Dear Editor,
Having attended two of Congressman Lawler's "Town Halls" and noted his votes on critical issues facing our country, I feel qualified to say that I see him for what he is, dyed-in-the-wool MAGA, despite his claims that he "takes on" his party and puts "people before party."
Why else would President Trump stage a rally with/for him and why would House Speaker Johnson and Majority Leader Scalise come up to NY17 to support his campaign?
He voted for the OBBB (which has added more than 10% to the federal budget deficit since its passage, contributes to a downgrading of U.S. credit and, consequently, puts upward pressure on interest rates), whose tax breaks overwhelmingly go to the wealthiest Americans. He also voted for dramatically increased funding for ICE. He supports the U.S.'s self-destructive war on Iran and has failed to speak out on corruption (including the Epstein cover-up), trade wars and Trump's craven fawning over dictators (especially Putin).
A town hall is supposed to be a venue in which a candidate listens to constituents. Instead, Lawler has used them to lecture us with rehearsed MAGA talking points. Security for the events is performative and draconian -- I wasn't permitted even to bring a magazine or a pad and pen into the venue, only my car keys. Attendees got 30 seconds to ask a question with no follow-up. When a woman did follow up to assert that Lawler had failed to answer her question, she was ejected by police or security guards. The venue in which this occurred was a Catholic high school and a priest opened the proceedings, inappropriately, with a Christian prayer. Lawler appears to fear his constituents and treats them with condescension.
-Richard A Holub, South Salem
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