Town hall shows how it needs to be done

Big props to 6th District U.S. Rep. Tom Emmer and the hundreds of Central Minnesotans who were part of his town hall meeting Wednesday night in Sartell.

Amid reports nationwide about such events turning into shouting matches and uncivil discourse, two-term House Republican Emmer and the folks (blue and red) in attendance managed to engage in more than an hour's worth of civil discussions.

Sure, there were plenty of disagreements and more than a few boos, but nothing that warranted Emmer pulling the plug early — much less making the late-night shows on CNN or Fox. Or shutting down a freeway or public transit. More on that shortly.

Not really new

First, though, it's important to note contentious town-hall meetings, along with issue-driven grassroots rallies and protests, are not new. Look no farther back in history than the 2008 election of Barack Obama. His initial victory and start of his first term drew a variety of protests, as did his and Democrats' efforts to pass the Affordable Care Act.

Such actions continued through both his terms thanks to what's become known as the tea party movement. These activists routinely held everything from rallies in their own communities to convergences on Washington, D.C. Some targeted the president while others targeted, well, Emmer himself.

Why? Just like the vast majority of people who traveled to Sartell, they wanted direct contact with their elected representatives because they had questions, disagreements and opinions to share with their elected officials.

Unless there is a credible threat of violence, elected officials should not opt out of this in-person engagement nor push feedback toward e-mails, letters or, more laughable, "telephone town halls."

Such approaches only foster the perception they are nothing more than mouthpieces for their political machines. The latest examples in Minnesota alone are U.S. Reps. Erik Paulsen and Jason Lewis. Neither are holding town halls the likes of Emmer's. Instead, they lean on the telephone-style meetings. Talk about a party line.

The new normal in this closely divided electorate requires credible politicians to develop thick skins and the tenacity to endure vocal-yet-civil opposition. Kudos to Emmer for demonstrating that. And again, kudos to the Minnesotans who embraced their First Amendment rights in a civil and coherent manner.

Stifling dissent

Sadly, politicians unwilling to meet constituents who might challenge them is not the only threat to democracy these days. An arguably much bigger threat are legislators who want to ramp up punishments for protesters (read stifle dissent), supposedly in the name of public safety.

The Minnesota Legislature, like other Republican-controlled statehouses, is proposing bills that do anything from charge protesters for extra police costs to require jail time for protesters who block a freeway.

So let's get this straight: Some legislators want to jail people for a year for blocking a freeway, but they are OK with lighter sentences, even no jail time, for people who choose to drive drunk on that freeway?

Yeah, right. Sure, this is all about public safety.