GOP gets INSTANTLY BOOED at Town Hall as WORST FEARS ARRIVE!!

What this episode is about

MAGA Republican Congressman Mike Lawler faced backlash at a town hall in New York, where he was booed by constituents after attempting to silence a U.S. Navy veteran questioning his stance on issues. The confrontation highlighted tensions between lawmakers and their constituents, particularly around perceived lack of accountability and transparency from elected officials.

Key takeaways

• When veterans get booted from town halls, democracy faces a rousing 'Hooah or Boo!' battle.
• Lawler's town hall turned into a stage for melodrama, proving even moderates can pull an 'extreme' act.
• Town halls: where questions are met with applause, and real answers take an unexpected coffee break.
• MAGA’s rules: question the agenda, get ejected. Sounds like a new reality show, 'The Real Congresses of America.'
• Claiming biblical backing for walls? That's a plot twist even scripture wasn't prepared for. Cue the eye rolls!

Who speaks in this episode?

• Mandela Barnes (Host) · 8 min speaking
• Mike Lawler (Guest) · 2 min speaking
• Pablo Monriquez (Host) · 1 min speaking
• Teresa Kenny (Guest) · 1 min speaking

What is discussed, and when

1. 0:00 – 3:00: Donald Trump, Mike Lawler, Roberto Garacano
2. 3:00 – 6:00: Donald Trump, Mike Lawler, Midas Touch Network, Teresa Kenny
3. 6:00 – 9:00: Donald Trump, Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes, Tom Tiffany
4. 9:00 – 12:00: Wisconsin, Donald Trump, Tom Tiffany, Affordable Care Act
5. 12:00 – 15:00: Wisconsin, Donald Trump
6. 15:00 – 18:00: Donald Trump, Tom Tiffany, Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin
7. 18:00 – 19:52: Midas Touch Network, Donald Trump, Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin

Notable quotes from "GOP gets INSTANTLY BOOED at Town Hall as WORST FEARS ARRIVE!!"

• More MAGA Republican Congress members getting booed at town halls. That right there was MAGA Republican Congress member Mike Lawler from New York's 17th Congressional District.…

  about Mike Lawler · at 0:13

• IS SIX YEARS SERVING MY COUNTRY NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO ANSWER THE QUESTION?

  about Roberto Garacano · at 1:36

• He could feel good about himself. Take a look right here as you have this Orange Town supervisor Teresa Kenny MAGA Republican and you'll hear her say when Garacano was kicked…

  about Teresa Kenny · at 3:46

• And then at the Midas Touch Network, we had our Washington DC bureau head Pablo Monriquez ask Magga Mike Johnson how the horrific ICE and Border Patrol terrorism squares with Magga Mike's.

  about Midas Touch Network · at 5:11

• Candidate for governor of Wisconsin, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes. Mr. Barnes, great to see you. you and I talked when you first announced your…

  about Mandela Barnes · at 7:44

• Donald Trump would love nothing more than to have a rubber stamp in the governor's office in a state like Wisconsin, the swing state of Wisconsin.

  about Donald Trump · at 8:55

Who and what is mentioned in this episode?

People

• Donald Trump — Person · Referenced political figure / antagonist · 11 mentions · first at 0:26
  Central reference point for criticism: his agenda, endorsements, and alleged influence over GOP officials are used to frame the episode’s political argument.
• Mandela Barnes — Person · Main guest (interviewee) · 3 mentions · first at 7:48
  Interview subject presented as the Democratic candidate for Wisconsin governor, arguing against Trump-aligned politics and outlining a cost/healthcare/jobs agenda.
• Mike Lawler — Person · Referenced politician (subject of criticism) · 2 mentions · first at 0:19
  Used as an example of a 'MAGA' Republican being confronted at a town hall; accused of avoiding questions and having a veteran removed.
• Tom Tiffany — Person · Referenced politician (subject of criticism) · 6 mentions · first at 8:47
  Portrayed as Trump-aligned and inattentive to constituent needs; discussed in relation to healthcare costs (ACA tax credits/Medicaid expansion) and Wisconsin governance.
  They were elected to serve. And it couldn't be more apparent than with a Tom Tiffany who is the Republican nominee for governor who was just endorsed by Donald Trump. And he was endorsed by Donald Trump for a reason.
• Roberto Garacano — Person · Referenced constituent / town-hall participant · 1 mention · first at 0:38
  Identified as a U.S. Navy veteran and Lawler constituent who challenges Lawler at a town hall and is removed; used to illustrate alleged suppression of questioning.
• Teresa Kenny — Person · Referenced local official / audience member · 1 mention · first at 3:51
  Named as the Orange Town supervisor in the front row; highlighted for saying 'check his immigration status' as Garacano is removed.

Companies & orgs

• Midas Touch Network — Company · Business focus · 3 mentions · first at 5:11
  Mentioned as the network where the podcast is hosted, indicating its role in media and political commentary.

Concepts & topics

• Affordable Care Act — Concept · Key argument · 2 mentions · first at 9:24
  Discussed in the context of health care policy and its impact on Wisconsin residents, particularly the extension of Medicaid and tax credits.
  Groceries, utility bills, he's off doing something else. He hasn't responded to the need. He's voted against extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which will…

Places & events

• Wisconsin — Place · Setting · 12 mentions · first at 7:44
  The state is the focus of political discussion, particularly regarding the upcoming gubernatorial election and the impact of national policies on its residents.
  While people in this state who I talked to and I've been talking to people in his district while they're struggling with rising costs and health care and groceries, utility bills,.

Full transcript with timestamps

0:10 Thank you. More MAGA Republican Congress members getting booed at town halls. That right there was MAGA Republican Congress member Mike Lawler from New York's 17th Congressional District. He pretends that he's a moderate, but Lawler is a MAGA extremist who has supported Donald Trump's agenda every single day. Let me show you a longer clip of what went down as Mike Lawler had US Navy veteran Roberto Garacano thrown out of the town hall. Garacano is a constituent of Lawler and Lawler didn't like that he was being questioned by a US Navy veteran. I'll show you what went down here. And this is what we're seeing in MAGA Republican town hall after MAGA Republican town hall. Here, play this clip right here.

1:00 Don't move right here. Put your phones down. Put your phone down. We can't record.

1:13 Answer the question. YOU'RE BREAKING THE LAW. I'M SORRY, PLEASE. You're going to arrest a veteran. Go ahead. Go ahead.

1:24 I don't want to. I'm a veteran. I'm a constituent, so why can't you answer my question?

1:30 I'm a veteran. Why aren't you going to answer my question? Come on. Go to land.

1:34 Why aren't you to answer my question? IS SIX YEARS SERVING MY COUNTRY NOT ENOUGH FOR YOU TO ANSWER THE QUESTION?

1:41 SERVICE, PLEASE. Come on. Thank you, Mr. Let's do this. I want to hear the answer to the question. Just like all your constituents here.

1:49 We're going to wait until you leave. All right. All your constituents want to hear you answer the question.

1:54 Six years in the Navy for you to not answer the question. What did you serve? What did you do?

2:02 What's your name? Roberto Garana. Roberto. Spell your last name. T A R A. Thanks again for the video recording. There's some people in the audience who are not Ask Conor in the press. Conor in the press. Conor in the press.

2:18 Gray sweatshirt. Conor in the press. He knows me. Gray sweatshirt. Conor knows me. SHAME YOU are shame.

2:51 He didn't listen to me when I told him that I live. I know. What's your line? WHAT'S YOUR LINE? HE DOESN'T HAVE A LINE.

3:09 And by the way, people who attended that town hall had like the following reviews about Lawler. You had this constituent say the following here. Play this clip.

3:19 He doesn't answer the people's questions. If it's a topic that he feels like he's in the right, he talks for a half an hour, but then when someone asks him a specific question, he gives this brief answer but doesn't answer the question. Yeah, that about sums it up. Lawler's an absolute sociopath right there. By the way, in the front row, he had his MAGA allies clapping for him so he could feel good about himself. Take a look right here as you have this uh Orange Town supervisor Teresa Kenny MAGA Republican and you'll hear her say when uh Garacano was kicked out uh you'll hear her say check his immigration status, check his immigration papers. I mean you're talking about a a US Navy veteran. Just watch what she does here.

4:09 Play this clip. you know, and you have Magga Mike who's just been panicking all day. And now Magga Mike is saying, uh, well, you know, in in California, you know, I can't prove that their elections are all fraudulent, but they it looks fraudulent to me. Here's what Magamike says.

4:34 In some of the states, like in California, for example, I mean, they hold the elections open for weeks after election day. That's just one thing that that bothers so many people. We had three House Republican candidates who were ahead on election day in the last election cycle. And every time a new trunch of ballots came in, they just magically whittleled away until their leads were lost. And no uh series of ballots that were counted after election day were our uh candidates ahead on any of those counts. It just it looks on its face to be fraudulent. Can I prove that?

5:04 No, because it happened so far upstream. But we need more confidence uh in the American people in the election system. And then at the Midas Touch Network, we had our Washington DC bureau head uh Pablo Monriquez ask Magga Mike Johnson how the horrific ICE and Border Patrol terrorism squares with Magga Mike's reading of the Bible and scripture. And watch Magga Mike just say the most uh complete and utter nonsense right here. Let's play this clip. Publio has cited Matthew 25:35 to critique Donald Trump's mass deportation agenda. How would you respond to Publio in scripture?

5:45 So, you want me to give you a theological dissertation? All right. I tell you what, I'll post it on my website later today, but let me give you a quick summary.

5:51 Uh, borders and walls are biblical from the Old Testament to the New. God has uh allowed us to um set up our civil societies and have separate nations. Immigration is not something that's frowned upon in scripture. In fact, it's it's welcome. We're to we're going to welcome the sojourer and and love our neighbor as ourselves. But what's also important in the Bible is that assimilation is expected and anticipated and proper. When someone comes into your country, comes into your nation, they do not have the right to change its laws or to change a society. They're expected to assimilate. We haven't had a lot of that uh going on. When people cite um passages out of the Old Testament, they say, "Well, um you're supposed to take care of the sojourer and the neighbor and treat them as yourself. Welcome in."

6:33 Yes, but that is an admonition to individuals, not to the civil authorities. The civil authorities are given uh authority under scripture to maintain order. Uh Romans 12, you want to view this? Roman Romans 13 says that um that the civil authorities are God's agents of wrath to bring punishment upon the wrongdoer. And it says if you do right, you have no fear of the civil authorities, but those civil authorities are necessary. It's a calling. It's a calling to maintain order in society. And we have not had that. When Biden and Harris opened the borders wide for four years, we had as many as 20 million illegals come across the country. And we all know many dangerous people, hardened criminals, child molesters, rapists, murderers, all the rest, terrorists who came into the country. We did not take care of our borders. Sovereign borders are biblical and good and right and they're just because it's not because we

7:20 hate the people on the outside. It's because we love the people on the inside. We should love our neighbor as ourselves as individuals, but it's a civil authority and the government has to maintain the law and that is biblical and it's right and it's just and I'm happy to have this lengthy debate with anybody any time they want to and I'll post on my ex page the longer dissertation on that for you today. Okay, thank you so much.

7:43 Now, I want to bring in the Democratic candidate for governor of Wisconsin, former Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin, Mandela Barnes. Mr. Barnes, great to see you. Um, you and I talked when you first announced your campaign, which now has, you know, an amazing amount of momentum heading into, you know, I think the generals, but I want I want to chat with you about the attack on Wisconsin right now from Donald Trump. It's been relentless, you know, and it feels antagonistic. I mean, truly, it feels like Trump and the MAGA apparatus in Wisconsin work day and night to try to attack the state of Wisconsin. What are you seeing and how are you going to push back on it?

8:22 Well, the problem is Donald Trump has been allowed this virtually unchecked and unlimited amount of power. And that's happened because people in Congress who have decided that it is more politically advantageous for them to side with him every step of the way versus truly represent the people that they were elected to serve. And it couldn't be more apparent than with a Tom Tiffany who is the Republican nominee for governor who was just endorsed by Donald Trump. And he was endorsed by Donald Trump for a reason. Donald Trump would love nothing more than to have a rubber stamp in the governor's office in a state like Wisconsin, the swing state of Wisconsin.

9:04 He's already proved how extreme he can be. We know how extreme he will be. while people in this state who I talked to and I've been talking to people in his district while they're struggling with rising costs and health care and groceries, utility bills, he's off doing something else. He hasn't responded to the need. He's voted against extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits, which will drastically increase premiums for folks. I talked to a farmer in his district who said that he got a letter informing him that if the tax credits aren't extended, his premium is going to go from around $275 a month to around $1,600 a month. And that's not a unique instance. This is the case for so many people all ac all across Wisconsin because we are one of uh 10 states that has yet to extend our Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act. It's a dereliction of duty.

9:58 He's already shown that he's not responsible enough, not ready to leave Wisconsin.

10:02 Right? So, you have this MAGA Republican congressman, Tom Tiffany. He does whatever Donald Trump wants. He votes with Trump 100% of the time. Trump says, you know, clean the floor of my golden ballroom with your tongue. Tom Tiffany does it and says, "Thank you, Donald. What else can I do for you? Clean my golden whatever toilet bowl." Tom Tiffany does it. Then when Donald Trump's attacking uh you know the state of Wisconsin and people are feeling pain, Tom Tiffany's out there, I mean doing social media posts and saying, "Isn't this great? Don't you all feel like this is the golden age?" I mean, he makes all these posts saying wages are up. America is winning. This is the greatest thing ever. You know, and I think as you said as you tour Wisconsin, whether you're speaking with farmers there, construction workers, uh people trying to access health care, any type of person who goes out and needs to buy

10:54 things, which is everybody. People are like, I don't know what world you're living in. Maybe Club Mara Lago and Golden Ballrooms and whatever, but but we're suffering. And so, it's the reality that people are being hit hard in Wisconsin and the rest of the country, but then there's the gaslighting from Tiffany and Trump saying, "You're doing great. This is the golden age for aren't you happy?

11:14 And maybe it is his reality. Maybe that's the reality for the people he talks to because the concern has been with wealthy donors. The concern has been with appeasing Donald Trump, not responding to people's actual uh you know core struggles, not responding to what people the simple things. People want good schools to send their children to. People want one job that puts food on the table. People want to go to a doctor, not worry about a surprise bill. and Tom Tiffany has made that less and less possible. Now, besides all of the uh cheerleading of the president coming from Tom Tiffany, we need one, of course, a governor who is going to stand up to Donald Trump, but most importantly, a governor who's going to deliver on a vision to actually improve quality of life. I think one thing people are frustrated about is the back and forth. And as long as the back and forth happen happens, uh real governing

12:08 doesn't occur. And that's why we have a day one agenda to lower people's cost to create opportunity in a state like Wisconsin where young people find themselves struggling across this entire country finding their economic opportunities in dire straits. They don't see a future for themselves in most of this uh country. We need to ensure that there is opportunity so that people can see a future for themselves in Wisconsin. So that we can end this paycheck to paycheck economy that so many people are living in. That we will be able to expand healthc care in a way that drives down costs for everybody.

12:42 That we actually create the type of good paying union jobs that brought my grandfather to Milwaukee after he served in World War II. that gave my dad and his brother a chance to work and earn a living and take care of a family and retire comfortably with union wages. That Wisconsin has been lost for far too many people. And not only am I trying to work to bring that back, we're trying to make it better than it's ever been before because there were still flaws. There were still people who have been left out of the economy. We are going to build a system where we're actually bringing people in to make Wisconsin the best state to live, work, and raise a family despite uh Tom's Tiffany's insistence on it going the other way.

13:25 Tell us what you're hearing and seeing as you travel Wisconsin from independents and Republicans and even former Trump voters because we saw what just happened in Texas State Senate District 9 where a Democratic candidate union worker uh who ran on the platform of affordability beat a MAGA Republican candidate in a plus 17 Trump district there. He won by plus4. So, it was a 31point swing in a state senate district where Republicans poured in over $2.5 million, which is basically $2.5 million more than the Democratic candidate had there. I I'm wondering if you go, you know, Wisconsin's a purplish state. So, as you start heading towards the red areas, which I know your campaign's been traveling in, and the purple areas, what what are you hearing?

14:13 We're showing up in every uh corner, every pocket of Wisconsin. And there are folks who truly, you know, thought that Donald Trump was going to make things better. They thought he was going to lower costs. They thought he was going to have an actual focus on improving people's lives. I don't disparage those folks at all. Uh but what they have experienced in just the first year of his presidency has made them think much differently. the prioritization of foreign intervention, money being spent on foreign wars versus money being spent in communities to help them while they are struggling are again small business owners who are dealing with the impacts of tariffs as well as you know again we keep going back to family farmers because this is uh this is a a huge part of Wisconsin's economy. Our agriculture industry is what gave us our identity and these are the folks that Donald Trump has sold out. These are the folks

15:09 that Tom Tiffany has stood lock step against in an effort to appease Donald Trump. So with that being the case, the terrorists have done irreparable harm on our family farms and our small businesses. The government shutdown that led to snap cuts has done irreparable damage. There have been instances where you know here in Milwaukee we've had a number of grocery store closures and one in particular which is not a part of any chain. It was an independent ger which is you know there aren't many of them in the first place but one that sought to fill a gap in a community where there was a food desert. 30 days 30 days was enough to destabilize this grocery store right in the heart of a community that truly needs it. And this is all because people would rather play political games and do the right thing for people. And for our small business owners who are continuing to see rising costs because

16:11 of tariffs can no longer pass those costs down to consumers because people just don't have the money to be able to spend with these small business owners. It creates an impossible situation. These are independents. Some of these folks are Republicans who are frustrated that their their needs, their desires, their their wants continue to go unmet while the president has enriched himself a billion and a half dollars richer in one year as president while people are literally starving in communities all across the state and all across this country. There's a very real frustration with this accumulation of wealth in general.

16:51 for whatever reason, I guess they didn't expect it from the president, but folks who know exactly who Donald Trump is are not surprised, but there is sort of a surprise element when you have a member of Congress elected to represent a piece of this state who continues to ignore not just that part of the state, but the entire state and has the audacity to run and run for governor. By the way, that billion and a half is what we know about based on the companies that we're aware of. Like, we don't know what he's putting in Qatari bank accounts or other overseas accounts. And we know he's taking the oil money from Deli Rodriguez in Venezuela, and he's shifting it over to Qatari bank accounts, which he which he and Qatar control, not the United States. which by the way, Tom Tiffany, very pro-Qatari bank accounts and Trump taking oil money for for himself.

17:45 Finally, uh where can people learn more about your campaign and uh any final messages you want to direct to our 6 million subscribers?

17:53 Well, absolutely. My website is mandelabars.com. We've been on an incredible journey so far. And I want to remind people again, one, this is for sure about standing up to an outofcontrol president who wants nothing more than to show force in communities all across this country. If we want to stand up for working people, if we want to stand up for opportunity, if we want to stand up for a government that truly respects folks regardless of the factors that Donald Trump and his allies have used to divide us, I hope you'll join me at mandelabars.com. This is a moment not just to stand up, though. This is a moment to offer new leadership. Not just a new generational leadership, but a new way of doing things that recognize the faults that we've had in our economy, the faults that we've had in our society, and the breakdowns that have been so structural and have led to decline of communities across this

18:47 country. We can rebuild. We can make things better than they have ever been before. But it takes a bold vision to get us there. It takes us all working together, showing up, ensuring that people are paid what they are worth, ensuring that we hold the powerful accountable, and ensuring that we transition this economy from one that filters money, net worth, and resources through billionaire bank accounts before it hits the rest of us. We're going to make sure the wealthy pay their fair share and we rebuild our state and we rebuild this country in a way that everyone has a chance to get ahead.

19:26 Mandela Barnes running for governor Wisconsin. Thanks for joining us. Thanks so much for having me.

19:31 Everybody hit subscribe. Let's get to 6 million subscribers. Want to stay plugged in? Become a subscriber to our Substack at midasplus.com. You'll get daily recaps from Ron Filipowski, ad free episodes of our podcast, and more exclusive content only available at midasplus.com.

Questions about this episode

Who speaks in "GOP gets INSTANTLY BOOED at Town Hall as WORST FEARS ARRIVE!!"?

Mandela Barnes (Host), Mike Lawler (Guest), Pablo Monriquez (Host), Teresa Kenny (Guest).

What is "GOP gets INSTANTLY BOOED at Town Hall as WORST FEARS ARRIVE!!" about?

MAGA Republican Congressman Mike Lawler faced backlash at a town hall in New York, where he was booed by constituents after attempting to silence a U.S. Navy veteran questioning his stance on issues. The confrontation highlighted tensions between lawmakers and their constituents, particularly around perceived lack of accountability and transparency from elected officials.

What is mentioned in this MeidasTouch episode?

9 people, works and ideas are mentioned, including Donald Trump, Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin, Mike Lawler, Tom Tiffany, Affordable Care Act. Each one on this page links to its own page with every episode that mentions it.

How long is "GOP gets INSTANTLY BOOED at Town Hall as WORST FEARS ARRIVE!!"?

The episode runs 20 min; the transcript is about 3,374 words in 40 timestamped sections.

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