Joe Walsh: 'My constituents are my bosses'
Earlier this week, the Daily Herald Editorial Board ran an editorial attacking me for not attending the president's recent address to Congress and for not listening. I have nothing but the highest respect for the office of the president, but I will never apologize for listening to my constituents over another one of the president's political speeches. We've traditionally reserved joint sessions of Congress for extraordinary occasions such as times of war and visits from heads of state from around the world. I felt that in presenting his third jobs plan in 2½ years, President Obama was politicizing a joint session of Congress, and I didn't want to take part in that.
And if it wasn't political, then why did the Democratic National Committee use clips from the president's speech to cut a campaign ad? It's illegal to use any of the president's official appearances for his re-election campaign. You can't get more political than a campaign ad. And the Daily Herald had the gall to call what I did political grandstanding?
The editorial stated: “(Walsh is) not listening ... If you don't have respect for the office of the president, if you don't want to listen to the other side ...” Listening to whom? To whomever the Daily Herald approves? I did listen. I do listen. I listen to my constituents. My responsibility is to them, not to the president.
Moreover, I didn't ignore the president's remarks. I read the entire speech, and then I discussed it with a group of over 100 small business owners. We came up with some small business jobs proposals in response, and I sent those proposals in a letter to the president. How many members of Congress listened that closely, gave the president's speech that much attention, let alone read it? And the Daily Herald would have preferred that I had just been a prop for the president and sat in my seat. That doesn't seem very productive to me.
There are other ideas out there, and maybe we should start paying attention to them. The last time I checked, the president's ideas aren't working too well — the economy added zero jobs in August and unemployment is still above 9 percent. The president has tried his ideas, and they haven't worked. Listening only to Obama isn't listening at all. I think it's time the Daily Herald started listening to some other people too and getting some new ideas.
So, again, I am confused by the accusation that I am not listening. I listen to Republicans and Democrats, including this president, every day. And I listen to my constituents, whom I represent. My constituents are my bosses, and my constitutional obligation is to serve them, not the president. It is for that reason that I will never make Washington, D.C., my home. It is for that reason that I sleep in my office and fly home every single weekend. It is for that reason that I have held over 70 town-hall meetings since I was sworn in last January. That has been the single most important mission of my time so far in Washington — to talk with my constituents as much as possible. I represent them, and that's my job. I realize that might bring me into conflict with the news media's devotion to the president, but if we're going to discuss small business job creation, then I am going to talk to the small business owners in my district because they, not the president, are the ones who are going to create these jobs.
Ÿ Joe Walsh, a McHenry Republican, represents Illinois' 8th Congressional District.