Left cheers Chaffetz protest, but called town hall disruptions ‘un-American’ in 2009

The Salt Lake Tribune described the meeting as “75 minutes of tense exchanges between Chaffetz and residents from across the state.” Constituents pushed Chaffetz for answers on issues ranging from the president’s potential conflicts of interest, to refugees, to immigration and more, drowning him out with chants of “Do your job!”

And Chaffetz isn’t the only lawmaker facing backlash in his district. Congressmen Mike Coffman and Tom McClintock reportedly fled from angry crowds assembled at events in recent weeks as well.

Predictably, many on the Left cheered the protest of Chaffetz’s town hall. Emboldened by the wave of favorable media coverage, liberals will likely continue to follow this approach in the near future.

Footage from the Chaffetz town hall is remarkably similar to footage that frequently went viral in the early days of the Obama administration, documenting the bitter backlash Washington Democrats faced at town hall meetings over their efforts to pass healthcare reform.

Unlike the Chaffetz town hall attendees, however, these concerned constituents were routinely slandered by Democratic leaders.

In response to the outburst of town hall protests that dominated the summer of 2009, Representative Baron Hill remarked, “I don’t mind people disagreeing with you, but just to blow up a meeting is an act of political terrorism.”

In an op-ed coauthored for USA Today, Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer slammed the protests, writing, “Drowning out opposing views is simply un-American.”

Videos from Thursday night plainly show Chaffetz’s town hall matching the criteria set by Hill, Hoyer, and Pelosi back in 2009: The meeting was indisputably “blown up” and footage clearly shows protesters “drowning out” Chaffetz.

So Democrats either will condemn the Utah crowd, or have revised their standards since 2009.

Emily Jashinsky is a commentary writer for the Washington Examiner.