What Happens When Rich People Try to Empathize with Others?

Wisconsin Republican Representative Sean Duffy recently tried to empathize with some of his constituents at a town hall meeting. Depending on whom you ask, his answers were either a success or a sign of fiscal out-of-touchedness. What follows is an open letter from Mike Bevel to Rep. Duffy.

Dear Rep. and “Real World: Boston” Alumnus Sean Duffy:

I love that you lived in the same building that TV’s “Spencer: For Hire” used during your stint on MTV’s reality train-wreck.

But you’ve left all that behind you. You took what was useful (arguing with Kameelah about politics; getting to know your first black people) and parlayed that into a career in government: formerly as district attorney of Ashland County, Wisconsin; currently as the U.S. Representative for Wisconsin’s 7th congressional district.

This is why recently you were at a town hall meeting in Amery, Wisconsin. Wisconsin is going through some Stuff, and you were there to listen to your constituents. There are a lot of legislative changes in the works, and a lot of them seem pretty scary to a lot of people — things like union-busting and pay cuts, for instance.

There was one guy, an out-of-work builder who now drives a bus, who told you about how his wife, a teacher, may have to take a pretty significant wage cut if these legislative changes make it through. He got kind of real with you – if I can borrow from the opening credits of your TV show — when he asked, “I’m just wondering what your wage is, and if you guys would be willing to take a cut.”

Your response was…I don’t know, Sean. You start out by sharing that you pull in $174 thousand. That’s the congressional salary, and you were right to point out that it’s not like you asked for that. “I didn’t vote on that,” you explained “I got there on January fifth. I came into it without a play in it.”

When your constituent shared his side of the story — “But a hundred and seventy-four thousand, that’s three times — that’s three of my family’s — three times what I make” — maybe your next best step shouldn’t have been to say, “I guarantee that I have more debt than all of you.”

Debt isn’t a measuring contest, Sean. Sure, there’s probably a world of difference between manageable debt, which it sounds like you have, what with a guaranteed salary that for the moment sounds safer than a Wisconsin teacher’s, and the debt and financial outlook most of your constituents are facing (which includes a 7.4 percent statewide unemployment rate.)

So, why the letter? Because I think, rather than rationalizing wage cuts with a fiddle-dee-dee’d “We all have debt,” this could have been an opportunity to have effective conversations about the critical financial situation not just in Wisconsin, but nationwide.

If you have to undermine the unions, and if you have to institute wage cuts — which you may have to do; I don’t envy you those decisions — you still have to work with your constituents to get them through the tougher times ahead. I guess I really want you to see that if you’re legitimately struggling to make ends meet with $175 thousand, how are families making $50 thousand, with the prospect of even less, supposed to make it?

I’m sure you’ll do better next time.

Regards,

Mike