Letters to My Congressman (1)

Congressman Fitzpatrick, first of all, congratulations on your re-election on November 6, 2018. I was disappointed at the negativity in your campaign, but since you had accomplished little legislatively that was independent or moderate, and you could not, in this purple district, tout your over 80% Trumpian voting record, I guess you had no choice but to run a negative attack campaign on your opponent. Sadly it worked and your constituents remain in the dark about your Trumpian voting record.

But I am an optimist. I am hoping that you spend some time reflecting on your first term and strive to make significant improvements in your performance. As you say, these are not ordinary times and it is obvious that you have not risen to the occasion to do the extraordinary things necessary to challenge the ugly Trumpian assaults on our constitution and our democracy, which, as you should know, is your duty as a congressman to do. I urge you to do better in this vital arena of defending our constitution and the rule of law. And of course, you need to overcome your fear of meeting your constituents in a town hall. That is also your duty as a congressman which you have shirked in your first term and that deficiency sorely needs to be corrected.

I was disappointed not to see you on November 8th at your office for the recent Move-On rally. If you, as you said in the campaign, have a sincere predisposition to meet with your constituents, you would have welcomed the opportunity to speak to almost 400 of your very concerned constituents who came to your office to express their deep concern about the latest Trumpian assault on democracy: the sudden firing of Jeff Sessions and the possibly unconstitutional appointment of a person who had previously expressed contempt for the Mueller investigation. In my opinion. Matt Whitaker’s public record of disdain for the Mueller investigation is tantamount to yet another instance of obstruction of justice by our truth-challenged president. Yet I, an ordinary citizen, was not frightened to address the concerned crowd. I wonder what more important task you were doing that night when so many gathered outside your office with such deep political concerns on their hearts and minds.

I hope you reflect on the weaknesses of leadership in your first term and improve. You need to vigorously defend against the Trumpian attacks on our constitution. It is not sufficient to co-sponsor a bill in April and then do nothing but focus on your re-election. I hope in your second term you will find the courage and the wisdom to vigorously defend our constitution with a loud strong voice that will lead not just to empty promises, but to action and results. In fact, you will have an easier task next term since the Blue Wave midterm election has luckily brought you fewer Republican colleagues in the House to convince. You can now prove that you are truly committed to reach across the aisle and work with the new Democratic House Leadership to pass legislation that will help the American people and our battered democracy - hopefully at the same 80% rate with which you worked with the Republican leadership in your first term.

Yes, the time is now. These are no ordinary times. We will be watching your words and more importantly your votes. Our country’s democracy is at stake and you should be working almost every minute of the day to protect it. By the way, I know an excellent therapist who may work for free to help you lose your fear of meeting your constituents in a town hall. Give me a call.