Don Bacon held another Town Hall meeting the other day. Regularly getting in front of his constituents has been something Congressman Bacon has done for years. He should be commended for that.

These Town Halls are a great opportunity for Congressman Bacon to hear from the people and for the people to hear just how messed up partisan politics is.

I’ve been to most if not all of Congressman Bacon’s Town Halls over the years. But always as a member of the media where when it was over I could meet with the Congressman to ask follow-up questions. I didn’t do that this time. This time I just went to listen and observe. Here is some of what I saw.

I saw an elected official who was unable to be true to himself or totally honest with the voters if he wants to keep his job because Don Bacon is forced to give up some of his personal beliefs to be a good Republican.

Let’s start with Donald Trump…

In 2016, as a first-time candidate for Congress, General Bacon called on Donald Trump to drop out of the Presidential race after the Access Hollywood tape got out. He criticized Mr. Trump’s moral character and said that Trump didn’t have the proper values to be President. The soon-to-be Congressman changed his tune and supported Trump after he became the Republican nominee.

Over the years, Congressman Bacon and the former President have had their disagreements. Trump has even called for Bacon to be primaried and challenged by a MAGA candidate. Bacon has said he will not support Trump in his quest for the 2024 Republican Presidential nomination, but in the next breath has said he will vote for the Republican nominee. That nominee will — more than likely — be the man who motivated an angry mob to attack the Capitol and threaten to kill members of Congress.

Donald Trump spoke at CPAC. CPAC is the same conservative conference where vocal Trump supporter Jack Posobiec said that he was there to overthrow Democracy. He vowed to finish the job that the rioters on January 6^th started. Trump has said nothing to disavow those comments, and yet Don Bacon has said he will probably end up supporting Trump once again.

One of the reasons Congressman Bacon has said that he can support the twice impeached former President is the crisis at the border. During the Town Hall meeting Congressman Bacon spoke about his support for a faster way to process those who come to the border claiming the need for amnesty. What he failed to mention is that the bipartisan immigration bill the Senate proposed had that very provision in it. A streamlined approach to rule on amnesty along with other ways to deal with the problems at our southern border were in the very bill that never had a chance because Trump and the MAGA crowd don’t really want to solve the problem. They find it more to their advantage just to gripe about it.

I think Don Bacon is a good and decent man, and I respect his service to the country both as a member of the military and as a member of Congress, but he’s been hanging out with a bad crowd.

My parents always cautioned me to be careful of what friends I chose to be around. I was told that even if I was a good kid, I would be judged poorly if my friends weren’t. I feel that way about Don Bacon. Which is why I find it harder and harder to support him; he’s the good kid hanging out with the bad crowd.

Besides what appears to be his inevitable support of Donald Trump, Bacon has embraced the endorsement of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Johnson is an election denier; Don Bacon is not. Mike Johnson is a vocal opponent of LGBTQ rights; Don Bacon is not. But to get along you have to go along.

The message I got from the Town Hall meeting was probably not the intended message the Congressman wanted to portray. Yes, the message that he was meeting with the voters got through, but the message I took home is that partisan politics suck. And now that Trump has hijacked the party, rational Republicans like Don Bacon have to swallow their pride and modify their beliefs if they want to keep their job.

A job where partisan politics prevents anything from getting done.

Tom Becka is a long time Nebraska broadcaster who for over 30 years has been covering Omaha and Midwest issues on both radio and TV. He has been a guest on numerous national cable and news shows, filled in for nationally syndicated talk radio programs and Talkers Magazine has recognized him as one of the Top 100 talk show hosts in the country 10 times. Never afraid to ruffle some feathers, his ‘Becka's Beat’ commentaries can be found online on Youtube and other digital platforms.