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Rothfus avoids meeting constituents in person; Victoria Smith (VS); Beaver County Times; January 21, 2018.
VS is president of the executive board of the Beaver County Young Democrats (BCYD).
This letter appears to be part of a mini-blitz of letters-to-the-editor from the BCYD and the Beaver County Democratic Committee (BCDC) published by the BCT. Go here for the details.
The BCT usually notes when an author is in a leadership position of a politics-oriented organization, but did not in this case. It’s likely the BCT relies on prior knowledge and/or self-reporting.
Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.
“Last week, I received a mailer from Congressman Keith Rothfus that focused on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. This mailer was chock full of the standard GOP talking points and nothing specifically on how this bill was going to help the people of the 12th District or Beaver County.”
[RWC] Assuming VS and I received the same mailer, her assertion is false. For example, there’s a section in the mailer entitled “What is in it for you?” For “Individuals and families,” there are the following bullet points.
· “Cuts tax rates for all taxpayers.
· “Nearly doubles the standard deduction from $6,350 to $12,000 for individuals and from $12,700 to $24,000 for married couples.
· “Doubles the Child Tax Credit to $2,000.
· “Provides for a $500 credit for other dependents like elderly relatives.”
The other two sections were “Examples of tax reform in action” and “What is in it for businesses?” I’m too lazy to transcribe these sections so go to the same website mentioned at least three times in the subject mailer for details.
Note: I don’t know if the figures in the mailer are correct or not. All I’m doing is showing VS’ claim of no details is false.
“This didn’t surprise me because Rothfus has made it blatantly clear that his interests do not lie with the people that he is supposed to represent; instead, he is more focused on lining the pockets of big businesses, the wealthy and other ‘swamp’ creatures.”
[RWC] Blah, blah, blah.
“Rothfus would rather spend taxpayer dollars on this mailer to fix his image regarding this unpopular bill than have an in-person town hall to explain directly to the people of Beaver County why he thinks this is going to help our region. He has not held a single in-person town hall meeting or any more of the cutesy titled ‘Coffee with Keith’ events since he was re-elected in 2016 and instead opts for exclusive meetings and screened ‘tele-town halls’ and calls.”
[RWC] Other than leftist activists, with whom is the TCJA “unpopular?”
I don’t know if Rep. Rothfus (KR) does traditional “town halls” or not. If KR does not, it’s easy to see why.
For Republican representatives and senators, it’s a no-win situation. If you have a town hall, a leftist mob tries to embarrass you. If you don’t do town halls, you’re afraid to face your constituents and a leftist mob conducts an “empty chair” meeting anyway. While some people can handle this kind of situation, I suspect most normal people and politicians can’t. This tactic is what someone does when they don’t want a real discussion.
For a taste of what would likely happen at a KR town hall, take a look at his Facebook page; it’s a never-ending bash fest of KR where even the most innocuous post is fair game. For example, KR attended an Eagle Scout Court of Honor and posted three photos. The first comment? “Did you tell them that you and the rest of the GOP work tirelessly to destroy the future for the middle class? Boy Scouts like to be prepared, so …”
Next, take a look at Rep. Mike Doyle’s (D-14; Pittsburgh) Facebook page. While MD has his detractors, his page is a love fest compared to KR’s.
“Rothfus is a rubber stamp for unpopular policies that directly hurt his constituents. Four years of him ducking and dodging us to avoid dealing with the real consequences of his votes is long enough.”
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