Back in the 2000s, when Ed, David and I were on a Twin Cities radio station (the one I'm still on), one of our favorite rhetorical stunts was to invite local Democrats who were in the news to come on our various shows.
We'd theatrically - and with tongue firmly in cheek - "leave a seat open" for them, and castigate them for not taking us up on our "invitation" to "appear on the air".
They never accepted the "invitation" - because nobody, least of all Ed, David and I, took them seriously. It was theater.
Democrats nationwide have apparently adopted the idea.
Nationwide, there's been a curious pattern of "town hall meetings" where Republicans "don't show up", to the caterwauling of the media conveniently in attendance.
Which is because those "town hall meetings" have exactly the same intent as those "interviews" that Dave, Ed and I "invited" people to, 20 years ago.
Twin Cities TV station KARE covered one of these "town halls" in Duluth, Minnesota:
Organizers say about 900 citizens braved the icy aftermath of a winter storm to voice their concerns at a town hall meeting in Duluth Saturday.
The town hall, sponsored by the political action committee Practicing-Democracy.org, was promoted as a chance for residents of Minnesota's 8th Congressional District to share concerns about the actions of President Donald Trump and Elon Musk and their impacts on northern Minnesota.
Those attending spoke on reductions in federal funding and the economic impact of President Trump's tariffs, cuts to programs and departments that fund care for veterans, education, Medicaid, Social Security and food assistance for children and vulnerable adults.
Bill Glahn - one of about a dozen actual journalists in Minnesota, writing for the Center of the American Experiement - took a deeper look and found the story behind the story (that, mirabile dictu, KARE didn't). He clicked through 'Practicing-Democracy.org", and found that the "non-partisan" group was run Adrienne Dineene and Jen Schultz.
Jen who?
Glahn:
Jennifer Schultz is a former DFL state representative and two-time Democratic-party nominee for the 8th District seat. She lost by a wide margin to incumbent Republican Rep. Pete Stauber in both the 2022 and 2024 elections.
In fact, on the official FEC website, all links to the Practicing Democracy PAC automatically redirect to Schultz’s congressional campaign committee.
None of this information is included in the KARE-11 story.
What the reliably left-of-center KARE did report was that:
Practicing Democracy noted that 8th District U.S. Congressman Pete Stauber was invited to attend the town hall, but according to a post on his Facebook account, Stauber was at an event in Baxter. The congressman said he heard from "so many folks" who are fed up with fraud and corruption in the federal government and are "grateful" to President Trump for cutting waste.
The station also helpfully added:
Practicing Democracy plans to hold additional town hall gatherings across the 8th Congressional District. You can find more information on their website.
Presumably they'll also "invite" the President, Secretary of Defense Hegseth and Elon Musk, and complain "if" they don't show up.
Of course, it's not just Minnesota. Democrat-aligned "non-partisan" groups are holding these "meetings" nationwide, and Republicans are skipping them - much as a duck might skip a town hall put on by "Foxes for Change" - and the media are, pro forma, outraged.
Sort of like those "internview invites" Dave, Ed and I used to make, only not nearly as funny.
