An open conversation or ducking the punches?

U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi's conversation with the local newspaper didn't really get the job done. This state's delegation should meet with the people.

By D. Reed Eckhardt

I continue to be conflicted about the recent published conversation between U.S. Sen. Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., and the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. 

On one hand, the local newspaper was able to get the senator to at least sit down and answer questions from his constituents. 

Empty chairs mark the delegation's absence in Jackson.

On the other hand, Enzi was able to dodge having to hear directly from those who are unhappy with his positions on such things as Obamacare and his support for the Trump administration. He knows that could have been unpleasant, given what has happened at other Republican representatives' town halls around the nation.

Perhaps the senator doesn't care what those people have to say, so he probably is satisfied with the WTE interview. He has staked out a position as one of the most conservative members of the U.S. Senate, though he isn't nearly as aggressive about it as other members. And he is well liked in Wyoming, so he really has nothing to gain from being pinned down at a town hall.

But there are people in this state who Enzi should be listening to. Consider a friend whose family was saved by the safety net that Obamacare offers. His child has a severe disease, and it only was through Obamacare that he was able to get substantial coverage. Without it, that child would have been kept out by a pre-existing condition and/or her age. That she was under 26 years old allowed her to stay on the family policy. One wonders how Enzi would respond if told face to face that he was threatening that child's health care by his efforts at "repeal and replace." We'll never know, of course, since that family was unable to confront the senator at the WTE.

Certainly, there are many others -- though not of Enzi's party, probably -- who have personal, social or political concerns that they would like to share with the senator. But he answered questions from the paper, and that provided him with at least an appearance of openness.

It's easy to understand the senator's hesitancy. Confrontation is not his cup of tea. But as a new article on WyoFile clearly shows (http://www.wyofile.com/delegation-applauded-legislators-scolded-constituents/), many Wyomingites want to speak directly with their congressional delegation. In some respects, it is cowardly for them to hide in Washington, D.C., or even in the editorial boardroom of the WTE. These residents are supposed to be represented by their delegation. For Enzi -- or Sen. John Barrasso or Rep. Liz Cheney, for that matter -- to duck them says a lot about who they really think they represent. That Barrasso, for example, chose to attend a fundraiser in Jackson while ignoring requests for a town meeting there speaks volumes.

So give the WTE credit for at least getting Enzi to come out from behind the curtain. Unfortunately, the people of Laramie County got to see only what the Wizard wanted them to see, rather than being able to see the Wizard himself. They, and the rest of Wyoming, deserve better from Enzi, Barrasso, and Cheney. Unfortunately, they won't get it anytime soon.

D. Reed Eckhardt is the former executive editor of the Wyoming Tribune Eagle.