[Peace-discuss] Davis "town hall"

[David Green]

For informational purposes, N-G coverage this morning:

OPEN GOVERNMENT NIGHT

‘PERIOD OF PROGRESS’

Over 200 attend event to hear what Rep. Davis has to say

By TIM MITCHELL

tmitchel at news-gazette.com

DECATUR — Facing a crowd that jeered and cheered, applauded and booed,
Rodney Davis spent Monday evening answering questions about tweets, tariffs
and other issues making headlines — both in central Illinois and beyond.

The Republican U.S. representative from Taylorville appeared before a crowd
of 245 people, ranging from college students to senior citizens and
representing both sides of the aisle. They packed the auditorium at
Decatur’s Richland Community College for what was billed as Davis’ first
“Open Government Night,” costarring state Rep. Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur.

“I attended because I wanted to hear what Rodney Davis had to say about
women’s reproductive rights,” said Danielle Jones of Urbana.

“I came because Congressman Davis is helping President (Donald) Trump

Please see DAVIS, A-6

When today’s first of back-to-back Democratic debates ( 7-9 p.m. both
nights, CNN) is over, JIM BOHANNON’s national radio show begins on WDWS
1400-AM. So News-Gazette Media asked the host: What question would you ask
the presidential hopefuls if you had the microphone?

“This country remains highly vulnerable to an electro-magnetic pulse
attack. Simply

launching three small nukes into the upper atmosphere — from ships off the
Atlantic Coast, the Pacific Coast and the Gulf of Mexico — could possibly
generate sufficient radiation bursts to burn out anything electronic within
the entire continental U.S. Such an attack — well within the capabilities
of a North Korea, for example — could conceivably plunge this country into
the 19th century, killing transportation, refrigeration and modern
communications. The cost of retro-fitting the country’s electronics with
shielding could probably be done for only a few billion dollars — a minor
expense, indeed, given what’s at stake.

“The question: What would your administration be prepared to do to prevent
this?”

U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, answers a question with state Rep.
Dan Caulkins, R-Decatur, on Monday during an ‘Open Government Night’ event
on the campus of Richland Community College in Decatur.

Clay Jackson/Herald & Review


------------------------------

DAVIS

Continued from A-*1*

make America great again,” said Juanita Green of Champaign.

Over the 90-minute program, Davis fielded 22 questions submitted by
audience members and screened by a moderator, Decatur Herald & Review
Editor Chris Coates.

“Constituent service is a big deal to me,” said Davis, who had come under
fire in the past for not making himself available to voters — particularly
to groups opposed to his policies in Champaign-Urbana.

“We not only talk to constituents, but we act on their behalf,” added
Davis, whose staff plans to hold similar events in other parts of his
district. As of last week, a Champaign- Urbana date had yet not been
discussed, according to a Davis spokeswoman.

Monday’s event was reminiscent of an old-time vaudeville show, with fans
and opponents of the congressman breaking in from time to time for applause
or cat calls.

A sampling of what Davis said: — On Trump’s recent tweets and chants from
his supporters at rallies, some of which have been described as racist by
political opponents and others: “We need to tweet a lot less and govern a
lot more.”

Speaking specifically about the president urging four non-white female
Democratic members of Congress to go back to the countries they came from —
three of the four were born in the U.S. — Davis said: “I do not think that
was an appropriate thing to talk about.”

— On the effects on soybean farmers of trade tariffs with China: “If the
two sides sit down together, I think they can come up with an agreement
that will alleviate the tariffs. The farmers of this country deserve all
the help they can.”

— On immigration: “I voted for and helped negotiate two immigration bills
in the last Congress. One of those bills would have built a bordersecurity
structure. It is not compassionate to not have a structure that will allow
us to enforce our laws in this country.”

— On armed violence in America: “It is pretty tough answering a
gun violence question when you have experience having to run from bullets
withouttalking about it,” Davis said, referring to a gunmanopening fire in
2017 during

a Team GOP softball practice in Virginia.

“We were victims of gun violence from a crazed lunatic who was intoxicated
by politics. We need to address the mental health crisis in this country.”

— On the Affordable Care Act: “Thank you, Obama, for the 60 million
Americans who still don’t have coverage.”

— On global warming: “Climate change is real, but we don’t know how much is
caused by man and how much is caused by natural occurrences.”

— On what’s at stake in the 2020 census, particularly if there’s an
undercount in Illinois: “We may not only lose one or two congressional
seats, it will lessen the amount of money we get and the number of
electoral votes we have to elect the president.”

— On solar power: “Solar can be a part of our energy economy. I voted to
increase tax credits for solar projects. There is room for every energy
approach.”

— On international interference in American elections: “The Trump
administration is going to do a lot more (to prevent it in 2020) than the
Obama administration (did).”

— On how history will judge this era of government: “We under-appreciate
what this moment means for this country. We have historic low unemployment,
historic economic growth. History ought to look back at this time as a
period of progress.”

Champaign’s Terry Maher, left, holds a sign outside on Monday before the
‘Open Government Night’ event featuring U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis,
R-Taylorville, in the Shilling Community Education Center on the campus of
Richland Community College.

Clay Jackson/Herald & Review
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