A Government in Virtual Exile

A recent article from KOMU, Columbia’s NBC affiliate, reported that Republican Congressmen Mark Alford and Bob Onder attended a private Chamber of Commerce meeting, where they proudly shared their voting record with local business leaders. The problem? They excluded the public.

When word got out, local residents showed up anyway. Barred from entering, they voiced their discontent outside the venue. They chanted, held signs, and confronted the congressmen as they came and went.

The article also highlighted that Republicans are increasingly using the strategy of avoiding public scrutiny. At the federal level, GOP lawmakers have been advised to avoid town halls or any event where members of the general public might challenge them directly.

This is a government in virtual exile. Though they operate on American soil, they behave as if they fear the very people they were elected to represent. And that’s never good.

Our democracy depends on the principle of a citizen-led government. When barriers are erected between voters and their elected officials, we begin to drift away from that ideal. For now, Republicans appear comfortable with this arrangement, but they’ve lit a fuse. The longer they govern from behind closed doors, the greater the risk it all blows up in their face.

Democracy thrives on transparency and trust, neither of which can pass through the wall Republican legislators have built between themselves and the people. But walls crumble. The only question is: how many people will get hurt when it falls?