Lawmakers not expecting civility during recess meetings with voters

Lawmakers returning to their districts for a week-long recess are skeptical that the civility seen after the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., will carry over into their meetings with constituents.

In the immediate aftermath of the shooting at the Republican charity baseball practice and the game, both parties called for renewed civility. But now, just over two weeks later, those hopes are fading fast as the GOP continues to anger Democrats by pushing for the repeal of Obamacare, and President Trump fired off a tweet criticizing two cable news hosts that drew criticism from both sides.

As a result, town hall meetings held over the next week could prove testy.

According to the Town Hall Project, 26 members have held or are slated to hold town hall events, including two Senate Republicans — Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who held two on Friday, and Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan. A third, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, is attending town halls hosted by Concerned Veterans of America later in the week.

While rank-and-file members continue to hold out hope for civility, they are by no means optimistic and believe their hopes may just be wishful thinking.