Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) held three town hall meetings in the Sacramento area recently, and he wasn't received warmly. Protestors filled and , heckling and protesting the congressman.
He responded with an op-ed in the Elk Grove Citizen Tuesday, saying the protestors kept the public from being able to discuss important issues.
Lungren wrote that "shouting your opposition down simply because you do not agree with their point of view is unacceptable and does nothing to find solutions to our problems."
Lungren said some of the protestors came from as far as San Francisco, and were disruptive and intimidating to his staff members.
"I support a passionate exchange of ideas, but it is important to understand that we must treat each other with a mutual respect while we engage in these debates," he wrote. "This is the very essence of tolerance."
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Were you at one of Lungren's recent town hall meetings? What did you think of the atmosphere at the events? Let us know in the comments section below.
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