Dem Rep. Jamie Raskin packs out LI town hall with nearly 2K residents: We are being governed by morons

Nearly 2,000 residents packed a weekend town hall on Long Island with Dem Maryland Rep.Jamie Raskin — a rare in-person political forum in a deep-red county where GOPers have been avoiding such events.The massive turnout was so high that an overflow center was needed for the main site, the Patchogue Theater — and highlighted the growing frustration of Suffolk County residents who say they’ve been left in the dark by their Republican reps.“My friends, we are being governed by morons,” Raskin, a constitutional lawyer, told the crowd.

“But the more difficult the struggle, the more glorious the victory.“I know I’m not your first choice — it would have been better to have your own representatives here,” Raskin added, referring to local GOP Reps.Nick LaLota and Andrew Garbarino.Republican pols have been dodging local public town halls in favor of tightly controlled teleconferences or private events after several heated meetings in recent months.Raskin, who sits on key House committees, told the attendees that if Republican lawmakers won’t host in-person events, he’ll gladly travel to their districts and speak further with their constituents himself.The congressman spoke and took questions on a slew of issues affecting the region — from proposed cuts to Medicaid and Medicare to the SALT cap, tariffs, taxes and inflation.Addressing the crowd in the Republican stronghold, Raskin said that while he primarily identifies as a “progressive liberal,” he also considers himself a “conservative” in the sense that he wants to conserve the Constitution, the environment, Social Security, individual rights and religious freedom.He acknowledged that Democrats haven’t done enough to earn the vote of the working class.Trump won Suffolk County with about 55% of the vote in 2024 — a 10-point lead over Kamala Harris, according to data from the Suffolk County Board of Elections.Some residents said they left the event feeling inspired and hopeful, while ot...