This week, about 20 minutes from Elmont City Hall, Melissa Morgan of San Dimas picked up his microphone and addressed her MP Gil Cisneros.
“You look like a kind, kind, good person,” Morgan said. At first her voice hesitated. “But I’m angry. I’m scared. I feel that our democracy is in danger. You will angry. ”
Morgan’s voice is growing stronger as she is shocked by her fear: Social security will be cut, the national park system will be destroyed, billionaire Elon Musk and the government’s efficiency department will “open” Americans after gaining social security numbers and employment history.
“I just hope the Democrats match my anger and fear,” she concluded. Applause rang out in the packed room.
Massive shootings by federal workers’ communities and the looming threat to Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security have sparked anger and fear among liberal voters who are targeting lawmakers on both sides.
In the deep blue area of California, the city hall meeting has become a vent meeting for voters who are tired of Trump, Musk and Democratic weaknesses. The lawmakers try to move a line between showing their anger and explaining that Republicans control the line between the House, the Senate and the White House, and they can only do a lot of things.
“In the House, most people are in full control,” Sisnaros said, when El Monte’s crowd was upset. “We can’t bring the bills to the floor to vote because we are a minority. The only person who made that decision was the spokesperson for the house. He won’t move forward anything we do.”
A small number of Republican officials with city hall faced a noisy crowd. Republican Rep. Jay Obernolte’s Big Bear Lake faces at a recent “Community Coffee” event in Yucca Valley Voters shout“No king! No king!” When Trump is mentioned. More than 25,000 people gathered the phone with Northern California Rep. Kevin Kiley (R-Rocklin) this week.
Most Republicans haven’t met their voters lately at the advice of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-la.).
“They are doing this for the cameras – we all know,” Johnson said. “I think it’s wise not to play now.”
Republican lawmakers who have not yet held a city hall saw protests outside their district offices. This week, about 200 health care workers, their unions and supporters Protesting for potential cuts For Medi-Cal, As Medicaid is well known in California, outside the office of Rep. Young Kim.
Josephine Rios, a nursing assistant who worked for seven years in Kaiser Permanente, Orange County, said she participated in the protest on behalf of her 7-year-old grandson, Elijah, who suffered from cerebral palsy.
Rios said she was worried that cutting Medicar would make his medication unbearable. Rios said she felt King betrayed by the vote in November.
“Stripping it from him will leave him home and leave him helpless,” Rios said. “The drug that deprives him of is life-threatening.”
This month, Congress’s budget blueprint is passed to demand a $1.5 trillion cut to $2 trillion over the next decade. Although Trump said he does not support Medicaid cuts, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said that costs on this scale can be saved only through such cuts.
Democratic leaders hope they can tap into anger at Trump, Musk and the Road in the 2026 midterm elections to help their party retake the House. But the party must first overcome its historically bad popularity.
one CNN Poll The findings conducted in early March were 29% of Americans favored the Democratic Party, down from 33% in January.
exist New episode Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said in a podcast for California Gov. Gavin Newsom, the reason for the decline in popularity of Democrats is due to the loss of confidence among members of their own party.
“The Democrats are unified – they unified their anger at Democrats,” Waltz said. And, he added, “they are unified because Donald Trump’s policies will hurt people.”
Doris Anderson, 81, has stayed away from Cisneros and told the town hall crowd that voters should start a financial boycott of companies like Amazon. Amazon founder and owner of The Washington Post billionaire Jeff Bezos helped Trump’s inauguration.
“Congress, there’s only a limited amount of things they can do – but you can stop spending,” Anderson said.
By the end of the town hall, Kaime Welsh, 26, of La Verne, stood up and asked: “Can we list one action you and the Democrats in Congress? Simple English, no stories, no metaphor.
Sisneros said he had spoken to Musk and the Ministry of Government Efficiency on the House floor. (In a speech, he described Musk’s efforts as “coup”), he said, joining Democrats who mocked Trump in a joint presidential speech to Congress.
Part of the problem, he said, is that some members have not heard about what the Democrats are doing, while others feel they are not going far enough.
“It’s tough, right?” Cisneros said its areas include West Covina, El Monte, Baldwin Park and Glendora. “People want to act, but when they see this act, they’re like ‘OK, that’s not enough.'”
Patrick Fernandez of La Verne told Cisneros that Democrats are “coated” and “fear of calling things.” “It’s not only causing damage to us at this moment — but also adverse damage to future generations, and that will look back on this moment,” he said.
“Why do we see this moment as ‘maybe we’ll vote for them in the mid-term?'” Fernandez said. “We can’t stock in the mid-term because, as I said, the South African Nazis and his criminal hackers are raiding federal buildings. That’s not normal. It’s a coup.”
Cisneros replied: “I agree 100% with you.” “Our message is not well delivered.”
The members of the crowd began to heck around him again.
Times worker Andrew Campa contributed to the report.
