By Bill Lescohier
About 30 demonstrators delivered paper bags with lumps of coal to Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen’s Morristown office on Friday — along with a plateful of cookies, just “to let the staff know it was nothing personal,” said Thomas Hilliard of NJ 11th for Change.
The group marched from Starbucks to Frelinghuysen’s office to demand the 12-term congressman oppose repeal of the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare–or at least have a workable plan to replace it.
Hilliard said the paper bags symbolized the GOP’s lack of any such plan.
Slideshow photos by Bill Lescohier. For captions, hover over image.
The effort got a shoutout from Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.
But Frelinghuysen (R-11th Dist.), the new chairman of the powerful House Appropriations Committee, was not present to accept the gift bags.
His district liaison, Aura Dunn, told the demonstrators she did not know the congressman’s position on the Affordable Care Act, and everyone would find out when he votes on it.
Chris Clark and Liz Lynch spoke of the difference Obamacare had made for their families, which otherwise lacked adequate health insurance options.
The grassroots NJ 11th for Change group formed to remind the Harding Republican that “he works for the people of the 11th District of New Jersey, not Donald Trump or the Koch brothers,” Hilliard said.
—Kevin Coughlin contributed to this report.
His district liaison doesn’t know his position on the ACA? Really? What the hell kind of office is he running? Lord Rodney needs to get his comeuppance once and for all
I’m a member of NJ 11th for Change and was deeply disappointed by Rodney Frelinghuysen’s vote in the House on Friday to support Senate actions to begin repeal of the ACA. It is time for Congressman Frelinghuysen to start listening to his constituents, whom he is supposed to represent in D.C.