
    “But they’re permitted under the first change to talk up, and my occupation is to hear and inform them where I am at,” Jordan said, which resulted in one man mocking him: “Hear and give the party-line, no actual reasons, no indepth evaluation.”
    For him to consider concerns from your mad bunch, the sight of numerous protesters grouped outside the Harding presidential residence earlier in the day was persuasive enough, Jordan stated. But protesters maintained they needed to drive him to tackle them.
    As Harding Home manager Sherry Hall tried to study through a background of Harding from the wrap around veranda, with Jordan by her facet, furious protesters chanted in the “Stop Reading!” and shouted “Hold a town hall!” according to movie of the function chosen by one group of protesters.
    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell implored his Republican colleagues the other day to confront protesters and tackle them (even though he is not hosting any city halls himself — choosing instead for a threesome of closed door fund raisers).
    However, the House of Representatives’ chief safety officer encouraged police protection to be coordinated by House lawmakers for his or her public occasions while they certainly were were straight back within their home states. (A set of Fremont police vehicles pulled up to Jordan’s 2nd occasion, but the modest quantity of authorities simply saw while a few dozen protesters milled about exterior.)
    The confrontations will likely be a frequent sight this week — with city halls in Arkansas, New Jersey and Florida performing like magnets for irate Democrats and also some independents who stayed from politics until the White House was taken by Trump.
    Cheryl Laugherty, 62, a retired librarian from Fremont, Ohio, stated she did not get lively in protesting last year until Trump appeared as a power. With other girls in north-west Ohio, she is been arranging since his election, and stood having a tiny group protesting Jordan in Fremont.
    “This has been been don and doff through time, but his (Trump’s) conduct on the campaign path in 2013 only clinched it for me personally. I CAn’t stand the manner, like he created fun of the disabled columnist, only things he mentioned,” Laugherty mentioned. “And it H-AS altered, the belittling of individuals and the monikers. It is juvenile. It is juvenile bullying.”
    Jordan said Monday that it is up to other Republicans to make a decision as to the things that they would like to do, but proposed they hear the protesters out and honor the First Amendment. But the others and Laugherty assembled outside the Hayes house Monday immediately pointed out that Jordan h AS yet to schedule any city halls himself.

    Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/20/politics/jim-jordan-town-hall-protesters-democrats/index.html