Washington Post: Even a Democratic congressman has to answer for Trump
February 19, 2017
The Washington Post writes,
Freshman Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) held an impromptu question-and-answer session at the Land & Sea diner here Sunday morning, scrapping his plan to have only one-on-one chats with constituents. He answered queries from a crowd of more than 100 people, compared with the roughly 15 who typically come for coffee and eggs early on Sundays, local police said. And the event lasted 45 minutes longer than intended.
The presentation by Gottheimer, who beat seven-term Republican congressman Scott Garrett last year, reflected the balancing act confronting both him and his party as it looks to win back the House majority in 2018: acknowledging the rising fury among its base voters while also courting Trump supporters in swing districts like his own.
“I’m calling balls and strikes,” Gottheimer said. “When I see an abhorrent move by this administration, I speak out. But when I see areas where we can work together — infrastructure, those types of things — we have to talk to Republicans.”