[img]1640|left|Arthur Christopher Schaper||no_popup[/img]U.S. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-South Bay) visited South Torrance last night. Supporters in large arrays attended the gathering at Arjay Plaza, at the intersection of Hawthorne and Lomita boulevards. The forum was advertised in the Daily Breeze. Even though the ad indicated it was a town hall for South Bay residents, some constituents were not allowed to attend.
Susan Goetz shared her displeasure with me and on Facebook, saying she was among those barred from entering. Why? Because such persons did not have a “D” after their names on their voter registration cards.
Ms. Goetz wrote: We tried to get into the Waxman meeting last night in Torrance. We were told that we could not go in unless it said democrat on our voter registration card. This was from Jimmy Gow, their leader. We held a sign asking when Waxman would hold a town hall.
Congressman Waxman frequently has claimed he is bipartisan, wants to work with the other side on issues. However, he evinces a steady resistance to anyone attending his public functions who disagrees with his policies, including those seeking to hold him accountable for his record, especially residents who would prefer someone else representing them.
Not the First Time
I have experienced his public rejection of voters' First Amendment rights. He shut me down in an open forum in Redondo Beach, and he apparently did the same thing to a voter in Venice. http://venice.patch.com/groups/arthur-christopher-schapers-blog/p/bp–henry-waxman-afraid-of-an-open-forum-1173b9bc
Yet the Torrance Democratic Club announced his arrival yesterday in a flyer, with no mention that the meeting was for Democrats only.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Torrance-Democratic-Club/350558538326706#!/photo.php?fbid=533333116715913&set=a.464669930248899.93551.350558538326706&type=1&theater
What is Waxman afraid of?
Why won’t he permit voters who disagree into his audiences? Mr. Waxman does not seem to consider the interests of South Bay voters pertinent since he has fewer staff in the Manhattan Beach office. When I called there, I was automatically transferred to his Los Angeles office. What gives? The secretary at the Los Angeles office told me that last evening was open to the public.
Why Not?
[img]2092|right|Henry Waxman||no_popup[/img]No excuse for a public official choosing his audience, excluding non-Democrats. No excuse for a congressman to claim he wants to speak with voters, and yet when they arrive, they are turned away. If Mr. Waxman is working in Congress for his district, he has the responsibility to represent all of us. For decades Mr. Waxman has been picking his own constituents with the help of political-machine comrade (the now-retired) Howard Berman and Howard's brother Michael. As long as Sacramento politicians decided the boundaries for Congressional and state legislative districts, Mr. Waxman could choose his voters, rather than having the voters choosing their representatives.
The Citizens Redistricting Commission changed all of that. However, Mr. Waxman criticized this reform in the same open forum (which was not open to me). He said every state should have adopted the reforms of citizens' drawing district boundaries, not just California Call his office and tell him to practice truth in advertising. Stop rejecting constituents who want to speak with him. Demand he hold a genuine town hall where everyone is welcome.
And find out why his Manhattan Beach office is understaffed. The South Bay deserves better.
Mr. Waxman’s Los Angeles office: 5055 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 310. 310.652.3095/323.651.1040. Fax: 323.655.0502.
Mr. Waxman’s Manhattan Beach office:
1600 Rosecrans Ave., 4th floor.
310.321.7664.
Fax: 323.655.0502.
Arthur Christopher Schaper is a teacher-turned-writer on topics both timeless and timely; political, cultural, and eternal. A lifelong Southern California resident, he currently lives in Torrance.
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