About 1,400 Ohio constituents shamed their Republican representatives in the Senate for refusing to face them by holding their own “town hall” without them.

Organized by the group Indivisible Central Ohio, the event included chairs on the stage for GOP Senators Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, who did not bother telling the event organizers they would not be coming, according to the Ohio Capital-Journal.

Related

Jasmine Crockett destroys Republicans for thinking trans kids are ruining their lives
“Like, what are we doing?”

The organizers mocked their absences by posing questions to ChatGPT, which reportedly told them Elon Musk’s massive federal layoffs would not be good for Ohioans.

Insights for the LGBTQ+ community

Subscribe to our briefing for insights into how politics impacts the LGBTQ+ community and more.
Subscribe to our Newsletter today

Ex-federal employee Arnold Scott spoke about being “mad as hell.”

“How about these billionaires pay their taxes? When they cut employees at the various agencies, actually what they’re doing is cutting the services that the taxpayers are paying for. When they cut the VA, they’re cutting veterans. You stand there and say you support the veterans, but then you cut the veterans. When you cut them, that translates into it taking longer for them to receive the services that they’re entitled to.”

He told a story about a federal worker in Ohio who lost her job and spoke to one of the senators about it. Scott claimed the senator responded, “What do you want me to do?”

“Mr. Senator, what we want you to do… We want you to do your job,” Scott told the empty chairs.

The crowd agreed, standing up and chanting, “Do your job!”

A Democratic representative also became the subject of ire at the gathering. Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) did not attend due to a “prior commitment” but asked a constituent to read a letter from her in the first person.

The constituent was heckled, according to the Capital-Journal, as members of the crowd chanted, “You’re not here!”

The event was fueled by House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) advising GOP lawmakers not to host town halls anymore after videos went viral of angry constituents yelling at Republicans.

In one, a GOP congressman was met with a chorus of screams and boos from constituents after telling laid-off federal workers being fired by Elon Musk is part of God’s plan for them. Several GOP members, including both Johnson and the president, have claimed the “boos” around the country are coming from paid actors.

On the other hand, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) has encouraged Democrats to engage directly with voters and expose the real impact of GOP policies.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) echoed this sentiment on social media: “Anyone who lets this stuff be an excuse to hide from the public and stop doing town halls is not cut out for the job.”

MSNBC Morning Joe co-host Joe Scarborough, who represented Florida as a Republican in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001, recently issued a warning to GOP members who have chosen to heed Johnson’s advice and skip their town halls.

“I will say, from members of Congress who see what we’re seeing here in these clips, I have seen members of Congress go out and do that, and I have seen members of Congress hide from their constituents, and hiding from constituents does not work. Better to go out, get the feedback, and get the blowback and adjust than to hide in your offices.”

Subscribe to the LGBTQ Nation newsletter and be the first to know about the latest headlines shaping LGBTQ+ communities worldwide.