Rep. Ralph Norman disturbed by controversy over holding political discussion in Spartanburg

“Disturbed” by What?

Recently, I hosted a week-long series of in-person town halls throughout South Carolina’s 5th Congressional District. Within a four-day stretch, I held eight events in seven different counties. Hundreds of constituents showed up to hear about the issues facing our nation and to make their voices heard.

Topics included the debacle in Afghanistan, the crisis along our southern border, vaccine mandates, inflation, and more. No issue or question was off-limits. For Republicans and Democrats alike, these town halls provided an incredible chance to connect with their representatives in Congress.

Unfortunately, not everyone appreciated this style of civic engagement. Such appeared to be the case in Spartanburg where I hosted a town hall at a local brewery on Aug. 31. We had an outstanding turnout, with over 120 engaged constituents who were able to actively participate in the democratic process, voice their opinions, learn, and ask questions. Many drive significant distances to attend the town hall, and nearly everyone purchased food and drinks throughout the event. This town hall was a time for transparency and conversation.

Public debate:Spartanburg's RJ Rockers says it will not host political events following Timmons, Norman forum

Obviously, no rioting occurred, no one was verbally attacked, and not a single person was obnoxious, loud, rude, or disorderly. Instead, attendees were engaged and listened intently. To my knowledge, no one left the event, even though it would have been easy to do so.

A few days later, we learned that some of the folks there were “disturbed by what occurred.” While I understand some people don’t want to hear policy debates, I remain confused over what was so disturbing in that public forum? Was it disturbing to have a dialogue about the importance of election integrity? Or a conversation about more than 1.8 million illegal immigrants the Border Patrol has encountered along our southern border since President Biden took office? Perhaps it was disturbing to discuss the outrageous spending in Washington with no efforts to get our national debt under control?

Maybe the crisis caused by the President’s botched withdrawal in Afghanistan is what caused the stir?  Or… Or perhaps it was simply a vocal minority feigning outrage that fellow citizens with whom they may not agree would dare voice their opinions in public? I sincerely hope that’s not the case, as this type of “wokeness” is greatly harming our nation.

I am proud to represent over 700,000 people in the United States Congress, and I find nothing disturbing about providing constituents with an opportunity to meet with their elected representatives face to face and discuss important issues.

Events like these town halls should not be discouraged. Instead, we should welcome public debate and discussion. Moving forward, I will continue to host town halls like this, while prioritizing venues that welcome open dialogue. (And who wants the extra revenue.) Democracy is only effective if “we the people” are engaged with our elected officials and actively involved in the legislative process. At the end of the day, I look forward to more, not fewer, opportunities to connect with you in meaningful ways.

Republican U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman represents the 5th District Congressional District, which includes all of Cherokee, Chester, Fairfield, Kershaw, Lancaster, Lee, Union and York counties, along with parts of Newberry, Spartanburg and Sumter counties.