Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) to Constituents: “This is MY Public Forum, Not Yours”
Thursday September 4, Rep. Mark Takano (D-CA) held a town hall meeting in Jurupa Valley, California. Multiple constituents questioned Takano’s character when it came to bipartisanship.
“Are you the candidate who says ‘I can’t stand this bipartisanship’ and is candid against the Speaker for being candid or are you the candidate that grades reports, questions the third highest ranking member –”
Before the constituent could finish his question, Takano interrupted him, wanting to know what his question was. After Takano’s initial interruption, the guy repeated his question. The second time around, he was able to ask the full question.
“My question is: which candidate are you? The guy who can’t stand bipartisanship bickering or the guy who holds mock interventions, grades reports and questions the third highest ranking member of a political institution? That’s my question.”
As Takano begins to “explain” himself, the guy disagrees with what Takano is saying. The constiuents attempts to point out what he’s read from news sources that contradict what Takano claims. Instead of letting his constituent – the guy who pays Takano’s salary via tax dollars – to talk, Takano interrupts the guy.
“Excuse me sir!” Takano shouts over him. “Excuse me sir! This isn’t your forum. This is my forum! This isn’t a public forum. This is my forum.”
Takano’s District – CD41 – covers Jurupa Valley, Riverside, Moreno Valley and Perris. Riverside is the largest city in the district and is one of the larger metropolitan areas in the Inland Empire – south east of Los Angeles and North east of San Diego.
Three-fourths of the district is poverty-stricken. The Riverside metropolitan area was one of the hardest hit areas in the nation and is still struggling to “recover” – or go back to the slightly less improvised state it was in pre-recession. Moreno Valley and Perris have been frequently included in TV specials dedicated to the housing crisis. The unemployment rate is far above the state and national average, at a whopping 17.5%. Based on the 2010 census, almost 72% of the district is made up of minorities.
Takano hasn’t held a town hall meeting since April 27, 2013. It’s now September 4, 2014. It has been over half of his Congressional term since he has held a meeting with his constituents. But that’s how Washington runs. They “represent” their constituents without talking to the people who live in their district. Takano is no different. He’s out of touch with the people. He doesn’t know what’s going on with the people in Riverside County.
Takano’s too busy rising the ranks of the Democratic Party. He’s too busy being buddy-buddy with Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. I know I sound like a “right-winger” but it’s the truth. His Federal Election Commission (FEC) Filings prove that. Why else would Pelosi’s campaign donate $2,000 on two different occasions?
Let’s call this town hall what it really is…one giant campaign feeler. These town halls serve no purpose other than to “remind” the people what Takano is doing – or claims to be doing – back in Washington. He has to look like he’s doing something so he keeps getting the support of the big wigs in D.C. The best part? His staff posted a picture of the event on Facebook, making it seem it seem like things went all Hunky Dory and Takano “listened” to his constituents. As if.
