GOP Rep. Tells Town Hall Attendee To ‘Shut Up’ After Crowd Begins Shouting

Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, asks a question of a panel of witnesses on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 23, 2008, during a hearing on energy spe... Rep. Joe Barton, R-Texas, ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee, asks a question of a panel of witnesses on Capitol Hill in Washington, Monday, June 23, 2008, during a hearing on energy speculation and the high cost of crude oil. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) MORE LESS
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At a town hall last week, Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX) told an attendee to “shut up” after the crowd took issue with his response to a question about legislation protecting women from violence.

An audience member pressed Barton to defend his vote against a measure to fight violence against women.

“I voted against it because I think that’s a state issue, not a federal issue,” Barton said.

The crowd began to boo. “Civil rights don’t go to states,” one person said.

“It’s violence against women,” another attendee shouted. “That is a national issue.”

Barton pointed to somebody in the audience and said: “You, sir, shut up.”

“What is this? You don’t tell anybody to shut up,” an attendee shouted. “You work for us!”

Reached by phone, a staff member at Barton’s office told TPM that the congressman had posted a response to the incident on Facebook, but the staffer was unable to find the post and had no further statement.

“All town halls begin with ground rules, which include that you must be recognized in order to speak,” Barton said in a statement to the Huffington Post. “Over the weekend in Frost, one gentlemen continued to speak over myself and many others who were seeking recognition in orderly fashion. I did, however, return to him for the last question of the meeting and allow him the opportunity to voice his concerns.”

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Notable Replies

  1. Senator Heller of NV told his constituents he’d a hold a town hall if they’d promise there would be no booing, but the crowd broke its promise. Hahaha.

    Barely five minutes into the presentation, people booed Heller loudly when he said he wanted to repeal the Dodd-Frank Act, a 2010 banking reform bill.

  2. There’s another way to shut this asshole up. Don’t vote for him. Fuck these people. They send people like this to DC where they can fuck with us all. Indian sends King. Texas sends this prick. My state sends a shit load of them. It gets harder and harder as the days go by to sympathize with these pissed off townhaller’s when they’ve always be in control of what’s angering them. They can vote it away.

  3. Avatar for dnl dnl says:

    I love the smell of mcKarma in the morning…It smells of defeat.

  4. "You work for us."This should be the opening statement every night on the 6 o’clock news.

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