Lawmaker Regrets Comparing Town Halls to ‘Orientals’ in Maoist China

Rep. Mike Bost (R-IL) on Thursday walked back remarks he made this week when he criticized the practice of in-person town-hall meetings with constituents. Bost, quoted in The Southern Illinoisan, had said: “The amount of time that I have at home is minimal, I need to make sure that it’s productive. You know the cleansing that the Orientals used to do where you’d put one person out in front and 900 people yell at them? That’s not what we need. We need to have meetings with people that are productive.” Bost told CNN in a statement that he now regrets that phrasing and that there was “no malicious intent” meant by the analogy. “I used a poor choice of words in describing the coordinated disruptions taking place across the country. While there was no malicious intent, I regret that my words may have distracted from an important point,” Bost said. “When the booing and shouting drowns out the conversation we’re trying to have with our constituents, it becomes that much harder to govern. It’s time for Republicans and Democrats to get back to the point where we can disagree on the issues but give everyone a chance to have their voice heard.”