Just took a tough vote? This GOP congressman shows how NOT to conduct yourself back home.

[herding cats]

The footage of Rep. Rod Blum (R-Iowa) walking out of an interview with an Iowa reporter is brutal. And it's going viral for a reason: In trying to protect himself from anger in this health-care debate, Blum just made himself a target of it.

Being defensive (and, in Blum's case, dramatic) is pretty much the opposite of what House Republicans who could be vulnerable for supporting the House health-care bill need to be doing right now.

In the political tinderbox that is much of America right now, one impulsive comment or action — like walking out of a TV interview that hadn't even touched on health care — can light a fire that spreads across the nation.

Let's start with the interview in question. KCRG-TV reporter Josh Scheinblum asks Blum, who voted for the controversial House health-care bill last week, why he's checking people's IDs for a town hall later that night. For several months now, Republican lawmakers across the nation have been flooded with constituents — many but not all of them on the left — angry about the proposed changes to health care.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/09/just-took-a-tough-vote-this-gop-congressman-shows-how-to-not-to-conduct-yourself-back-home/

https://m.

[brush]

1. What an a-hole, especially with all those kids around. Not a good example to show them how...

to handle a tough question.

[herding cats]

3. Did you see the looks on ththe kids faces?

They were shocked and confused as to what was taking place.

[lame54]

9. As am I

[treestar]

2. why not just answer "no?"

Must be the answer is "yes."

[herding cats]

4. Of course the answer is yes.

He just couldn't defend saying yes and still validate his argument for excluding other Iowans.

[malchickiwick]

5. What a SNOWFLAKE!!

Poor widdle guy, bullied by that mean scawy reporter asking a simple question. Someone run get him a blankie and a juice box!

[flying-skeleton]

6. Definition of a CHICKEN !

[AgadorSparticus]

7. What a fragile douchebag!!! Someone needs to tell him to buck up.

...winter is coming, snowflake.

[old guy]

8. The only conclusion I can come to is

he does not fear the next election at all. What does he know that the rest of us don't?

[athena]

10. Gerrymandering.

He's probably from such a gerrymandered district that he knows he's going to win re-election no matter how extreme his right-wing views are. That's why he doesn't want to let anyone into his town-hall meeting who is not from his district.

And yet, he will take donations from anyone anywhere in the country. It was great that the journalist had the nerve to ask about his hypocrisy.

ETA: I was wrong. His district is not reliably Republican. I hereby change my answer to "stupidity", which also explains his behavior in the video.

[old guy]

13. Stupidity it is then.

[athena]

14. Indeed.

Let's hope he is replaced in 2018.

[JudyM]

11. Donations are a sensitive subject. I hope all our Dems proactively consider this so they can't be

easily attacked on the subject. If we're not clean we can't attack them on the issue.

[athena]

15. Donations are not the problem.

I don't think our side is trying to keep people out of townhalls. What the guy did is hypocritical not because he accepts donations from everywhere but wants to keep people out of his townhalls unless they're from his district and can prove it.

[JudyM]

17. Keeping people out is another issue. He walked out of the interview when questioned about donations.

[athena]

19. He didn't walk out because of the donations.

Everyone accepts donations from anywhere, as long as the donor is an American citizen or legal resident. There is no law or rule that says you can only accept donations from the constituents in your own district. And there shouldn't be.

He walked out because the interviewer had just exposed his hypocrisy: that he accepts donations from Iowa residents who are not from his district but will not allow Iowa residents who are not from his district to attend his townhall.

Read it carefully:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/amphtml/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/09/just-took-a-tough-vote-this-gop-congressman-shows-how-to-not-to-conduct-yourself-back-home/

KCRG-TV reporter Josh Scheinblum asks Blum, who voted for the controversial House health-care bill last week, why he's checking people's IDs for a town hall later that night. For several months now, Republican lawmakers across the nation have been flooded with constituents — many but not all of them on the left — angry about the proposed changes to health care.

Blum's response to Scheinblum's question: “I don’t represent all Iowans — I represent the First District of Iowa. That would be like saying, ‘Shouldn’t I be able to, even though I live in Dubuque, be able to go vote in Iowa City during the election because I’d like to vote in that district instead?’”

“Would you still take donations from a Republican in Iowa City?” Scheinblum asks.

Blum smiles a wry smile, throws up his hands and bounces out of his chair. “I'm done here,” he says as his hands reach for his microphone to rip it off. “This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous,” he says as he unravels his microphone and drops it into Scheinblum's hands. “He’s just going to sit here and badger me,” Blum says to the children standing around him, who were supposed to underscore his support for a community center, as he walks away.

[JudyM]

24. Yes, I understand that :) The question also touches a nerve on donations, IMO, it's a broader

emotional reaction he's having to being exposed not just for hypocrisy but also the rest of the dark underside of donations... the reporter went there and he didn't want to face it. I just don't think it's as narrow a point as you do, but I understand your view.

[winstars]

12. Jeeze, the reporter was not exactly Mike Wallace! What a frigging dope.

[Jim Beard]

22. I believe the reporter did good.

[winstars]

23. Very good I would say. He could not have been nicer... THERE WAS NO REASON TO LEAVE.

[oasis]

16. Blum's surrounded by lots of AA kids. What's his angle?

[Bradical79]

21. He was expecting a softball human interest interview

He was at an event for some sort of program that benefits African American children, I think.

[kairos12]

18. These colors do run.

[ProudLib72]

20. There is no dialogue with them

It's my way or the highway, and any attempt to undermine my authority will be met with me cutting you off entirely. And that, little children surrounding Blum, is an example of authoritarianism.