As Washington becomes increasingly politically polarized, concerns are being raised that influential media figures are directing decisions, and even votes, in Congress.
During a discussion bipartisanship this week, moderate Republican Illinois Rep. Rodney Davis expressed frustration with some GOP members who pay too much attention to conservative media figures, such as President Trump’s ally, Sean Hannity of Fox, and columnist and immigration hawk Ann Coulter.
Speaking at an event sponsored by the moderate Ripon Society, Davis said: “It’s very frustrating to me to see many on our side judge how they’re going to react to a piece of legislation based upon watching Sean Hannity or reading Ann Coulter’s tweets. That’s not the Republican Party that I know out here in Washington D.C.”
Joining with Washington Democratic Rep. Derek Kilmer at the Ripon event, he said, “We’ve got to spread the message of how we as Republicans and Democrats actually like each other,” adding, “We can debate the issues at hand — that’s what our country was founded upon. But in the end we’ve got to come together with that principled compromise.”
The comments came during a week when congressional Republicans and President Trump are under fire from conservative media for considering legislation that will slash the requested among for a border wall.
“Any Republican that supports this garbage compromise, you will have to explain,” Hannity said this week.
Coulter ripped Trump for considering the compromise. “We thought Trump was going to be different,” she said.
At Ripon, Kilmer and Davis said compromise has worked in the past and will in the future.
