People filled the auditorium, then the overflow room and finally the adjacent hallways of the Northbrook Public Library on Saturday morning for what has suddenly become a hot ticket: a congressional town hall.
In this case, it was U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider speaking and taking questions from a friendly audience clearly frustrated by President Donald Trump’s administration.
Schneider, D-Deerfield, received a standing ovation when he entered his "Congress on Your Corner" event.
"I will tell you the last four weeks have been the longest year of my life," Schneider said. "We have to brace ourselves for a very long struggle, a long resistance, a long battle."
For most of the 90-minute event, Schneider was peppered with questions and comments from a high-octane crowd that often shouted queries or opinions without being called upon.
Attendees demanded an independent investigation into recently resigned National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and the administration’s connections to the Russian government, as well as into possible interference by the foreign government in the U.S. presidential election. Several audience members also called on Attorney General Jeff Sessions to recuse himself from any investigation into ties with Russia.
Schneider said Democrats in Congress are united in their call for an independent investigation. But as the minority party, he said, they need to garner support from their Republican colleagues and have struggled so far to do that.
He urged the crowd to keep public pressure on Republican members of the House of Representatives and Senate. He specifically called out his colleagues in nearby districts, including U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam, a Wheaton Republican.
Schneider has held the north suburban 10th District seat twice in three terms. He was elected in 2012 and served one term before losing his re-election bid in 2014 to Republican Robert Dold. He reclaimed the seat in 2016 with 52 percent of the vote.
On Saturday, Schneider also fielded rapid-fire questions about Trump’s refusal to release his tax returns and the possibility that Trump has violated the emoluments clause, which bans federal officials from accepting gifts or doing business with foreign officials.
"These are all fair concerns. The challenge we face — and there is nothing I can do about it, but we are in the minority," he said.
Several attendees shouted, "We are the majority — use us!" in response.
Overflow crowd Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune) Overflow crowd Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune
An overflowing crowd stands outside a doorway to the overflow room itself to listen to U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider at the Northbrook library on Feb. 18, 2017.
An overflowing crowd stands outside a doorway to the overflow room itself to listen to U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider at the Northbrook library on Feb. 18, 2017.
(Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)
One woman asked the congressman to do her a "favor" and let Republicans in Congress know "they can sit on their laurels for two years, but if they don’t get some integrity and some courage and speak independently with morals — because I think some are moral but frightened — in 2018, I swear to God, we’ll try to get every Republican to vote Democratic just to get those slackers out."
Her speech elicited huge cheers.
Several people asked Schneider what they should be doing to effectively oppose the policies of the Trump administration.
"If all of us try to do everything, we will accomplish nothing," Schneider said. He recommended focusing on one or two specific issues, getting involved with organizations — particularly local groups — that are fighting for those causes and educating friends and neighbors about them, among other things.
Jenny Stadelmann, leader of the Deerfield chapter of Moms Demand Action — a national group that advocates for "common-sense gun reforms" — said after the event that she worked to help get Schneider elected but was inspired after Trump’s election to get more involved in politics. She said the moms’ group has seen an explosion in membership and formation of local chapters.
Stadelmann, 41, of Deerfield, said the increased involvement stretches across a broad spectrum of issues and that grass-roots groups "have thousands of members organizing over Facebook and starting to meet in person."
Northbrook couple Elliott and Jennifer Bruns attended the town hall with their two teenage children. Jennifer Bruns, 49, who said she wasn’t surprised by the turnout, came to find out what she could do to support Schneider’s positions.
Before the election, she said, she wasn’t interested in politics. But Trump’s win "absolutely lit a fire under my butt not just to take an interest but that I have a responsibility to do whatever I can to make sure our values stay in place."
Elliott Bruns, 51, a self-described "long-standing Republican" who did not support Trump in the election, said he’s dismayed and saddened by what’s going on in government and the GOP’s support of the president’s initiatives.
"There needs to be Republican dissent, and there isn’t, and I don’t know necessarily how to get it," he said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter.
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