With votes on authorizing military strikes against Syria on the possible horizon, members of Congress are getting a lot of pressure from many directions. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that during a public lunch meeting, DFL 1st District Congressman Tim Walz got an earful from more than 100 of his constituents in St. Peter.
SPEAKER 1: With votes on authorizing military strikes against Syria possible as soon as next week, members of Congress are getting a lot of pressure. Over the lunch hour today, DFL first district Congressman Tim Walz got an earful from more than 100 of his constituents, at an event he held in Saint Peter. As Mark Zdechlik reports, they were all against the US attack on Syria.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Even before Walz arrived at the Saint Peter food co-op, about 100 people were lined up waiting to speak with him about Syria. No one in line said they supported US military action.
SPEAKER 3: Is anyone here to express support for taking action against Syria?
SPEAKER 4: No. Keep looking.
MARK ZDECHLIK: And many shared their thoughts with each other.
SPEAKER 3: Children are dying all over the world. Our hearts hurt. Nobody likes it.
TIM WALZ: How are you doing?
SPEAKER 3: How are you doing as well?
TIM WALZ: Good. Nice to see you. Thanks for taking time.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Walz met with people one on one to hear their arguments against attacking Syria for allegedly turning chemical weapons on its own citizens. The three-term Democrat says he hasn't decided how he'll vote. 40-year-old Roger Perez of St. Peter took time off work so he could be one of the first people to talk with Walz.
TIM WALZ: What do you think?
ROGER PEREZ: Well, I don't think we should have any military involvement whatsoever.
TIM WALZ: It's troubling to me that those who have implied that those of us who are questioning this course of action somehow are condoning what Assad did. You are horrified by what he did too. Is it your assumption that this isn't going to fix it?
ROGER PEREZ: Well, OK, what I see is just a political play, right? The children are-- you gotta do this for the children. Then that makes you a horrible person if you say no. So it's immediately putting you in a bad position.
MARK ZDECHLIK: 66-year-old Kent Wilson-Jones of Lake Crystal told Walz a so-called limited action against Syria would become much more if any members of the US military are killed.
KENT WILSON-JONES: So this is just a precursor to another war. The wrong people are running America.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Over and over, Walz said this or something similar to it in response to hearing objections to attacking Syria.
TIM WALZ: I'm hearing you, loud and clear. Yeah, thank you. Yeah, I'm with you.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Some of the people in line said given public sentiment against striking Syria, Walz would run into trouble going before voters next year if he votes yes. More than an hour into the St. Peter visit, the line to speak with Walz still wound around the grocery store. A staffer said at least 150 people were there. 58-year-old Sue Rausch came from Kasota.
SUE RAUSCH: I am totally opposed to this.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Perhaps indicating how he might vote next week, Walz told Rausch he thinks more could be done to build a coalition to punish Syria and to pressure supporters of Syria's leader, Bashar al-Assad.
TIM WALZ: The G20's meeting in Russia today. Those 19 nations, if they really want to send a message, could send a message economically to the Russians by saying if you want to be a part of this. And it just feels to me like those haven't been-- that we haven't gone to explore every road.
SUE RAUSCH: Right.
TIM WALZ: Well, thanks for believing in the democracy. This is our first opportunity in many years that we've debated one of these ahead of time.
SUE RAUSCH: Good, good.
TIM WALZ: So it's good.
SUE RAUSCH: Thank you.
TIM WALZ: Thanks so much.
SUE RAUSCH: All right.
MARK ZDECHLIK: After the meeting, more than an hour past the time it was supposed to end, Walz said he'd never before held an event where there was unanimous consensus on an issue.
TIM WALZ: The questions these folks are asking are the very same ones I've been asking the White House.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Walz says he will continue to gather information about possible military action and wait to see the exact wording of the resolution he will have to vote on before he decides which way to go.
TIM WALZ: I am certainly incredibly skeptical. Today certainly strengthened my belief that the public is wise, they're thoughtful. They've learned their lesson over the last decade about questioning evidence for war and making that bar very high. And that was articulated to me, time and time and time and time again, right down the line.
MARK ZDECHLIK: Walz says regardless of how he votes next week, if Congress rejects the administration's push for airstrikes, he does not think the president has authority under the War Powers Act to go ahead with an attack on Syria. Mark Zdechlik, Minnesota Public Radio News, Saint Peter.
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