When Congresswoman Maggie Goodlander took the stage at Concord High School Wednesday afternoon, she kicked things off by stressing that she was mostly there to listen.
“I can work best for you and do this job best when I hear from you directly,” Goodlander told the full house in the school’s auditorium for a town hall-style meeting. “And there is no substitute for showing up — especially in a time like this.”
The constituents who showed up gave Goodlander an earful.
“There is no fight in the Democratic Party anymore,” Lisa Perrone, who lives in Hillsboro, told Goodlander. “It’s just like, ‘Yeah, we hear you, we are talking.’ We want action!”
Big crowds opposed to President Donald Trump are filling public events hosted by members of Congress across the country these days — including here in New Hampshire: Hundreds of people attended Goodlander’s Concord event last week, and more than 1,000 showed up to see Rep. Chris Pappas in Stratham Saturday. Those who spoke had lots to say to their members of Congress, but one underlying message was clear: Fight harder against Trump and his allies.
"I didn't see you standing up," Mike Dane of Stratham told Pappas. "When our schools are under attack and threatened with the withdrawal of all of their federal funding if they don't fall into line with Trump's ideology, I didn't hear you."
"If you go and fight, we will be with you," Dane continued, to loud cheers.
Pappas urged Dane and others to stay engaged and support efforts by Democrats in Congress to oppose Trump.
"We do have to be, I think, coherent and consistent in our messaging,” Pappas said. “And I really appreciate your feedback. We’d love to continue to hear from you.”
“I appreciate the coherence,” Dane responded, “but we live in an age where perfect attendance is not enough anymore.”
Voters who turned out in Stratham and Concord offered blunt critiques of the current administration, and asked others to join them in resisting the policy changes coming from the White House.
“What if martial law happens?,” Seana Hallberg of Dover asked Pappas, while imploring the crowd to mobilize. “It is for us to join grassroots organizations and it is for us to do the work.”
Phil Utter of Exeter, who attended the Pappas forum Saturday, said he understood the quandary that Democrats are in these days, shut out of power in the White House and both houses of Congress.
“People want to know, ‘What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do? What are you gonna do?’ And there’s no good answer to that,” Utter said.
Concord psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Fetter, who is the medical director of New Hampshire Hospital, offered this mental health assessment of the president: “Donald Trump is anti-social. We are mostly nice people who believe in liberal democracy, and it’s hard for us to know how to strategize against someone who is anti-social.”
Craig Venske, meanwhile, shared this unsparing diagnosis of billionaire Elon Musk, leader of Trump’s effort to cut back federal spending and shutter agencies – without congressional approval:
“The very picture of a Ketamine-addled monkey,” Venske said, to applause from fellow attendees. “He shows clear signs and symptoms associated with chronic dissociative use.”
Others who attended the Goodlander and Pappas events were quick to diagnose what they see as ailing the Democratic Party. A perceived unwillingness to take on Trump head on was a throughline.
“We need someone to mobilize us,” Roland Dubois of Contoocook told Goodlander. “There is so much anger here. People are ready to do something. Who is going to lead us to do something? Will you? Will you lead us? Will you tell us what to do? Will you lead us in demonstrations on the street? What will you do?”
Goodlander hesitated in offering a reply: “I will. . . . I will go wherever we can go.”
“You need to tell us,” Dubois shot back.
“And I will,” Goodlander said.
“Lead us, lead us, please,” Dubois said. “Will you?”
“I will,” Goodlander said. “It’s, it’s. . . It is my job.”
Goodlander, who has been in office for less than three months, said holding face-to-face meetings with constituents is the first step. She added she will participate the anti-Trump rally outside the New Hampshire State House on April 5.
Voters' focus on Pappas and Goodlander comes as both are eyeing the U.S. Senate seat now held by Jeanne Shaheen, who isn't seeking reelection next year. Pappas has started to hold campaign-style events in recent days – including outside his congressional district.
